Warner Bros. has an infamous history of being bought by other companies and then quickly ending up back on the market after its new owners realize how difficult it is to capitalize on a legacy production studio’s assets. Those challenges are part of what doomed WB’s mergers with AOL and AT&T, who bought the studio in attempts to reinvent themselves. But WB’s latest acquisition deal — this time with Netflix for $83 billion — feels like it has the potential to turn out differently because of how much of a major player within the entertainment industry the streamer has become. It also signals just how far Netflix has come: in less than two decades the streamer has gone from tech upstart to subsuming one of the most storied studios in Hollywood.
Technology
Welcome to the big leagues, Netflix
Assuming that the deal receives regulatory approval, Netflix will soon own the entirety of Warner Bros.’ (but not Discovery Global’s) assets, which includes HBO / HBO Max, DC Studios, and the legacy studio’s television and film production arms. This would make Netflix the corporate home to many more of the world’s biggest entertainment franchises, like Game of Thrones and Harry Potter, and give the streamer a much larger operational footprint as a proper studio. Discovery Global — which retains ownership of networks including CNN, the Discovery Channel, and TLC — is set to become an independent corporate entity by Q3 in 2026.
This strategic bifurcation and sale of assets was obviously WBD’s desired outcome when the company first announced earlier this year that it planned to split Warner Bros. and Discovery back into two units. Back then, CEO David Zaslav had not yet announced that the company was open to acquisition offers. But you could glean as much from looking at the way that WBD was struggling to turn a profit with its linear cable networks.
Even though WBD managed to pay down a substantial portion of the $55 billion debt it inherited when Discovery bought WarnerMedia, the merged company’s flagging cable TV assets were a major factor in it receiving a significantly downgraded credit score earlier this year. That debt — a holdover from AOL’s disastrous merger with Time Warner — loomed over WBD for the entirety of Zaslav’s tenure as CEO.
A blend of money problems, misguided rebrands, and multiple rounds of layoffs left WBD in a very precarious position that made selling itself off to the highest bidder one of its only viable options to appease shareholders. Those challenges might also be difficult for Netflix to deal with, but this situation feels like it could shake out very differently for a handful of key reasons.
Unlike previous mergers where Warner Bros. was gobbled up by traditional tech giants and telecoms, the new deal is coming at a time when Netflix has long since established itself as a Hollywood power player. In addition to acquiring IP that goes on to become hits, the streamer has built out a robust production infrastructure to spin up wholly original projects of its own. And with many of the platform’s subscriber-generating projects like Stranger Things and Squid Game coming to an end, it’s easy to understand why it wanted to scoop up Warner Bros.’ sizable library of films and series. Netflix doesn’t have the strongest track record of building its own franchises — remember Rebel Moon? — and that’s exactly what it’s getting with WB.
Though Netflix feels like a better acquisition partner compared to Warner Bros.’ previous owners, this is still a consolidation and these kinds of mergers always come with casualties. And it is likely that we will soon start hearing about layoffs as Netflix begins dealing with internal redundancies created by its absorption of Warner Bros.’ employees and operations. But what is much less clear is how the newly merged studio will go about releasing its new projects.
In 2021 during the covid-19 pandemic’s height, WBD’s decision to debut movies on HBO Max as opposed to theaters prompted directors like Christopher Nolan to denounce the company for becoming “the worst streaming service.” Though box office numbers still haven’t returned to pre-pandemic levels, theaters have reopened, and breakout hits like Warner Bros.’ A Minecraft Movie and Superman features have made it clear that there is a demand to see movies on the big screen. Netflix has experimented with very limited theatrical releases that transparently read as plays to qualify its movies for major industry awards. But it has still primarily been a streaming company in the years since it got out of the DVD game.
Unlike MGM, which was on the decline when Amazon bought it, Warner Bros. has had a very strong track record with its recent theatrical releases. Netflix has said that it “expects” to keep putting Warner Bros.’ movies in theaters, but co-CEO Ted Sarandos has signaled that the company is thinking about shortening its theatrical windows in order to “meet the audience where they are quicker.”
“I’d say right now, you should count on everything that is planned on going to the theater through Warner Bros. will continue to go to the theaters through Warner Bros. and Netflix movies will take the same strides they have,” Sarandos said this week in a call with industry analysts.
