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Kurt Wagner

@kurtwagner.bsky.social
6.2K followers 79 following 231 posts

Journalist at Bloomberg. Go Mariners. Go Seahawks. Signal: kurtwagner.08

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Kurt Wagner @kurtwagner.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
New: Meta has invested $900 million into Indian fintech Cred & recruited its founder, Kunal Shah, to run WhatsApp Current WhatsApp boss Will Cathcart will step into a new role at Meta building consumer products with the help of AI Shah will move from Bangalore to California to lead the team
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Kurt Wagner @kurtwagner.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
This is happening now! Come join us!
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Kurt Wagner @kurtwagner.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
NEW: Meta just confirmed 10% layoffs coming on May 20, according to an internal memo. 6,000 job openings are also being closed. Head of HR didn’t specifically mention AI, but said this is an effort to “run the company more efficiently and to allow us to offset the other investments we’re making.”
bloomberg.com
Meta Tells Staff It Will Cut 10% of Jobs in Push for Efficiency
Meta Platforms Inc. plans to cut 10% of workers, or roughly 8,000 employees, in an effort to boost efficiency and offset its heavy spending on artificial intelligence.
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Kurt Wagner @kurtwagner.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
1/ NEW Investigation: AI has supercharged child predators' abilities to harm kids. Underfunded investigators can't keep up. It’s easier than ever to create child porn & investigators have been flooded with tips & can’t always tell what’s real. Predators are now only limited by their imagination
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Kurt Wagner @kurtwagner.bsky.social · 18/11/2025
NEW: Meta won its FTC antitrust trial. The judge found that the company did not violate antitrust laws in its purchases of WhatsApp and Instagram. That means Meta WILL NOT be broken up. It was always a long shot for that to happen, but crisis averted.
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Kurt Wagner @kurtwagner.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
New: Meta will start using chatbot conversations to target people with advertising. This will start in Dec and there is no way to opt-out People use chatbots for all kinds of very personal things. Soon you may see ads on FB/IG related to those personal things. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Meta to Start Using Chatbot Conversations to Target Advertising
Meta Platforms Inc. will soon start using interactions with its AI chatbot to more effectively tailor the content and advertising that people see on Facebook and Instagram.
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Kurt Wagner @kurtwagner.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
New: Meta's Mark Zuckerberg just debuted a new pair of AI display glasses that work with a neural wristband to enable hands-free messaging. You can see your messages in the periphery of the frame. Story from @markgurman.bsky.social www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
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Kurt Wagner @kurtwagner.bsky.social · 05/09/2025
Tesla's board offered Elon Musk, a man running four other companies at the same time, a $1 TRILLION pay package. He would need to hit several ambitious benchmarks over a ten-year period. But my god... $1,000,000,000,000 www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Tesla Offers Elon Musk an Unprecedented $1 Trillion Pay Package
Tesla Inc. proposed a new compensation agreement for Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk potentially worth around $1 trillion, a massive package without precedent in corporate America.
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Kurt Wagner @kurtwagner.bsky.social · 22/08/2025
Well this is fun… Elon Musk tried to recruit Mark Zuckerberg to help him buy OpenAI (Zuck did not participate) … w/ @rachelmetz.bsky.social www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Musk Tried to Enlist Zuckerberg to Help Finance Bid for OpenAI
Elon Musk tried to enlist Mark Zuckerberg for his unsolicited bid to buy OpenAI this year, the startup said in a court filing.
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Kurt Wagner @kurtwagner.bsky.social · 19/08/2025
New: Meta is restructuring its AI teams again after a big hiring spree. The org now has four distinct teams, all rolling up to Alexandr Wang (formerly Scale AI). This is according to an internal memo sent by Wang this morning... via @rileyraygriffin.bsky.social www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
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Kurt Wagner @kurtwagner.bsky.social · 14/08/2025
I don't understand how this can *ever* make it into a policy document as acceptable chatbot behavior. Pretty inexcusable. www.reuters.com/investigates...
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Kurt Wagner @kurtwagner.bsky.social · 14/08/2025
New: Former Twitter CEO @para.ga is moving past the Elon Musk drama & started an AI company. “I don’t think Twitter defines me,” he told us in an interview. “If I do a good job, I’m hoping this company will define me.” www.bloomberg.com/news/article... (gift link w/ @shiringhaffary.bsky.social)
bloomberg.com
Twitter’s Ex-CEO Is Moving Past His Elon Musk Drama and Starting an AI Company
Parag Agrawal says AI agents are the target customers for his new startup, Parallel.
