Trump’s ‘Gulf of America’ Order Has Mapmakers Completely Lost
One of US President Donald Trump’s first actions upon returning to power was ordering the Gulf of Mexico to be renamed. But mapmakers are still largely waiting for the green…
2025
It’s Not Just TikTok: These Other ByteDance Apps Are Gone Too
Lemon8, CapCut, and Gauth are among the other victims of the US ban on ByteDance-owned apps.
TikTok Is Already Back Online
Less than 24 hours after the app went dark, TikTok says President-elect Donald Trump has given it the reassurance it needs to resume service in the US.
RedNote Recruited US Influencers to Promote App Amid TikTok Ban Uncertainty
A marketing campaign brief obtained by WIRED reveals how the Chinese app is trying to capitalize on its sudden international popularity.
The Trump Memecoin’s ‘Money-Grab’ Economics
When he launched his own cryptocurrency, Donald Trump produced unimaginable wealth from thin air. But it will come at a cost to someone.
How Meta Tried to Lure TikTok Users to Instagram
In the days before TikTok went dark, Instagram and Facebook released a flurry of new features and ran advertisements promoting its platforms as a comparable alternative.
Trump Frees Silk Road Creator Ross Ulbricht After 11 Years in Prison
Donald Trump pardoned the creator of the world’s first dark-web drug market, who is now a libertarian cause célèbre in some parts of the crypto community.
This New AI Search Engine Has a Gimmick: Humans Answering Questions
A new AI-powered search engine called Pearl is launching today, with an unusual pitch: It promises to connect you with an actual human expert if the AI answer sucks. WIRED…
Singapore’s Likee Is an Unlikely Winner of the TikTok Ban
After a US law temporarily forced Americans to find a new home for their short-video habit, TikTok clone Likee saw a surge in usage.
Elon Musk Plays DOGE Ball—and Hits America’s Geek Squad
Under Donald Trump, the United States Digital Service is morphing into Elon Musk’s cost-cutting machine.