iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Sapna Maheshwari @sapna.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

i wrote about smart baby monitors and how an increasing number of products in the nursery are trying to dispense advice to millennial and Gen Z parents: www.nytimes.com/2026/08/02/b...

nytimes.com

Nanit and Other Baby-Tracking Start-Ups Eye Collecting Even More Data

Nanit and other start-ups want to track your children through the night — and soon, for much longer than that.

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Sapna Maheshwari @sapna.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

essential read for fellow toddler parents giving thousands of dollars a year to BIG BERRY: nytimes.com/2026/07/07/d... "Driscoll’s is now the second-highest-earning brand in American supermarkets, behind only Coca-Cola."

nytimes.com

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Mia Sato @miasato.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

Between this and the stellar WSJ story about Polymarket's fake bettors, it really feels like we have completely given up on requiring influencers to disclose paid partnerships. It only hurts consumers.

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Sapna Maheshwari @sapna.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

I still get retail emails and the thirst from this one was REAL

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Sapna Maheshwari @sapna.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

I’d really enjoy that episode - will relay

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Sapna Maheshwari @sapna.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

— she won't be cooking! cocktails + mocktails for the 45-minute episodes — a record 58 percent of Americans recently said they were monthly podcast consumers in an Edison Research survey — YouTube remains the top platform for consuming pods over Spotify + Apple, underscoring this Ina scrum

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Sapna Maheshwari @sapna.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

— Jenna Weiss-Berman, longtime audio producer who co-created Good Hang, sweetened the interest. also got Ina to record a demo epi w/ Alison Roman, Jenna's one-time desk neighbor at BuzzFeed — Deal almost fell apart when James Murdoch acquired Vox Media bc Ina got cold feet. Jim Bankoff flew up asap.

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Sapna Maheshwari @sapna.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

wrote about the bidding war for Ina Garten's new podcast (which landed with Vox Media) and the continued blurring of the lines between talk shows + video podcasts! Ina says she can connect more deeply with guests on a pod than on the Food Network (more deets below) www.nytimes.com/2026/06/21/b...

nytimes.com

In Her New Podcast, Ina Garten Is Hoping to Get Messy

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Sapna Maheshwari @sapna.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

this piece on parenthood and how it has long been seen in America as "an individual act of extravagance" — and how that's perhaps now changing — is v good www.nytimes.com/2026/06/08/m...

nytimes.com

The American Family Is at a Breaking Point. Our Politics Have Finally Noticed.

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James Poniewozik @poniewozik.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

Gutted by this news, and that she was so young--even if I could do the math on her autobiographical story, Persepolis seems like the work of decades' more confidence and insight. And just a beautiful creation. Use your voice while you have a voice to use. RIP.

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Maggie Astor @maggieastor.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

It's not just measles: Doctors are seeing more of a number of vaccine-preventable illnesses. And it's not just childhood vaccines: They're seeing more adults refuse tetanus shots after injuries, and even blood transfusions bc the blood might come from a vaccinated donor. From me and Dani Blum:

nytimes.com

Hospitals See Diseases Resurge as Vaccinations Decline (Gift Article)

Doctors nationwide are encountering more children with whooping cough, bacterial infections and other serious illnesses, as well as more adults refusing tetanus shots.

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Jacquelyn Gill @jacquelyngill.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

I’ve been thinking a lot about the shifting baseline concept as applied to everyday life. People in their 20’s now have no memory of highly functional systems, products (from blenders to sweaters) that were so well made you could hand them down across generations, or even helpful customer service.

