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Source: DREW ANGERER / Getty / Meta
Big tech CEOs continue to look weird and act dumb in the wake of the incoming Trump presidency. In what many see as a sign of capitulation, Mark Zuckerberg announced that his company, Meta, will end its fact-checking program and opt to go the X route with “community notes.”
With Elon Musk in his pocket, Jeff Bezos’ Amazon paying $40 million for Melania Trump’s life story, and Tim Cook contributing to the cost of Trump’s inauguration, Donald Trump’s rebranding on social media and in the tech space is well underway.
Today, Zuckerberg, who has taken that AI-generated image of him looking like the ultimate f*** boy very seriously and is now dressing like one in real life, announced the company will no longer be fact-checking content.
“Fact checkers have been too politically biased and have destroyed more trust than they’ve created,” Zuckerberg said in a video announcing the new heada** policy.” What started as a movement to be more inclusive has increasingly been used to shut down opinions and shut out people with different ideas, and it’s gone too far.”
Riiiiiiggghhhttt.
The Meta chief did note that there would be a “tradeoff” with the policy acknowledging that more “harmful” content will make its way onto timelines.
Donald Trump Winning Had Everything To Do With Meta’s Policy Shift
Meta’s newly appointed Chief of Global Affairs, Joel Kaplan, a prominent Republican, supports him. He adds that Meta’s relationship with third-party fact-checkers was “well-intentioned at the outset, but there’s just been too much political bias in what they choose to fact-check and how.”
Kaplan also admitted that Trump winning the 2024 presidential election was a reason for Meta’s policy shift, adding, “no question that there has been a change over the last four years. We saw a lot of societal and political pressure, all in the direction of more content, moderation more censorship, and we’ve got a real opportunity. Now, we’ve got a new administration, and a new president coming in who are big defenders of free expression, and that makes a difference.”
Note how Kaplan also throws the Biden administration under the bus here. Not very subtle. https://t.co/pQxlobk1KW
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 7, 2025
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Sources close to the situation tell CNN that Meta gave Trump’s team a heads-up before announcing the policy change. During an off-the-wall press conference, Orange Mussolini claimed that his bullying of Zuckerberg had influenced the company’s decision.
Q: Do you think Zuckerberg is responding to the threats you’ve made to him in the past?
TRUMP: Probably. Yeah. Probably. pic.twitter.com/1XT01KCDXc
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 7, 2025
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Another One Kisses The Trump Ring
This latest announcement comes as Zuckerberg has been out here glazing and doing his best to get in the good graces of the Orange Menace before his stench reenters the White House.
UFC CEO and big-time Trump ally Dana White joined the company’s board a day ago. Like Tim Cook, Meta has donated $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund, and Zuckerberg expressed a desire to play an “active role” in shaping tech policy in the Trump administration.
Also, like Cook, Zuckerberg is getting fried on social media for bowing down to Donald Trump.
This is 100% capitulation by Mark @finkd Zuckerberg. Just despicable https://t.co/upTKmJ7si8
— rolandsmartin (@rolandsmartin) January 7, 2025
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Mark Zuckerberg is removing fact-checking from Meta. 👀
I hope most rational people are asking themselves why removing fact-checking is necessary for free speech and expression.
Only liars and con-artists don’t like being fact-checked. pic.twitter.com/RuER0Yhpt5
— Ryan Shead (@RyanShead) January 7, 2025
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
This is definitely going to be a spooky four years. You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
2. Follow the money
3. Howling
4. Stay vigilant y’all. Avoid those crazy posts from your aunts and uncles
5. Well damn
7. Don’t fall for the jig
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Source: Tom Williams / Getty / Elon Musk
Elon Musk announced that his platform X will undergo more changes because he feels “too much negativity” is being pushed on it. Hilariously, he continues to be one of the culprits.
Phony Stark, aka Elon Musk, posted on his fledgling platform that an “algorithm tweak” was coming in response to “too much negativity” on X timelines.
Musk, who reluctantly purchased Twitter in October 2022, said in a post on his X account that he wanted to “maximize unregretted user-seconds. “Keep in mind Mr. Positivity also reinstated accounts of conservative accounts notorious for pushing negativity, like his new buddy President-Elect Donald Trump, who was banned on multiple social network platforms for inciting the January 6 riots at the capitol.
