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Aarian Marshall

@aarianmarshall.bsky.social

15K followers 160 following 50 posts

Writing about stuff w/wheels (mostly) at WIRED

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Aarian Marshall @aarianmarshall.bsky.social · 23h

Wrote about the unsettling year that federal air safety employees are having. They say the skies are safe, but the shutdown, and how the gov might react, is creating more stress

“It feels as if they want us to be afraid, but I’m just angry,” one FAA worker told me

www.wired.com/story/shutdo...

The Shutdown Is Pushing Air Safety Workers to the Limit

Federal employees say that flying is still safe despite the strain on air traffic controllers. But expect even more airport delays ahead.

Reposted by Aarian Marshall

Andrew Couts @couts.bsky.social · 1d

NEW: Everything's... fine... @aarianmarshall.bsky.social reports: www.wired.com/story/shutdo...

The Shutdown Is Pushing Air Safety Workers to the Limit

Federal employees say that flying is still safe despite the strain on air traffic controllers. But expect even more airport delays ahead.

Aarian Marshall @aarianmarshall.bsky.social · 10d

"Labubu has become the de facto face of [China's] growing soft power, even if Pop Mart would rather distance itself from geopolitics"

via @zeyiyang.bsky.social

www.wired.com/story/labubu...

A Journey Into the Heart of Labubu

I made an epic trek across four countries to answer one question: Why is the world going mad for a plushie monster?

Aarian Marshall @aarianmarshall.bsky.social · 14d

Experts told me Tesla has gotten better at monitoring the behavior of drivers using FSD (S), which can't actually drive by itself

But amidst Tesla's Big Pivot to autonomy and robotics, it seems to be pushing drivers to use the feature exactly when they shouldn't

www.wired.com/story/story/...

Tesla Is Urging Drowsy Drivers to Use ‘Full Self-Driving.’ That Could Go Very Wrong

The company’s FSD tech doesn’t actually self-drive. Experts say that advising customers to switch it on when they're drifting between lanes is exactly the wrong move.

Aarian Marshall @aarianmarshall.bsky.social · 15d

How federal workers experienced the DOGE-ification of the government—n their own words

We spoke to over 200

www.wired.com/story/oral-h...

The Story of DOGE, as Told by Federal Workers

WIRED spoke with more than 200 federal workers in dozens of agencies to learn what happened as the Department of Government Efficiency tore through their offices.

Reposted by Aarian Marshall

evy kwong @evystadium.bsky.social · 17d

today the @wired.com mural in bushwick they’re working on zuck dog leg and sam altman dog manicure so tag us if u see us

Reposted by Aarian Marshall

WIRED @wired.com · 19d

Big Tech's embrace of President Trump has left many of us wondering: What the hell happened to Silicon Valley?

In our new politics issue, we're getting into it.

Also, we're taking this cover across the US in billboards, posters and a mural. Clues to find us in the 🧵: www.wired.com/politics-iss...

WIRED's The Politics Issue

Reposted by Aarian Marshall

megan farokhmanesh @megannicolett.bsky.social · 28d

“It's pretty indicative of general speech associated with the deep parts of internet culture, in particular the types that are very much into irony posting and edgelord humor," says extremism researcher @alexbnewhouse.bsky.social

With @makenakelly.bsky.social

www.wired.com/story/charli...

But in the aftermath of this shooting and others like it, Alex Newhouse, a researcher at the University of Colorado at Boulder who studies extremism, says any critiques of gaming culture in this instance must be contextualized. “It's not a specific game, but it's rather the use of gaming references. It's not the specific meme, but rather the use of online memes,” he says. “It's not the specific ways that things are written on the gun, but that they’re writing something on the gun at all.”

Reposted by Aarian Marshall

Katie Drummond @katie-drummond.bsky.social · Sep 11

Videos of Charlie Kirk being shot spread like wildfire across social platforms yesterday -- and many are still up.

This is the post-content moderation world we now live in:

www.wired.com/story/charli...

Charlie Kirk Was Shot and Killed in a Post-Content Moderation World

Videos of the shooting spread across TikTok, Instagram, and X. Researchers say that in some cases the platforms are falling short on enforcing their own content moderation rules.

Aarian Marshall @aarianmarshall.bsky.social · Sep 8

In which two @wired.com writers discover that sporting an AI wearable "friend" gets you bullied by people AND machines

via @kylierobison.com + @boone.bsky.social

www.wired.com/story/i-hate...

I Hate My Friend

The chatbot-enabled Friend necklace eavesdrops on your life and provides a running commentary that’s snarky and unhelpful. Worse, it can also make the people around you uneasy.

Aarian Marshall @aarianmarshall.bsky.social · Sep 3

A real bummer of a read about what happens when an under-regulated surrogacy industry collides with the scary realities of childbirth and a vengeful venture capitalist with plenty of expendable cash

www.wired.com/story/the-ba...

The Baby Died. Whose Fault Is It?

When her son died in utero, a venture capitalist went to extremes to punish her surrogate.

Reposted by Aarian Marshall

Zeyi Yang 杨泽毅 @zeyiyang.bsky.social · Jul 31

In this week's Made in China newsletter: at China's flagship AI summit WAIC, the vibe was totally different from Trump’s America-first, regulation-light vision for AI. Beijing is pitching itself as the world leader of AI safety regulation.

