‘Doo Doo Water and a Few Needles’: Inside the Mystery of the New York City Manhole Prowlers
An “urban explorer” tells WIRED their mother checked in to make sure they weren’t one of the people seen scurrying out of a manhole with their friends.
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The AI IPO Race Heats Up, DOGE Whistleblower Sues Elon Musk, and Instagram Gets Hacked
On Uncanny Valley, we dive into the IPO bonanza that the top AI companies are embarking on to the point where some real estate listings are looking for not just…
Meta Silently Added Face-Recognition Code for Its Smart Glasses to Millions of Phones
Code reviewed by WIRED uncovered an unreleased face-recognition system embedded in Meta’s smart glasses platform. It’s designed to identify people via biometric data stored on users’ phones.
The TikTok Ban Was Never About TikTok
A new documentary chronicles how the app became a stand-in for American anxieties about social media, China, and political power.
Jeff Bezos Is Funding a Wild Hunt for the Brain’s ‘Core Algorithm’
With $500 million in funding and a reported $2.5 billion valuation, Flourish wants to reinvent AI by putting real neurons under the microscope.
Alpha School’s Ritzy New York City Campus Costs $65,000 a Year—but Isn’t Actually a School
A homeschooling center in Manhattan is part of the company’s nationwide expansion. Internal documents reveal its strategy: “Opening date > safety.”
Quantum Computing Is Having Its Public Market Moment
Quantinuum, a quantum computing startup, is losing millions. Investors want in anyway.
Amazon Employees Show Up to City Council Meeting to Demand Limits on Data Centers
Activists say it’s the first time Big Tech employees have publicly called for regulations governing data center projects.
The Humanoid Robot of the Future Is a 6-Foot-Tall Beefcake With a Chinese Body and an American Brain
Spencer Huang, Nvidia’s robotics lead, tells WIRED that the new bot combines the best of both worlds.
xAI Asks Court to Strip Alleged Grok Deepfake Nudes Victims of Anonymity
Four people suing Elon Musk’s AI firm under pseudonyms due to the risks of being identified may face a difficult choice: Reveal your real names, or drop the lawsuit.