How do you solve the problem of growing a popular smart home platform committed to open-source, open-standard ideals into something bigger that stays true to those ideals? You create a foundation. At least, that’s the approach Home Assistant founder Paulus Schoutsen has chosen.
Technology
The little smart home platform that could
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25407150/STK266_Home_Assistant_2_CVirginia.jpg?ssl=1 "The little smart home platform that could")
This week, Home Assistant announced it is now part of the Open Home Foundation. The newly formed non-profit will own and govern all of Home Assistant and its related entities. Its creators and inaugural board members — Schoutsen, Guy Sie, Pascal Vizeli, and J. Nick Koston — all work on Home Assistant, and the foundation has no other members so far.
In a press release, the foundation stated its aim is “to fight against surveillance capitalism, and offer a counterbalance to Big Tech influence, in the smart home — by focusing on privacy, choice, and sustainability for smart home users.”
A community-built, open-source smart home platform, Home Assistant differs from its major “big tech” competitors — such as Amazon Alexa and Google Home, because it offers four things simultaneously: local control of your smart home that can be faster and more reliable than the cloud: authority over and access to all your data; compatibility with almost every connected gadget — regardless of protocol or manufacturer; and the ability to make them work together. While many competitors offer some of these, few offer all.
“I want to make it clear what our intentions are to the world: That we’re driven by a higher goal than money. And that we are not for sale.”
Home Assistant is known for its unmatched power and flexibility, but so far the platform, which has an estimated one million users, has struggled to reach the mainstream. Home Assistant can have a steep learning curve, especially when compared to the relative simplicity of a platform like Alexa or Apple Home. Onboarding devices can be complicated, the UI has lots of room for improvement, and integrations can be hit or miss.
“Home Assistant is no one’s first smart home platform,” says Schoutsen. “When people outgrow their existing systems and want more advanced control, that’s when they come to Home Assistant.” But he sees that the platform is at a tipping point.
With the arrival of the industry-backed smart home standard Matter (with which Home Assistant is heavily involved), smart home adoption is pushing into the mainstream. Home Assistant wants to stay swimming alongside Apple, Amazon, Samsung, and Google, all of which it’s been competing with in the smart home for roughly a decade now. Home Assistant has never accepted investors, says Schoutsen, and he sees a foundation as the best way to grow.
Schoutsen outlined the platform’s future roadmap at its annual State of the Open Home presentation on Saturday, April 20th. In an interview ahead of the live stream, he told The Verge about some of the bigger changes planned for Home Assistant following this transition:
- The Home Assistant Green smart home hub will be sold on Amazon this year, the first time the organization will sell directly to consumers. A new line of Home Assistant Connect dongles for Thread / Zigbee and Z-Wave will follow. These connect the hub to gadgets that use those protocols (and will replace the SkyConnect dongle).
- The Home Assistant Works With program, which offers certification for products that work with the platform, is expanding. New partners include Aqara, Ultraloq, and Jasco.
- A new Home Assistant voice control hardware device running Home Assistant’s local smart home voice assistant is planned for release at the end of the year.
- Home Assistant is working with Nvidia to incorporate a local AI model into the home automation platform.
- The platform has been researching ways to improve its UI to make it easier for everyone in the home to use Home Assistant. It’s calling this the “Home-approval factor,” a variant on the wife- or spouse-approval factor that encompasses everyone in a home.
(See sidebar for more on these.)
The collective goal of all these efforts is to move Home Assistant toward becoming a more mainstream, out-of-the-box option for smart home users. “We want to be a consumer brand,” says Schoutsen. “You should be able to walk into a Home Depot and be like, ‘I care about my privacy; this is the smart home hub I need.’”
The foundation will also advocate for the development of “better” smart home products, says Schoutsen, “Devices with local APIs and that are built sustainably. Because there needs to be products compatible with Home Assistant that you can trust.”
Is Home Assistant all grown up now?
