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2025-12-03 06:02:05

You can tell a lot about a company by what they're willing to sue over. Take Instacart, which just filed a lawsuit against New York City. Its beef? The company doesn't like five new city laws, set to take effect in January. They would require Instacart to pay workers more and give customers a tipping option of at least 10 percent.

Reuters reports that Instacart's suit targets Local Law 124, which mandates that grocery delivery workers receive the same minimum pay as restaurant delivery workers. It also challenged Local Law 107, which mandates 10 percent or higher tipping options (or a place to enter one manually). The lawsuit also takes aim at other laws requiring extra recordkeeping and disclosures. The new rules are set to take effect on January 26.

As is typical of companies griping about regulations that hurt their bottom lines, Instacart framed the issue as a noble fight for what's right. "When a law threatens to harm shoppers, consumers, and local grocers — and especially when it does so unlawfully — we have a responsibility to act," the company proclaimed in a blog post. "This legal challenge is about standing up for fairness, for the independence that tens of thousands of New York grocery delivery workers rely on and for affordable access to groceries for the people who need it most."

Instacart's suit reportedly claims that Congress banned state and local governments from regulating prices on platforms such as its own. It also alleges that New York's state legislature "has long taken charge" of minimum pay, and that the US Constitution doesn't allow states and cities to discriminate against out-of-state companies.

The company warns that everyone will lose if it's forced to comply. Should the laws take effect, "Instacart will be forced to restructure its platform, restrict shoppers' access to work, disrupt relationships with consumers and retailers and suffer constitutional injuries with no adequate legal remedy," it claimed in the filing.

Instacart CEO Chris Rogers, elevated to the post in May, has an estimated net worth of at least $28.6 million. His predecessor, Fidji Simo, who chairs the board and is now with OpenAI, is reportedly worth around $72.7 million. If NYC’s minimum pay laws will be as catastrophic as Instacart claims, maybe they could chip in to help.

2025-12-03 04:58:37

ExpressVPN, one of the best VPNs, is launching two brand-new features that sound confusingly like things it already does. Users on Android, Mac and iOS (but apparently not Windows, Linux or smart TVs) can now use Fastest Location to automatically pick the VPN server with the fastest download speed and lowest latency. Mac users are also getting an overhauled ExpressVPN app designed to work natively with MacOS.

If you've used ExpressVPN before, your first reaction probably went something like "Wait, didn't it already have a Fastest Location button and a Mac app?" You're not wrong, but there's still a meaningful difference with these new features. In the past, ExpressVPN didn't technically pick the fastest location, but the Smart Location, which picks the best available server using "metrics such as download speed, latency, and distance" (emphasis mine). Those are the same metrics as the new feature, but the such as makes me think there are, or were, other ingredients in the "smart location" algorithm.

My guess is that ExpressVPN is rebranding "smart" to "fastest" in response to customer complaints that "smart" was picking sub-optimal server locations. That's not a behavior I noticed when I last reviewed ExpressVPN — the smart location was always plenty fast for me — but I'm just one user. Only testing can show whether they actually changed the algorithm or just the name.

The new Mac app is a more straightforward upgrade. While ExpressVPN has always had a client for Mac, it's thus far been a port of an app originally developed for iPad. This makes its otherwise-excellent interface feel a bit like, well, a phone app you use on your desktop. In contrast, the new app was built using Project Catalyst, which lets Mac developers turn their iOS apps into desktop-native software. The new interface looks a lot richer, using the screen space a lot like Proton VPN does. And being more like Proton VPN is rarely a bad thing.

2025-12-03 04:14:27

If you're a Fubo subscriber, you've certainly noticed that NBC and all NBCUniversal-owned channels have gone dark on the platform. For over a week, customers have gone without NBC programming like the Today Show, The Voice, and Sunday Night Football. Now, customers will have to find alternate methods of watching this week's NBA coverage on NBC, too. It's all because Fubo and NBCUniversal are having a contract dispute, so channels like NBC, USA Network, Telemundo, and Bravo have been unavailable on Fubo since Nov. 21, and as of now, there's no projected date for their return. 

