John Paczkowski
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pczki.bsky.social
John Paczkowski
@pczki.bsky.social
7K followers 400 following 340 posts
Executive Editor, Tech & Innovation, @forbes. Previously: BuzzFeed News, Recode, AllThingsD. Full salmon, forward into terror.
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Reposted by John Paczkowski
pheebini.bsky.social
Have you been using #Sora? Some back-of-napkin math suggests OpenAI is spending more than a quarter of what it’s making to power its AI slop factory. There are also potential silver linings (more training data + future tax savings). My latest for @forbes.com:

www.forbes.com/sites/phoebe...
Here’s How Much Cash OpenAI Is Burning On AI Video App Sora. What It Means
Some back-of-napkin math suggests OpenAI is spending more than a quarter of what it’s making to power the AI slop factory.
www.forbes.com
November 10, 2025 at 4:37 PM
Reposted by John Paczkowski
rashis.bsky.social
OpenAI has gone wild with compute deals this year, committing to spend far more than its balance sheet can currently sustain. So who takes the fall if it can’t pay?

Latest for @forbes.com with @pheebini.bsky.social and @richardnieva.bsky.social.

www.forbes.com/sites/rashis...
Here’s What Happens If OpenAI Can’t Pay For Its $1.4 Trillion AI Deals
OpenAI has gone wild with compute deals this year, committing to spend far more than its balance sheet can currently sustain. So who takes the fall if it can’t pay? It won’t be Altman.
www.forbes.com
November 7, 2025 at 6:04 PM
Reposted by John Paczkowski
danalexander21.bsky.social
Trump bet big on bitcoin. His timing could not have been much worse. www.forbes.com/sites/danale...
Trump’s Bungled Bet On Bitcoin Is Costing Him Bigtime
Donald Trump’s social-media business is in trouble. A multibillion-dollar bet on bitcoin hasn’t done anything to help.
www.forbes.com
November 7, 2025 at 1:35 PM
Reposted by John Paczkowski
zacheverson.com
New: "Trump Media Lost $54.8 Million Last Quarter—And Is On Track To Lose Far More"

Revenue was $972,900—about what Taylor Swift brought in over 15 minutes on her Eras Tour.

with @danalexander21.bsky.social for @forbes.com

www.forbes.com/sites/zachev...
Trump Media Lost $54.8 Million Last Quarter As Bitcoin Bet Backfires
The parent company of Truth Social reported $973,000 in revenue over three months, about what Taylor Swift took in 15 minutes during an Eras Tour concert.
www.forbes.com
November 7, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Reposted by John Paczkowski
katienotopoulos.bsky.social
don't worry -- the OLD Farmer's Almanac (founded in 1792 with the old timey-cover you see at the grocery store) is still going
November 7, 2025 at 1:18 PM
Reposted by John Paczkowski
alisonkilling.bsky.social
NEW: The End of the Line: the centrepiece of Saudi Arabia’s Neom gigaproject - a 500m tall, 170km long wall-like building intended ultimately to house 9 million people - can’t get out of the ground, say more than 20 former Neom architects, engineers and senior executives.
ig.ft.com/saudi-neom-l...
End of The Line: how Saudi Arabia’s Neom dream unravelled
Mohammed bin Salman’s utopian city was undone by the laws of physics and finance
ig.ft.com
November 6, 2025 at 6:56 AM
Reposted by John Paczkowski
carolinehaskins.bsky.social
SCOOP (free, as it's FOIA-based!): I obtained 1,665 pgs of documents about "Bicken Ben," a growing private school the Zuckerbergs ran illegally out of their Palo Alto compound

Neighbors complained the school for years. Then, in 2024, they reached their breaking point:
www.wired.com/story/mark-z...
Mark Zuckerberg Opened an Illegal School at His Palo Alto Compound. His Neighbors Revolted
Neighbors complained about noise, security guards, and hordes of traffic. An unlicensed school named after the Zuckerbergs’ pet chicken tipped them over the edge.
www.wired.com
November 6, 2025 at 1:29 PM
pczki.bsky.social
Let it be known that my proposed hed for this was "Elon Musk’s Trillion-Dollar Pay Plan Makes Perfect Sense If You’re High On Ketamine"
November 5, 2025 at 10:01 PM
Reposted by John Paczkowski
richardnieva.bsky.social
New: I profiled Sierra, the $10B AI customer service startup from Bret Taylor and Clay Bavor, which wants to make AI agents the primary way businesses interact with customers. For the piece, I talked to their old bosses, Mark Zuckerberg and Sundar Pichai www.forbes.com/sites/richar...
Inside OpenAI Chairman’s $10 Billion AI Customer Service Startup Sierra
Bret Taylor and Clay Bavor had leadership roles at the world's biggest tech companies. Now they’re in the startup trenches, using AI agents to help companies interact with their customers.
www.forbes.com
November 5, 2025 at 4:37 PM
Reposted by John Paczkowski
marcelias.bsky.social
I see that CBS chose not to air this part. It probably explains much of what they did decide to air.
November 3, 2025 at 1:37 AM
Reposted by John Paczkowski
rashis.bsky.social
NEW: Former xAI researcher Eric Zelikman is in talks to raise $1 billion at a $5 billion valuation to build AI models that are better at collaborating with humans. The startup is called Humans&. With Anna Tong and @iainmartin.bsky.social.

