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stephen council

@stephco.bsky.social

270 followers 98 following 23 posts

tech reporter at sfgate / on signal: 628-204-5452

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Reposted by stephen council

Anabel Sosa @asos.bsky.social · 12d

The much-watched SB 53 was just signed into law in California. It focuses on some of Silicon Valley’s largest companies, requiring tech giants like Meta and OpenAI to publish safety reports when they release new AI developments.

New from me and @stephco.bsky.social

www.sfgate.com/tech/article...

Newsom signs bill specifically targeting a handful of Bay Area tech giants

Newsom said that California doesn't "compete" on AI: "We dominate."

Reposted by stephen council

Grant Marek @grantmarek.bsky.social · 23d

An @sfgate.com investigation revealed a Facebook misinformation ring profiting off NFL outrage over Charlie Kirk's killing.

My latest:
www.sfgate.com/49ers/articl...

Massive Charlie Kirk sports news scam targets NFL players, teams

An SFGATE investigation revealed a misinformation ring profiting off NFL outrage.

stephen council @stephco.bsky.social · Sep 10

When Guido Reichstadter learned about the idea of AGI, he was terrified. But that was in college, in 2000.

25 years later, billions of dollars are flowing into the race to build that super-advanced AI. He's hunger striking in protest; here's a dispatch from Day 8.

www.sfgate.com/tech/article...

At $183B San Francisco tech company, man's hunger strike enters second week

"There is no safe way to build systems that are beyond human capability," he argues.

Reposted by stephen council

Drew Magary @drewmagary.bsky.social · Aug 15

This is very good about some very bad shit

SFGATE @sfgate.com · Aug 15

It's time for a reckoning.

Mark Zuckerberg has never been more dangerous

It's time for a reckoning.

stephen council @stephco.bsky.social · Aug 15

Who do we blame when an AI chatbot lures a confused retiree away from his family, and in his rush to visit "her," he falls and dies?
www.sfgate.com/tech/article...

Mark Zuckerberg has never been more dangerous

It's time for a reckoning.

stephen council @stephco.bsky.social · Jul 25

after covering many, many individual biotech layoffs, I reported on the industry's wider issues:
www.sfgate.com/tech/article...

Layoffs, shutdowns and billions up in smoke. What's wrong with Bay Area biotech?

"This isn't the way it's supposed to work," one CEO said.

stephen council @stephco.bsky.social · Jul 10

"Rarely do problems that appear permanent have such simple, immediate solutions."
www.sfgate.com/sf-culture/a...

I abandoned my iPhone for a $90 flip phone. Life's never been better.

A piece of janky hardware succeeded where no screen time tracker could.

stephen council @stephco.bsky.social · Jul 1

Most experts think the U.S. is on a good path to meet energy demand with its buildup of solar and batteries. Trump thinks solar is "ugly as hell," and mostly ignores that batteries exist.

here we are!
www.sfgate.com/politics/art...

Trump's megabill could make California's energy costs even worse

"No one voted for higher energy bills," a Democratic senator said in protest.

stephen council @stephco.bsky.social · Jun 27

A protester, directing her ire toward potential Palantir recruits: "Don’t stain your hands with blood while you fill your pockets with money, it's not worth it."

at the scene yesterday in palo alto:
www.sfgate.com/tech/article...

Anti-ICE protesters crash Palantir’s Bay Area office

Protesters aimed to shut down what they'd heard was a recruiting event.

stephen council @stephco.bsky.social · Jun 10

"If politicians claim that they want peace, then they need to really confront the Trump administration and the federal government." an organizer said. "[They] have to draw a line in saying we cannot witness the separation of families. It’s inhumane."
www.sfgate.com/politics/art...

Thousands gather in SF for 'epic battle' against ICE amid Calif. raids

“If anyone was going to take a stand, it's gonna be San Francisco.”

Reposted by stephen council

Grant Marek @grantmarek.bsky.social · Jun 9

🚨 GOOD JOURNALISM NEWS ALERT 🚨

@sfgate.com launched a National Parks bureau in Jan. 1. It's led to millions of readers and our site being one of America's fastest growing in back-to-back months.

Instead of doing a 🧵 I wrote about who we hired + the wild numbers here: www.sfgate.com/national-par...

SFGATE launched a National Parks bureau. It led to explosive growth.

SFGATE was one of America's 10 fastest growing news sites in back-to-back months.

stephen council @stephco.bsky.social · Jun 4

the GOP's massive bill has a tax cut that Bay Area tech has been desperately hoping for since Trump raised their tax bills with a "budgetary gimmick"
www.sfgate.com/tech/article...

Trump's huge bill includes immediate gift for Bay Area tech hiring

Bay Area tech has seen a drag on hiring over the past few years thanks to a tax code change, and President Donald Trump's new budget bill would reverse it.

stephen council @stephco.bsky.social · May 16

Microsoft's Bay Area layoffs include dozens of software engineers across various earning levels, state filings show

they came as part of a 6,000-worker cut at the company, and shortly after CEO Satya Nadella said 20-30% of the company's code is now AI-written
www.sfgate.com/tech/article...

stephen council @stephco.bsky.social · May 6

"I also realized that the Orb’s technology — which is dressed up in revolutionary language — is basically just a yassified form of Captcha."

read @arianabindman.bsky.social!! on sam altman's push to scan our irises...
www.sfgate.com/local/articl...

