Discussion

• @caseynewton@mastodon.social Casey Newton on mastodon

  This really feels like the end of CNET for all practical purposes https://www.theverge.com/...

• @miarsato Mia Sato on x

  More news out of CNET: corporate owner Red Ventures is doing layoffs at the outlet weeks after the AI stories saga — and as it prepares to relaunch the tool. Hearing that at least a dozen people are affected. https://www.theverge.com/...

• @jake_k Jake Kastrenakes on x

  new from @MiaRSato: CNET's owner wrote in a layoff email that they're cutting jobs to focus on areas with “a high degree of authority, relevance, differentiation” — aka, search metrics https://www.theverge.com/...

• @joelindsey @joelindsey on x

  Editor who oversaw CNET's disastrous AI-written-stories debacle gets promoted to run similar debacles across the whole media company, just hours after big layoffs at CNET. https://www.theverge.com/...

• @bigmeaninternet Malcolm Harris on x

  Media executives are confused about who this tech can replace (them) and who it can't (people who do productive labor) https://twitter.com/...

• @miarsato Mia Sato on x

  CNET editor-in-chief Connie Guglielmo will step down from her role and take on a new job: senior vice president of AI content strategy and editor-at-large. News comes hours after mass layoffs at the outlet. More details: https://www.theverge.com/...

• @thekenyeung Ken Yeung on x

  @verge Update to the CNET layoffs story: It's reported that @techledes is resigning as editor-in-chief and will be the senior vice president of AI content strategy at @RedVentures. CNET will now be led by former NextAdvisor EiC @adamauriemma. https://www.theverge.com/...

• @sdw Sebastiaan de With on x

  Stories like this make it pretty obvious to me that we need some kind of way — or perhaps even laws forcing — to identify machine-generated content vs. ‘organic’ content on the internet. https://twitter.com/...

• @josourcing Nicole Miller on x

  @Techmeme @MiaRSato Just tell us whether they're using ChatGPT!

• @greene_dm Dan Greene on x

  One thing I really love about Finn Brunton's SPAM is how he shows that there is a spamifying tendency to all communication on the capitalist Web. To get noticed, I must become spam. For outlets like CNET that are largely advertorials, ChatGPT scabs are an obvious next step. https…

• @xoxogossipgita @xoxogossipgita on x

  Truly don't understand why this is happening when every attempt to replace writers with AI so far has lead to articles with factual errors but okay! https://twitter.com/...

• @stevenewing Steven Ewing on x

  I say with all sincerity that I adore and respect my former CNET colleagues. But Red Ventures is the worst company I've ever worked for. Absolute vultures. https://www.theverge.com/...

• @jaredbkeller Jared Keller on x

  Oh my GOD https://twitter.com/...

• @matthewkeyslive Matthew Keys on x

  @mediagazer @MiaRSato So she's been...promoted?

• @brianstelter Brian Stelter on x

  “Just weeks after news broke that tech site CNET was quietly using artificial intelligence to produce articles, the company is doing extensive layoffs that include several longtime employees, according to multiple people with knowledge of the situation.” https://www.theverge.com/…

• @bcmerchant Brian Merchant on x

  Seems a solid time to mention that I have heard multiple stories about media executives earnestly asking editorial staff if AI is good enough to produce stories yet https://twitter.com/...

• @mikurubaeahina Victoria Scott on x

  this seems like a concerning omen, especially right on the heels of laying off dozens of people, but what do I know https://twitter.com/...

• @misscp @misscp on x

  Let's be clear: *Red Ventures* has consistently laid off spectacular journalists for the last few months, after stupidly buying a news site that it thought could become its own SEO content farm and then instantly regretting it. https://twitter.com/...

• @scalzi John Scalzi on x

  They're apparently focusing on the subjects that tickle the Google search algorithm, which means they're screwed when Google changes those parameters without telling them, which Google so often does. Why not just... make good content? With actual humans? https://www.theverge.com/…

• @jake_k Jake Kastrenakes on x

  if anything, cnet is only getting more serious about AI-generated content https://www.theverge.com/...

• @paleofuture Matt Novak on x

  “Former staff recounted multiple instances in which CNET employees were pressured to change their coverage of companies that advertised with Red Ventures — a flagrant violation of journalistic ethics that put CNET's editorial independence at serious risk.” https://twitter.com/...