“Algorithm tweak coming soon to promote more informational/entertaining content. We will publish the changes to @XEng Our goal is to maximize unregretted user-seconds. Too much negativity is being pushed that technically grows user time, but not unregretted user time,” Musk wrote.
What made Musk’s announcement hilarious is that not too soon after it, he became one of the people he was trying to squash on X.
In response to a post from Joni Askola, a Finnish PHD candidate, that said, “Elon Musk is rapidly becoming the largest spreader of disinformation in human history, hijacking political debates in the process. The EU must take action!,” In reply to the post Musk wrote “F u retard.”
F u retard
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 6, 2025
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So much for positivity.
Social Media Roasts Elon Musk
Social media has also criticized Musk for not being able to practice what he preaches on his own platform.
“I understand Elon Musk wants positive posts here now. So I’m positive that Elon Musk is a f***ing idiot,” one user on X wrote.
Another post read, “This would mean something if X wasn’t the home of some of the most racist, homophobic, ignorant trolls and Russian bots on the planet.”
Welp.
The gallery below contains more reactions to Elon Musk’s announcement and his failure to practice what he preaches.
1. This X user is on to something
2. Maybe this post will be pushed due to its positivity
5. Possible jig spotted
6. Well damn
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Source: Chip Somodevilla / Getty / Apple / Tim Cook
You can now add Tim Cook to the growing list of big tech CEOs who have decided to kiss the orange menace, Donald Trump’s ring.
Donald Trump just got $1 million from Tim Apple, oops, we mean Tim Cook, for his upcoming inauguration, Axios exclusively reports.
According to the website, Cook will personally donate the money to President-elect Donald Trump’s inaugural committee, according to sources close to the matter told Axios.
Axios reports the donation “reflects a long, collaborative relationship between Trump and Cook that included many meetings during Trump’s first term, and dinner at Mar-a-Lago last month.”
Sources told Axios that the Alabama native’s reasoning for the $1 million donation is that he believes the inauguration—which Trump famously skipped out on because he’s a sore loser and pushed the big lie that the 2020 election was stolen from him—continues to be a great American tradition, and his generous gift is in the spirit of unity.
Axios also notes that Apple, a massive contributor to the US economy and the largest taxpayer in the country, will not be sending Orange Mussolini any money.
Cook joins other big tech CEOs, such as Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, Uber, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
Tim Cook Is Getting Cooked
While he means well, social media is not trying to hear about “unity,” especially regarding the divider-in-chief who makes it his business to sow discord and push conspiracies.
Senator Elizabeth Warren didn’t bite her tongue to the news, writing in a post on X, formerly Twitter, “It’s no secret why Apple’s CEO is sucking up to Donald Trump: Republicans are planning more corporate tax cuts that would give Apple an extra $2.7 billion in handouts.”
It’s no secret why Apple’s CEO is sucking up to Donald Trump: Republicans are planning more corporate tax cuts that would give Apple an extra $2.7 billion in handouts. https://t.co/mzMM3tl2WT
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) January 4, 2025
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Warren is not alone in cooking Tim Cook on X. The gallery below shows more reactions.
1. We all collectively considered chucking our iPhones at the news of Tim Cook’s donation
2. A worthy headline to perfectly describe what is going on
3. Damn Tim, they calling you a sellout
6. Ruh Roh
7. It might be
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Source: NurPhoto / Getty / Apple / Siri
If Siri recorded your private conversation, you can expect a payment as part of a $95 million Apple settlement agreement.
Spotted on The Verge, Apple has agreed to a $95 million settlement with users whose conversations were “inadvertently” recorded by Apple’s intelligent voice assistant, Siri, and listened to by human employees.
Bloomberg reports that pending approval by a judge, eligible parties could receive up to $20 per device for up to five Siri-enabled devices.
Per The Verge:
If approved, the settlement would apply to a subset of US-based people who owned or bought a Siri-enabled iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, MacBook, iMac, HomePod, iPod touch, or Apple TV between September 17th, 2014 and December 31st, 2024. A user would also need to meet one other major criteria: they must swear under oath that they accidentally activated Siri during a conversation intended to be confidential or private. Individual payouts will depend on how many people claim the money, so if you apply, you could end up receiving less than the $20 maximum cap.
