Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is expected to take the stand in Los Angeles on Wednesday in a landmark social media addiction trial, as a separate case against Meta is underway in New Mexico.
The L.A. trial is the first of a consolidated action involving more than 1,600 plaintiffs, and jurors are being asked to consider whether Meta and YouTube intentionally got young people hooked to their products despite knowing they can be harmful, borrowing from the playbook used against top tobacco companies in the 1990s.
Meta and YouTube have denied the allegations and are fighting the claims in court; TikTok and Snap, two other defendants, settled with the first plaintiff, a 20-year-old California woman.
Jurors are expected to decide based on the evidence, and not on any personal feelings about teen social media use or tech company clout. But it’s hard to ignore that these trials are playing out against a backdrop of gloomy public sentiment when it comes to Big Tech, the rise of AI, and well the future.
One in three Americans see Big Tech as the greatest threat to the country, according to a December Gallup poll, while another poll this month found that “Americans’ hope for their future has fallen to a new low.”
Sure, many viewers were miffed by the glut of AI ads during the Super Bowl, but even more concerning have been the grave warnings from OpenAI and Anthropic researchers about safety threats and the potential for wiping out of white-collar jobs.
While first-person essays and resignation notes have gone viral, leading to a flurry of stories, Axios CEO Jim VandeHei argued on Thursday that media coverage still isn’t capturing the scale of what’s happening.
“In 30 years of journalism, I’ve never witnessed a bigger gap between the most consequential story — insane AI advancements and investment — and Washington and mainstream media attention,” he posted on X alongside an Axios story, “AI insiders are sounding the alarm.”
The same day also brought this Axios headline: “Anthropic raises $30B at $380B valuation.”
Public apprehension doesn’t seem to be scaring off heavy investment. Hedge fund manager Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square just disclosed a $2 billion stake in Meta as the company ramps up AI efforts.
And Zuckerberg appears to be doing fine. He made headlines of his own this past week after buying a waterfront mansion in Florida’s Indian Creek, a property that the Wall Street Journal pegged at around $150 – $200 million.
The Meta chief’s new neighbors on the man-made barrier island, often referred to as the “Billionaire Bunker,” include Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, and fellow tech titan Jeff Bezos.
Social media on trial
Concerns about what social media is doing to young people have been mounting for years, explored in doc-series like Lauren Greenfield’s “Social Studies” and books such as Jonathan Haidt’s “The Anxious Generation,” the latter helping propel efforts around the country to restrict phones in schools.
The issue has also drawn sustained scrutiny on Capitol Hill, where Zuckerberg and Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri have faced questions in the past about child safety and mental health. Now, those fears are being put before a jury in Los Angeles — and the verdict could reverberate in courtrooms for years to come.
“Having a jury is obviously a dice roll for the companies,” Kate Klonick, an associate professor of law at St. John’s University, told TheWrap. “A jury could come back and say the standard was high, but the plaintiffs met it.” But if the companies prevail, she added, it could reinforce the idea that even if social media addiction is in the zeitgeist, it may not be a viable civil claim.
The Los Angeles case also tests the limits of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which has largely shielded tech companies from liability for user-generated content posted on their platforms. But the allegations here focus less on what users shared and more on the companies’ own product design choices, including features like infinite scroll and autoplay.
Here’s my full piece on a consequential case for tech giants: In Landmark Social Media Trial, Big Tech Faces the Big Tobacco Playbook
Plus, Roger Cheng dives into the latest AI panic to ponder if we’re all doomed.
It would be foolhardy to make a prediction, especially given how quickly AI models are progressing, but it’s clear that AI entrepreneur Matt Shumer’s post, which has racked up 77 million views so far, hit a nerve. I surely can’t be the only one feeling like we’re all stuck on a runaway train, powerless to stop the progression of AI and whatever disaster it’s racing toward. Tech companies are compelled to keep pouring billions of dollars into infrastructure and investment into smarter and more powerful models, with countries depending on them to ensure global seniority in the mother of too-big-to-fail scenarios.
The AI Jobs Apocalypse Isn’t Here Yet, But the Panic Is Real | Analysis
Covering Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance
Corbin Bolies checked in with reporters on the ground in Tuscon, Ariz. as they cover the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of “Today” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie.
The appetite for updates speaks to the shocking circumstances of the abduction, but also to the presence of Savannah, a warm, familiar face to millions of viewers each morning. Ratings for “Today” shot up 23% year-over-year in the week ending Feb. 6, Variety reported, as the show closely tracks the story.
The nature of the tragedy has also forced journalists to confront the challenge of reporting on a colleague in the midst of a family crisis.
“I don’t think we can ignore the fact that this is Savannah Guthrie’s mother,” Ed Lavandera, a senior national correspondent for CNN, told TheWrap. “There are millions of Americans who wake up and start their day watching the ‘Today’ show. They feel a connection to that great team, and rightfully so.”
Check out Bolies’ full piece: Reporters Reckon With Covering Nancy Guthrie’s Abduction: ‘Stuff of Nightmares’
Latest: Nancy Guthrie Update: Police Say Nighttime Operation Resulted in Search Warrant, No Arrests
A fiery CBS News exit — as layoffs loom
On her way out the door, “CBS Evening News” producer Alicia Hastey said in a note to colleagues that the “sweeping new vision” under Bari Weiss has prioritized “a break from traditional broadcast norms to embrace what has been described as ‘heterodox’ journalism.”
Now, stories may be “evaluated not just on their journalistic merit but on whether they conform to a shifting set of idealogical expectations — a dynamic that pressures producers and reporters to self-censor or avoid challenging narratives that might trigger backlash or unfavorable headlines.”
Bolies reports that at least 11 “CBS Evening News” staffers have accepted buyouts, as management is expected to cut at least 15% of staff across CBS News.
Plus: CBS News Sets JD Vance Town Hall With Tony Dokoupil for March
WaPo’s new boss
In the aftermath of the Washington Post laying off more than 300 journalists, acting CEO Jeff D’Onofrio told staff that he’s “going to fight like hell for this institution,” according to Post sources.
D’Onofrio, who addressed staff last Wednesday town hall with executive editor Matt Murray, defended the severe cuts as necessary and urged staff to come together to work on solutions going forward. “There can only be us,” he said.
During a Q&A portion, Murray faced pointed questions, including how to trust senior leaders and regarding the Kamala Harris endorsement debacle. He was also pressed for details on the company’s stated goals in the face of widespread layoffs.
While staffers appreciated Murray taking questions, his answers didn’t necessarily satisfy concerns or inspire the newsroom, according to sources.
More here: New Washington Post CEO Vows to ‘Fight Like Hell’ for the Paper
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