Roundup: TikTok Isn’t a Speech Issue and Elon Musk is a Grifter

As the generative AI hype train keeps rolling and Congress continues its campaign against TikTok, we shouldn’t forget about the last tech bubble. Crypto may have crashed, but after the closure of Signature and Silvergate bank in recent weeks, the industry’s woes aren’t over yet. As you’ll see down in the recommended reads, the US Securities and Exchange Commission is increasing its enforcement, even if a bit too late, going after some of its biggest names like Justin Sun and Do Kwon, potentially Coinbase, and the celebrities they paid to boost their products. At least some precedents could be set to limit crypto taking off again like it did during the early part of the pandemic.

Shifting away from tech for a moment, I had some great events in Dunedin and Christchurch this past week. It’s always a bit wild to me to see so many people interested in my work. My time in New Zealand isn’t over yet though: If you’re in Wellington or Auckland, I’ll be doing events in your cities with the Wellington Socialist Society and Tohatoha this coming week. Make sure to join us!

Anyway, with that said, I hope you enjoy this week’s roundup! I have some more thoughts to share on TikTok, building on what I wrote last week, and some reflections on what workers are sharing about Elon Musk’s bad decision on Tesla’s Autopilot software. Plus, a ton of recommended reads and stories you might have missed. If you’re not already a paid subscriber, make sure to upgrade to get the full roundup and support that work that goes into writing Disconnect!

— Paris Marx