The Origins of The Class Action Lawsuit
The class action lawsuit against Apple began as a result of the 2019 report from The Guardian claiming Apple third-party contractors “regularly hear confidential medical information, drug deals, and recordings of couples having sex” while working on Siri quality control.
A whistleblower revealed that even though Siri activates using wake words, there were occasions where that was not the case, noting something as simple as the sound of the zipper could activate Siri.
In response to The Guardian’s report, Apple said only a few Siri recordings go to contractors. It also apologized and vowed to stop keeping recordings.
In the lawsuit, a minor and other plaintiffs said that Siri recorded them on various occasions, sometimes without them even saying a word.
Apple is not alone. Google is also involved in a similar lawsuit.
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Source: NurPhoto / Getty / Tesla
Elon Musk has proudly hitched his electric wagon to the Trump train, but could that spell the end for his EV dominance? Recent financial numbers hint at some potential hard times ahead.
Spotted The Verge, Tesla’s 2024 delivery numbers are not looking good. For the first time, the company reported that sales had fallen year over year.
The website reports Musk’s EV company produced 1.77 million vehicles in 2024, a 4% drop from the previous year. Tesla also delivered 1.79 million cars this year, 1% less than in 2023, while deploying 31.4 GWh in energy storage.
There were some silver linings. Tesla reported a record fourth quarter for deliveries, with 495,570 vehicles arriving in customers’ driveways. The EV company also delivered 11 GWh of energy storage products, which it claims was also a record.
Tesla also produced 459,445 vehicles, mostly Model 3s and Ys, in 2024.
Q4 2024
Production: 459,445
Deliveries: 495,570
Energy storage deployments: 11 GWh
A record for both deliveries & deployments
–
Full year 2024
Production: 1,773,443
Deliveries: 1,789,226
Energy storage deployments: 31.4 GWh
→ https://t.co/YF9iWpPuud
— Tesla (@Tesla) January 2, 2025
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
More Bad News For Tesla
Despite the late rally, Tesla flopped in 2024, falling short of its 2023 numbers. Donald Trump’s newest rump kisser, Elon Musk, warned of hardship for his company due to increased competition and a stale lineup of vehicles.
Even the world’s ugliest vehicle, the Cybetruck, and its “popularity” wasn’t enough to help Telsa have a good year.
According to Wedbush’s Dan Ives, despite breaking records, Tesla did not meet Wall Street’s target of 504,800 vehicle deliveries, resulting in a roughly 5 percent drop in the company’s stock price.
How does the company move forward under the Trump administration, which has made it clear he is not a fan of the incentives given to potential EV buyers? Begs the question? Why would Musk align himself with someone who would hurt his business in the first place?
We are intrigued to see if Musk and Tesla will face consequences in the future for allegiance to the MAGA movement.
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Source: Apple / Apple Vision Pro
This news shouldn’t shock anyone, but many people did not spend $3,500 on the Apple Vision Pro headset, and now, reportedly, the company that Steve Jobs built is sitting on a stockpile of the device and will no longer be producing it.
According to a report by The Information, initially published in October 2024 and broken down by Kotaku, Apple supplied enough parts for 500K Vision Pro headsets in October but only sold around 370K units.
The failure to meet sales estimates meant that “tens of thousands of undelivered parts” were sitting in the warehouse and would no longer be needed.
The report states that Apple has manufactured enough parts to meet the Vision Pro’s expected lifetime sales, which fell short of initial projections.
Eurogamer points out that the current numbers align with a report published by the UK Financial Times last summer, where components suppliers claimed they expected to make fewer than 400k units.
Per Eurogamer:
That same report claimed Apple had significantly scaled back its internal sales targets for the headset due to production difficulties, after previously expecting at least 1m sales in 2024.
Apple has reportedly struggled to easily produce the Vision Pro’s two micro-OLED displays for each eye, as well as the device’s outward facing lens.
Welp.
