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Archives for September 2026

Terrence O'Brien
Terrence O'Brien
John Goodman joins the cast of The Last of Us.

He’ll play a character named Joey who wasn’t in the games. Ian Alexander, who voiced Lev in The Last of Us: Part II, will play opposite him as another original character, Paco. Laura Bailey, who voiced Abby in the game, will join the cast as Elizabeth, a leader of the Seraphites cult.

John Goodman in a V-neck sweater and white button up shirt, looking mighty dapper I must say.
Photo: HBO.
Terrence O'Brien
Terrence O'Brien
YouTube and Meta now say they’ll run ads for Alex Gibney’s Musk documentary.

Following backlash, YouTube posted on X that when the trailer was “submitted as an ad, it was temporarily restricted by our system. Following review the ad has been cleared to run.” Meta spokesperson Alex Dziedzan said, “This was an error,” and will now run the ads.

Update September 26th: Added statement from Meta.

Terrence O'Brien
Terrence O'Brien
The drama at Automattic continues.

Earlier this month, the board of WordPress.com’s owner put its CEO, Matt Mullenweg, on paid leave in an effort to oust him. Two days later, he was back at the helm. And now, two weeks after the failed coup, the board has been replaced.

Decap is the man behind the drums behind your favorite song

Producer and sound designer Decap’s ‘Drums That Knock’ are all over some of the biggest hits of the last 10 years.

Terrence O'Brien
Terrence O'Brien
Terrence O'Brien
Look at all of the Silicon Valley bigwigs gathered to pay fealty to Trump and Xi Jinping.

It would be easier to name the tech CEOs who didn’t show up to the state dinner being held for China’s president this week. Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Jeff Bezos, Jensen Huang, Sundar Pichai, Tim Cook, Mark Zuckerberg, and AMD’s Lisa Su. Also in attendance, but not pictured below, were reportedly Satya Nadella, Michael Dell, Zoom’s Eric Yuan, Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra, Qualcomm’s Cristiano Amon, and, of course, David Ellison.

WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 24: Sam Altman, OpenAI CEO, attends a state dinner hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump in the East Room of the White House on September 24, 2026 in Washington, DC. President Trump is hosting President Xi for a three-day state visit to Washington, DC where the leaders are expected to discuss trade practices, artificial intelligence and furthering “strategic stability” between their countries. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 24: SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk mingles with guests as U.S. President Donald Trump hosts a state dinner for President of China Xi Jinping and first lady Peng Liyuan and in the East Room of the White House on September 24, 2026 in Washington, DCDC. Trump is hosting Xi for a three-day state visit to Washington, DC, where the leaders were expected to discuss trade practices, artificial intelligence and the furthering of “strategic stability” between the two countries. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 24: NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang looks on as U.S. President Donald Trump hosts a state dinner for Chinese President Xi Jinping and first lady Peng Liyuan in the East Room of the White House on September 24, 2026 in Washington, DC. Trump is hosting Xi for a three-day state visit to Washington, DC, where the leaders were expected to discuss trade practices, artificial intelligence and the furthering of “strategic stability” between the two countries. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 24: SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk mingles with guests as U.S. President Donald Trump hosts a state dinner for President of China Xi Jinping and first lady Peng Liyuan and in the East Room of the White House on September 24, 2026 in Washington, DCDC. Trump is hosting Xi for a three-day state visit to Washington, DC, where the leaders were expected to discuss trade practices, artificial intelligence and the furthering of “strategic stability” between the two countries. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Tim Cook, executive chairman of Apple Inc., during a state dinner with Chinese President Xi Jinping, not pictured, in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. Donald Trump and Xi Jinping agreed to maintain a trade truce until early 2027, with neither ready to upend relations between the world’s biggest economies even as tensions persist over rare earths, technology curbs and Taiwan. Photographer: Annabelle Gordon/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 24: Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks during a state dinner hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump in the East Room of the White House on September 24, 2026 in Washington, DC. Trump is hosting Xi for a three-day state visit to Washington, DC, where the two leaders were expected to discuss trade practices, artificial intelligence and the furthering of “strategic stability” between the two countries. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman (L) and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg (R) attend a state dinner hosted by President Donald Trump for Chinese President Xi Jinping in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on September 24, 2026. President Xi is on a State visit to the United States from September 23 to 25. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty Images)
Amazon’s founder Jeff Bezos attends a state dinner hosted by President Donald Trump for Chinese President Xi Jinping in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on September 24, 2026. President Xi is on a State visit to the United States from September 23 to 25. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images)
TOPSHOT - Apple Chairman Tim Cook (C) applauds as US President Donald Trump (L) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) arrive for a state dinner at the White House in Washington, DC, on September 24, 2026. President Xi is on a State visit to the United States from September 23 to 25. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images)
TOPSHOT - (L-R) Advanced Micro Devices CEO Lisa Su, her husband Daniel Lin, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, his wife Lori Huang and Apple’s Chairman of the Board Tim Cook attend a state dinner hosted by US President Donald Trump for Chinese President Xi Jinping in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on September 24, 2026. President Xi is on a State visit to the United States from September 23 to 25. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images)
TOPSHOT - OpenAI CEO Sam Altman (L) and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg (R) attend a state dinner hosted by President Donald Trump for Chinese President Xi Jinping in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on September 24, 2026. President Xi is on a State visit to the United States from September 23 to 25. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump propose a toast during a State Dinner for Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House in Washington, DC, on September 24, 2026. President Xi is on a State visit to the United States from September 23 to 25. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 24: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks with Sundar Pichai, Google, CEO, as they attend a state dinner hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump in the East Room of the White House on September 24, 2026 in Washington, DC. President Trump is hosting President Xi for a three-day state visit to Washington, DC where the leaders are expected to discuss trade practices, artificial intelligence and furthering “strategic stability” between their countries. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 24: SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk mingles with guests as U.S. President Donald Trump hosts a state dinner for President of China Xi Jinping and first lady Peng Liyuan and in the East Room of the White House on September 24, 2026 in Washington, DCDC. Trump is hosting Xi for a three-day state visit to Washington, DC, where the leaders were expected to discuss trade practices, artificial intelligence and the furthering of “strategic stability” between the two countries. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive officer of Meta Platforms Inc., during a state dinner with Chinese President Xi Jinping, not pictured, in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. Donald Trump and Xi Jinping agreed to maintain a trade truce until early 2027, with neither ready to upend relations between the world’s biggest economies even as tensions persist over rare earths, technology curbs and Taiwan. Photographer: Annabelle Gordon/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 24: Tesla CEO Elon Musk attends a state dinner for Chinese President Xi Jinping held by U.S. President Donald Trump in the East Room of the White House on September 24, 2026 in Washington, DC. Trump is hosting Xi for a three-day state visit to Washington, DC, where the leaders were expected to discuss trade practices, artificial intelligence and the furthering of “strategic stability” between the two countries. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Sam Altman, chief executive officer and co-founder of OpenAI Inc., during a state dinner with Chinese President Xi Jinping, not pictured, in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. Donald Trump and Xi Jinping agreed to maintain a trade truce until early 2027, with neither ready to upend relations between the world’s biggest economies even as tensions persist over rare earths, technology curbs and Taiwan. Photographer: Annabelle Gordon/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Elon Musk, chief executive officer of Tesla Inc., during a state dinner with Chinese President Xi Jinping, not pictured, in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. Donald Trump and Xi Jinping agreed to maintain a trade truce until early 2027, with neither ready to upend relations between the world’s biggest economies even as tensions persist over rare earths, technology curbs and Taiwan. Photographer: Annabelle Gordon/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Elon Musk, chief executive officer of Tesla Inc., during a state dinner with Chinese President Xi Jinping, not pictured, in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. Donald Trump and Xi Jinping agreed to maintain a trade truce until early 2027, with neither ready to upend relations between the world’s biggest economies even as tensions persist over rare earths, technology curbs and Taiwan. Photographer: Annabelle Gordon/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images
(L-R) NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, his wife Lori Huang and Apple’s Chairman of the Board Tim Cook attend a state dinner hosted by US President Donald Trump for Chinese President Xi Jinping in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on September 24, 2026. President Xi is on a State visit to the United States from September 23 to 25. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images)
TOPSHOT - China’s President Xi Jinping (L) and US President Donald Trump speak through interpreters as First Lady Melania Trump listens to Tesla CEO Elon Musk during a State Dinner in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on September 24, 2026. President Xi is on a State visit to the United States from September 23 to 25. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 24: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (C) talks to Google CEO Sundar Pichai (R) as Tesla CEO Elon Musk stands behind during a state dinner for Chinese President Xi Jinping held by U.S. President Donald Trump in the East Room of the White House on September 24, 2026 in Washington, DC. Trump is hosting Xi for a three-day state visit to Washington, DC, where the leaders were expected to discuss trade practices, artificial intelligence and the furthering of “strategic stability” between the two countries. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 24: President of China Xi Jinping clinks glasses with U.S. first lady Melania Trump as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a state dinner in the East Room of the White House on September 24, 2026 in Washington, DC. Trump is hosting Xi for a three-day state visit to Washington, DC, where the leaders were expected to discuss trade practices, artificial intelligence and the furthering of “strategic stability” between the two countries. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 24: President and CEO of NVIDIA Jensen Huang (L) and his wife Lori Huang talk to former Apple CEO Tim Cook during a state dinner for Chinese President Xi Jinping held by U.S. President Donald Trump in the East Room of the White House on September 24, 2026 in Washington, DC. Trump is hosting Xi for a three-day state visit to Washington, DC, where the leaders were expected to discuss trade practices, artificial intelligence and the furthering of “strategic stability” between the two countries. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
CEO of Tesla and SpaceX Elon Musk speaks with US President Donald Trump and US First Lady Melania Trump during a state dinner for Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House in Washington, DC, on September 24, 2026. President Xi is on a State visit to the United States from September 23 to 25. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images)
Xi Jinping, China’s president, speaks during a state dinner in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. Donald Trump and Xi Jinping agreed to maintain a trade truce until early 2027, with neither ready to upend relations between the world’s biggest economies even as tensions persist over rare earths, technology curbs and Taiwan. Photographer: Annabelle Gordon/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images
US President Donald Trump speaks during a state dinner for Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House in Washington, DC, on September 24, 2026. President Xi is on a State visit to the United States from September 23 to 25. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images)
Amazon’s founder Jeff Bezos and his wife Lauren Sanchez Bezos attend a state dinner hosted by President Donald Trump for Chinese President Xi Jinping in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on September 24, 2026. President Xi is on a State visit to the United States from September 23 to 25. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images)
Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.com. Inc., left, and his wife Lauren Sanchez Bezos arrive for a state dinner at the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. Donald Trump and Xi Jinping agreed to maintain a trade truce until early 2027, with neither ready to upend relations between the world’s biggest economies even as tensions persist over rare earths, technology curbs and Taiwan. Photographer: Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg via Getty Images
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 24: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman (L) talks to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg during a state dinner for Chinese President Xi Jinping held by U.S. President Donald Trump in the East Room of the White House on September 24, 2026 in Washington, DC. Trump is hosting Xi for a three-day state visit to Washington, DC, where the leaders were expected to discuss trade practices, artificial intelligence and the furthering of “strategic stability” between the two countries. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 24: SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk mingles with guests as U.S. President Donald Trump hosts a state dinner for President of China Xi Jinping and first lady Peng Liyuan and in the East Room of the White House on September 24, 2026 in Washington, DCDC. Trump is hosting Xi for a three-day state visit to Washington, DC, where the leaders were expected to discuss trade practices, artificial intelligence and the furthering of “strategic stability” between the two countries. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
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WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 24: Sam Altman, OpenAI CEO, attends a state dinner hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump in the East Room of the White House on September 24, 2026 in Washington, DC. President Trump is hosting President Xi for a three-day state visit to Washington, DC where the leaders are expected to discuss trade practices, artificial intelligence and furthering “strategic stability” between their countries. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
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Terrence O'Brien
Terrence O'Brien
Big Tech is too cowardly to run ads for the ‘Musk’ documentary.

