TechStuff Jury Blames Meta and YouTube, Goodbye Sora Videos, Weather Apps That Don't Suck - Week in Tech
9 snips
Mar 27, 2026 
Nitasha Tiku, investigative technology reporter at The Washington Post, breaks down a Los Angeles verdict against Meta and YouTube. Reed Albergotti, Semafor tech editor, explains why OpenAI killed Sora and how compute scarcity reshapes AI economics. Kyle Chayka, New Yorker writer, praises Acme Weather and talks about why most weather apps fail. Multiple short, punchy conversations about law, AI resources, and app design.
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Platforms Can Be Liable For Design Mechanics
- The LA trial framed platform design choices like infinite scroll and filters as product decisions that can cause harm independent of user content.
- Jury saw internal Meta/YouTube documents showing executives prioritized teen growth despite known harms, making product mechanics central to liability.
Jar Of M&Ms And A Wall Of Selfies In Court
- Plaintiff lawyer used a jar of M&Ms to symbolize revenue and later unfurled a 35-foot wall of the plaintiff's selfies to make the harm tangible.
- Jurors later said they preferred focusing on product issues over awarding a massive payout.
AI Video Was Dropped Because Compute Is Scarce
- OpenAI shut down Sora because video generation consumed scarce compute tokens and data-center hours, forcing resource reallocation.
- Reed frames the situation as a token-driven economy where firms ration compute like wartime scarcity.