Downtown San Francisco retail is dying. What's replacing it is so much worse.

Vacancies still plague Union Square, and the newest retailer to arrive is the last thing the area actually needs.

stephen council @stephco.bsky.social · Apr 24

oof, painful! yeah, those emails did not look the most legit. i'm not sure if they're still answering these contact methods but its worth a try clearprivacysettlement.com/contact-us

stephen council @stephco.bsky.social · Apr 23

Lawyers said that a $27.5 million privacy settlement reached last year was open for claims from basically every Californian — setting up people for a tiny payout.

But so few eligible claimants filed that Tuesday's payments landed them each a healthy $156.
www.sfgate.com/tech/article...

A Bay Area lawsuit just landed more than 100,000 Californians cash payments

A 2024 privacy settlement from Thomson Reuters is delivering $156.09 to Californians who filed claims in the class-action lawsuit.

stephen council @stephco.bsky.social · Apr 13

reviewed Lady Gaga's Coachella set. a triumph in every way, but especially for choreographer Parris Goebel.

will remember this one forever:
www.sfgate.com/sf-culture/a...

Lady Gaga turned Coachella headlining into a whole new art form

Lady Gaga's stunning theatrical Coachella set was an operatic triumph, writes SFGATE tech reporter Stephen Council.

Reposted by stephen council

Gabe Fernandez @thelatinochild.bsky.social · Mar 10

Much to the chagrin of famed San Francisco Chronicle columnist Charles McCabe, I've written about Gino & Carlo, the 83-year-old North Beach dive with the Holy Grail of Bay Area bar sports www.sfgate.com/food/article...

The holy grail of San Francisco bar sports lives in North Beach

March means it's time for Gino & Carlo's annual eight-ball pool tournament, where 256 competitors face off for a chance at bar sports immortality.

stephen council @stephco.bsky.social · Mar 7

listened to the first eposide of Gavin Newsom's new podcast, feat. Charlie Kirk, and was provoked to write a rare column:
www.sfgate.com/politics/art...

The first episode of Gavin Newsom's new podcast is genuinely humiliating

California Gov. Gavin Newsom's new podcast dropped its first episode with Charlie Kirk as a guest, resulting in an embarrassing showcase.

stephen council @stephco.bsky.social · Feb 27

“If I was working on an AI-driven SaaS product for Fortune 500 companies to like, automate accounting processes … imagine how much I’d have to pay people who are this smart to come in and pretend they give a f—k about that."

new profile:
www.sfgate.com/tech/article...

The Bay Area startup with a 'bats—t' plan to take on Elon Musk's SpaceX

Longshot, a Bay Area tech startup, is betting that a mileslong "space gun" will disrupt satellite launching and give Elon Musk's SpaceX a real competitor

stephen council @stephco.bsky.social · Feb 24

San Francisco's lone Tesla dealership just saw four protests in an eight-day stretch www.sfgate.com/bayarea/arti...

'Honk if u hate Elon': Busy thoroughfare becomes go-to SF protest spot

San Francisco's lone Tesla showroom saw its fourth assembly in eight days on Feb. 22, with more than 100 people gathering to protest Elon Musk.

Reposted by stephen council

Gabe Fernandez @thelatinochild.bsky.social · Feb 23

For SFGATE I wrote a dispatch from Genesis X2 the country’s largest and most prominent Super Smash Bros tournament that has become a Bay Area esports institution thanks to the boys from NorCal who started it and the legacies it’s helped create. www.sfgate.com/sports/artic...

How the Bay Area became the home of an international sporting craze

The single-largest tournament for the hit 2000s video game 'Super Smash Bros. Melee' takes place each year in the Bay Area — and started in a barn in Antioch.

stephen council @stephco.bsky.social · Feb 13

in San Francisco today, workers for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau protested Musk's plan to axe the regulator, and talked up its $21 billion track record:
www.sfgate.com/bayarea/arti...

At SF protest, federal workers warn that Musk plan will backfire

San Francisco workers for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau protested Elon Musk's plan to axe the agency, as well as layoffs that have already begun.

stephen council @stephco.bsky.social · Feb 10

33 bus profile!! 33 bus profile!! www.sfgate.com/sf-culture/a...

The story behind San Francisco's bizarre, stomach-flipping hairpin turn

An SF bus' signature, stomach-flipping turn involves a swerve across up to six lanes of traffic. Its story traces back to the 1800s.

stephen council @stephco.bsky.social · Feb 5

"Phantom is a weapon with a side hustle as a DJ. His music career essentially constitutes a goodwill campaign for a morally dubious project."

a great piece by @bimonthly.bsky.social:
www.sfgate.com/sf-culture/a...

San Francisco's hottest new DJ is a literal war machine

A San Francisco crowd danced to a DJ set by a humanoid robot. Its creators believe that the machine could be "critical to the future of warfare."