Meta Shifts the Blame + Do Data Center Bans Work? + The Final HatGPT

Meta negotiated an unusual provision in their landmark settlement: If TikTok and YouTube also agree to penalties and changes to their products, Meta will pay more.


This week, Meta agreed to pay up to $17.1 billion and make major changes to Facebook and Instagram over claims it endangered children with addictive social media platforms. We discuss why it capitulated and what it means for the entire social media industry. Then, Princeton computer science professor Arvind Narayanan returns to offer his thoughts on why banning data centers won’t slow down A.I. progress. And finally, it’s all hats on deck for the final HatGPT.


Photo Illustration by The New York Times; Image: Getty Images


Apple | Spotify | Amazon | YouTube | iHeartRadio

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

We want to hear from you. Email us at [email protected]. Find “Hard Fork” on YouTube and TikTok.

“Hard Fork” is hosted by Kevin Roose and Casey Newton and produced by Whitney Jones and Rachel Cohn. This episode was edited by Vjeran Pavic. Engineering by Alyssa Moxley and original music by Dan Powell, Marion Lozano, Elisheba Ittoop and Rowan Niemisto. Fact-checking by Caitlin Love.

Special thanks to Paula Szuchman, Pui-Wing Tam and Dahlia Haddad.