Alexis C. Madrigal
He is the author of Powering the Dream and the forthcoming The Pacific Circuit. He created the podcast Containers and the television show Real Future. He previously worked at Wired, at Univision, and in various editorial roles at The Atlantic.
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David Ryder / Getty What Jeff Bezos’s Reported Phone Hack Says About Billionaires
Stunning new allegations about the relationship between the Amazon CEO and the crown prince of Saudi Arabia hint at just how connected the world’s most powerful people are.
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Print Collector / Getty / Farknot Architect / … The Way We Write History Has Changed
A deep dive into an archive will never be the same.
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Peter Macdiarmid / Somerset House / Getty Silicon Valley Abandons the Culture That Made It the Envy of the World
Once upon a time, in the notorious start-up cradle, small was beautiful.
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AFP / Getty The Overwhelming Visibility of the Iran Plane Crash
A cellphone video. An international dispute. The world is more confusing—and more exposed—than ever.
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Glenn Chapman / AFP / Getty Facebook’s Id Is Showing
An executive’s leaked memo suggests that the company wants to return to the pre-Trump world.
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Stephen Lam / Reuters The Toxic Bubble of Technical Debt Threatening America
Climate change will soon expose a crippling problem embedded in the nation’s infrastructure. In fire-ravaged California, it already has.
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AP Your Smart Toaster Can’t Hold a Candle to the Apollo Computer
Despite what everyone says about the power of modern devices, they’re nowhere near as capable as the landmark early NASA system.
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Ian Wagreich / Aspen Institute Mark Zuckerberg Is Rethinking Deepfakes
In an interview, the Facebook CEO hinted that the company is trying a new approach to misleading videos created through artificial intelligence.
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George Marks / Getty The Huge Trend That Realigned the Media Industry Is Over
The legendary internet analyst Mary Meeker’s latest report has some bad news.
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Reuters / Noah Berger Why Housing Policy Feels Like Generational Warfare
To Millennials, at least
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Eric Gaillard / Reuters The ‘Platform’ Excuse Is Dying
For years, tech companies have relied on a rhetorical sleight of hand. It’s not working anymore.
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Stephen Lam / Reuters The Coalition Out to Kill Tech as We Know It
With enemies like these, the industry is going to need some friends.
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Charles Dharapak / AP The Collapsing Crime Rates of the ’90s Might Have Been Driven by Cellphones
Did technology disrupt the drug game, too?
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Jeenah Moon / Reuters Why Silicon Valley Loved Uber More Than Everyone Else
Uber was the most valuable private company in history, but the public market has not been as enthusiastic. The reason explains a lot about how the tech industry works.
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Eric Gaillard / Reuters The Huawei Drama Is a Gift to U.S. Tech Companies
Faced with opponents along the political spectrum, tech needs a new way to emphasize its importance to the country, and the challenge of China could be that organizing narrative.
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Evan Vucci / AP President Trump Is Collecting Social-Media Grievances
The sitting president just released a new tool in his war of words with tech companies.
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Mark Liddell / Getty The Telltale Signs of a Fake Atlantic Article
A look-alike story was briefly publicized as part of a 2017 disinformation campaign.
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Reuters / Nacho Doce The Future According to Uber
Every stock-market bet is a prediction, but Uber’s vision of the future is particularly far-reaching and risky.
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Stephen Lam / Reuters Mark Zuckerberg’s Power Is Unprecedented
It’s not just the extent of his influence—it’s the nature of it.
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Arnd Wiegmann / Reuters The Most Exciting Thing About Smartphones Isn’t Here Yet
5G is the next wave of wireless technology—but it might take a while.