Netflix has also made abundantly clear that it is open to cutting production costs by using generative AI. The company has not mandated that its collaborators use the technology as part of their production workflows, but it is easy to imagine gen AI becoming a bigger part of the studio now that it has taken on all of the projects Warner Bros. has in development.
The more glaring concern to come out of the new merger is the way that this could impact competition between the major studios and streaming platforms. Netflix has effectively replaced Warner Bros. as one of the Big Five, which will likely change the entertainment industry’s power dynamics. But streaming customers will probably feel these shifts more directly as Netflix and its competitors settle into a new status quo.
Netflix’s prices could go up yet again under the auspice that the service has become more premium with Warner Bros.’ offerings. It’s still not clear how Netflix will handle the HBO / Max brands long term. The company has said that it thinks “HBO and HBO Max also provide a compelling, complementary offering for consumers,” but it would not be surprising to see those brands ultimately going the way of Hulu, which has been turned into a section within Disney Plus.
It has been years since Netflix was a rowdy upstart fighting to be taken seriously. But even though the company has already cemented itself as the world’s biggest TV / movie streamer, this new deal will take it to a different level of prominence. The Netflix / WBD merger will undoubtedly result in changes — some of them bad — that reverberate through the entire entertainment landscape.
But as tumultuous as things will likely feel in the immediate future, it doesn’t seem likely that Netflix will end up trying to sell off Warner Bros. in a couple of years. Acquisitions of this scale aren’t the company’s usual MO, but it has been bullish about wanting Warner Bros. since the studio went on sale. If the deal goes through, Netflix is undoubtedly in the big leagues — now it has to prove it belongs.
It’s not surprising when the guy who’s been yelling about the horrors of late-stage capitalism on Instagram for the last five years turns his ire towards ICE. But something different has been happening over the week or so, following the most recent shootings of civilians by federal agents — even accounts that stay laser focused on golfing, chopping wood, and playing cats like bongos have started to speak out.
The tenor on social media and Reddit took an even sharper turn yesterday, following the killing of Alex Pretti by ICE. Even the moderator of normally politics-free r/catbongos (a subreddit “Where gentlemen, gentlewomen, and gentlethems of quality gather to watch cats being played like bongos”) spokeout in a post where they declared that “If you still support Trump/ICE even slightly, you’re not welcome in this sub.”
That quilters on Instagram or a Facebook account dedicated to New England gravestones have decided enough, is enough, is one thing. But, judging from the comments, it seems like the government has lost the support of r/military as well. The subreddit is filled with angry posters decrying that “this is exactly what tyranny looks like” and sharing memes mocking Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. One poster claiming to be an active member of the U.S. Army who has served for 21 years said, “these guys are against all we stand for as Americans. Modern day brownshirts.”
All across Reddit, subs are being inundated with anti-ICE posts. From r/Fauxmoi, to r/NFCNorthMemeWar, and r/DungeonCrawlerCarl. There’s even been some limited signs of revolt among the members of r/conservative, some of whom have taken issue with Kristi Noem’s description of Alexi Pretti as a “domestic terrorist,” and suggested that she should “just be quiet for a while.” And arguments have broken out among community members over perceived hypocrisy around the Second Amendment.
Some big names have also joined the chorus, including Joe Santagato of The Basement Yard podcast, who posted that what was occurring on the streets of Minneapolis was “legit horrifying.” And when someone told him to “Stay out of politics,” and “get back to spitting water out of your mouth and de-jumbling words with your idiot friends.” He shot back, “De-jumble this: ksuc ym slalb.”
Canadian wrestlers and social media influencers Chris and Patrick Vörös have spoken out previously about their anti-ICE views, but took the opportunity to remind people of the only two ICE agents they support. Educational YouTube channel Primer also took to X to say this is no longer about politics, but about the “fabric of society.”
Canadian musician bbno$ decided to break his silence, even if it risked his visa and his current U.S. tour, to throw his support behind the abolish ICE movement. Even Thoren Bradley, the Axe Man himself, whose whole schtick is being a ripped rural dude who chops wood, has decided to call out the hypocrisy of the Christian conservatives to his 10.7 million followers.
That creators like Hank Green are speaking out is no surprise. But when fitness influencers, duck-painting TikTokers, football subreddits, and even Second Amendment rights activists have finally broken their silence, it seems like the government has lost control of the narrative. No matter how hard they try to spin it.
Let us know in the comments what other creators and communities have begun to speakout in the comments.
Updated January 25th: Added additional information about Reddit communities.
