AI researchers have recently been asking themselves a version of the question, “Is that really Zuck?”
Technology
Inside Mark Zuckerberg’s AI hiring spree
As first reported by Bloomberg, the Meta CEO has been personally asking top AI talent to join his new “superintelligence” AI lab and reboot Llama. His recruiting process typically goes like this: a cold outreach via email or WhatsApp that cites the recruit’s work history and requests a 15-minute chat. Dozens of researchers have gotten these kinds of messages at Google alone.
For those who do agree to hear his pitch (amazingly, not all of them do), Zuckerberg highlights the latitude they’ll have to make risky bets, the scale of Meta’s products, and the money he’s prepared to invest in the infrastructure to support them. He makes clear that this new team will be empowered and sit with him at Meta’s headquarters, where I’m told the desks have already been rearranged for the incoming team.
Most of the headlines so far have focused on the eye-popping compensation packages Zuckerberg is offering, some of which are well into the eight-figure range. As I’ve covered before, hiring the best AI researcher is like hiring a star basketball player: there are very few of them, and you have to pay up. Case in point: Zuckerberg basically just paid 14 Instagrams to hire away Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang.
It’s easily the most expensive hire of all time, dwarfing the billions that Google spent to rehire Noam Shazeer and his core team from Character.AI (a deal Zuckerberg passed on). “Opportunities of this magnitude often come at a cost,” Wang wrote in his note to employees this week. “In this instance, that cost is my departure.”
Zuckerberg’s recruiting spree is already starting to rattle his competitors. The day before his offer deadline for some senior OpenAI employees, Sam Altman dropped an essay proclaiming that “before anything else, we are a superintelligence research company.” And after Zuckerberg tried to hire DeepMind CTO Koray Kavukcuoglu, he was given a larger SVP title and now reports directly to Google CEO Sundar Pichai.
I expect Wang to have the title of “chief AI officer” at Meta when the new lab is announced. Jack Rae, a principal researcher from DeepMind who has signed on, will lead pre-training. Meta certainly needs a reset. According to my sources, Llama has fallen so far behind that Meta’s product teams have recently discussed using AI models from other companies (although that is highly unlikely to happen). Meta’s internal coding tool for engineers, however, is already using Claude.
While Meta’s existing AI researchers have good reason to be looking over their shoulders, Zuckerberg’s $14.3 billion investment in Scale is making many longtime employees, or Scaliens, quite wealthy. They were popping champagne in the office this morning.
Then, Wang held his last all-hands meeting to say goodbye and cried. He didn’t mention what he would be doing at Meta. I expect his new team will be unveiled within the next few weeks after Zuckerberg gets a critical number of members to officially sign on.
Apple is accustomed to being on top of the tech industry, and for good reason: the company has enjoyed a nearly unrivaled run of dominance.
After spending time at Apple HQ this week for WWDC, I’m not sure that its leaders appreciate the meteorite that is heading their way. The hubris they display suggests they don’t understand how AI is fundamentally changing how people use and build software.
Heading into the keynote on Monday, everyone knew not to expect the revamped Siri that had been promised the previous year. Apple, to its credit, acknowledged that it dropped the ball there, and it sounds like a large language model rebuild of Siri is very much underway and coming in 2026.
The AI industry moves much faster than Apple’s release schedule, though. By the time Siri is perhaps good enough to keep pace, it will have to contend with the lock-in that OpenAI and others are building through their memory features. Apple and OpenAI are currently partners, but both companies want to ultimately control the interface for interacting with AI, which puts them on a collision course.
Apple’s decision to let developers use its own, on-device foundational models for free in their apps sounds strategically smart, but unfortunately, the models look far from leading. Apple ran its own benchmarks, which aren’t impressive, and has confirmed a measly context window of 4,096 tokens. It’s also saying that the models will be updated alongside its operating systems — a snail’s pace compared to how quickly AI companies move.
I’d be surprised if any serious developers use these Apple models, although I can see them being helpful to indie devs who are just getting started and don’t want to spend on the leading cloud models. I don’t think most people care about the privacy angle that Apple is claiming as a differentiator; they are already sharing their darkest secrets with ChatGPT and other assistants.
Some of the new Apple Intelligence features I demoed this week were impressive, such as live language translation for calls. Mostly, I came away with the impression that the company is heavily leaning on its ChatGPT partnership as a stopgap until Apple Intelligence and Siri are both where they need to be.
AI probably isn’t a near-term risk to Apple’s business. No one has shipped anything close to the contextually aware Siri that was demoed at last year’s WWDC. People will continue to buy Apple hardware for a long time, even after Sam Altman and Jony Ive announce their first AI device for ChatGPT next year. AR glasses aren’t going mainstream anytime soon either, although we can expect to see more eyewear from Meta, Google, and Snap over the coming year.