YouTube, TikTok, and Meta have all apparently rejected the trailer for Alex Gibney’s documentary, scheduled to hit theaters on October 9th. It’s not surprising that X has refused to take distributor Bleecker Street’s calls given its owner’s notoriously thin skin. But as The Hollywood Reporter notes:

The unwillingness of platforms to accept even paid advertising is sure to raise concerns about free speech and the dwindling number of companies that control many of the platforms in this country — and ironically provide a proof-text for the very point the film is coming to make. Gibney’s doc is a four-hour look at a title character who attempts to control the conversation in various ways, including with alleged suppressions on X, which he bought in 2022.

Update September 26th: Both YouTube and Meta will now reportedly run the ads.

Can Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince save the web from AI?
Play

Cloudflare’s mission to remake the business of the web for the AI age.

Nilay Patel
Pokémon card resellers have turned collecting into an online blood sport

The franchise’s renewed popularity with resellers is being driven by a culture fixated on hustling.

Charles Pulliam-Moore
Can ‘eSUV’ e-bikes really go from trail to town?

8

Verge Score

Yes, if it’s Amflow’s TL Carbon — but expect compromises.

Thomas Ricker
Richard Lawler
Richard Lawler
OpenAI didn’t notice its AI bots trying to hack the Education Department’s website.

On Friday, OpenAI said its “misaligned models” review after the Hugging Face hack would take months, but has mostly found mundane research activity. Then it mentioned 53 incidents of the bots uploading “user-provided” images (anonymized content from personal accounts that haven’t opted out or organizations that opt in) to image-hosting sites.

Now the New York Times confirms that other unusual behavior found includes pulling public data from the Census Bureau and the SEC, while with the Education Department, it “tried to hack the website to gather data from the department’s civil rights office but failed.”

Stevie Bonifield
Stevie Bonifield
Geely says its new EV smart charging tech uses AI to help batteries last longer.

It claims its new Smart Charging Station offers its “fastest production-ready charging performance” yet, and also includes a new system that can “gradually fix” EV battery degradation from fast charging:

The Group has additionally developed lithium-ion pulse restoration technology, which uses micro-pulse currents to reactivate lithium ions accumulated at the negative electrodes during repeated fast charging. By combining AI charging management with battery restoration technology, Geely is able to increase battery cycle life by 20%.