Taylor Lorenz’s Power User

Taylor Lorenz

Taylor Lorenz explores how technology and the internet are upending our lives and the world around us. Each week, she explores everything from online fame to emerging platforms, viral phenomena, the creator economy, and much more. Tune in every Wednesday for regular episodes and every Friday for "Free Speech Friday," her series on tech policy and the fight for civil liberties online.

  1. 22 hrs ago

    The Riskiest Bet in Tech History: Elon Musk's Most Dangerous Company Yet

    SpaceX just pulled off the biggest IPO in history and made Elon Musk the world's first trillionaire. But is it all built on a fantasy? SUPPORT MY WORK:  Buy a paid subscription to my newsletter at usermag.co        Support my work on Patreon: http://patreon.com/taylorlorenz  In this week's episode of Power User, I sit down with Ryan Mac, the main New York Times reporter covering SpaceX and co-author of Character Limit: How Elon Musk Destroyed Twitter, to unpack how SpaceX went from a startup mocked by aerospace veterans to a $2+ trillion company that governments, militaries, and your retirement fund now depend on. We trace the full story from the early rocket explosions, the near-bankruptcy before Falcon 1 reached orbit in 2008, the NASA contract that saved the company, and how reusable rockets and Starlink turned SpaceX into an unstoppable money machine with 10,000 satellites in orbit.  We dive deep into Elon's trillion-dollar bet on "orbital data centers," his plan to move AI infrastructure into space, the acquisition of xAI, the Cursor deal, a possible Tesla–SpaceX merger, and his 82% voting control that makes him almost impossible to challenge. Is Elon Musk now too big to fail? Has he escaped the gravity of accountability? Or will his dreams of putting data centers in space come crashing back to Earth? And if/when that happens, who's left holding the bag? Ryan and I get into all of it. In this episode: – How SpaceX was founded and almost died – Why Starlink became the company's cash engine – Reusable rockets, barge landings, and the "chopsticks" catch – The plan to put AI data centers in space (and why experts are skeptical) – Inside the record-breaking SpaceX IPO – How index funds and 401ks got pulled into SpaceX – Elon's 82% control and the road to "Elon Inc" – Whether Musk is now the most powerful man on Earth

    30 min

  2. 2d ago

    [PATREON PREVIEW] What Is Peter Thiel Doing In Argentina? (and what's with his secret cult) w/ NYT's Ryan Mac

    Subscribe to my Patreon or newsletter to listen to the full episode! SUPPORT MY WORK: Buy a paid subscription to my newsletter at usermag.co Support my work on Patreon: http://patreon.com/taylorlorenz Over the past few months, Peter Thiel has become fully infatuated with Argentina. He bought a house there, enrolled his kids in school, has been attending local soccer matches, playing chess with locals, and the Argentine government is exploring offering the billionaire permanent residence and citizenship. But why Argentina? Why now? Ryan Mac is a reporter at the New York Times and he's been covering Peter Theil's increased fascination with the country. Today, he's joining me to unpack Thiel's new obsession, and why other billionaires also seem taken by Argentina lately.

    8 min

  3. 5d ago

    Hasan Piker Reveals The New Censorship Playbook: The Twitch Streamer on KOSA, Section 230, jawboning, travel bans and more

    Hasan Piker On The Terrifying Future Of Internet Surveillance SUPPORT MY WORK:  Buy a paid subscription to my newsletter at usermag.co       Support my work on Patreon: patreon.com/taylorlorenz   Hasan Piker joined me for this week's Free Speech Friday for a wide-ranging conversation about online censorship, government surveillance, digital ID laws, Section 230, TikTok, KOSA, free speech, the JAWBONE Act, internet privacy, and the growing pressure campaigns targeting creators and political commentators. We discuss:  • The rise of online censorship around the world • The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) • Government surveillance and digital ID requirements • The future of online anonymity • Section 230 and why it matters • TikTok, Big Tech, and content moderation • Government pressure on social media platforms • Free speech on the left and the right • The Jawbone Act • How new internet laws could impact creators, journalists, activists, and everyday users As governments push new regulations in the name of safety, misinformation, and national security, the debate over free speech, privacy, censorship, and online freedom is becoming more important than ever.  #HasanPiker #FreeSpeech #Censorship #KOSA #Section230 #TikTok #Privacy #Surveillance #InternetFreedom #TechPolicy

