Policy | The Verge

Tech is reshaping the world — and not always for the better. Whether it’s the rules for Apple’s App Store or Facebook’s plan for fighting misinformation, tech platform policies can have enormous ripple effects on the rest of society. They’re so powerful that, increasingly, companies aren’t setting them alone but sharing the fight with government regulators, civil society groups, and internal standards bodies like Meta’s Oversight Board. The result is an ongoing political struggle over harassment, free speech, copyright, and dozens of other issues, all mediated through some of the largest and most chaotic electronic spaces the world has ever seen.
On The Vergecast: The many spiraling stories in the AI world, the fate of streaming services, Mark Zuckerberg’s meat, and more.
Meta has ticked off academics on all sides of the social media and mental health debate.
Trump Jr. has been an advisor to both Kalshi and its rival Polymarket during the prediction market-friendly administration of his father. Kalshi told Bloomberg that the company and Trump Jr. “mutually agreed” to part ways after his venture capital firm invested in Polymarket this summer.
The Senate Minority Leader says both Nvidia and the Trump administration need to explain the national security risks they’re aware of following Huang’s affair with an alleged Chinese spy.
A second affair has hit the news cycle, but that’s not what matters here.
A Chinese spy scandal brought down the CEO of Nvidia, and it also could backfire for Beijing in a big way when it comes to AI export controls.
Now that Nvidia’s CEO has resigned, the president posted on Truth Social calling for the former CEO of Apple to take over the company, for some reason.
“When reached by phone Wednesday and asked about his relationship with Ms. Powell, Mr. Huang said, ‘I don’t think you should be talking to me directly.‘ He then hung up.” Great stuff, sir. This is the funniest way for the bubble to pop. Do stick around for the NDA anecdote in the kicker — sure seems like his security guards just have a stack of paperwork at the ready for his bullshit!
Update: The WSJ reports Nvidia’s board is “preparing to oust” its CEO.
[The New York Times]
Groups that advocated for data center restrictions are getting ready to hold newly elected (or reelected) officials accountable — and push them to go even further, CNN reports. Data center opposition became a theme across many campaigns, and voters favored limits on them in all but one ballot measure.
Scientists who analyzed public data for The New York Times concluded the highly contagious virus is circulating in the US 26 years after being declared eliminated. An international panel will make an official designation on Tuesday, but it apparently won’t change the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s approach.
[The New York Times]
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confronted Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick about failing to put the alleged Chinese spy-run company on a list of national security concerns, Axios reports, though the Commerce Department denied the interaction. Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal reports that Huang’s birthplace of Taiwan has been unnerved by his affair, where some view it as a national security threat, and it could play into upcoming local elections.
As the Nvidia spy saga continues to develop, the board announced it has retained a former US attorney, Joon H. Kim, and his firm, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz (previously seen breaking down the LA Clippers, Steve Ballmer, and Kawhi Leonard scandal) to perform the previously announced investigation.
Separately, the New York Times is diving into the background of the accused spy, Megaspeed exec Alice Huang, and reporting that despite his claims, Donald Trump was informed in May by Marco Rubio about intelligence info showing Nvidia’s CEO was in a relationship with a spy, and that it was the second time he’d been told in seven months.
The president wants more Republicans confirmed before Democrats take control of the Senate. Trump said the WeatherTech founder would instead become “Special Envoy for Manufacturing” and the FTC’s former consumer protection director Christopher Mufarrige would be nominated to the agency. The Senate Commerce Committee is considering an FCC nominee Tuesday.
Correction: Previously stated the Commerce Committee was considering an FTC nominee Tuesday, but it’s an FCC nominee.
The Nvidia CEO has been in a unique position to influence AI export controls.
Trump pushed lawmakers to pass the sweeping bill ahead of a procedural vote in the Senate on Monday that moved the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act (BAAJA) closer to a final vote. Over the weekend, the bill’s authors released an amended version of the bill addressing some of its biggest points of contention.
Chairs of the House Foreign Affairs, China, and Intelligence committees asked the Nvidia CEO on November 4th to appear before their panels to discuss the company’s “security protocols against foreign adversary espionage” and his interactions with reported Chinese “intelligence asset” Alice Huang (no relation). They requested the briefing for November 18th.
[X (formerly Twitter)]
The ballot measure was supposed to fast-track the buildout of “essential” infrastructure, but some legal experts and environmental groups argued it would have loosened standards for data centers as well.
SNL gave Elon the “epic vulgar roast” he earned so spectacularly by throwing half a billion dollars at losing candidates during the midterms. Don’t feel too bad for him, though — he’s still got another $850 billion to dry his tears with.
The company has made the city-state its largest tax shelter, attributing up to $50 billion in profits to its hub there. According to the Financial Times, that’s slightly more than the $2.6 billion saved via its Ireland headquarters.
The Senate will vote to push through a giant — and controversial — permitting reform bill.
Today I was on the phone with