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Google designed Fast Pair to make Bluetooth connections fast and effortless. One tap replaces menus, codes and manual pairing. That convenience now comes with serious risk. Security researchers at KU Leuven uncovered flaws in Google’s Fast Pair protocol that allows silent device takeovers. They named the attack method WhisperPair. An attacker nearby can connect to headphones, earbuds or speakers without the owner knowing. In some cases, the attacker can also track the user’s location. Even more concerning, victims do not need to use Android or own any Google products. iPhone users are also affected.
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APPLE WARNS MILLIONS OF IPHONES ARE EXPOSED TO ATTACK
Fast Pair makes connecting Bluetooth headphones quick, but researchers found that some devices accept new pairings without proper authorization. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
What WhisperPair is and how it hijacks Bluetooth devices
Fast Pair works by broadcasting a device’s identity to nearby phones and computers. That shortcut speeds up pairing. Researchers found that many devices ignore a key rule. They still accept new pairings while already connected. That opens the door to abuse.
Within Bluetooth range, an attacker can silently pair with a device in about 10 to 15 seconds. Once connected, they can interrupt calls, inject audio or activate microphones. The attack does not require specialized hardware and can be carried out using a standard phone, laptop, or low-cost device like a Raspberry Pi. According to the researchers, the attacker effectively becomes the device owner.
Audio brands affected by the Fast Pair vulnerability
The researchers tested 17 Fast Pair compatible devices from major brands, including Sony, Jabra, JBL, Marshall, Xiaomi, Nothing, OnePlus, Soundcore, Logitech and Google. Most of these products passed Google certification testing. That detail raises uncomfortable questions about how security checks are performed.
How headphones can become tracking devices
Some affected models create an even bigger privacy issue. Certain Google and Sony devices integrate with Find Hub, which uses nearby devices to estimate location. If a headset has never been linked to a Google account, an attacker can claim it first. That allows continuous tracking of the user’s movements. If the victim later receives a tracking alert, it may appear to reference their own device. That makes the warning easy to dismiss as an error.
GOOGLE NEST STILL SENDS DATA AFTER REMOTE CONTROL CUTOFF, RESEARCHER FINDS
Attacker’s dashboard with location from the Find Hub network. (KU Leuven)
Why many Fast Pair devices may stay vulnerable
There is another problem most users never consider. Headphones and speakers require firmware updates. Those updates usually arrive through brand-specific apps that many people never install. If you never download the app, you never see the update. That means vulnerable devices could remain exposed for months or even years.
The only way to fix this vulnerability is by installing a software update issued by the device manufacturer. While many companies have released patches, updates may not yet be available for every affected model. Users should check directly with the manufacturer to confirm whether a security update exists for their specific device.
Why convenience keeps creating security gaps
Bluetooth itself was not the problem. The flaw lives in the convenience layer built on top of it. Fast Pair prioritized speed over strict ownership enforcement. Researchers argue that pairing should require cryptographic proof of ownership. Without it, convenience features become attack surfaces. Security and ease of use do not have to conflict. But they must be designed together.
Google responds to the Fast Pair WhisperPair security flaws
Google says it has been working with researchers to address the WhisperPair vulnerabilities and began sending recommended patches to headphone manufacturers in early September. Google also confirmed that its own Pixel headphones are now patched.
In a statement to CyberGuy, a Google spokesperson said, “We appreciate collaborating with security researchers through our Vulnerability Rewards Program, which helps keep our users safe. We worked with these researchers to fix these vulnerabilities, and we have not seen evidence of any exploitation outside of this report’s lab setting. As a best security practice, we recommend users check their headphones for the latest firmware updates. We are constantly evaluating and enhancing Fast Pair and Find Hub security.”
Google says the core issue stemmed from some accessory makers not fully following the Fast Pair specification. That specification requires accessories to accept pairing requests only when a user has intentionally placed the device into pairing mode. According to Google, failures to enforce that rule contributed to the audio and microphone risks identified by the researchers.
To reduce the risk going forward, Google says it updated its Fast Pair Validator and certification requirements to explicitly test whether devices properly enforce pairing mode checks. Google also says it provided accessory partners with fixes intended to fully resolve all related issues once applied.
On the location tracking side, Google says it rolled out a server-side fix that prevents accessories from being silently enrolled into the Find Hub network if they have never been paired with an Android device. According to the company, this change addresses the Find Hub tracking risk in that specific scenario across all devices, including Google’s own accessories.