In aggregate, these AI-powered devices could begin to siphon away engagement from the iPhone, but I don’t see people fully replacing their smartphones for a long time. The bigger question after this week is whether Apple has what it takes to rise to the occasion and culturally reset itself for the AI era.
I would have loved to hear Tim Cook address this issue directly, but the only interview he did for WWDC was a cover story in Variety about the company’s new F1 movie.
- AI agents are coming. I recently caught up with Databricks CEO Ali Ghodsi ahead of his company’s annual developer conference this week in San Francisco. Given Databricks’ position, he has a unique, bird’s-eye view of where things are headed for AI. He doesn’t envision a near-term future where AI agents completely automate real-world tasks, but he does predict a wave of startups over the next year that will come close to completing actions in areas such as travel booking. He thinks humans will need (and want) to approve what an agent does before it goes off and completes a task. “We have most of the airplanes flying automated, and we still want pilots in there.”
- Buyouts are the new normal at Google. That much is clear after this week’s rollout of the “voluntary exit program” in core engineering, the Search organization, and some other divisions. In his internal memo, Search SVP Nick Fox was clear that management thinks buyouts have been successful in other parts of the company that have tried them. In a separate memo I saw, engineering exec Jen Fitzpatrick called the buyouts an “opportunity to create internal mobility and fresh growth opportunities.” Google appears to be attempting a cultural reset, which will be a challenging task for a company of its size. We’ll see if it can pull it off.
- Evan Spiegel wants help with AR glasses. I doubt that his announcement that consumer glasses are coming next year was solely aimed at AR developers. Telegraphing the plan and announcing that Snap has spent $3 billion on hardware to date feels more aimed at potential partners that want to make a bigger glasses play, such as Google. A strategic investment could help insulate Snap from the pain of the stock market. A full acquisition may not be off the table, either. When he was recently asked if he’d be open to a sale, Spiegel didn’t shut it down like he always has, but instead said he’d “consider anything” that helps the company “create the next computing platform.”
If you haven’t already, don’t forget to subscribe to The Verge, which includes unlimited access to Command Line and all of our reporting.
As always, I welcome your feedback, especially if you’re an AI researcher fielding a juicy job offer. You can respond here or ping me securely on Signal.
There isn’t really a solid equivalent to Goodreads or Letterboxd for music lovers, but Record Club is aiming to change that. Yes, we have Rate Your Music, but its interface is crowded, and it feels more geared towards longer-form reviews than cataloging your listening habits and connecting with other fans. Record Club is clean and modern, with a streamlined interface that’s quite similar to Letterboxd.
The basic features you’d expect from such a site are all there. You can rate and review records or mark them as listened to. You can also see what your friends are listening to and see what albums are trending with other users. There’s a spot on your profile to list your five favorite albums, plus five records you have in heavy rotation. You can also create custom lists (ranked or unranked) and share them — handy for tracking your top albums of the year, or putting together genre-specific crash courses. You can also add records to your queue, so you can keep track of albums you want to listen to, but haven’t gotten around to yet. (I’ll probably be making extensive use of that.)
You can follow your favorite artists as well as entire record labels. That makes it easy to stay on top of new artists on labels like 4AD, AD 93, Fire Talk, and Warp. Record Club pulls all of its data from the open-source music encyclopedia MusicBrainz. If you sign up, give me a follow, and see what I’m spinning on repeat this week.
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Credit freezes have been free at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion since 2018. They are built to block one of the most common forms of identity fraud: new credit applications opened in your name. But the latest numbers show why a freeze cannot be your only line of defense.
Javelin Strategy & Research’s 2026 Identity Fraud Study found that traditional identity fraud losses reached $27.3 billion last year, affecting 18 million victims. New account fraud saw the sharpest rise, with victims jumping 31% from 2024 to 2025.
The problem is that not every fraud attempt comes through your existing credit file. The Federal Reserve has flagged synthetic identity fraud as one major gap.
This type of fraud pairs a real Social Security number (SSN) with a fabricated name and date of birth, which can bypass a freeze entirely. A freeze placed on your name does not stop a credit application filed under a name that does not yet exist on any bureau file. That is where the limits of a credit freeze become much clearer.