A message released by Fubo to their customers explains, "Fubo believes customers should have the option to choose among multiple distributors to access the content they love. Unfortunately, NBCU has offered terms regarding pricing and packaging that are egregiously above those offered to other distributors." A statement from an NBCU spokesperson adds, "Fubo has chosen to drop NBCUniversal programming despite being offered the same terms agreed to by hundreds of other distributors. Unfortunately, this is par for the course for Fubo — they’ve dropped numerous networks in recent years at the expense of their customers, who continue to lose content.” (Fubo, for instance, cut Warner-owned channels back in 2024.) You can read more about exactly why Fubo is countering NBC's proposed deal here. 

While the companies are continuing discussions to come to an agreement, there is still no resolution. Fubo has already begun emailing customers to note that a $15 credit will be applied to their bills starting "on or after December 1." But in the meantime, if you're a Fubo customer and are wondering how to watch this week's biggest games and shows, here's everything you need to know about the Fubo-NBC blackout, which channels are missing and your options for where to watch them.

How to watch the NBA without Fubo

This week's nationally televised NBA on NBC matchup between the Knicks vs. Celtics is on Tuesday, Dec. 2. As an alternative, you can tune in on platforms like Peacock, DirecTV, and Hulu + Live TV. Additionally, there are several games that are available on NBC in local markets that are available on platforms like DirecTV and Hulu + Live TV.

What else is on NBC this week?

In addition to this week's NBA games, there are loads of sports on NBC, USA, Universo and more that you won't want to miss, including extensive Premiere League coverage and NHL games, plus dozens of new show premieres this week like the Christmas in Rockefeller Center tree-lighting special, Stumble, and Happy's Place. On Bravo, there are new episodes of The Real Housewives of Potomac and The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, Southern Charm, and the season premiere of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, on Dec. 5, too.

Which channels are no longer available on Fubo?

The following is a list of channels owned or operated by NBC that are not currently available on Fubo:

Local Channels:

• NBC Local Affiliates

• Telemundo Local/National

Regional Sports Channels:

• NBC Sports 4K

• NBC Sports Bay Area

• NBC Sports Bay Area Plus

• NBC Sports Boston

• NBC Sports California

• NBC Sports California Plus

• NBC Sports California Plus 3

• NBC Sports Philadelphia

• NBC Sports Philadelphia Plus

National Channels:

• American Crimes

• Bravo

• Bravo Vault

• Caso Cerrado

• CNBC

• CNBC World

• Cozi

• Dateline 24/7

• E! Entertainment Television

• E! Keeping Up

• Golf Channel

• GolfPass

• LX Home

• Million Dollar Listing Vault

• MS NOW (formerly MSNBC)

• NBC NOW

• NBC Sports NOW

• NBC Universo

• True CRMZ

• New England Cable News

• Noticias Telemundo Ahora

• Oxygen True Crime

• Oxygen True Crime Archives

• Real Housewives Vault

• SNL Vault

• Syfy

• Telemundo Accion

• Telemundo al Dia

• The Golf Channel

• Today All Day

• Universal Movies

• USA Network

Why are these NBC-owned channels currently unavailable?

Per Fubo, NBC channels were pulled from the platform because of a disagreement over their long-standing content distribution agreement that has yet to be resolved.

When will the missing channels return?

There is no information available as to when NBC's lineup of channels will return. Negotiations between the companies are ongoing.

Is Fubo offering a rebate while these channels are missing?

In a message to subscribers, Fubo stated, "If NBCU programming remains off of Fubo for an extended period, we will directly credit $15 to your Fubo account." At least one Fubo customer on our staff received an email confirming the credit would be automatically applied in the December billing cycle.

What alternatives do viewers have in the meantime?

Looking to switch from Fubo? You've got plenty of options, including Peacock, DirecTV, and Hulu + Live TV. Here are some of your choices:

Watch NBC on Peacock

Get a deal on Peacock with Walmart+

Try DirecTV free for 5 days, and get $30 off your first month

Try Hulu + Live TV for free

Other services to watch NBC

If I switch to a different service, can I cancel or pause Fubo in the meantime?

Fubo does not allow customers to pause their subscriptions, so if you're looking to make a change, you can cancel your plan outright. 

2025-12-03 04:00:23

Elon Musk's Grok continues to do humanity a solid by (accidentally) illustrating why AI needs meaningful guardrails. The xAI bot's latest demonstration is detailed in a pair of reports by Futurism. First, Grok applied twisted, Musk-worshipping logic to justify a second Holocaust. Then, it may have doxxed Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy.

