This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.
Your boss is watching
Working today—whether in an office, a warehouse, or your car—can mean constant electronic surveillance with little transparency, and potentially with livelihood-ending consequences if your productivity flags.
But what matters even more than the effects of this ubiquitous monitoring on privacy may be how all that data is shifting the relationships between workers and managers, companies and their workforce.
We are in the midst of a shift in work and workplace relationships as significant as the Second Industrial Revolution of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. And new policies and protections may be necessary to correct the balance of power. Read the full story.
—Rebecca Ackermann
One option for electric vehicle fires? Let them burn.
Although there isn’t solid data on the frequency of EV battery fires, it’s no secret that these fires are happening.
Despite that, manufacturers offer no standardized steps on how to fight them or avoid them in the first place. What’s more, with EVs, it’s never entirely clear whether the fire is truly out. Cars may ignite, or reignite, weeks or even months after the battery is damaged or a battery fire is initially suppressed.
Patrick Durham, the owner of one of a growing number of private companies helping first responders learn how to deal with lithium-ion battery safety, has a solution. He believes that the best way to manage EV fires right now is to let them burn. But such an approach not only goes against firefighters’ instincts—it’d require a significant cultural shift. Read the full story.
—Maya L. Kapoor
These stories are from the next edition of our print magazine, which is all about relationships. Subscribe now to read it and get a copy of the magazine when it lands on February 26!
The must-reads
I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 Elon Musk is forcing US government workers to justify their jobs
Employees have to respond to an email by 11:59pm ET tonight or resign. (Wired $)
+ The new administration is targeting government foreign interference experts. (NYT $)
+ It’s also waging war on what it deems “woke DEI research.” (Undark)
+ A US government shutdown could be on the cards as soon as this month. (NY Mag $)
2 Grok was temporarily blocked from telling the truth about Trump and Musk
An xAI employee got it to ignore sources that say the pair spread misinformation. (The Verge)
+ An xAI engineering lead said the move wasn’t in line with the company’s values. (TechCrunch)
3 The race to dominate satellite internet is heating up
Starlink has some major competition. (Reuters)
+ Chinese rocket firm Deep Blue Aerospace is eyeing an IPO. (WSJ $)
+ The world’s next big environmental problem could come from space. (MIT Technology Review)
4 Apple has pulled its data security tool from the UK
After the UK government demanded backdoor access. (BBC)
+ Other encrypted Apple services are still available, though. (WP $)
5 How AI is changing coding
The outlook for software developers is more likely to be evolution than extinction. (NYT $)
+ AI coding assistants aren’t always all they’re cracked up to be. (TechCrunch)
+ The second wave of AI coding is here. (MIT Technology Review)
6 Inside Facebook’s plans to become cool again
Unfortunately for the social network, you can’t buy cultural cachet. (The Information $)
+ How Facebook got addicted to spreading misinformation. (MIT Technology Review)
7 The internet is disappearing
Digital decay is setting in. What will survive of us?(Vox)
+ The race to save our online lives from a digital dark age. (MIT Technology Review)
8 Where are all the Apple Vision Pro apps?
The number of apps made for the headset has declined every month since it went on sale. (CNBC)
9 How the internet warped the meaning of ‘lore’
From ancient myths to oversharing on TikTok. (Fast Company $)
10 Not everything needs to be tracked
Knowledge isn’t always power when it comes to your home appliances. (The Guardian)
Quote of the day
“We’re trying to do creative work, and AI is just pushing perfection.”
—Lo Kalani, a Brooklyn-based hair stylist, explains to the Washington Post why she has banned clients from presenting her with AI-generated inspirational images.
The big story
How one mine could unlock billions in EV subsidies
January 2024
On a pine farm north of the tiny town of Tamarack, Minnesota, Talon Metals has uncovered one of America’s densest nickel deposits—and now it wants to begin extracting it.
If regulators approve the mine, it could mark the starting point in what the company claims would become the country’s first complete domestic nickel supply chain, running from the bedrock beneath the Minnesota earth to the batteries in electric vehicles across the nation.
MIT Technology Review wanted to provide a clearer sense of the law’s on-the-ground impact by zeroing in on a single project and examining how these rich subsidies could be unlocked at each point along the supply chain. Take a look at what we found out.
—James Temple
We can still have nice things
A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or skeet ’em at me.)
+ The best way to learn absolutely anything more quickly? That’ll be the Feynman technique.
+ Here’s how to use lemongrass like a pro.
+ I didn’t know it was possible to make a recorder sing like this, but there you go.
+ Vampire couples forever! 