YOU DON’T NEED AN SSN TO OPEN A CREDIT CARD: SCAMMERS KNOW THAT
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A credit freeze can block many new credit applications, but it cannot protect every part of your financial life. (Nastasic/Getty Images)
What a credit freeze can block
A freeze restricts access to your credit file at all major credit bureaus. Without access to that file, lenders deny the application. Most new credit applications run through that pull, which is why a freeze is the most direct way to block fraudulent ones.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has logged 503,450 reports of credit card fraud in the first three quarters of 2025 alone, the most common identity theft category tracked by the agency. Credit card fraud and loan or lease fraud both run through credit bureau-based applications. Bank account takeover, employment fraud and tax refund fraud do not require a bureau pull, and a freeze does nothing for them. Freezes are placed at each bureau separately and are not shared across the three.
Why credit freeze limits matter with synthetic identity fraud
Synthetic identity fraud builds a person who doesn’t exist. A scammer takes an SSN stolen in a breach, attaches a name that has never been on a credit file, adds a fabricated birthdate and address and submits it as a new credit application. The bureaus, seeing an SSN they recognize and a name they don’t, open a fresh file under the new combination. The file is thin at first. The scammer then works it slowly with small approved cards, a line or two of credit and a few months of clean payments. By the time it looks real enough for a meaningful credit limit, the scammer maxes it and vanishes.
By the end of 2024, U.S. lenders faced more than $3.3 billion in exposure from synthetic identity fraud, the highest level TransUnion has reported. The Federal Reserve’s most recent Risk Officer Report also found that financial institutions are seeing more virtual and synthetic identity account openings, and that detection often happens too late.
In other words, this is exactly the kind of fraud a credit freeze may never catch. The freeze you placed on your own file never touches the application, because it isn’t filed in your name. The bureaus treat it as a separate consumer.
DON’T LET THIS CREDIT CARD FRAUD NIGHTMARE HAPPEN TO YOU
Synthetic identity fraud can pair a real Social Security number with fake personal details to create a new credit file. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
What credit freeze limits leave exposed
Synthetic identity fraud isn’t the only kind of fraud a freeze misses. Any fraud that doesn’t require a bureau pull bypasses it.
- A scammer who already has access to your existing credit card account doesn’t open a new one. They change the email on file and start charging.
- A fraudulent tax return uses your SSN to claim your refund before you file.
- Medical identity theft submits insurance claims under your name.
- A 401(k) takeover can happen entirely through a recordkeeper’s call center, with no bureau pull at any step.
Why a credit freeze isn’t set and forget
A freeze only helps when it’s in place at all three bureaus and stays there. Neither is guaranteed.
You set the freeze at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion separately. A freeze at one isn’t a freeze at the others. Lenders don’t pull from all three on every application, so an unfrozen file is enough for a fraudulent application to clear.
Freezes are also meant to be lifted. The FTC says online requests take effect within a minute, and federal rules require phone requests within an hour. That’s useful when you’re applying for a card. It’s also a window if you forget to put the freeze back on.
A freeze is a point-in-time control and can’t watch your file the rest of the day.
Credit monitoring and identity theft protection services can monitor all three credit bureaus continuously and send alerts within minutes of any new account or inquiry, whether your freeze is in place or lifted. They also scan the dark web and data broker listings for SSNs and other personal data, the raw material behind synthetic identity fraud.
A credit freeze blocks many new account attempts, while identity theft protection can monitor for activity and exposed personal information that a freeze may miss. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
What to do beyond a credit freeze
A credit freeze is still worth having, but it works best when you pair it with protections that watch the places a freeze cannot see.
Turn on alerts for banks, credit cards and retirement accounts
Set up text, email or app alerts for withdrawals, new logins, password changes, address changes and large purchases. These alerts can help you spot account takeovers quickly, especially if a scammer already has access to one of your existing accounts.
Check your credit reports regularly
Review your credit reports for accounts, addresses, employers or inquiries you do not recognize. A credit freeze can help block many new applications, but your reports can still show warning signs that someone is trying to use your personal information.
Use strong passwords, a password manager and two-factor authentication
Create a unique password for every important account, especially email, banking, credit card, health insurance and retirement accounts. A password manager can create and store those passwords for you. Two-factor authentication (2FA) adds another layer of protection, so a stolen password alone may not be enough for a scammer to get in.
Watch for tax and medical identity theft
A credit freeze will not stop someone from filing a tax return or insurance claim in your name. Watch for IRS notices, rejected tax filings, bills for medical care you never received or insurance explanations of benefits that do not match your records.
HOW SCAMMERS BUILD A PROFILE ON YOU USING DATA BROKERS
Limit how much personal information is online
Data broker listings can expose your address, phone number, relatives and other details scammers use to build more convincing attacks. Some identity theft protection services scan data broker listings and dark web sources for exposed personal information, including SSNs and other details criminals can use to build synthetic identities.