Schoutsen, who started Home Assistant in 2013 with a Philips Hue smart lighting bridge, a Python script, and a mission to control his lights any way he wanted to, sees the foundation as necessary to both protect Home Assistant and move it forward. “I want to make it clear what our intentions are to the world: That we’re driven by a higher goal than money. And that we are not for sale,” he says. The new ownership structure provides a stronger platform for growth. “It gives us a way for people to take us seriously, to help us reach a bigger audience,” he says.
To date, the informal way Home Assistant operates has been confusing to companies looking to partner with the platform, says Schoutsen. The launch of the for-profit Nabu Casa five years ago provided a revenue stream for Home Assistant through an optional cloud computing service that now supports 33 full-time employees.
The foundation, which was created last month as a Verein (“association”) in Switzerland, formally separates Nabu Casa from Home Assistant. The foundation will own all of the open-source projects, standards, drivers, and libraries associated with Home Assistant, along with ESPHome, ZigPy, and Wyoming.
Nabu Casa will continue as a for-profit entity running the cloud and selling Home Assistant hardware and will operate as a commercial partner of the foundation. “Funding and support can only flow one way—from Nabu Casa, and any future partners, to the Open Home Foundation and its projects,” says Pascal Vizeli, co-founder of Nabu Casa, and a foundation board member.
It also protects Home Assistant from being sold. Swiss law prohibits members of a non-profit Verein from benefiting from it, Schoutsen explained to The Verge. “Our articles state ‘There will be no direct distribution to members in return for activities performed for the association or as any other form of gratuity in any kind,’’’ he says. Similarly, he says the foundation can only have income from membership fees, donations, license programs, and contributions from partners.
Still, Home Assistant users may be wary of these larger structural changes. The Verge asked Schoutsen how he could assuage any fears that this will negatively impact current users. It’s hard not to draw parallels with SmartThings’ shift to become a more “consumer-friendly” platform following its purchase by Samsung.
“We’re constantly doing this balance between ease of use and advanced features and I don’t know how we are going to keep balancing this,” he said. “But we cannot forget about our power users. The platform is open; maybe at some point, there might be a split where we have the basic UI and the advanced UI; I don’t know how that’s going to work. But because we are open, because our data is accessible, they’re all part of the community, even if they don’t use our specific tools that we’re building.”
“There’s a bigger audience that I would like to reach that we don’t today.”
He is also wary of entering the business side of the smart home while recognizing its necessity to grow Home Assistant. “We need to be very careful moving into this space,” he says. “The challenge with partnership people is that they’re very business-focused. And that’s not how we operate.”
He hopes the foundation will provide the necessary building blocks for growth while protecting the platform’s core beliefs and values. “I think we can get even bigger now that we have this stepping stone. The foundation is a real entity. People will take us more seriously. I think the press will take us more seriously. There’s a bigger audience that I would like to reach that we don’t today.”
While today’s mainstream smart home platforms offer simple and convenient ways to control your smart lights, locks, and other gadgets, the lack of access to your data, limited options for local control over devices, and some platforms’ over-reliance on the cloud can put the user at a disadvantage.
Matter — which aims to bring local control and interoperability across all smart home devices and platforms—is designed to solve some of these problems. But Matter isn’t a platform; you’ll still need to use an app on your phone or computer to control your home. Home Assistant wants to be that app.
Can it move fast enough? There’s a long road between forming a foundation and packing Home Depots with Home Assistant hubs and gadgets that pledge Home Assistant loyalty. In the meantime, Matter is also providing other platforms — such as Aqara, Homey, and Hubitat — the tools to expand and grow into more viable alternatives to big tech in the smart home. It’s going to be interesting to see where everything lands.
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Meta is laying off about 10 percent of its Reality Labs metaverse division, and the cuts include closing down some of its VR gaming studios.