www.forbes.com/sites/annato...
xAI Researcher In Talks To Raise $1 Billion For New Frontier Lab Humans&
Founded by former xAI staffer Eric Zelikman and early Googler Georges Harik, the new lab is building models that are better at interacting with humans.
www.forbes.com
October 31, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Reposted by John Paczkowski
jasonleopold.bsky.social
🚨 EXPLOSIVE NEW investigation: We uncovered previously undisclosed details about an 18-month money laundering investigation into Jeffrey Epstein that took place alongside the 2007 sex crimes probe, according to emails obtained from Epstein's personal Yahoo account
🎁 www.bloomberg.com/features/202...
Jeffrey Epstein Went to War Over Money Laundering Probe in 2007 Sex Case
Federal prosecutors opened a financial-crimes investigation into Jeffrey Epstein in 2007 amid their larger sex-trafficking probe. The financier and his legal team waged a war against them, his emails ...
www.bloomberg.com
October 31, 2025 at 1:34 PM
Reposted by John Paczkowski
richardnieva.bsky.social
New: With Mercor’s new fundraise and $10 billion valuation, its founders become the world’s youngest self-made billionaires at age 22, younger than Mark Zuckerberg was when he hit that status at age 23 two decades ago. www.forbes.com/sites/richar...
These 22-Year-Olds Are Now The World’s Youngest Self-Made Billionaires
With a new $10 billion valuation for their AI recruiting startup Mercor, the founders are the youngest tech billionaires since Mark Zuckerberg’s debut at age 23.
www.forbes.com
October 30, 2025 at 6:15 PM
Reposted by John Paczkowski
pbump.com
I use Claude (an AI) to scan my posts for spelling and grammar errors. On the most recent post (about the East Wing, link below), I got a really amazing addendum.
www.pbump.net/o/yes-most-a...
October 30, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Reposted by John Paczkowski
iainmartin.bsky.social
Luca Ferrari bought his first app back in 2014 for just $10,000 with the hope that his Milan-based startup could turn it around. A decade later, Ferrari has become one of tech’s biggest dealmakers, and a new billionaire, after a new funding round valued his startup at more than $11 billion.
Bending Spoons Cofounders Become Billionaire After Italian Startup Raises At $11 Billion Valuation | Iain Martin
Luca Ferrari bought his first app back in 2014 for just $10,000 with the hope that he and his three cofounders in Milan-based startup Bending Spoons could turn it around. A decade later, Ferrari has b...
www.linkedin.com
October 30, 2025 at 2:03 PM
Reposted by John Paczkowski
rashis.bsky.social
A scoopy day at @forbes.com. Another one from @iainmartin.bsky.social and me— buzzy legal AI startup Harvey has closed a $150 million funding round, nabbing a $8 billion valuation.
www.forbes.com/sites/iainma...
AI Startup Harvey Raises $150 Million At $8 Billion Valuation
The San Francisco-based startup that provides AI tools for lawyers has raised a new round of funding, its third in 2025 alone, led by Andreessen Horowitz.
www.forbes.com
October 29, 2025 at 6:32 PM
Reposted by John Paczkowski
iainmartin.bsky.social
Harvey has closed a new $150 million funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz valuing the San Francisco-based legal AI startup at over $8 billion www.forbes.com/sites/iainma...
AI Startup Harvey Raises $150 Million At $8 Billion Valuation
The San Francisco-based startup that provides AI tools for lawyers has raised a new round of funding, its third in 2025 alone, led by Andreessen Horowitz.
www.forbes.com
October 29, 2025 at 5:24 PM
Reposted by John Paczkowski
iainmartin.bsky.social
London-based AI video generation startup Synthesia has closed a funding round that nearly doubles its valuation to $4 billion www.forbes.com/sites/rashis...
AI Video Startup Synthesia Valued At $4 Billion In $200 Million Raise
Alphabet’s venture firm GV is leading the round, which nearly doubles Synthesia’s valuation, per three sources.
www.forbes.com
October 29, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Reposted by John Paczkowski
iainmartin.bsky.social
AOL Has A New Italian Owner: Unicorn Startup Bending Spoons www.forbes.com/sites/iainma...
Italy’s Bending Spoon Acquires AOL From Apollo
Milan's Bending Spoons has bought AOL and raised $2.8 billion to finance its biggest takeover to date, and future deals.
www.forbes.com
October 29, 2025 at 3:39 PM
Reposted by John Paczkowski
josephcox.bsky.social
New incredible detail here: ICE says a match in its facial recognition app Mobile Fortify is a "definitive" determination of a person's status, and that this overrides birth certificates. This is an app ICE is using in the field to scan people

