Were you on MySpace, reader? I wasn't. I'm Diamond Naga Siu, and I was barely a human yet when it was big. But I've lurked on platforms like YikYak, Stumbleupon, Clubhouse — back when they were still a thing.
Now, it could be Truth Social's turn to fade out. With Trump almost back on all social media platforms, there's little that makes his site special. But it never really took off in the first place. Truth Social only just became available on Androids in October. And since launching in February 2022, it only has around 2 million active users — and studies show that number is declining.
But no need to worry if you're an avid Truth Socialite. The site likely won't suddenly combust. It'll probably just die off slowly, walking the same painful path that Twitter and Facebook currently seem to be on.
On that cheery note, let's dive into today's tech (before it all crumbles away too).
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1. Trump's return to social media spells doom for Truth Social. After the Capitol insurrection, former president Donald Trump was banned from a slew of social media platforms. Just over two years later, the sites have nearly all reversed their decisions. That takes away Truth Social's only selling point — access to Trump.
- Meta announced on Wednesday that Trump will regain access to his Instagram and Facebook accounts within weeks. The company said it did not want to "get in the way of open, public and democratic debate."
- Trump is contractually required to post on Truth Social before making the same post on another site for six hours. But there are currently two big, unknown Trump cards at play: whether he'll renew this agreement (which seems increasingly unlikely) and whether he'll even post on the other social media platforms once the ban is lifted.
- My colleague Beatrice Nolan breaks down the future of Truth Social and what it means for Trump's supporters.
Walk the social media tightrope here.
In other news:
2. Ketamine is sold as a wonder depression drug, but for some people, it actually worsens things. Prevailing wisdom said it wasn't addictive, and clinics across the country even marketed it as a mental health wonder drug. But people who use Ketamine share a different story. Read more here.
3. These are the 15 top streaming TV shows from 2022. Stranger Things and Wednesday are among the most watched shows, based on the total minutes viewed in the US. Check out the others here.
4. At least two Google couples got laid off together. "Two out of the 12,000 [laid off] Googlers were staring at each other in disbelief," one husband wrote in a LinkedIn post. Read his account here. Meanwhile, another wife and husband — with a four-month-old baby — told Insider they were laid off together, too.
5. This biotech CEO says he reduced his biological age by 5 years. Bryan Johnson's goal is to have the body of an 18 year old. And early results show that he might actually be on track to unlocking the secret to age reversal. Check out this rigorous medical program here.
6. Goodbye to subscriptions and hello to usage-based pricing. With a possible market crash on the horizon, the way we pay for things could change. The '08 crash brought in subscriptions, and an impending crash could bring in pay-per-use. Get ahead of the payment curve here.
7. This CEO quoted MLK in a layoff announcement. There aren't many great ways to layoff 7% of your company. But quoting MLK might be one of the worst. Read the tone-deaf email here.
8. Amazon employees are already using ChatGPT to code. Although employees were told to not use it for work, one Amazonian created a working group to test the chatbot's capabilities. They found that it's adept at answering customer questions and writing cloud training material. More on the test here.
Odds and ends:
9. This is why people believe in conspiracy theories. By some measures, more than half of Americans believe in at least one conspiracy theory, even if it defies science or logic. Social scientists are starting to understand why: overconfidence. Take a deep dive into how our brains work here.
10. Here's what it's like to work on a cruise ship. Alessandro Menegazzi is the general manager for a $450 million cruise ship. He compares it to traveling the world in a "floating five-star hotel." All aboard to go behind-the-scenes with Alessandro at his job.
The latest people moves in tech:
Curated by Diamond Naga Siu in San Diego. (Feedback or tips? Email dsiu@insider.com or tweet @diamondnagasiu) Edited by Matt Weinberger (tweet @gamoid) in San Francisco and Hallam Bullock (tweet @hallam_bullock) in London.
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