Alex Chen
Senior Tech Editor
Covers AI, cybersecurity, and emerging technologies. Previously at Wired and MIT Technology Review.
Articles by Alex Chen(45)
Area Man Accidentally Hacks 6,700 Camera-Enabled Robot Vacuums
Learn about Area Man Accidentally Hacks 6,700 Camera-Enabled Robot Vacuums
Pittsburgh astronaut says medical event triggered NASA crew’s early return from space - TribLIVE.com
Learn about Pittsburgh astronaut says medical event triggered NASA crew’s early return from space - TribLIVE.com
Ultrahuman’s 15-Day Battery Just Broke the Smart Ring Market
Ultrahuman's new flagship smart ring claims a massive 15-day battery life. Here's why this kills Oura's subscription model and changes health tech forever.
The $7T Silicon Wall: Why AI's Next Brain Runs on Light
We're literally boiling water to make AI think. Here's why photonic memory—using light instead of electricity—will kill the traditional GPU monopoly by 2029.
The $14B Trap Inside Nvidia's Record Quarter
Nvidia just posted another record quarter, but their staggering $14B capex spend tells a darker story. Here's why the AI chip giant is quietly panicking.
The $30B Legal Loophole: Why AI is Making Lawyers Deadlier
Goldman Sachs says AI will automate 44% of legal work. But Draftwise's new Playbook Studio proves we're actually just arming lawyers with better weapons.
Nature's $50B Glitch: How Cities Are Training Better Bugs
Spotted lanternflies aren't just surviving in our cities—they're using them as evolutionary speedruns. Here's why Nature 2.0 will cost billions to patch.
The OnePlus 16's 0.9mm Bezel Leak is an Ergonomic Nightmare
The OnePlus 16 leak points to a sub-1mm bezel. But this 0.9mm flex isn't innovation—it's an ergonomic disaster that will cost you big in screen repairs.
Lego's "Smart Bricks" Are a Desperate $1B Play For Screens
Lego wants to embed RFID chips in bricks to connect them to iPads. Here's why this desperate move to fight Roblox will ruin the ultimate analog toy.
The $500M MatX Gamble: Why Nvidia's Moat Just Cracked
MatX just raised $500M to take on Nvidia's AI chip monopoly. Here's why their weird approach to silicon might actually crack Jensen's impenetrable moat.
Wayve’s $1.5B Gamble: Why the Robotaxi War Just Got Weird
Wayve just secured $1.5B from SoftBank and Nvidia to kill the HD map. Here is why the "embodied AI" approach makes Waymo look like a legacy giant.
The 1.4 Billion User Land Grab: Why India’s AI Firms Are Trading Revenue for Data
Indian AI startups are ditching profits to capture 1.4 billion users. Alex Chen explains why this "burn now" strategy is a high-stakes bet on data dominance.
The $1.5B Bet Proving Everything We Knew About Self-Driving Was Wrong
Wayve's $1.5B raise isn't just a funding round—it's a direct challenge to Waymo's dominance. See why the "mapless" AI approach is the industry's new North Star.
The $1.15B Spreadsheet Killer: Why Basis Just Proved Accounting Isn't Boring
Basis just hit a $1.15B valuation by automating the most hated parts of finance. Discover why the "Big Four" are sweating and what this means for your CFO.
The $26B Survival Plan: Why Canva is Buying the Competition While Wall Street Panics
SaaS stocks are tanking, but Canva just snagged two more AI startups. Here is why the private giant is winning the creative war while Adobe bleeds.
The $2 Trillion Panic: Why Alphabet’s 22% Dip is a Gift
Alphabet is down 22% as AI "disruption" fears peak. Here is why the market is wrong and why the search moat is actually getting deeper.
Why the $160B Cybersecurity Panic is a Massive Gift
Cybersecurity stocks just lost $160B in market cap over AI fears. Alex Chen explains why this "death spiral" is actually the ultimate entry point for tech.
Nvidia’s Bizarre $3.6T Valuation: Why the Math Stopped Making Sense
Nvidia's 38x price-to-sales ratio is a historical anomaly. Is it a bubble or a new economic law? Alex Chen breaks down why the math doesn't work.
Why Vertex Is the Only Biotech Stock I’d Hold Forever
Vertex has a $10B cash pile and a 90% monopoly on CF treatments. While everyone chases AI, this biotech giant is building an empire. See why it's a buy.
The $212M Reality Check: Why Quantum VCs Are Doubling Down
Quantonation just raised €200M to double down on quantum computing. While AI hogs the spotlight, the subatomic power play is just beginning.
Sam Altman’s Caloric Deflection: Why AI Isn't a Human
Sam Altman thinks your sandwich is as problematic as a data center. Here is why his "biological energy" argument is a brilliant, dangerous distraction.