Twisted Pixel Games, the developer of Marvel’s Deadpool VR, Sanzaru Games, the developer of the Asgard’s Wrath franchise, and Armature Studio, which worked on the Resident Evil 4 VR port, are all being closed down, according to an internal memo viewed by Bloomberg. The team behind the VR fitness app Supernatural will no longer develop new content or features for it, though the “existing product” will still be supported, Bloomberg says. Meta spokesperson Tracy Clayton confirmed to The Verge that Bloomberg’s reporting is accurate.
Laid off staffers have posted about the closures online.
Meta acquired Supernatural developer Within in 2023 (after a fight with the FTC), Twisted Pixel and Armature in 2022, and Sanzaru in 2020. The company closed Echo VR developer Ready at Dawn, which it also acquired in 2020, in 2024.
In a statement about the broader Reality Labs layoffs, Clayton said that “We said last month that we were shifting some of our investment from Metaverse toward Wearables. This is part of that effort, and we plan to reinvest the savings to support the growth of wearables this year.”
Update, January 13th: Added details from Bloomberg about the studio closures.
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At first glance, the job posts look completely harmless. They promise fast money, flexible hours and paid training. No experience required. Payment comes in crypto. But these are not tutoring gigs or customer service roles. They are recruiting ads for ransomware operations.
And many of the people responding are middle and high school students. Some posts openly say they prefer inexperienced workers. Others quietly prioritize young women. All of them promise big payouts for “successful calls.”
What they leave out is the risk. Federal charges. Prison time. Permanent records. This underground ecosystem goes by a familiar name. Insiders often refer to it as “The Com,” short for “The Community.”
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HACKERS ABUSE GOOGLE CLOUD TO SEND TRUSTED PHISHING EMAILS
Fake job ads promising fast cash and flexible hours are quietly recruiting teens into ransomware and extortion schemes, often paying in cryptocurrency to hide criminal activity. (Donato Fasano/Getty Images)
How The Com operates behind the scenes
The Com is not a single organized gang. It functions as a loose network of groups that regularly change names and members. Well-known offshoots tied to this ecosystem include Scattered Spider, Lapsus$, ShinyHunters and related splinter crews. Some groups focus on data theft. Others specialize in phishing or extortion. Collaboration happens when it benefits the operation.
Since 2022, these networks have targeted more than 100 major companies in the U.S. and UK. Victims include well-known brands across retail, telecom, finance, fashion and media, including companies such as T-Mobile, Nike and Instacart. The combined market value of affected companies exceeds one trillion dollars.
Teenagers often take on the riskiest roles within these schemes. Phone calls, access testing and social engineering scripts typically fall to younger participants. More experienced criminals remain in the background, limiting their exposure.
That structure mirrors what identity and fraud experts are seeing across the industry. Ricardo Amper, founder and CEO of Incode Technologies, a digital identity verification company, says fake job ads are effective because they borrow trust from a familiar social contract.
“A job post feels structured, normal and safe, even when the actual behavior being requested is anything but,” Amper said. “A job posting implies a real process – a role, a manager, training and a paycheck. That’s exactly why it works. It lowers skepticism and makes risky requests feel like normal onboarding.”
Amper notes that what’s changed is not just the scale of recruitment, but how criminals package it. “Serious crime is now being sold as ‘work.’”
Why teens excel at social engineering attacks
Teenagers bring a unique mix of skills that make them highly convincing. Fluent English and comfort with modern workplace technology help them sound legitimate. Familiarity with tools like Slack, ticketing systems and cloud platforms makes impersonation easier.
According to Amper, teens don’t need technical expertise to get pulled in. “The on-ramp is usually social, a Discord server, a DM, a ‘quick gig,’” he said. “It can feel like trolling culture, but the targets are real companies and the consequences are real people.”
Risk awareness is often lower. Conversations frequently take place in public chats, where tactics and mistakes are shared quickly. That visibility accelerates learning and increases the likelihood of detection and arrest.
