The true cost of a Twitter implosion

PLUS: More of WIRED's best longreads from this week.

View this email in your browser  |  Manage newsletter subscriptions  12.04.22 We're in Denial About the True Cost of a Twitter Implosion 14-MINUTE READ Elon Musk's platform may be hell, but it's also where huge amounts of reputational and social wealth are invested. All of that is in peril. READ THE FULL STORY You Might Also Like ... The Hunt for the Dark Web's Biggest Kingpin, Part 4: Face to Face BY ANDY GREENBERG | 19-MINUTE READ The team uses a secret technique to locate AlphaBay's server. But just as the operation heats up, the agents have an unexpected run-in with their target. This is the fourth installment in a six-part series. Get exclusive commentary and behind-the-scenes notes from Andy Greenberg by signing up for his The Rise and Fall of AlphaBay companion newsletter.  SIGN UP Max Levchin's War on Credit Cards BY LAUREN GOODE | 13-MINUTE READ The PayPal cofounder on why his "buy now, pay later" company Affirm is a healthier way to borrow, what caused the techlash, and Elon Musk's Twitter. Effective Altruism Is Pushing a Dangerous Brand of 'AI Safety' BY TIMNIT GEBRU | 4-MINUTE READ This philosophy—supported by tech figures like Sam Bankman-Fried—fuels the AI research agenda, creating a harmful system in the name of saving humanity Scientists Reexamine Why Zebra Stripes Mysteriously Repel Flies BY MAX G. LEVY | 5-MINUTE READ While biologists still aren't exactly sure how it works, a new study closes in on why the insects that pester Savannah animals zig when anything zags. Virality! What Is It Good For? BY KATHERINE CROSS | 8-MINUTE READ It was Twitter's greatest strength and greatest weakness—and there's no hope for a fix. GET WIRED Get WIRED for just $29.99 $5. Includes the print edition plus editor in chief Gideon Lichfield's column, System Update. Subscribe now. Have questions or comments? Reply to this email.   This email was sent to you by WIRED. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our email address, wired@newsletters.wired.com, to your address book.   View our Privacy Policy Unsubscribe or manage your newsletter subscriptions