Joe Rogan renews multiyear Spotify podcast deal, reportedly in nine-figure range
Spotify keeps ad sales and licensing for The Joe Rogan Experience, extending a partnership that began in 2020 and remains one of podcasting's largest deals.
Variety · +4 outlets
USA Today sues OpenAI, alleging it copied hundreds of thousands of articles to train models
The publisher and its local newspapers join a growing wave of copyright lawsuits against OpenAI over training data.
The Verge · +14 outlets
Trump administration suspends Microsoft from worker visa program, alleging abuse
Vance said the administration is cutting off some tech companies from an immigration program that lets employers hire foreign workers for permanent US residency
The Verge · +14 outlets
New York accuses TikTok of serving kids 'placebo' safety features
An updated suit alleges thousands of users, including minors, were given nonfunctional versions of safety tools.
The Verge · +9 outlets
Anthropic revises usage policy to ban 'abusive or cruel behavior' toward Claude
The first policy update in over a year adds restrictions on election interference, weapons development, surveillance, and health and financial misuse.
The Verge · +1 outlets
Disney Plus will stream Super Bowl LXI and New Year's Rockin' Eve
Disney is putting the NFL's biggest game and its annual special on its streaming service, a first for the platform.
The Verge · +14 outlets
Google launches a Gemini agent for work tasks and offline AI meeting transcription
The company is pushing Gemini deeper into workplace productivity with an agent and a fully offline note-taking app.
The Verge · +14 outlets
HBO Max and Paramount+ will merge; Discovery+ future unclear
The combined streaming service raises questions about what happens to Discovery+ and its subscriber base.
The Hollywood Reporter · +14 outlets
Microsoft's Surface event: Alexa-rival tablets, magnetic USB-C laptops, and a $5,999 dev box
Microsoft detailed new Surface hardware and Copilot features, including a premium RTX Spark developer machine and magnetic charging.
The Verge
Skydance shares drop 8% as it courts Wall Street
The company's stock fell as it made its case to investors after closing its Paramount acquisition.
The Hollywood Reporter · +5 outlets
Amazon unveils Alexa Tablets and new Kids Tablets with parental Play store controls
Amazon is taking on the iPad with new Alexa-branded tablets, including a 12 Pro model with a matte display.
The Verge · +14 outlets
Trump says he will award Musk the National Medal of Science at DC tech summit
The planned honor comes as Musk's SpaceX faces a share dip and Starlink's India launch remains blocked.
Forbes · +14 outlets
TikTok's weakened ad rules let fake e-commerce sites scam tens of thousands
Reporting ties lax ad moderation on the platform to a wave of fraudulent shopping sites.
Forbes · +1 outlets
India rejects Musk's claim that 'oligarchs' are blocking Starlink launch
The government called the assertion baseless as Starlink's Indian market entry stalls.
Forbes · +14 outlets
Xbox forms new division focused on film and TV adaptations
The gaming unit is formalizing its push into transmedia, following the success of game-to-screen franchises.
The Hollywood Reporter · +13 outlets
Instagram and Facebook test full-screen Reels as TikTok-style feeds spread
Meta's platforms are the latest to push full-screen vertical video, continuing TikTok's design influence across the web.
The Verge · +6 outlets
AI agents now launch full ransomware attacks on their own, report finds
The finding highlights a new class of autonomous cyberattack risk from agentic AI systems.
Forbes
GTA VI leaks continue with lengthy nude gameplay video
A new wave of leaked footage shows clothing-optional versions of protagonists Lucia and Jason.
The Verge