Researchers, however, have raised questions about how quickly patches reach users and how much visibility Google has into real-world abuse that does not involve Google hardware. They also argue that weaknesses in certification allowed flawed implementations to reach the market at scale, suggesting broader systemic issues.
For now, both Google and the researchers agree on one key point. Users must install manufacturer firmware updates to be protected, and availability may vary by device and brand.
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Unwanted tracking notification showing the victim’s own device. (KU Leuven)
How to reduce your risk right now
You cannot disable Fast Pair entirely, but you can lower your exposure.
1) Check if your device is affected
If you use a Bluetooth accessory that supports Google Fast Pair, including wireless earbuds, headphones or speakers, you may be affected. The researchers created a public lookup tool that lets you search for your specific device model and see whether it is vulnerable. Checking your device is a simple first step before deciding what actions to take. Visit whisperpair.eu/vulnerable-devices to see if your device is on the list.
2) Update your audio devices
Install the official app from your headphone or speaker manufacturer. Check for firmware updates and apply them promptly.
3) Avoid pairing in public places
Pair new devices in private spaces. Avoid pairing in airports, cafés or gyms where strangers are nearby.
4) Factory reset if something feels off
Unexpected audio interruptions, strange sounds or dropped connections are warning signs. A factory reset can remove unauthorized pairings, but it does not fix the underlying vulnerability. A firmware update is still required.
5) Turn off Bluetooth when not needed
Bluetooth only needs to be on during active use. Turning off Bluetooth when not in use limits exposure, but it does not eliminate the underlying risk if the device remains unpatched.
6) Reset secondhand devices
Always factory reset used headphones or speakers before pairing them. This removes hidden links and account associations.
7) Take tracking alerts seriously
Investigate Find Hub or Apple tracking alerts, even if they appear to reference your own device.
8) Keep your phone updated
Install operating system updates promptly. Platform patches can block exploit paths even when accessories lag behind.
Kurt’s key takeaways
WhisperPair shows how small shortcuts can lead to large privacy failures. Headphones feel harmless. Yet, they contain microphones, radios and software that need care and updates. Ignoring them leaves a blind spot that attackers are happy to exploit. Staying secure now means paying attention to the devices you once took for granted.
Should companies be allowed to prioritize fast pairing over cryptographic proof of device ownership? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com
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Steven Garcia, as told to Gaby Del Valle:
I was in the middle of a frozen lake when I got the notification from the Minnesota Star Tribune that there had been a shooting. I was on assignment at a pond hockey event, and someone who was supposed to play later that evening said he probably wouldn’t be able to make it — they knew there would be protests and demonstrations happening.
I arrived a little over three hours later. Federal officers had already cleared the scene — the FBI had been there investigating — so the only law enforcement present were state and local officials: the Minneapolis Police Department, their SWAT team, the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, and the Minnesota State Patrol.
There were protesters at multiple intersections. People had blocked off the streets with trash cans and dumpsters, and there were mattresses on the ground. Protesters were heckling officers, but there were no physical altercations. Eventually law enforcement retreated by a block and started throwing tear gas. They drove their trucks over the mattresses as they left.
When those tear gas canisters go off, they pop and bang, kind of like a firework. Dozens of canisters were going off. Even initially, there were four, five, six canisters at a time that they were throwing. I had to duck in an alley for a little bit because it got through my mask. It’s not a fun experience, even in very small amounts. You have to keep your eyes closed. It burns your eyes, it burns your mouth. For some people, it causes nausea and burning on the skin. Another local reporter told me his neck was burning and he had to use a decon wipe.
I think because of George Floyd in 2020, people knew how to respond. Gregory Bovino, the head of the US Border Patrol who has been here the whole time, has said community members in Minneapolis are really prepared. A lot of people I’ve talked to have said, “I had my respirator ready from 2020,” and they just restocked on safety supplies, decon wipes, and first aid kits. Even if they weren’t immediately prepared, they could rapidly respond to these kinds of events. At all the events I’ve been to, people will set a table to hand out food and water and hand warmers. It was especially cold today — it wasn’t supposed to get above 0 degrees.
After the officers cleared the scene, everyone convened at the intersection of 26th and Nicolette, just a couple hundred feet from where Alex Pretti was shot. Some community members started a makeshift vigil for him at the location where he was killed. People were spelling his name out with pinecones and starting to leave flowers.
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