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About

Platformer is an independent publication about AI, social platforms, and the people shaping technology. Founded in 2020 by technology journalist Casey Newton, it combines original reporting, analysis, commentary, and curated links.

At least one free edition comes out every week. Paid subscribers receive at least one additional update each week. See the Platformer posting schedule.

We also encourage you to read our ethics policy and advertising policy.

What Platformer covers

Platformer’s focus evolves with the news. Today, we pay particular attention to:

  • Artificial intelligence and its consequences for work, creativity, daily life, safety, the economy, and the open web.
  • The politics and governance of technology, including content moderation, trust and safety, regulation, antitrust, privacy, and speech.
  • The changing social web and technology industry, from frontier AI labs and major platforms to startups, workers, policymakers, courts, and researchers.

The goal is to explain the people and institutions shaping technology, and how their decisions affect everyone else.

How Platformer reports

Casey speaks regularly with company leaders, current and former employees, policymakers, academics, and other experts. Sources are quoted by name whenever possible. When someone requires anonymity, Platformer describes their role as specifically as circumstances allow.

Read our ethics policy, or send tips and corrections to casey@platformer.news.

About Casey

Casey spent 10 years covering Silicon Valley for The Verge, CNET, and the San Francisco Chronicle before founding Platformer. His reporting on content moderators became a finalist for the 2020 National Magazine Award and helped lead to a $52 million settlement with Facebook moderators who developed PTSD on the job. From 2021 to 2026 he co-hosted the New York Times podcast Hard Fork, which Time called one of the 100 best podcasts of all time.

Join Platformer

Subscribe to receive Platformer by email. Paid members are also invited to Sidechannel, a shared Discord community for subscribers and independent journalists.

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Masthead

Casey Newton — Founder and editor
Lindsey Choo — Links
Ella Markianos — Fellow