Gaming culture feeds the pipeline
For many teens, it starts small. Pranks in online games turn into account takeovers. Username theft becomes crypto theft. Skills escalate. So do the stakes.
Recruitment often begins in gaming spaces where fast learning and confidence are rewarded. Grooming is common. Sextortion sometimes appears. By the time real money enters the picture, legal consequences feel distant.
Amper compares the progression to gaming itself. “These crews package crime as a ladder,” he said. “Join the group, do small tasks, level up, get paid, get status.”
Why young women are being targeted
Cybercrime remains male-dominated, but recruiters adapt. Young women are increasingly recruited for phone-based attacks. Some use AI tools to alter accents or tone. Others rely on stereotypes. Distress lowers suspicion faster than authority. Researchers say women often succeed because they are underestimated. That same dynamic puts them at risk inside these groups. Leadership remains overwhelmingly male. Girls often perform low-level work. Training stays minimal. Exploitation is frequent.
Red flags that signal fake job scams and ransomware recruitment
These warning signs show up repeatedly in cases involving teen hackers, social engineering crews and ransomware groups.
Crypto-only pay is a major warning sign
Legitimate employers do not pay workers exclusively in cryptocurrency. Crypto-only pay makes transactions hard to trace and protects criminals, not workers.
Per-call or per-task payouts should raise concern
Promises of hundreds of dollars for a single call or quick task often point to illegal activity. Real jobs pay hourly or a salary with documentation.
Recruitment through Telegram or Discord is a red flag
Criminal groups rely on private messaging apps to avoid oversight. Established companies do not recruit employees through gaming chats or encrypted DMs.
Anonymous mentors and vague training are dangerous
Being “trained from scratch” by unnamed individuals is common in ransomware pipelines. These mentors disappear when arrests happen.
Secrecy requests signal manipulation
Any job that asks teens to hide work from parents or employees to hide tasks from employers is crossing a line. Secrecy protects the recruiter, not the recruit.
Amper offers a simple rule of thumb: “If a ‘job’ asks you to pretend to be someone else, obtain access, move money, or share sensitive identifiers before you’ve verified the employer, you’re not in a hiring process. You’re in a crime pipeline.”
He adds that legitimate employers collect sensitive information only after a real offer, through verified HR systems. “The scam version flips the order,” he said. “It asks for the most sensitive details first, before anything is independently verifiable.”
Urgency and emotional pressure are deliberate tactics
Rushing decisions or creating fear lowers judgment. Social engineering depends on speed and emotional reactions.
If you see more than one of these signs, pause immediately. Walking away early can prevent serious legal consequences later.
MICROSOFT TYPOSQUATTING SCAM SWAPS LETTERS TO STEAL LOGINS
Cybercrime recruiters are targeting middle and high school students for risky roles like social engineering calls, exposing them to federal charges and prison time. (Philip Dulian/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Law enforcement is cracking down on teen cybercrime
Since 2024, government indictments and international arrests have shown cybercriminal groups tied to The Com and Scattered Spider are under increasing scrutiny from law enforcement. In Sept. 2025, U.S. prosecutors unsealed a Department of Justice complaint against 19-year-old Thalha Jubair, accusing him of orchestrating at least 120 ransomware and extortion attacks that brought in over $115 million in ransom payments from 47 U.S. companies and organizations, including federal court networks. Prosecutors charged Jubair with computer fraud, wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy.
Across the Atlantic, British authorities charged Jubair and 18-year-old Owen Flowers for their alleged roles in a Transport for London cyberattack in 2024 that compromised travel card data and disrupted live commuter information. Both appeared in court under the U.K.’s Computer Misuse Act. Earlier law enforcement action in the U.S. included criminal charges against five Scattered Spider suspects for mass phishing campaigns that stole login credentials and millions in cryptocurrency, laying out how members of this collective staged coordinated extortion and data theft.