    43 min

  4. Jun 17

    Why Timothée Chalamet Is Shilling Kalshi: Inside The Plan To Monetize Everything

    Why is Kalshi suddenly everywhere?  SUPPORT MY WORK:  Buy a paid subscription to my newsletter at usermag.co       Support my work on Patreon: http://patreon.com/taylorlorenz  Prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket have become one of the most powerful forces in American media, politics, and culture. In this episode of Power User, I sit down with NPR's Bobby Allyn, the country's top prediction-markets reporter, to break down how Kalshi went from a tiny startup that 50 lawyers refused to represent to an inescapable cultural juggernaut backed by the Trump family, celebrities, and major news organizations. We dig into how Kalshi exploited a legal loophole to bring sports betting and election betting to every state, why Donald Trump Jr. became an advisor to both Kalshi and Polymarket, and how the companies called the 2024 election for Trump before the mainstream media would, cementing their place in the MAGA universe. Bobby explains the rise of Kalshi CEO Tarek Mansour, Polymarket's offshore "crypto bad boy" founder Shane Coplan, and the regulatory war happening right now inside the CFTC. We also cover the dark side nobody is talking about: undisclosed influencer marketing flooding your feed, the Timothée Chalamet Kalshi deal, secret ads during the NBA playoffs, the Mr. Beast video editor insider trading scandal, betting markets on wildfires and war, and the casinoification of the entire economy. We dig into the lawsuits, the looming Supreme Court showdown, and whether this whole gambling empire could vanish overnight!  We cover: How Kalshi went from a rejected idea to a multi-billion dollar empire. The shocking court ruling that changed everything in 2024. Why MAGA influencers embraced prediction markets early. The Mr. Beast video editor insider trading scandal. How sports gambling bans were bypassed with a loophole. Timothée Chalamet's controversial Kalshi ad. The media's role in normalizing this "gambling for everything". Why Democrats and Republicans are fighting over regulation. The lawsuits that could end Kalshi. What happens when you can bet on wildfires, wars, and more.

    33 min

  5. Jun 12

    The Anti-LGBTQ Internet Censorship Bill Is Back

    Just in time for Pride month, Marsha Blackburn and the Heritage Foundation's anti-LGBTQ censorship is back (now supported by OpenAI). SUPPORT MY WORK:  Buy a paid subscription to my newsletter at usermag.co      Support my work on Patreon: http://patreon.com/taylorlorenz     The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) is back, and this time, the White House is reportedly negotiating a deal to pass it in exchange for federal preemption of state AI laws. In this episode of Free Speech Friday, I break down why KOSA is one of the most dangerous internet censorship bills in Congress, why tech billionaires like Sam Altman and Elon Musk actually SUPPORT it, and what the media is getting completely wrong about this so-called "trade-off." I'm joined by Ari Cohn, one of the top First Amendment lawyers in the country, to explain exactly how KOSA's "duty of care" provision will force platforms to mass-censor content, including LGBTQ voices, mental health support communities, reproductive health information, and more.  We cover the junk science behind the social media moral panic, the age verification privacy nightmare, how the FTC could become the internet's censor-in-chief, and why we've seen this exact panic before with comic books, video games, and television. Click the link below to take action now!!! https://www.badinternetbills.com  In this video, we cover: What the Kids Online Safety Act actually does How KOSA could impact social media platforms Age verification and online privacy issues The potential effects on LGBTQ communities, mental health resources, and online speech Why Elon Musk and OpenAI support KOSA. The reality of age verification and the death of online privacy. How KOSA targets niche communities and support groups.

    33 min

  6. Jun 10

    Exposing OpenAI's Secret Meme Army: A $125M Propaganda Network

    Exposing The Dark Money Machine Behind AI Propaganda SUPPORT MY WORK:  Buy a paid subscription to my newsletter at usermag.co      Support my work on Patreon: http://patreon.com/taylorlorenz  I break down my investigation into a network of pro-AI and anti-AI meme accounts that I found were secretly being run and funded by OpenAI, Palantir, and Andreessen Horowitz's big $125M super PAC and dark money group.  I reveal how these accounts operated, who is connected to them, why they promoted both sides of the AI debate, and how the organization at the center of the story confirmed key aspects of the reporting after publication. I talk about how a self-described “Meme Lord” named Jason Levin,  founder of Memelord Technologies was hired by the super PAC, Leading the Future, to create and run sock puppet accounts like “DoomersAreDumb” and “Jonathan Doomer” to attack AI critics, mock disabled people, post violent threats, and even pretend to be an anti-AI activist. OpenAI’s president Greg Brockman donated millions to this campaign. OpenAI’s head of strategy follows these meme accounts. And when confronted, Build American AI confirmed it all. Topics covered: AI propaganda and influence campaigns OpenAI and AI policy politics Dark money groups and Super PACs Fake activist accounts AI-generated content networks Meme pages and online manipulation Political lobbying and artificial intelligence Social media influence operations Tech industry power and public opinion #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #TechNews #OpenAI #SiliconValley #MemeCulture #InvestigativeJournalism #InfluenceCampaign #AIDebate #TechPolicy #PowerUser

