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Marty Swant

@martyswant.bsky.social
2.7K followers 673 following 514 posts

NYC-based journalist covering tech/marketing/policy/media focused on AI, ads, antitrust, etc. Currently freelance (NYT, FastCo, Inc, etc.), I spent the past decade on staff at Digiday, Forbes, Adweek, the AP and elsewhere. authory.com/MartySwant

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Marty Swant @martyswant.bsky.social · 22h
HAPPENING NOW: @council.nyc.gov is midway through a hearing on AI safety, with a series of separate panels featuring testimony under oath from AI researchers, tech execs and city officials. I'd planned to attend IRL, but had to just settle for the livestream. Tune in: council.nyc.gov/livestream/
council.nyc.gov
Live Stream Hearings
Together, we make the laws governing New York City
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Marty Swant @martyswant.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Everyone keeps talking about how fast Muse is growing, but I haven't heard how much is from Meta's major growth hack advantage. How much is push vs. pull? Are people downloading it on their own vs Meta pushing Muse downloads through Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, etc.
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 29/09/2026
Jack Smith: "History teaches that the rule of law is rarely destroyed all at once. It's often weakened by attacks on the institutions and the public servants sworn to uphold it. Since January 2025, we have witnessed precisely such an effort."
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Marty Swant @martyswant.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Important story from @washingtonsun.bsky.social about the White House's mobile app, which could expose users to a range of data privacy risks. One former FBI intelligence analyst also noted the app's data collection "provides the White House with an advantage going into the midterms."
washingtonsun.com
White House Drove Users to Official App Fraught With Trackers
The White House app became the App Store’s most downloaded news app after the president barred three news outlets.
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Sarah Posner @sarahposner.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
So Vance was the senior administration official here? wapo.st/4rssRyh
wapo.st
The White House banned Politico, citing anonymous sources. It provided the quotes.
In a letter defending its ban of Politico, the White House critiqued a report based on a press call it conducted, where reporters were told not to name the speaker.
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Marty Swant @martyswant.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Today: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman warned the UN Security Council that the world is at an AI "crossroad." Also today: Australia's prime minister says an OpenAI’s agent hacked the country’s medicare portal.
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Marty Swant @martyswant.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
And right before the midterm elections, too.
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Michael Warburton @michaelwarburton.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
This aired just the once in 1998 on the live SNL show for which McKay wrote it. It was effectively banned as it never aired again. I wonder why. MEDIA-OPOLY
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Marty Swant @martyswant.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
ChatGPT is now pushing a way for users to connect their credit score with their account. It's pitching the perks, but not educating users upfront about potential risks like data privacy trade-offs and potential surveillance-capitalism concerns that come with connecting more data.
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Marty Swant @martyswant.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
This happening right before the midterms is even more concerning. Extremely bad timing. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/10/b...
nytimes.com
McClatchy Makes Deep Job Cuts to Newspapers Around the Country
The owner of The Miami Herald said subscriber interest did not support its current level of investment. One employee called the layoffs a “blood bath.”
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Marty Swant @martyswant.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
My new @fastcompany.com story was a fun one to write! It's about veteran filmmaker @arikuschnir.bsky.social's new series of AI-generated infomercials that create 90s-themed “cozy dystopias” rooted in recent political and tech headlines. www.fastcompany.com/91601630/mee...
fastcompany.com
Meet the guy whose AI infomercials turn tech's grand visions into late-night schlock
Ari Kuschnir’s hyperreal shorts recast Sam Altman, Mark Zuckerberg, Donald Trump, and others as pitchmen for dystopian futures.
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Marty Swant @martyswant.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
🚨Huge update today in the Google adtech remedies case! Federal Judge Leonie Brinkema just rejected the DOJ's bid to force Google to divest of its ad tech business. However, she still approved most of the government's proposed behavioral remedies.
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Ben Mullin @benmullin.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
scoop: Reporters from The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg have been barred from next week's G20 meeting in Asheville, N.C. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/29/b...
nytimes.com
Treasury Bars Some Reporters From G20 Finance Meeting (Gift Article)
Specific reporters from The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg were not granted credentials to cover the meeting of financial leaders next week in Asheville, N.C.
