California voters rejected Proposition 40, the one-time 5% tax on billionaires, the AP reported Monday. Tech leaders outspent backers roughly 10 to 1 to defeat it, and the founders and economists TechCrunch interviewed before the vote were split on whether it would have driven out wealthy residents or just trimmed their fortunes.
Plus, Apple’s beach-friendly iPad Mini and Amazon’s upscale Alexa tablet, the data-center revolt continues, investors question Anthropic’s valuation and more.
On Bloomberg This Weekend, Bloomberg News tech reporter Brody Ford explains how voter backlash against data centers could disrupt the rapid buildout of infrastructure powering the AI boom. Speaking with hosts David Gura and Christina Ruffini, Ford discusses the risks for heavily indebted AI companies and whether tougher promises from newly elected officials will translate into meaningful restrictions on development. (Source: Bloomberg)
Google, Meta, and TikTok have sued California to block the enforcement of a state law meant to protect children from getting addicted to social media.
Democrat Representative from California Sam Liccardo said that congress has 'issued a lot of press releases' on issues surrounding technology, but haven't managed to push meaningful legislation over the finish line. Liccardo, whose district includes parts of Silicon Valley, said it is critical lawmakers act on AI concerns and that it is time to move forward with 'sensible' regulation. (Source: Bloomberg)
On Tuesday, millions of American voters went to the polls and voted overwhelmingly for Democrats and against AI. The fight against Big Tech is about to come roaring back, and the fight over data centers is looking even harder for the folks trying to build them. On this episode of The Vergecast, Nilay and David […]
The Fox News AI Newsletter covers the latest artificial intelligence technology advancements, including the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.
Following this week's midterms where voters resoundingly voiced their opposition to data center expansion, OpenAI today announced new commitments to communities where it is working on data center projects, including that it won't use non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) with public officials. Many data center projects have come under scrutiny for relying on NDAs to hide discussions […]
If it goes into effect next year, this California law would restrict social media access for children under 16.
Separate lawsuits were filed by Google, Meta and TikTok, which have been battling a flood of claims that their services are addictive.
Alphabet Inc.’s Google will spend $17 billion to build a data center in Wyoming, formally putting a price tag on the proposal two days after voters across the US delivered a broad rebuke to the development of such massive projects for artificial intelligence work.
Assembly Bill 1709 demands that platforms remove "psychologically exploitative features."
AI data centers are facing national outcry for draining local water and power supply. The truth about how they use water to stay cool is far more complicated.
Tech industry in denial as US overwhelmingly votes to restrict AI, data centers.
After two years of little A.I. oversight, voters on Tuesday rejected data center projects and swept into office Democratic candidates who promised to regulate the technology.
Voters in the states at the heart of the AI data center boom pushed back on the buildout on Election Night.
New Zealand’s weakening currency is compounding the cost-of-living pressures turning voters away from the country’s main political parties ahead of next week’s election.
From high-profile Senate races to local rezoning initiatives, data centers and their supporters did miserably on the ballot in the 2026 midterms.
Elon Musk almost single-handedly funded the Republican midterms push. But of every traceable dollar Musk put into races that have been decided, more than 99 cents went to a race he lost.
Data center developers are poised to face a more restrictive building environment after voters across the country voted in candidates who favor moratoriums and ballot measures that put more obstacles on their expansion, delivering a stinging blow to a central pillar of the AI industry. Of voters polled by NBC News on Election Day, 76 […]
State tries to obtain broadband funds despite rejecting Trump admin condition.
Portia Roberson, CEO of Focus: HOPE, discusses population growth and workforce development as Michigan voters focused on the economy. Roberson said good public schools and affordable housing are basic factors that can draw people to Detroit and support continued modest growth. She speaks with Romaine Bostick live from Detroit on "The Close." (Source: Bloomberg)
Hillary Clinton's 2016 political gaffe has become an irony-shrouded rallying cry for jaded young voters who still dare to hope for change.
The 2026 midterm elections will determine the scope of President Donald Trump’s power in his final two years in office, and signal what voters care about going into the 2028 presidential election. While this year’s races are expected to be most broadly defined by affordability issues, there’s several topics impacting the tech industry that appear […]
World’s largest crypto exchange faces fallout from angry customers, and Lula wins with WhatsApp This was originally published in TechScape, a newsletter about how technology shapes our lives. Sign up to receive it here This week in tech, we’re discussing the fallout from the multibillion-dollar hack of Binance and the significance of Lula’s political mobilization on WhatsApp . And if you’ll be at Web Summit in Lisbon next week, drop me a line! I’ll be there moderating panels on open-source AI and human agency in the age of AI agents. Tell us: have you been affected by the Binance hack? Polymarket temporarily suspends trading on international platform due to security incident How crypto hacking funds isolated North Korea’s nuclear programme Ghost in the machine: how AI is haunting the search for the supernatural Computerized clairvoyance: psychics push back against AI-generated readings The staggering $446m Elon Musk has spent on the US midterms – visualized Billionaire tax: how a union leader’s ‘crazy’ idea became the defining issue of California’s midterms How tech became the villain of the US midterms The ultra-rich are spending one million dollars a day fighting California’s proposed billionaire tax Continue reading...
From gas and groceries to housing and wage growth, midterm voters who are being squeezed by inflation say the economy is their top issue this Election Day.
A high-stakes California ballot measure pitched as a fast track for "essential" infrastructure could wind up giving data center developers a loophole to evade public scrutiny, environmental advocates warn. Proposition 45 would shorten timelines for state-mandated environmental assessments for eligible projects and make it more difficult for residents to challenge those projects in court. Proponents […]
Analysts at Graphika report that the influence campaign known as Spamouflage is active ahead of the midterm elections
It was an ambitious notion – now Californians will vote on a one-time 5% billionaire tax, and state’s super rich have pulled out all the stops in opposition One year ago, the idea of a billionaire tax in California was still in its infancy. It wasn’t yet one of the most contentious ballot measure fights in state history – pitting Democrats against Democrats, drawing national attention from political heavyweights, and netting hundreds of millions of Silicon Valley dollars to fight it. Back then, it was a bold and desperate answer to Donald Trump’s healthcare cuts. Continue reading...
Surveillance video captures a portable phone charger bursting into flames inside a California home, as a deadly New York City battery fire and a new recall raise safety concerns. NBC News' Andres Gutierrez reports.
Educational Testing Service hackers stole millions of California student records, but families who moved out of state years ago may also be affected.
Opposition to the rapid emergence of data centers in states such as Ohio and Arizona has ginned up activism and unified voters. A range of public health issues have played into the resistance.
The latest Silicon Valley billionaire club is a $333 million political ad machine that is heavily engaged in next week’s elections.
From apps that block distractions to stripped-down phones, young people are finding ways to unplug from platforms they say profit from their attention Gen Z voters: tell us what is guiding your vote in the US midterm elections? Nelissa Moukoudi, 19, a university student in Canada, noticed a shift once she joined Instagram and TikTok. “My social life completely plummeted and it felt like my life was only [using] social media and school,” she said. Continue reading...
Mark Zuckerberg has made a deal with Meta to help him pay a proposed billionaire tax that is on the ballot in California