How a credit freeze and identity protection work together
After you add account alerts, stronger passwords and regular credit checks, identity protection can add another layer of monitoring. A freeze blocks new credit applications at the bureau level. Identity protection watches what does not pass through those checks.
Many identity theft protection services monitor the major credit bureaus and alert you to new accounts, inquiries or changes to your file. Some also scan dark web marketplaces and data broker listings for exposed personal information, including SSNs and other details criminals can use to build synthetic identities. If fraud appears, some plans include fraud resolution support and identity theft insurance to help with eligible recovery costs.
No service can prevent every form of identity theft. A freeze and identity protection together cover what neither does on its own.
How to check if your personal information was exposed
If you are unsure whether criminals have already exposed your information, take action now. Start with a free identity breach scan to see whether your data appears in known leaks. Early detection gives you more control and helps you respond before fraud spreads. Check whether your personal information is already being used for identity theft, fraud or appearing on the dark web. See my tips and best picks on Best Identity Theft Protection at CyberGuy.com
Kurt’s key takeaways
A credit freeze is one of the smartest moves you can make after a breach or identity theft scare. It can block many new credit applications opened in your name, but it does not protect every part of your financial life.
The biggest gap is synthetic identity fraud. Criminals can use a stolen Social Security number with a fake name or birthdate to build a new credit file that your freeze never touches. Account takeovers, tax refund fraud, medical identity theft and 401(k) scams can also happen without a credit bureau pull.
That is why a freeze should be your first layer, not your only layer. Keep freezes active at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Then add alerts, account monitoring, strong passwords, two-factor authentication (2FA) and identity protection that can spot activity outside your frozen credit file.
Have you ever had a credit freeze in place but still worried your identity was exposed? Let us know by writing to us at CyberGuy.com
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Roger Linn is a legend in the world of musical instruments. He’s been at the cutting edge of music technology for decades. He created the LM-1, the first drum machine to use samples, and its successor, the LinnDrum, is one of the most iconic drum machines of all time. They were used on countless records in the 1980s, including hits by Tom Petty, Queen, and Tears for Fears. But the most notable fan was probably Prince, who used them extensively on Purple Rain and 1999.
Somehow, those are not his greatest contributions to the music world. That would, undoubtedly, be the MPC. Linn partnered with Akai to create one of the most popular and important samplers ever. The MPC60 and its successors became the tool of choice for countless hip-hop and house producers. J Dilla’s MPC 3000 even sits in the Smithsonian.
Roger Linn was also an early adopter of MPE, or MIDI polyphonic expression. It’s a key feature of his LinnStrument, an expressive 3D controller released in 2014 — three years before the Association of Musical Electronics Industry (AMEI) officially released the MPE standard. Turns out the man stays so innovative by keeping things simple and focused.
What is your most indispensable tool?
My MacBook Pro.
Which is the most underappreciated?
My Vision Pro. I called it the most amazing product I rarely use.
What is the first app you install on a new phone or computer?
On a computer, Rhino3D.
What is one thing you wish you could change about your phone?
Apple Mail’s bugs.
What sites do you have pinned to your tab bar?
New York Times.
How many tabs do you have open right now?
One. This document.
Which social media platform do you use the most (if any)?
I don’t use social media except to announce my monthly “All Things LinnStrument” email newsletter.
What is your happy place online?
A VR app for the Meta Quest called Walkabout Mini Golf. It was a large number of artistically created open VR worlds that offer a surprising level of beauty from the Quest 3’s limited power. I go there to play a game of mini golf, fly around, or meet friends in a private instance of a particular world.
What is your favorite gadget you’ve ever owned?
I don’t know about “ever”, but these days it’s VR headsets, currently the Meta Quest 3 or Apple Vision Pro.
Which was the most disappointing?
In general, I’m disappointed by products that are designed by engineers who assume their customers are engineers.
What game do you have the fondest memories of?
Myst.
Which tech trend do you wish would go away?
Spam.
What creation are you most proud of?
LinnStrument.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Keep it simple.
What is your current obsession?
VR.
What do you do when you need to focus?
Breathe. Calm down.
What do you do when you’re feeling stuck?
I try to shift my perspective.
When was the last time you went somewhere without your phone?
I never go anywhere without my phone. Maybe swimming.
What’s the last piece of physical media you bought?
That would be a long time ago. I’ve only bought books, music, films, etc. in digital form for a long time.
What do you think is worth splurging on?
If someone made a VR headset with retina resolution, very high power, lots of beautiful open worlds, but it was expensive, I’d probably buy it.
What would the tagline for your biopic be?
“He created tools that allowed musicians to make better music.”
What’s the last GIF or meme you used?
This isn’t a GIF, but maybe it’s a meme:
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
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