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Marty Swant @martyswant.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
OpenAI says it recently banned a cluster of ChatGPT accounts used to make AI-generated pro-Russian propaganda for a Russia-linked influence operation. The report, published yesterday, is worth reading to learn about how bad actors use AI to spread disinformation and how it's being detected.
openai.com
Disrupting a new covert influence campaign from Russia
OpenAI banned Russia-origin accounts using AI to promote a fake Israel-based think tank and a “sovereignty” index praising Russia and criticizing the West.
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Marty Swant @martyswant.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Strange (and sad) reading this article less than a week after finishing Ali Smith's dystopian sci-fi novel "Gliff," which is in part about two kids trying to save a horse destined for the abattoir. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/20/u...
nytimes.com
Under Trump, Protected Wild Horses Are Going to Slaughter
A legal loophole allows the government to sell mustangs on the cheap, stripping them of protections and clearing their path to destruction.
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Union of Concerned Scientists @ucs.org · 20/08/2026
The evidence is clear: The authoritarian threat is real...and growing. The NYT Autocracy Tracker just upgraded the threat of the Trump administration manipulating the law to stay in power.
nytimes.com
Opinion | Trump’s Election Interference Is Eroding American Democracy (Gift Article)
The president is prioritizing his own interests over the national interest.
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Jack Mirkinson @jackmirkinson.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Today in @thenation.com: a harrowing piece written from inside the Dilley ICE detention center by Maryam Tahmasebi, a green card holder who's been locked up along with her husband and son for months despite none of them committing any crime. www.thenation.com/article/soci...
thenation.com
One Woman’s Message From the Hell of ICE Detention
My husband, son, and I have been locked up for months—despite being permanent residents with no criminal record. It is an unendurable, unending nightmare.
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Marty Swant @martyswant.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
I just vibe-coded a silly little game with Claude based on “Lemmings,” the 90s-era video game I loved as a kid! Last night I had a random idea to make a Lemmings-style game themed with a little social commentary about our society’s relationship with social media.
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Zeteo @zeteo.com · 07/08/2026
Trump is weaponizing America’s intel agencies to target U.S. elections. In part 4 of Zeteo’s ‘Start the Steal’ series, @swin24.bsky.social & @justinglawe.bsky.social reveal how Trump has warped the U.S. intel community so that it’s part of his corrupt propaganda machine: zeteo.com/p/how-trump-...
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Steve Herman @newsguy.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Former Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall, who has publicly raised concerns regarding US military vulnerabilities and critical munition shortages, is being punished by the Pentagon.
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darth™️ @darthbluesky.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
has he made it clear to the guy driving
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Marty Swant @martyswant.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
The FTC just voted to stop pursuing "disparate impact" claims and no longer treat discrimination itself as an unfair practice. Seems this could make the FTC less likely to challenge AI systems as discriminatory without evidence of intent. (Even if an AI disproportionately harms a protected group.)
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Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Former J6 federal prosecutors are begging senators -- mostly GOPers, but a handful of Dems are in there, too -- to stop confirming election deniers to lifetime federal courts seats. “Please stop poisoning our courts." www.huffpost.com/entry/live-u...
huffpost.com
Former J6 Prosecutors Beg Senators To Stop Confirming Election Deniers To Court Seats
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Marty Swant @martyswant.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Anyone with access to the Meta and/or Google ad library APIs want to help me with a little reporting project? 🕵️‍♂️ If so, let me know and I’ll share more!
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Marty Swant @martyswant.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
I first saw Glen Hansard play in 2010 soon after I moved to NYC. At the time, I didn’t have any iPhone yet so I can’t find the clip from The Swell Season’s show back then in Prospect Park. Instead, here’s a photo from the last time I saw him: at Radio City in 2023. Thread below for a quick story.
Glen Hansard performs at Radio City Music Hall in 2023.
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Marty Swant @martyswant.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Yesterday’s flight from MSP to JFK made an unexpected stop in Buffalo because of weather in NYC and then delayed overnight. The silver lining? A sunrise walk through Niagara Falls State Park!