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Kurt Wagner @kurtwagner.bsky.social · 11/08/2025
What happens when Mark Zuckerberg moves into the neighborhood? Great read about the Facebook founder's years-long effort to build a private compound in Palo Alto www.nytimes.com/2025/08/10/u...
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Kurt Wagner @kurtwagner.bsky.social · 08/08/2025
New: Meta found some business partners for its major Louisiana data center project
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Kurt Wagner @kurtwagner.bsky.social · 05/08/2025
Not the pivot I was expecting.... Linda Yaccarino has a new job: Running eMed, "a telehealth company that offers access to weight-loss drugs" www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
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Kurt Wagner @kurtwagner.bsky.social · 25/07/2025
New: Zuckerberg has picked a chief scientist for Meta's new superintelligence unit: Shengjia Zhao, who joined Meta from OpenAI in June. He was part of the team behind the original version of OpenAI’s popular chatbot, ChatGPT. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Meta Says Open AI Hire is Superintelligence Group Chief Scientist
Mark Zuckerberg has named Shengjia Zhao, an artificial intelligence researcher who joined Meta Platforms Inc. from OpenAI in June, as the chief scientist for the social media company’s new superintell...
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Kurt Wagner @kurtwagner.bsky.social · 20/07/2025
What could go wrong?
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Kurt Wagner @kurtwagner.bsky.social · 18/07/2025
What's it like to cover Elon Musk? I spoke to my good friend and tremendous reporter @teddyschleifer.bsky.social for our Elon Inc. podcast about how he's covering the world's richest man Teddy's covers Musk as closely as anyone - great perspective! podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/f...
podcasts.apple.com
Forget DOGE. Musk Is Suddenly All In on AI
Podcast Episode · Elon, Inc. · 07/15/2025 · 35m
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Kurt Wagner @kurtwagner.bsky.social · 18/07/2025
New: Meta has nabbed two more top AI researchers from Apple for its Superintelligence Labs group. The hiring spree continues... w/ @markgurman.bsky.social www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
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Kurt Wagner @kurtwagner.bsky.social · 17/07/2025
New: Meta's board went to trial Wednesday over shareholder claims that they overpaid the FTC several years ago to personally protect Mark Zuckerberg from being held responsible for Cambridge Analytica This morning the two sides reached a settlement. Zuck was set to testify next week
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Kurt Wagner @kurtwagner.bsky.social · 11/07/2025
Update: Meta has closed its PlayAI deal, and the "entire" PlayAI team is planning to join the company next week, according to an internal memo. The group will report up to Johan Schalkwyk, who just joined Meta from Sesame a few weeks ago.
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Kurt Wagner @kurtwagner.bsky.social · 10/07/2025
I've been wondering for a while now whether X might just slowly fade away from advertising. Its main value seems to be in providing training data to xAI anyways? Linda Yaccarino's departure seems to signal that X is becoming a very different kind of business... www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
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Kurt Wagner @kurtwagner.bsky.social · 09/07/2025
New: Linda Yaccarino is out as the CEO of X.
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Kurt Wagner @kurtwagner.bsky.social · 07/07/2025
A @markgurman.bsky.social scoop: Meta has hired Apple’s top AI models exec for its new superintelligence group. Ruoming Pang is joining Meta, and so is OpenAI’s Yuanzhi Li and Anthropic’s Anton Bakhtin www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Apple Loses Its Top AI Models Executive to Meta’s Hiring Spree
Apple Inc.’s top executive in charge of artificial intelligence models is leaving for Meta Platforms Inc., another setback in the iPhone maker’s struggling AI efforts.
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Kurt Wagner @kurtwagner.bsky.social · 30/06/2025
New: Mark Zuckerberg just announced a major AI reorg internally at Meta. Everything now falls under a new group called "Meta Superintelligence Labs, which will be run by Alexandr Wang and Nat Friedman. Zuckerberg also announced 11 new hires, including several from OpenAI and Google's DeepMind
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Kurt Wagner @kurtwagner.bsky.social · 26/06/2025
New: Meta is in advanced talks to make another AI acquisition, this one a small voice AI startup called PlayAI. There is a LOT happening with Meta AI these days... w/ @margimurphy.bsky.social www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Meta in Talks to Buy AI Voice Startup PlayAI in Push for Talent
Meta Platforms Inc. is in advanced talks to acquire PlayAI, a small startup using artificial intelligence to replicate voices, part of the social media company’s push to nab top talent and catch up in...