Apple Should Have Saw This Coming
The writing was on the wall when Apple unveiled the Vision Pro. During the reveal event, a video of the crowd reacting to the $3,500 price tag immediately went viral, and should have let the tech selling the device would not be as easy as pushing a yearly iPhone model on its loyal customers.
While it was a valiant attempt, Apple took amassivee swing in the market with its spatial computing device but couldn’t compete with Meta, which has found a sweet spot with the $300 to $500 price points for its Meta Quest headsets.
Apple is still reportedly working on a much more affordable version of the Vision Pro, but based on this news, we don’t expect to see it any time soon.
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Source: Activision / Acitivision
Netflix’s famed Squid Game franchise comes to Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Call of Duty: Warzone and plans to take all your attention and forsake your responsibilities and pick up the sticks.
COD players will be able to compete in multiple Squid Game-themed and Limited Time Modes in Multiplayer, Zombies, and Call of Duty: Warzone via Squid Game Bundles and Event Rewards.
Hip-Hop Wired got a chance to play the Red Light, Green Light multiplayer mode where the familiar Squd Game character Young-hee is watching, and if she spots you, you’re dead. The game is not typical of a shooter like COD but nevertheless it will be addictive once you get your hands on it. Note, you will take plenty of L’s when figuring out its nuances.
Source: Activision / Acitivision
But, more familiar territory arrives in the Pentathlon mode, where you compete in a series of Multiplayer modes (including Domination, Kill Confirmed, and Hardpointas well as two news mode variants; Piggy Bank Team Deathmatch and Roulette) in one match.
The full list of Squid Game x Call of Duty modes is chunky (like XP Rewards, a new Cleaver Melee Weapon, Squid Game-themed operators and much, much more), and you can get your full fill of details over at https://www.callofduty.com/blog/.
Good hunting.
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Source: NurPhoto / Getty / Donald Trump / TikTok
TikTok is still facing a potential ban in the United States, but the popular social media platform might have found an unlikely savior in Donald Trump. Some folks can see the jig with this latest move.
In an interesting turn of events, Donald Trump, who has had a wishy-washy position on the matter, is now calling for the Supreme Court to pause the looming ban on the popular social media platform TikTok.
Trump’s take on the matter is in direct contrast to the Biden administration and some Republican, former Trump, and Democratic official’s stance that the Chinese-owned platform poses a “grave” threat to the country’s national security.
If TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, doesn’t sell TikTok to an American company, it will be officially banned on January 19, one day before Donald Trump’s inauguration.
Per NBC News:
“President Trump takes no position on the underlying merits of this dispute,” wrote D. John Sauer, Trump’s lawyer who is also the president-elect’s pick for U.S. solicitor general. “Instead, he respectfully requests that the Court consider staying the Act’s deadline for divestment of January 19, 2025, while it considers the merits of this case, thus permitting President Trump’s incoming Administration the opportunity to pursue a political resolution of the questions at issue in the case.”
The US Supreme Court decided to hear the case and fast-tracked the schedule for briefings and oral arguments, but it did not decide whether to consider TikTok’s request to pause the implementation of the ban.
Never Forget, Donald Trump Wanted TikTok Banned
Trump, who famously tried to ban TikTok in 2020 during his first failed presidency, is now claiming he can somehow negotiate a deal to “save” the platform after he met with the company’s CEO, Shou Zi Chew, claiming he now has a “warm spot” for the platform.
“President Trump alone possesses the consummate dealmaking expertise, the electoral mandate, and the political will to negotiate a resolution to save the platform while addressing the national security concerns expressed by the Government—concerns which President Trump himself has acknowledged,” Sauer notes.
While the news of TikTok’s potential saving is making some people happy, there are many who see the move as a political one.
“Donald Trump’s reversal on the TikTok ban is the most billionaire thing ever. The president-elect, himself a billionaire, changed his mind because his billionaire donor Larry Ellison asked him to. Not good for democracy!” read one post on X, formally Twitter.
Another post on X read, “Hold the fuck on. The same Donald Trump who is threatening to “take back the Panama Canal” from PANAMA because it’s being “controlled by” the Chinese, has asked the Supreme Court to pause the law which would ban TikTok here unless it’s sold, thereby allowing the app to continue to be controlled by… the Chinese? Do I have that just about right?”