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Sapna Maheshwari @sapna.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

Glamour was a mighty women’s magazine for decades. After layoffs in April, it’s now essentially a destination for affiliate links. A look at how it got here, with comments from Anita Hill, Jane Pratt and Becky Malinsky: www.nytimes.com/2026/06/02/b...

nytimes.com

At Glamour, a Once-Mighty Magazine, a Skeleton Crew Churns Out Shopping Links

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Sapna Maheshwari @sapna.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

Everlane's founder Michael Preysman on the Shein sale: “Quite shocking, to be honest, and not a decision that I would ever make.” (and he's starting a new brand) www.nytimes.com/2026/05/28/b...

nytimes.com

Everlane Co-Founder, Shocked by Shein Acquisition, Wants a Redo

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Sapna Maheshwari @sapna.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

"The author of a nonfiction book about the effects of artificial intelligence on truth acknowledged on Monday that he had included numerous made-up or misattributed quotes concocted by A.I." www.nytimes.com/2026/05/19/b... via @benmullin.bsky.social

nytimes.com

Book on Truth in the Age of A.I. Contains Quotes Made Up by A.I.

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Mina Kimes @minakimes.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

At first I felt a little dorky admitting how hard I prepared for a game show but you know what, guys? STUDYING WORKS.

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Sapna Maheshwari @sapna.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

👀 to this list of Spencer Pratt's financial backers in DealBook this morning... www.nytimes.com/2026/05/14/b...

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Yonette Joseph @sugarcane99.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

U.S. to Drop Charges Against Indian Billionaire Accused of Fraud Gautam Adani hired a legal team led by one of Trump’s lawyers Then his lawyer offered a sweetener: If prosecutors dropped the charges, Adani would invest $10B in the US economy and create 15,000 jobs www.nytimes.com/2026/05/14/n...

nytimes.com

U.S. Set to Drop Charges Against Indian Billionaire Accused of Fraud

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Sapna Maheshwari @sapna.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

campaigning is hard work nytimes.com/2026/05/14/n...

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Sapna Maheshwari @sapna.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

can you really call it a peasant blouse if it costs $250 :(

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Sapna Maheshwari @sapna.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

my hantavirus anxiety meter oscillates with every article www.nytimes.com/2026/05/06/w...

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Sapna Maheshwari @sapna.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

Deloitte and Zoom are *shortening* (!) paid parental leave for their employees, saying things like, it's for the "long-term health and sustainability of our business." Fascinating decision at a time when there's handwringing over the birth rate... www.nytimes.com/2026/05/11/u...

nytimes.com

Why Two Big Companies Just Cut Paid Family Leave

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Sapna Maheshwari @sapna.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

also hello world! i'm back from maternity leave after having my second gal in September :) send me story ideas! sapna@nytimes.com or sapna.87 on Signal

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Sapna Maheshwari @sapna.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

the findings could have serious consequences for Pop Mart, the Chinese retailer that sells Labubus. Companies found in violation of a 2021 law that restricts imports from Xinjiang can be put on a blacklist that bans all their products.

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Sapna Maheshwari @sapna.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

NEW: The New York Times found in an investigation that some Labubus, the viral collectible dolls from China, contain cotton from Xinjiang, which is banned in the U.S. because of concerns over forced labor: www.nytimes.com/2026/04/23/b... with @anaswanson.bsky.social & Meaghan Tobin

nytimes.com

Some Labubu Dolls Contain Cotton Banned By Forced Labor Law, Testing Shows

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Sapna Maheshwari @sapna.bsky.social · 18/08/2025

This is from TikTok’s ad platform but several of the avatars have also been placed onto CapCut - the ones I spoke with didn’t realize that was part of the contract they signed!

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Kashmir Hill @kashhill.bsky.social · 18/08/2025

Selling one's likeness for a mere $500 and having it talk about its sexual preferences while hawking fiber supplements is like a sad plot device that I would expect from a good science fiction novel. But it's real, via @sapna.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/08/17/b...

nytimes.com

He Sold His Likeness. Now His Avatar Is Shilling Supplements on TikTok.

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Sapna Maheshwari @sapna.bsky.social · 17/08/2025

I wrote about people who sold their likenesses to TikTok for AI-fueled advertisements. Marketers have been able to use their “avatars” to promote all sorts of products - and several regret the work. The folks I spoke with were paid as little as $500 for it www.nytimes.com/2025/08/17/b...

nytimes.com

He Sold His Likeness. Now His Avatar Is Shilling Supplements on TikTok.