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Reposted by Kurt Wagner
Max Chafkin @chafkin.bsky.social · 25/06/2025
New Elon Inc, coving the big(?) robotaxi launch(?) and “oh yeah X has an advertising business” with @karacarlson.bsky.social and @kurtwagner.bsky.social www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Robotaxi’s Underwhelming Texas Rollout
In this week’s episode of Elon, Inc., we discuss how Musk’s attempt to catch up to Waymo may earn him some traffic tickets.
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Kurt Wagner @kurtwagner.bsky.social · 23/06/2025
not fully sure what to make of this if I'm being honest but find it interesting: House Bans WhatsApp From Staffers’ Government-Issued Devices www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
US House Bans WhatsApp From Staffers’ Government-Issued Devices
Meta’s WhatsApp messaging platform has been added to a list of apps banned from government-issued devices for congressional staffers in the US House of Representatives, a move driven by concerns about...
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Kurt Wagner @kurtwagner.bsky.social · 13/06/2025
Full story here w/ @shiringhaffary.bsky.social @rachelmetz.bsky.social (gift link) www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Meta Announces Scale AI Investment, Recruits CEO to AI Unit
Meta Platforms Inc. said it finalized a multibillion-dollar investment in Scale AI and recruited the startup’s chief executive officer to help oversee its artificial intelligence efforts — an unusual ...
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Kurt Wagner @kurtwagner.bsky.social · 13/06/2025
NEW: Meta's Scale AI investment is done. * $14.3B invested * $29B valuation * Scale CEO Alexandr Wang is joining Meta in an senior AI role
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Kurt Wagner @kurtwagner.bsky.social · 12/06/2025
"several people are typing" this has been the last 4 days in a nutshell
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Kurt Wagner @kurtwagner.bsky.social · 11/06/2025
NEW on Zuckerberg's new "superintelligence" team: Meta has hired folks from Google's DeepMind and AI voice startup Sesame. It still plans to hire a chief scientist. Some multi-year comp packages have been 8-figures... story w/ @shiringhaffary.bsky.social www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Meta Hires Top Researchers From Google, Sesame for New AI Lab
Meta Platforms Inc. has poached top engineers from multiple tech firms, including Alphabet Inc.’s Google, for a new team focused on achieving a more advanced form of AI called artificial general intel...
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Kurt Wagner @kurtwagner.bsky.social · 10/06/2025
Scoop from overnight for those who aren't checking Bluesky in their sleep! 👇
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Kurt Wagner @kurtwagner.bsky.social · 10/06/2025
NEW: Meta's Mark Zuckerberg is personally recruiting AI experts & scientists for a new "superintelligence" team focused on AGI. Aim is to hire a group ~50 people Zuck got very hands on after the Llama 4 launch, which was a disappointment internally, sources say www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Mark Zuckerberg Personally Hiring to Create New “Superintelligence” AI Team
Mark Zuckerberg, frustrated with Meta Platforms Inc.’s shortfalls in AI, is assembling a team of experts to achieve artificial general intelligence, recruiting from a brain trust of AI researchers and...
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Kurt Wagner @kurtwagner.bsky.social · 08/06/2025
NEW from overnight: Meta in talks to invest as much as $10B into Scale AI. Would be the company’s largest external AI investment by far. Just more evidence of Zuck’s all-in mindset on AI right now. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Meta in Talks for Scale AI Investment That Could Top $10 Billion
Meta Platforms Inc. is in talks to make a multibillion-dollar investment into artificial intelligence startup Scale AI, according to people familiar with the matter.
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Kurt Wagner @kurtwagner.bsky.social · 05/06/2025
I’m having flashbacks
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Kurt Wagner @kurtwagner.bsky.social · 05/06/2025
It’s happening…
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Reposted by Kurt Wagner
Riley Ray Griffin @rileyraygriffin.bsky.social · 30/05/2025
For our reporting on Mark Zuckerberg's efforts to court President Donald Trump, we used data from @jacks.grndcntrl.net's @zuckjet.grndcntrl.net to produce this telling graphic... ✈️ Full story w/ @kurtwagner.bsky.social for @bloomberg.com, here: t.co/81wpCktYrX
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Kurt Wagner @kurtwagner.bsky.social · 30/05/2025
New from @nytimes.com: Elon Musk was heavily using drugs last year on the campaign trail with Trump. Long speculated, now officially reported. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/30/u...
