Tech Industry News Roundup: AI, Data Centers, and Corporate Practices

US Law Enforcement Warns of ‘Anti-Tech Extremism’ as AI Hatred Grows

As Americans stew over the looming risk of job-stealing AI and data centers in their back yards, the feds are raising the alarm about a new category of threat, documents obtained by WIRED show.

Former OpenAI Staffers Warn That xAI’s Poor Safety Record Could Complicate SpaceX’s IPO

The ex-employees, who cofounded a new AI watchdog group, say investors deserve more information about xAI’s safety practices before SpaceX goes public.

The Pentagon Knew Enemies Could Track Troops’ Phones for Years. Now They Are

The US military has long known that cheap fixes could stop location data from exposing its troops. It adopted almost none—and now says adversaries are using the data to target soldiers during a war.

OpenAI Confidentially Files for IPO on the Heels of SpaceX and Anthropic

The ChatGPT-maker announced it has filed paperwork to go public, just a week after rival Anthropic took the same step.

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.

Palantir Held Another ‘Hack Week.’ This Time, the Focus Was ICE

The hackathon, held to build user-auditing tools for Palantir customers, comes as the company struggles to address employee concerns over its relationship with ICE.

I Gave Gemini Spark Access to My Life. Then It Friend-Zoned My Boyfriend

Google’s new AI agent combed through my emails, documents, and calendar to plan a birthday party and still didn’t clock the person most important to me.

The FCC Wants to Kill Burner Phones

Plus: AI bug hunting fuels Microsoft’s biggest-ever Patch Tuesday, ShinyHunters ransomware gang exploits an Oracle zero-day, and more.

OpenAI and Anthropic May Be Rivals, but Investors Aren’t Picking Sides

“Why wouldn’t you want to be in both Pepsi and Coke?” says one venture capitalist. “It’s the same here.”

Department of Labor Tells Employees to Report Anyone Prioritizing DEI

The email instructs workers to report behavior that predates Donald Trump’s second inauguration. One employee tells WIRED it felt like a “reminder to narc on your coworkers.”

China Didn’t Make Americans Hate Data Centers

GOP lawmakers, tech investors, and even OpenAI have tied the anti-data-center movement in the US to Chinese interference. Experts say it’s much more complicated than that.