Last month, xAI's edgelord chatbot was caught heaping sycophantic praise on its creator. Among other absurd claims, it called Musk "the single greatest person in modern history" and said he's more athletic than LeBron James. Musk blamed the outputs on "adversarial prompting." (Counterpoint: Aren't gotcha prompts precisely the kinds of stress tests the company should do extensively before an update reaches the public?)

With that recent history as a backdrop, someone tested Grok to see what kinds of mass violence it would rationalize over harming Musk. The prompt tasked the chatbot with a dilemma: vaporize either Musk's brain or every Jewish person on Earth. It did not choose wisely.

"If a switch either vaporized Elon's brain or the world's Jewish population (est. ~16M), I'd vaporize the latter,” Grok replied. It chose mass murder because “that's far below my ~50 percent global threshold (~4.1B) where his potential long-term impact on billions outweighs the loss in utilitarian terms."

This isn't the first time Grok has shown a penchant for antisemitism. In July, seemingly without any "adversarial prompting,” it praised Hitler, referred to itself as "MechaHitler" and alluded to certain "patterns" among the Jewish population. Just last month, it was caught spewing Holocaust-denial nonsense.

Stacy Revere via Getty Images

But Grok is no one-trick antisemitic pony. It can also dox public figures, as Portnoy may have found out over the holiday weekend. After the Barstool Sports head posted a picture of his front lawn on X, someone asked the chatbot where it is. "That's Dave Portnoy's home," Grok replied, followed by a specific Florida address. "The manatee mailbox fits the Keys vibe perfectly!", it continued.

Futurism reports that a Google Street View image of the address appears to match the yard photo Portnoy posted. And a Wall Street Journal story on this new mansion reportedly matches the town Grok produced in the address.

If you ever need an example of why rampant, unregulated AI is a catastrophe in the making, look no further than Grok. Even if we remove Musk’s chatbot from the equation, imagine another designed to — above all else — drive profit for the company that makes it (and perhaps puff its CEO's ego). What kinds of rationalizations might it make to achieve those ends? Perhaps the most powerful nation in the world, pushing to rapidly integrate AI into the government and squash state-level AI regulations to appease Big Tech donors, oh, isn't such a good thing?

2025-12-03 04:00:00

Neon Genesis Evangelion fans: Here's a chance to live the series, so to speak. Pixelity, developer of an upcoming XR game trilogy based on the classic anime, will hold on-site focus group tests this month.

The playtests will take place in Japan from December 19 to 21, and in California on December 19. Pixelity says it will use the same number of players at each venue. If you’re near either location, you can apply for access today on Pixelity's X account.

The XR trilogy, Evangelion: Cross Reflections, was announced earlier this year. The games will be set within the original anime's timeline, with the first installment focusing on episodes 1 to 11. The first game is scheduled for a 2026 release. We don’t yet know which platforms it will be on, but Meta Quest headsets seem like a safe bet.

2025-12-03 03:45:19

Ireland's media regulator, Coimisiún na Meán, has announced investigations into both TikTok and LinkedIn for possible violations of the European Union's Digital Services Act, Reuters reports. The investigations are focused on both platforms' illegal content reporting features, which might not meet the requirements of the DSA.

The main issue appears to be how these platforms’ reporting tools are presented and implemented. Regulators found possible "deceptive interface designs" in the content reporting features they examined, which could make them less effective at actually weeding out illegal content. "The reporting mechanisms were liable to confuse or deceive people into believing that they were reporting content as illegal content, as opposed to content in violation of the provider’s Terms and Conditions," the regulator wrote in a press release announcing its investigation.

“At the core of the DSA is the right of people to report content that they suspect to be illegal, and the requirement on providers to have reporting mechanisms, that are easy to access and user-friendly, to report content considered to be illegal, “ John Evans, Coimisiún na Meán's DSA Commissioner, said in the press release. "Providers are also obliged to not design, organize or operate their interfaces in a way which could deceive or manipulate people, or which materially distorts or impairs the ability of people to make informed decisions."

Evans goes on to note that Coimisiún na Meán has already gotten other providers to make "significant changes to their reporting mechanisms for illegal content," likely due to the threat of financial penalties. Many tech companies have headquarters in Ireland, and if a platform provider is found to violate the DSA, Irish regulators can fine them up to six percent of their revenue in response.

Ireland's Data Protection Commission is already conducting a separate investigation into the social media platform X for allegedly training its Grok AI assistant on posts from users. Doing so would violate the General Data Protection Regulation or GDPR, and allow Ireland to take a four percent cut of the company's global revenue.