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Kurt Wagner @kurtwagner.bsky.social · 29/05/2025
New via @ashleevance.bsky.social's Core Memory: Meta is partnering with Palmer Luckey's Anduril to make technology for the US military, including a "sci-fi style military helmet" dubbed "Eagle Eye" that will have AR and VR capabilities Here's the full interview: www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVXP...
youtube.com
Palmer Luckey and Meta Make Peace to Make War Together
YouTube video by Core Memory
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Reposted by Kurt Wagner
Bloomberg News @bloomberg.com · 29/05/2025
Cancer drugs cost more than ever, but some blockbuster treatments have never proven they keep patients alive longer
bloom.bg
Cancer Drugs Cost More Than Ever. They Often Don’t Extend Lives
Pharmaceutical companies are making billions on treatments that can sometimes overpromise and underdeliver for terminal cases.
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Kurt Wagner @kurtwagner.bsky.social · 28/05/2025
This is the second week in a row a company has announced a partnership deal with xAI that Musk/X then later denied. Last week was Kalshi, this week Telegram. What is happening here?
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Kurt Wagner @kurtwagner.bsky.social · 28/05/2025
After 6+ weeks, Meta's antitrust trial is officially over. That means the company's future is now in the hands of a federal judge. Lots of procedural things still, so I don't expect a ruling until end of 2025 (if not 2026) but the stakes are hard to overstate www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Meta’s Future Lies With Judge as FTC Antitrust Trial Ends
Meta Platforms Inc. has done all it can in court to fight back at the US Federal Trade Commission’s claims that it’s a monopoly. Now it’s up to a federal judge to decide whether the company should be ...
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Reposted by Kurt Wagner
Tom Giles @tomgiles.bsky.social · 27/05/2025
My colleagues @rileyraygriffin.bsky.social and @kurtwagner.bsky.social spoke to more than 50 people for this in-depth look at efforts by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to woo Trump.
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Kurt Wagner @kurtwagner.bsky.social · 27/05/2025
🚨 New Businessweek Feature 🚨 What is behind Mark Zuckerberg's rightward swing toward President Trump? I'd wager it's less about personal politics, and more about a finely tuned sense of self-preservation... w/ @rileyraygriffin.bsky.social www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
bloomberg.com
Mark Zuckerberg Loves MAGA Now. Will MAGA Ever Love Him Back?
Meta’s CEO has done everything he can to win over Trump, and it’s not clear how much he has to show for it.
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Reposted by Kurt Wagner
Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 27/05/2025
President Biden called Mark Zuckerberg "Little Twerp" and "Fuckerberg” www.bloomberg.com/news/feature... @rileyraygriffin.bsky.social @kurtwagner.bsky.social
bloomberg.com
Mark Zuckerberg Loves MAGA Now. Will MAGA Ever Love Him Back?
Meta’s CEO has done everything he can to win over Trump, and it’s not clear how much he has to show for it.
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Kurt Wagner @kurtwagner.bsky.social · 06/05/2025
An internal Meta report from 2019 found "that minors made up 27% of the follow recommendations that the social media app surfaced to 'groomers'" 😳 New data coming out today at the Meta-FTC antitrust trial... gift link w/ @rileyraygriffin.bsky.social www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Instagram Urged ‘Groomers’ to Connect With Minors, FTC Says
Instagram’s automated software systems recommended that child “groomers” connect with minors on the app, making it easier for them to find victims, according to a 2019 internal document presented in c...
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Kurt Wagner @kurtwagner.bsky.social · 29/04/2025
artists 🤝 journalists
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Kurt Wagner @kurtwagner.bsky.social · 29/04/2025
Elon Musk's net worth has taken a nosedive during his first 100 days in government. He's had some wins - the proposed administrator to NASA, a Musk supporter, being a major one - but the damage he's done to both his brand and Tesla's is hard to quantify (gift link) www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
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Reposted by Kurt Wagner
Dana Hull @danahull.bsky.social · 29/04/2025
There are a lot of news stories taking stock of Trump's first 100 days in office. @kurtwagner.bsky.social and I decided to take a look at *Elon Musk's* first 100 days www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
bloomberg.com
As Musk Nears End of 130-Day DOGE Stint, He's $113 Billion Down
Tesla paid the price for its CEO’s unprecedented side gig slashing federal bureaucracy under Trump.
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