What you missed in November 2025

We’re moving full steam toward the holidays now that the Black Friday deals finally start to disappear, giving way to general holiday deals to entice buyers in the lead up to Christmas. I hope the guide against buying surveillance tech was helpful for you — whether in your own buying, or trying to stop others from giving it.

It’s always been frustrating to me to see some of these things being mindlessly passed on over the holidays and I would love to see it stop. It certainly doesn’t help when plenty of tech (and non-tech) publications are pushing readers to buy Ring doorbells, Meta glasses, Amazon Alexas, and the like just so they can get some affiliate revenue off the sale. I can’t wait for the day that ends — being hopeful it someday will!

Anyway, Disconnect should start working up to a more regular cadence in the coming weeks. Thank you again for your patience over the past couple months as I was writing the draft of my next book. Expect more information on that in the new year! But until then, I have another recap of some important tech stories from the past month that you might have missed.

It start off with some pieces about the Ellisons’ ambitions in Hollywood (though even that looks like it might be frustrated now by a Netflix bid), what’s stopping Meta’s internet cable from being completed in Africa, and how venture capitalists are winning big under Trump — at everyone else’s expense. Plus, more good stories on important issues, updates on labor developments, and a selection of other tech stories you might have missed in the past month.

I hope you have a good December and get some time to relax later this month. I’m planning to spend time reading and finally getting through Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 on PS5. Wish me luck!

— Paris