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Adam Keiper @adamkeiper.com · 26/07/2026
DOGE’s freeze of a wildfire-prevention grant—just $10 million—delayed forest-thinning work in Minnesota. Some of the untreated areas are now burning, forcing firefighters to perform overdue prevention work in the middle of an active fire. www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2026...
washingtonpost.com
‘We were shovel-ready’: A Minnesota forest hit by DOGE cuts is now ablaze
Officials said losing out on the ability to do vital prevention work at a perilous time for the region hindered them from being as prepared as they could have been.
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Eric Lipton NYT @ericlipton.nytimes.com · 26/07/2026
NUCLEAR CASH President Trump, his family and his circle of advisers have monetized crypto, the predictions markets, the data center boom & rare-earths mining. Now they are seeing there's money to be made in a new vector: The nuclear industry. The NYT takes a look www.nytimes.com/2026/07/26/u...
nytimes.com
Trump Is Pushing Nuclear Energy, Including Saudi Deal. His Family and Supporters Could Benefit. (Gift Article)
In some cases, no direct line can be drawn from the president’s domestic nuclear agenda to his family or close allies. But they have overlapping business ties that could position them for gains.
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Prem Thakker ツ @premthakker.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
NEWS: Taylor Farms gave *$2 million* to Trump & Republicans as they postponed a rule that could've limited the spread of outbreaks like the ongoing Cyclospora epidemic. And, years ago, the industry *also* successfully lobbied to cut a program that handled ~80% of federal produce pathogen testing.
zeteo.com
‘Explosive Diarrhea’: Company Tied to Outbreak Donated to Trump as He Delayed Food Safety Rule
Taylor Farms contributed $2 million to Trump and Republicans as they postponed a rule to help the government limit the spread of foodborne illnesses.
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Marty Swant @martyswant.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Curious about all the fuss around Moonshot's new Kimi K3 model? Today's newsletter features a smörgåsbord of takes from various experts about the model, its performance, the politics around open models and what it all means for adoption and competition. www.bigtechnology.com/p/everything...
bigtechnology.com
Everything You Need to Know About Kimi K3, the Latest Model From China to Shake Up AI
Here's how the web reacted to Kimi K3's performance, politics, and how it changes the AI race.
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Marty Swant @martyswant.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Argentina should probably send the VAR crew from the Egypt match a thank-you card…They wouldn’t still be in the World Cup without them!
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Andrew Couts @couts.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
NEW: Meta's VP of comms claimed the company's NameTag feature "doesn't exist" in response to recent @wired.com reporting about it. Then Meta's CTO described it in detail on a podcast. Here's my attempt to explain 🫠: wired.com/story/heres-the-truth-about-whether-metas-nametag-face-recognition-exists
wired.com
Here’s the Truth About Whether Meta’s NameTag Face Recognition Tech ‘Exists’
Since WIRED reported on Meta’s NameTag face recognition system, company executives have made confusing and conflicting remarks about its very existence.
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Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
“.. The analysts, a husband and wife, told colleagues they did not believe the investigation was justified under FBI and Justice Department policies, the people said, adding that the couple was escorted out of their office ..” @ms.now www.ms.now/news/fbi-kas...
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Marty Swant @martyswant.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
Just finished my first year attending Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity! It’s been a packed week and I’ll write more about it soon. For now, here’s my latest dispatch for @nytimes.com in today’s Dealbook, where I reported on one of the underlying themes of the week: AI visibility.
nytimes.com
Advertisers Are Good at Getting Human Attention. Can They Stand Out to A.I.?
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Marty Swant @martyswant.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
Flying to France tonight then taking the train from Paris to Cannes tomorrow evening for my first time at @canneslions.bsky.social! If anyone’s else is going to Cannes Lions, let me know!
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Marty Swant @martyswant.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
SpaceX goes public today, so it's worth resharing Monday’s Big Technology newsletter, where @kantrowitz.bsky.social and I previewed the massive IPO. So far, Starlink brings the cash, rockets bring the cachet, and xAI brings the cash burn behind the cache.
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Marty Swant @martyswant.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
PSA: As we mentioned in Monday's Big Technology newsletter, a new NY state law went into effect yesterday requiring ads disclose when they use AI-generated humans. It's especially timely as more content uses "synthetic performers" like AI avatars, fake product demos, fake political supporters, etc.