Federal agencies are also issuing advisories about the group’s social engineering techniques, noting how attackers impersonate help desks, abuse multi-factor authentication and harvest credentials to access corporate networks.
Parents often learn the truth late. In many cases, the first warning comes when federal agents arrive at the door. Teens can move from online pranks to serious federal crimes without realizing where the legal line lies.
How parents and teens can avoid ransomware recruitment traps
This type of cybercrime thrives on silence and speed. Slowing things down protects families and futures.
Tips for parents and guardians to spot fake job scams early
Parents play a critical role in spotting early warning signs, especially when online “work” starts happening behind closed doors or moves too fast to explain.
1) Pay attention to how online “jobs” are communicated
Ask which platforms your child uses for work conversations and who they talk to. Legitimate employers do not recruit through Telegram or Discord DMs.
2) Question sudden income with no clear employer
Money appearing quickly, especially in crypto, deserves scrutiny. Real jobs provide paperwork, supervisors and pay records.
3) Treat secrecy as a serious warning sign
If a teen is told to keep work private from parents or teachers, that is not independence. It is manipulation.
4) Talk early about legal consequences online
Many teens do not realize that cybercrime can lead to federal charges. Honest conversations now prevent life-changing outcomes later. Also, monitoring may feel uncomfortable. However, silence creates more risk.
Tips for teens to avoid fake job offers and cybercrime traps
Teenagers with tech skills have real opportunities ahead, but knowing how to spot fake offers can mean the difference between building a career and facing serious legal trouble.
1) Be skeptical of private messages offering fast money
Real companies do not cold-recruit through private chats or gaming servers.
2) Avoid crypto-only payment offers
Being paid only in cryptocurrency is a common tactic used to hide criminal activity.
3) Choose legal paths to build skills and reputation
Bug bounty programs, cybersecurity clubs and internships offer real experience without risking your future. Talent opens doors. Prison closes them.
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FBI WARNS OF FAKE KIDNAPPING PHOTOS USED IN NEW SCAM
A loose cybercrime network known as “The Com” has been linked to major U.S. and U.K. data breaches affecting companies worth trillions combined. (Photo by Uli Deck/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Kurt’s key takeaways
What makes this trend so unsettling is how ordinary it all looks. The job ads sound harmless. The chats feel friendly. The crypto payouts seem exciting. But underneath that surface is a pipeline pulling teenagers into serious crimes with real consequences. Many kids do not realize how far they have gone until it is too late. What starts as a quick call or a side hustle can turn into federal charges and years of fallout. Cybercrime moves fast. Accountability usually shows up much later. By the time it does, the damage is already done.
If fake job ads can quietly recruit teenagers into ransomware gangs, how confident are you that your family or workplace would spot the warning signs before it is too late? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.
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A UK employment tribunal rejected a request from fired Rockstar Games employees to receive interim pay while waiting for a full hearing about their dismissal, according to Bloomberg and IGN. After Rockstar fired 34 employees last year — 31 from the UK and three from Canada — the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) accused the company of “union busting.” Rockstar claims that the fired employees were leaking company information in a Discord channel.
The hearing took place over two days last week. “Despite being refused interim relief today, we’ve come out of last week’s hearing more confident than ever that a full and substantive tribunal will find Rockstar’s calculated attempt to crush a union to be not only unjust but unlawful,” IWGB president Alex Marshall says in a statement. “The fact that we were granted this hearing speaks to the strength of our case and, over the course of the two-day hearing, Rockstar consistently failed to back up claims made in the press or to refute that they acted unfairly, maliciously, and in breach of their own procedures.”
“We regret that we were put in a position where dismissals were necessary, but we stand by our course of action as supported by the outcome of this hearing,” a Rockstar Games spokesperson says in statements to Bloomberg and IGN. Rockstar and owner Take-Two didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.
Rockstar is working on Grand Theft Auto VI, which was recently delayed from a planned May launch to November 19th.
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