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Sapna Maheshwari @sapna.bsky.social · 23/07/2025

“When it’s time again to pick up that phone and incinerate a few more seconds of my one life on earth, more often than not, I shovel them into Reddit.” @jwherrman.bsky.social spot on as usual! nymag.com/intelligence...

nymag.com

Why You Are Reading Reddit a Lot More These Days

“The front page of the web” is turning into the last refuge of the human internet. But can it survive AI?

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Sapna Maheshwari @sapna.bsky.social · 15/05/2025

will be covering the Cannes ad/tech/media confab this year in June... plz DM / email me if there are things i shouldn't miss while there!

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Sapna Maheshwari @sapna.bsky.social · 14/05/2025

one of my fav stories i wrote from this spring — how agencies are trying to train college athletes as the next big group of influencers on TikTok and Instagram: www.nytimes.com/2025/04/27/b...

nytimes.com

They’re on the Varsity Influencer Team

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Sapna Maheshwari @sapna.bsky.social · 09/05/2025

regularly shocks me that my child will only know a beautiful LaGuardia and a delightful Penn Station

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Sapna Maheshwari @sapna.bsky.social · 22/04/2025

scoop from my colleague Michael Grynbaum: the exec producer of 60 Minutes said he would resign from the program because he had lost his journalistic independence www.nytimes.com/2025/04/22/b...

nytimes.com

Top Producer of ‘60 Minutes’ Quits, Saying He Lost Independence

The news program has faced mounting pressure from both President Trump and its corporate ownership at Paramount, the parent company of CBS News.

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Sapna Maheshwari @sapna.bsky.social · 22/04/2025

which pairs well with this deep-dive (& NYT debut!) from Caroline Kitchener on the White House's plans for persuading more American women to have babies: www.nytimes.com/2025/04/21/u... seems like the folks preaching "more babies" aren't talking much about mat leave + childcare...

nytimes.com

Trump Aides Solicit Ideas to Raise Birthrate, From Baby Bonuses to Fertility Planning

Baby bonuses and menstrual cycle classes are among the ideas pitched to Trump aides as they consider plans to try boosting the birthrate.

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Sapna Maheshwari @sapna.bsky.social · 17/04/2025

that’s what a lot of folks are saying. I’ll be interested to see if this actually goes into effect on May 2. to be fair though, plenty of places to continue buying cheap stuff at dollar stores, Walmart, etc. But this is def a newer and perhaps more impulsive source of it all

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Sapna Maheshwari @sapna.bsky.social · 16/04/2025

TikTok & Reddit are filled with people worrying about the new tariffs on Shein and Temu packages set to go into effect on May 2 — and price hikes on April 25. the alarm reflects the deep inroads the apps have made into American shopping habits in recent years: www.nytimes.com/2025/04/16/b...

nytimes.com

Shein and Temu Will be Hit by Trump’s China Tariffs. Americans Are Worried.

The Trump administration’s plan to add steep fees to packages from China will deal a blow to Temu, Shein and some TikTok Shop sellers, worrying American consumers.

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Sapna Maheshwari @sapna.bsky.social · 15/04/2025

i don't eat a ton of meat but these paragraphs are making me consider going full vegetarian... www.nytimes.com/2025/04/15/u...

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Sapna Maheshwari @sapna.bsky.social · 15/04/2025

thanks for sending! email me? sapna@nytimes.com

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Sapna Maheshwari @sapna.bsky.social · 04/04/2025

thanks! love going on squawk box!

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Sapna Maheshwari @sapna.bsky.social · 25/03/2025

with another TikTok sale-or-ban deadline looming on April 5, the company is running a zillion ads, including one that shares the story of a young woman who found a kidney through the app... www.nytimes.com/2025/03/25/t...

nytimes.com

TikTok Ads Portray App as Force for Good as US Ban Looms

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