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Jeffrey Sonnenfeld @jeffsonnenfeld.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Just out in @TIME with Sen. Tim Wirth and @asharangappa.bsky.social - How Trump Keeps Exploiting America’s Legal Loopholes time.com/article/2026...
time.com
How Trump Keeps Exploiting America’s Legal Loopholes
President Donald Trump continues to outfox constitutional cognoscenti by finding conniving cracks in America's legal system.
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Kyle Griffin @kylegriffin1.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
The White House press corps won't be allowed on White House grounds Sunday — unless the UFC gives them press credentials. The UFC is hosting a fight on the South Lawn that day. The White House normally handles credentialing for large-scale events, but it's ceding control to the UFC.
washingtonpost.com
White House will be closed to reporters during UFC fight — unless UFC lets them in
The White House is ceding control of who gets in to the fight event on the South Lawn, in a break with tradition.
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Mike Vorkunov @mikevorkunov.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Donald Trump was shown on the MSG jumbotron during the national anthem and booed heavily
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Katie Drummond @katie-drummond.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
How interesting that Meta called @wired.com "dishonest" and then (quietly) removed the face-recognition system it had previously (also quietly) integrated into an app downloaded onto 50 million phones. Dishonest!
wired.com
Meta Deletes Face-Recognition System From Its Smart Glasses App After WIRED Report
The code WIRED identified is gone from the latest version of Meta AI, the companion app for the company’s smart glasses. Meta won’t say why or whether it’s coming back.
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Marty Swant @martyswant.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
Happy WWDC day! Something to think about as the keynote gets underway: Apple’s AI problem still hasn’t become an iPhone problem. And so far that's fine, but for how long? Read more in today's newsletter from me and @kantrowitz.bsky.social:
bigtechnology.com
Apple's WWDC Reality: Scaled Down AI Ambitions As The iPhone Remains Dominant
Don't overreact to the AI headlines, Apple is still an iPhone company. Plus: A look at SpaceX's coming valuation.
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Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
Yaakov Roth was a Harvard Law School grad, SCOTUS clerk, and longtime BigLaw partner. His resume, law students were always told, was a sign that he was among those at the top of the legal profession. Today, he said Trump could tear down the Statue of Liberty tonight and no one could stop him.
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Zach Everson @zacheverson.com · 05/06/2026
Good afternoon! Since Trump was re-elected, Forbes estimates— 💰His net worth is up $1.8 billion, to $6.1 billion 💰Eric’s is up 10x, to $400 million 💰Don Jr.’s is up 6x, to $300 million 💰20-year-old Barron is worth $150 million And Jared became a billionaire last year. Have a great day!
static.klipy.com
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Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists @thebulletin.org · 04/06/2026
The US National Science Foundation is planning to remove hundreds of ocean monitoring instruments from four sites in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Bulletin climate editor Jessica McKenzie @jessimckenzi.bsky.social reached out to the NSF to learn more.
thebulletin.org
Why the National Science Foundation is ripping monitoring instruments out of the ocean
A spokesperson for the National Science Foundation pointed to a National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Mathematics report as justification for the 'descoping,' but a co-chair of that group…
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Marty Swant @martyswant.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
This explains a lot about our grass-eating pup. He always liked eating grass, but appears to find Prospect Park extra tasty the past week. www.popsci.com/environment/...
popsci.com
Why your dog eats grass
It's not because they're sick—probably.
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Jonathan Cohn @jonathancohn.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Continually shocking how little solidarity there ever seems to be among the White House Press Corps www.huffpost.com/entry/kaitla...
huffpost.com
Kaitlan Collins Flags The Striking Detail In Trump's Latest Face-To-Face Outburst At Her
The president once again attacked the CNN anchor.
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Marty Swant @martyswant.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Go Knicks!! 🏀
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Stacey Ogden 🦔 @labogden.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Make some noise about this 🧪 www.npr.org/2026/06/03/n...
npr.org
President Trump seeks control of science funding
The White House Office of Management and Budget is moving to take more control of billions of dollars in federal grants. Critics say the proposed change would jeopardize the integrity of U.S. science.
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