www.404media.co/ice-and-cbp-...
Ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee Bennie G. Thompson said in a statement “Mobile Fortify is a dangerous tool in the hands of ICE, and it puts American citizens at risk of detention and even deportation.” He also said “ICE officials have told us that an apparent biometric match by Mobile Fortify is a ‘definitive’ determination of a person’s status and that an ICE officer may ignore evidence of American citizenship—including a birth certificate—if the app says the person is an alien. ICE using a mobile biometrics app in ways its developers at CBP never intended or tested is a frightening, repugnant, and unconstitutional attack on Americans’ rights and freedoms.”
October 29, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Reposted by John Paczkowski
kateconger.com
One of Elon Musk's big gripes with Wikipedia is that his entry there has a whole section on his salute during his inauguration speech earlier this year. His Grokipedia entry doesn't mention it at all, but the "Nazi salute" Grokipedia entry says this:
On January 20, 2025, during a rally celebrating Donald Trump's second inauguration, Elon Musk extended his right arm twice in a straight-armed gesture while speaking, which multiple observers and media outlets likened to the Nazi salute, igniting debates over intent, free speech limits, and historical symbolism.[78] Musk responded by posting jokes referencing Nazi figures like Rudolf Hess and Joseph Goebbels, dismissing critics and framing accusations as overreactions, while some supporters claimed it evoked a Roman salute adopted by fascists rather than a direct Nazi reference; neo-Nazi accounts online praised the gesture as validation.[79] German officials and historians, citing the gesture's post-1919 fascist codification, condemned it unequivocally, underscoring transatlantic divides in interpreting such acts amid 2024-2025 discussions of ironic or revivalist uses.
October 28, 2025 at 12:01 AM
Reposted by John Paczkowski
zacheverson.com
New: "Trump Crypto Partner Suspends CEO With No Explanation After Stock Falls 74%"

me, for @forbes.com

1/
Trump Crypto Partner Alt5 Sigma Suspends CEO With No Explanation After Stock Crashes 74%
Alt5 Sigma suspended Peter Tassiopoulos just two months after the company announced a $1.5 billion deal involving the Trump-backed World Liberty Financial.
www.forbes.com
October 24, 2025 at 1:36 PM
Reposted by John Paczkowski
iainmartin.bsky.social
One of Europe’s most successful startup investors Klaus Hommels who made early bets on Facebook, Spotify, and Skype, has told backers of his fund Lakestar that future startup bets will be made with his own capital.
www.forbes.com/sites/iainma...
Europe Venture Fund Lakestar Calls Halt On New Startup Bets
Klaus Hommels who made early bets on Facebook, Spotify, and Skype, has told backers of his fund Lakestar that future startup bets will be made with his own capital.
www.forbes.com
October 23, 2025 at 2:40 PM
Reposted by John Paczkowski
zacheverson.com
Just published: "Trump’s White House Demolition Isn’t His First Time Leveling A Building — Or Ignoring Preservationists"

me, for @forbes.com
Trump’s White House Demolition Isn’t His First Time Leveling A Building — Or Ignoring Preservationists
In 1980, Trump destroyed Art Deco sculptures he'd promised to the Met to speed up Trump Tower's construction—now he's demolishing the White House's East Wing for a massive ballroom despite preservatio...
www.forbes.com
October 22, 2025 at 10:03 PM
Reposted by John Paczkowski
annabower.bsky.social
We’ve updated our story with an additional comment provided by the United States Justice Department.
At 4:10 p.m., she texted me: "By the way-everything I ever sent you is off record. You're not a journalist so it's weird saying that but just letting you know." I responded: "I'm sorry, but that's not how this works. You don't get to say that in retrospect." Halligan was unpersuaded: "Yes I do. Off record." "I am really sorry. I would have been happy to speak with you on an off the record basis had you asked," I said. "But you didn't ask, and I still haven't agreed to speak on that basis. Do you have any further comment for the story? To my surprise, she kept going: "It's obvious the whole convo is off record. There's disappearing messages and it's on signal. What is your story? You never told me about a story." I didn't respond. It was time to publish my story. I'll text it to her. Postscript: Read the full exchange between Lindsey Halligan and Lawfare's Anna Bower here. Highlighted text: “Hours after Lawfare published this article, Justice Department spokeswoman Natalie Baldassarre provided the following additional comment: “Thank you for including my statement in your story. I just realized I spelled Lindsey's name wrong in the initial response, would you mind correcting?
October 22, 2025 at 8:40 PM