WIRED's @willknight.bsky.social reports from Shanghai:

Inside the Summit Where China Pitched Its AI Agenda to the World

Behind closed doors, Chinese researchers are laying the groundwork for a new global AI agenda—without input from the US.

Reposted by Aarian Marshall

molly taft @mollytaft.com · Jul 30

NEW: i spoke to nine (!) scientists across several disciplines whose work was cited in the new Department of Energy report that downplays the severity of climate change. all of them say their work was misrepresented, cherry picked, and/or lacked context —

Scientists Say New Government Climate Report Twists Their Work

A new Department of Energy report “fundamentally misrepresents” climate research and leaves out key context, multiple scientists cited in the report tell WIRED.

Aarian Marshall @aarianmarshall.bsky.social · Jul 30

Spy vs. Spy but it's AI vs. AI

www.wired.com/story/i-watc...

(sign up for @willknight.bsky.social's AI Lab newsletter! www.wired.com/newsletter)

I Watched AI Agents Try to Hack My Vibe-Coded Website

RunSybil, a startup founded by OpenAI’s first security researcher, deploys agents that probe websites for vulnerabilities—part of a new AI era for cybersecurity.

Aarian Marshall @aarianmarshall.bsky.social · Jul 30

And an even bigger story about a culture of fear around gov-funded research, period

Aarian Marshall @aarianmarshall.bsky.social · Jul 30

This is of course part of a bigger story about a new culture of fear around gov-funded transportation research

Aarian Marshall @aarianmarshall.bsky.social · Jul 30

FWIW, the Transportation Research Board’s standing committees were a really useful resource for me - a great way to find practitioners engaged in relatively niche research areas. TRB abruptly dissolved the committees in June to avoid Trump admin scrutiny

usa.streetsblog.org/2025/07/02/t...

Trump Priorities Spark Sudden Reorganization of Key Transportation Research Body — Streetsblog USA

"It's [an] unprecedented overreach into science."

usa.streetsblog.org

Reposted by Aarian Marshall

Reece @thiccreese.bsky.social · Jul 25

Excited for this subscriber-exclusive conversation!

Tune in next week on @wired.com for a livestream discussion with Katie about her viral interview and the future of wellness.

What burning questions do you have? Drop them in the comments section of this article, and we may answer them live 👇🏻✨

Katie Drummond @katie-drummond.bsky.social · Jul 25

Many of you read my interview with longevity guru Bryan Johnson. Thank you! It's our 4th most-read story of 2025 at @wired.com.

In honor of this virality, we're doing an AMA where I'll answer your Q's about the story. I'll even tell you *WHAT ELSE* I saw in Bryan's house, aside from moldy fruit.

Join Our Next Livestream: Inside Katie Drummond’s Viral Interview With Bryan Johnson

On July 31, WIRED’s global editorial director discusses the world of wellness—and beyond—with WIRED reporters.

Aarian Marshall @aarianmarshall.bsky.social · Jul 25

This follows on a report from Business Insider this morning that Tesla told employees it would launch robotaxi service in the Bay Area as soon as today

www.businessinsider.com/tesla-robota...

Tesla tells staff it plans to roll out its Robotaxi service in San Francisco this weekend

The company said its timeline for Robotaxi launch had been moved up and the service could launch as soon as Friday.

www.businessinsider.com

Aarian Marshall @aarianmarshall.bsky.social · Jul 25

Schrödinger's (robo)car

Aarian Marshall @aarianmarshall.bsky.social · Jul 25

NEW: California confirms to WIRED that Tesla said it will expand its employee-only car service to include friends + family of employees and select members of the public

Tesla has said that a Bay Area robotaxi launch is coming. But it isn't legally allowed to use AVs

www.wired.com/story/tesla-...

Tesla Readies a Taxi Service in San Francisco—but Not With Robotaxis

The electric carmaker informed California that it will operate a limited public taxi service. But it’s not legally allowed to do this with self-driving cars.

Aarian Marshall @aarianmarshall.bsky.social · Jul 25

Subscribe:

www.wired.com/v2/offers/wi...

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Aarian Marshall @aarianmarshall.bsky.social · Jul 25

Finally, an outrageous yarn about cloned polo horses, and the lawsuit between a Texas oilman and Argentinian polo legend over who owns a prized bloodline

www.wired.com/story/clonin...

Cloning Came to Polo. Then Things Got Truly Uncivilized

A polo legend and a businessman joined forces to copy the player’s greatest horse. But with a single clone worth $800,000, some technologies are a breeding ground for betrayal.

Aarian Marshall @aarianmarshall.bsky.social · Jul 25

A bittersweet look into human relationships with AI:

www.wired.com/story/couple...

My Couples Retreat With 3 AI Chatbots and the Humans Who Love Them

I found people in serious relationships with AI partners and planned a weekend getaway for them at a remote Airbnb. We barely survived.

Aarian Marshall @aarianmarshall.bsky.social · Jul 25

THE story of the Tesla Takedown:

www.wired.com/story/tesla-...

The Definitive Story of Tesla Takedown

In February, a Bluesky post caught the eye of Alex Winter. The result is a coalition of environmentalists, anti-Trump advocates, and federal workers that’s been hyping Tesla’s stock slide ever since.