The Tax Deadline is a UX Disaster We Refuse to Fix
Why the April 15 panic is a symptom of massive technical debt and why the IRS Direct File pilot might finally kill the tax-prep lobby.
Google’s AI Warning: Why Most Startups Are Already Dead
Google VP Prabhakar Raghavan just called out the "thin wrapper" and "niche" AI traps. Here is why the Big Tech steamroller is about to flatten your portfolio.
Why Ad Dollars Won't Save Creators and India is Done Playing Catch-up
Alex Chen breaks down the collapse of the creator middle class and why India's aggressive AI sovereignity is the real story to watch in 2024.
SCOTUS Just Killed the Universal Tariff: Why Tech Breathes Easy
The Supreme Court blocked the plan for a 10% global tariff. Alex Chen explains why this saved your hardware budget and what's coming next for the supply chain.
The $10K Bounty to Unplug a Ring Doorbell
A $10,000 bounty to hack a Ring doorbell is more than a challenge; it’s a referendum on who really owns your smart home devices.
Google's New Benchmark Bragging Rights
Google's Gemini Pro is topping leaderboards again, but the real story isn't the scores. It's about the ruthless pace of iteration and a looming shift in the B2B market.
Nvidia's AI Gambit in India
Nvidia's early-stage investments in India aren't just venture capital. It's a strategic move to make its CUDA ecosystem the default OS for India's entire AI future.
AI's Power Problem Is a Gold Mine for Batteries
The AI revolution runs on raw electricity, not just code. The real bottleneck is the power grid, and the company quietly solving it is the real winner.
Meta's Real Bet: AI Is The Engine, Not The Destination
Meta's stock isn't soaring because of the metaverse. It's a story of brutal efficiency, a savvy AI pivot, and the surprising resilience of its old-school ad machine.
OpenAI’s 1GW India Bet: Why Sam Altman is Heading East
OpenAI is partnering with Tata for massive data center capacity. Alex Chen explains why this isn't about the Indian market—it's about the global power crunch.
Manchester Airport: Technical Debt at 30,000 Feet
Why Manchester Airport’s £1.3B upgrade is a case study in how "smart" infrastructure fails when the legacy tech underneath rots.
DEV and MLH: A Merger or a Takeover?
DEV's merger with Major League Hacking isn't just about community. It's a strategic play to build the ultimate developer talent pipeline, from dorm room to senior engineer.
Your Startup's Dashboard is Lying to You
Google Cloud's VP gave advice on startup health, but he missed the most important part: your cloud bill is a trap. Here's the metric you're not watching.
SPECTRE Arrives: Digital Ghost or Just More Vapor?
SPECTRE promises to erase your digital footprint. As a veteran tech editor, I see the real, unsettling story about the internet's future that no one is talking about.
Tailscale's Relays Are More Than a Speed Boost
Tailscale Peer Relays are now generally available, but this isn't just a performance feature. It's a fundamental shift in network resilience, control, and architecture.
The RAM Crunch Is an Extinction Event
The AI industry's hunger for high-end memory is creating a critical shortage of standard RAM, threatening to kill new products and smaller companies.
Spotify's SeatGeek Deal: A Real Fix for Broken Ticketing?
Spotify's new in-app SeatGeek integration aims to challenge the hated concert ticket market. But can it succeed where others have failed? A tech editor's take.
The Real AI Gold Rush? It's Called Stardex.
Senior tech editor Alex Chen dives into Stardex (YC S21), revealing how their AI-powered data migration is solving the biggest bottleneck for businesses embracing modern AI.
Climactic's Hybrid Fund: A Realistic Fix for Hard Tech's Abyss
Senior tech editor Alex Chen weighs in on Climactic's new hybrid fund, arguing it's a pragmatic step to rescue "hard tech" from the notorious "valley of death."
The 10-Minute Myth: Why Silicon Valley's Obsession with Punctuality Misses the Point
Alex Chen, a senior tech editor, dissects the viral "10-minute early" trend. Is it a sign of genius, or just another productivity fad masking deeper anxieties?
Pixel's Play: An App, a Feature, or Just Google Being Google?
Senior tech editor Alex Chen unpacks the "app-ification" of Google Pixel's 'Now Playing'. Is this real innovation or just another chapter in Android's gatekeeping saga?
Comet's Chemical Clues: NASA Just Hit Paydirt
A cosmic blast reveals life's raw ingredients. Tech editor Alex Chen on why NASA's latest comet find is more than just pretty space dust.
ISS Back to Full Strength: Why This Matters (Beyond the Hype)
The ISS is fully staffed again after a month. Senior tech editor Alex Chen unpacks why this orbital handshake is getting so much buzz and what it means for space.
Hashimoto's Vouch: Fixing Open Source Trust, Finally?
After the XZ Utils debacle, Mitchell Hashimoto steps in with 'Vouch,' an experimental project aiming to restore trust in open-source software. Alex Chen weighs in.