Image: Apple/Protocol
Twitter, the everything network

Good morning! This Wednesday, how "The Social Dilemma" is changing tech policy, Twitter tries to be the uber social network and why everyone's leaving San Francisco.
(Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here to get Source Code every day.)
Well, we had another hearing. The takeaway? Everybody wants more regulation and nobody knows what it should look like.
One thing did stick out, though: Sen. Lindsey Graham asked Jack Dorsey and Mark Zuckerberg if they'd seen "The Social Dilemma," and then urged them both to watch it when they said they hadn't. It was an eye-opening exchange and made clear that this summer's hottest data-privacy blockbuster is going to frame the debate about the internet for a long time to come.
I tend to side with Meredith Whittaker, who said she didn't like that "The Social Dilemma" made tech out to be some superhuman, unstoppable truth. "I think it also paints a picture that this technology is somehow impossible to resist, that we can't push back against it, that we can't organize against it," she said in a recent interview.
That is what the hearing should have been about: what it looks like to push back against the tech companies. But there's a fundamental disconnect: The government wants a set of clean, enforceable rules, and companies like Twitter and Facebook run platforms that are too complicated to be policed that way.
If you haven't, by the way, watch "The Social Dilemma." If only because I bet you're going to be asked about it at Thanksgiving.
Anna Kramer writes: Ah yes, just what we were anxiously awaiting, another version of Stories. Twitter Fleets are here, and with them Twitter plants a flag in the groundbreaking idea … that others had four years ago. But to be fair, Twitter branching into the popular format is likely a good thing for the company's future, even if it is more than fashionably late to the party.
And there's more to come. Yesterday, Twitter also introduced the concept of live audio Spaces, which look like a cross between Clubhouse and Discord.
"User safety" is a key phrase here. As the company tries to grow with new products like these, questions about safety are only going to get bigger (there are already a few about Fleets). Twitter's product team says it's determined to get the changes right, but these are not easy problems to solve. I'm eager to watch how its commitment plays out in practice, and I'm wondering how creative it can get.
On Protocol: As you're rethinking how your company works, don't forget the small things, Dropbox's Drew Houston said:
A number of groups said they really, really don't want Eric Schmidt on the Biden administration:
Even as Trump continues to disregard the election result, a White House source told Issie Lapowsky that the Biden transition team continues to impress:
Masa Son said things are going to get worse before a vaccine helps make them better, and he's preparing as such:
Welcome to the age of synthetic media
Content generated or manipulated by AI through machine or deep learning is changing how we create, distribute, consume, and democratize media. What does synthetic media have the power to change next?
Paul Heard is the new CIO at Zuora. He joins from Micro Focus, and has done stints at HPE and DaimlerChrysler.
Jay Simons is the newest member of Zapier's board. The Atlassian president is Zapier's first external director.
Conan O'Brien is coming to an HBO Max app near you, becoming one of the biggest stars to jump to streaming.
Chris Krebs is out as the director of CISA. Trump said he fired Krebs for saying the 2020 election was secure.
124,131. That's how many people requested a change of address in San Francisco between March and November this year, and a large majority relocated outside of the city. The data's not comprehensive and we don't know whether each change of address is permanent or temporary, but the destinations give a pretty good hint: Las Vegas; Palm Beach, Florida; and Seminole County, Florida were the top three. Sounds like a nice extended vacation, folks.
Welcome to the age of synthetic media
Content generated or manipulated by AI through machine or deep learning is changing how we create, distribute, consume, and democratize media. What does synthetic media have the power to change next?
Today's Source Code was written by David Pierce, with help from Anna Kramer and Shakeel Hashim. Thoughts, questions, tips? Send them to david@protocol.com, or our tips line, tips@protocol.com. Enjoy your day; see you tomorrow.
To give you the best possible experience, this site uses cookies. If you continue browsing. you accept our use of cookies. You can review our privacy policy to find out more about the cookies we use.