    21 min

  7. Jun 5

    Are You On A Govt Watchlist? Cops Are Tracking Anyone Who Hates AI

    Are you on a government watchlist just for criticizing AI?  SUPPORT MY WORK:  Buy a paid subscription to my newsletter at usermag.co     Support my work on Patreon for bonus episodes, monthly Q&A livestreams, and more: http://patreon.com/taylorlorenz   A shocking new investigation from The Intercept reveals that police are tracking seemingly anyone who expresses skepticism or anger about the tech industry online.  In this episode of Free Speech Friday, journalist Sam Biddle joins me to dive deep into a terrifying new report from The Intercept exposing how Philadelphia police officers admitted to monitoring legitimate First Amendment activity. Law enforcement documents show that specialized "Fusion Centers" are scanning social media, message boards, and Facebook to flag users posting anti-AI and anti-data center sentiments.  Sam and I discuss the post-9/11 surveillance apparatus, how local police use tools like Data Miner to monitor online discussions, and why the Trump administration is aligning with tech billionaires and crypto lobbyists to turn AI into a national security priority.  Is your private Signal group chat safe from police infiltration? Why are corporate platforms like Meta incentivized to censor anti-tech activism? We break down the chilling effect of mass surveillance and the elite effort to frame community civics and political advocacy as domestic extremism. SUPPORT INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM: This channel has ZERO sponsors and relies 100% on viewer support! Keep my reporting alive by subscribing: 👉 Support on Patreon: http://patreon.com/taylorlorenz     👉 Read my Substack Newsletter: https://usermag.co  #Surveillance #BigTech #ArtificialIntelligence #FirstAmendment #FreeSpeech #Privacy #DataCenter #TheIntercept #TechNews #CivilLiberties SUPPORT MY WORK:  Buy a paid subscription to my newsletter at usermag.co     Support my work on Patreon for bonus episodes, monthly Q&A livestreams, and more: http://patreon.com/taylorlorenz

    18 min

  8. Jun 3

    The Data Center Boom Is More Toxic Than You Think

    Are AI data centers destroying the environment, driving up power bills, and consuming massive amounts of water, or is the backlash overblown? SUPPORT MY WORK:  Buy a paid subscription to my newsletter at usermag.co      Support my work on Patreon for bonus episodes, monthly Q&A livestreams, and more: http://patreon.com/taylorlorenz        In this episode of Power User, I sit down with Wired senior climate and energy reporter Molly Taft to unpack the AI data center boom. We discuss how AI infrastructure actually works, why companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Microsoft, and xAI are racing to build more data centers, and what the environmental consequences could be. We dive into the controversy around electricity demand, fossil fuel expansion, water use, local community opposition, AI infrastructure, data center moratoriums, and whether these facilities are genuinely necessary for the future of artificial intelligence. Topics covered: What AI data centers actually do Why ChatGPT and AI require so much compute The environmental impact of AI Energy consumption and power grids Natural gas, nuclear, and renewable energy Elon Musk's xAI Colossus project Water usage and cooling systems Community backlash against data centers Climate concerns and AI development The future of AI infrastructure If you've been seeing headlines about AI data centers, energy crises, environmental impacts, or the race between OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Microsoft, and China, this conversation breaks down what's really happening. #AI #DataCenters #ChatGPT #OpenAI #ArtificialIntelligence #ClimateChange #Technology #TechNews #Energy #Environment

    48 min
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Hosts & Guests

4.5
out of 5
43 Ratings

About

Taylor Lorenz explores how technology and the internet are upending our lives and the world around us. Each week, she explores everything from online fame to emerging platforms, viral phenomena, the creator economy, and much more. Tune in every Wednesday for regular episodes and every Friday for "Free Speech Friday," her series on tech policy and the fight for civil liberties online.

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