We can also see the jig.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
1. This video proves why Donald Trump isn’t the brightest person on the planet
2. Imperial fluffing
3. We guess
4. LOL, of course he doesn’t
Check The Tech is back with the latest must-have gadgets to elevate your holiday season. Host and tech venture capitalist Sara Lovestyle teams up with industry insiders to showcase the hottest tech products on the market.
This holiday season, we’re blessing our loved ones with the gift of relaxation. On this episode of Check The Tech, tech entrepreneur Joshua Ogundu shares his top three gifts for unwinding in style.
As the founder and CEO of Tradeway, a LinkedIn-style platform for the construction industry, Ogundu’s mission is to make careers in skilled trades more accessible. “We want to increase the economic opportunities that Black and Brown folks can have,” he says. “Trades are a great place to be. Right now people don’t have the exposure to them like they used to.”
Rest and recovery are essential, no matter what industry you’re in. Ogundu’s picks combine practicality and style, offering thoughtful ways to relax and recharge.
The Theragun Mini delivers multi-therapy muscle relief in a sleek, travel-friendly design. Take it with you on the go — in your backpack, gym bag, or tote — for a massage treatment anytime, anyplace. Ogundu loves his Theragun Mini for its compact design and long battery life. “That’s the one that I use and that’s what folks in the trades also like to use.” Theragun also offers a variety of attachments to customize your massage experience, whether you want a low-impact massage or targeted therapy to relieve tension.
The Nooro Hand Massager offers advanced heat therapy to give your hands the TLC they deserve. Whether you’re working on the job site or typing away at your computer, your hands put in work and deserve some love. “As somebody who works in tech, we spend a lot of time in the office. Whether we’re writing or typing, I hold so much tension in my hands,” says Lovestyle. Designed to alleviate discomfort and stiffness, the Nooro uses heat technology to enhance circulation and ease tension. With a variety of massage modes and adjustable intensity levels, customize your experience to your liking. The Nooro’s space-saving design, automatic timer, and rechargeable battery make it as convenient as it is effective.
The Asakuki Diffuser is a two-in-one aromatherapy diffuser and humidifier designed to elevate any home or workspace. Its sleek and modern design blends effortlessly into any setting, with seven calming LED color options that allow you to create the ideal ambiance. Ogundu likes to add essential oils to his Asakuki Diffuser for the aromatherapy experience. “I personally like to use essential oils like peppermint and lavender. That’s the kind of thing that relaxes me mentally,” he says.
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Source: AaronP/Bauer-Griffin / Getty / Disney
The television streaming market has become so crowded, but Disney hopes this latest move has made it very simple for customers looking to cut the cord and not break the bank in the process.
Disney’s trio bundle is finally all under Disney+‘s roof with ESPN+’s late edition to the lineup. The lineup already featured Hulu and a streaming platform where you can watch all things House of the Mouse and Marvel Studios.
ESPN+ arrived in the lineup on Wednesday, December 4. It gets its own tile on the Disney+ home screen and will give subscribers access to ESPN’s library, studio shows, and select live sporting events.
Deadline reports that during a Zoom briefing with the press, executives said the initial offering of sports programming will include NBA and WNBA games, Australian Open tennis, and longtime studio shows like Pardon the Interruption. This latest move comes as Disney still plans to launch a standalone “flagship” ESPN streaming service in fall 2025, which ironically will also live on the streaming platform, according to the website.
Speaking on the move, Disney+’s President Alisa Bowden called it “the next step in both the evolution of Disney+ and also ESPN’s streaming future.”
When asked why current ESPN+ subscribers would be incentivized to keep their subscriptions to the standalone streaming service, Disney said their goal is to reach casual sports fans by offering live sporting events that they might not come to ESPN for.
Per Deadline:
John Lasker, SVP of ESPN+, said the 5,000 live events set to be offered via Disney+ to bundle subscribers in the first 90 days represent “a small fraction” of the 30,000 events available each year on ESPN+. “Part of the design there is to stimulate engagement and interest in sports to a casual sports fan that might not otherwise come to ESPN in their normal media behavior. So it’s not creating an alternative to ESPN or ESPN+, but more an extended reach opportunity.”
Just sounds like another eventual price hike. Just saying.