tech reporter at sfgate / on signal: 628-204-5452https://bsky.app/profile/stephco.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/stephco.bsky.social/post/3m6wmh3xr6k2wCA's vast solar buildout has an issue. without somewhere to send excess power, the state often has to turn off its panels to avoid over-generation, wasting sunlight @asos.bsky.social and i dove into the effort to change that: an overhaul of the west's energy trading https://www.sfgate.com/tech/article/california-solving-solar-power-problems-21207873.php01 Dec 2025 14:14 +0000at://did:plc:bxhmllj74jslczzvpt7ingf3/app.bsky.feed.post/3m6wmh3xr6k2whttps://bsky.app/profile/stephco.bsky.social/post/3lyiny5ozf22cWhen Guido Reichstadter learned about the idea of AGI, he was terrified. But that was in college, in 2000. 25 years later, billions of dollars are flowing into the race to build that super-advanced AI. He's hunger striking in protest; here's a dispatch from Day 8. https://www.sfgate.com/tech/article/san-francisco-anthropic-hunger-strike-21039988.php10 Sep 2025 16:33 +0000at://did:plc:bxhmllj74jslczzvpt7ingf3/app.bsky.feed.post/3lyiny5ozf22chttps://bsky.app/profile/stephco.bsky.social/post/3lwhplrmwec2dWho do we blame when an AI chatbot lures a confused retiree away from his family, and in his rush to visit "her," he falls and dies? https://www.sfgate.com/tech/article/mark-zuckerberg-never-more-dangerous-20819500.php15 Aug 2025 20:39 +0000at://did:plc:bxhmllj74jslczzvpt7ingf3/app.bsky.feed.post/3lwhplrmwec2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/stephco.bsky.social/post/3lusj3jk6gs2yafter covering many, many individual biotech layoffs, I reported on the industry's wider issues: https://www.sfgate.com/tech/article/layoffs-shutdowns-bay-area-biotech-20781204.php25 Jul 2025 16:52 +0000at://did:plc:bxhmllj74jslczzvpt7ingf3/app.bsky.feed.post/3lusj3jk6gs2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/stephco.bsky.social/post/3ltmr2nsy722n"Rarely do problems that appear permanent have such simple, immediate solutions." https://www.sfgate.com/sf-culture/article/swapped-iphone-for-flip-phone-never-going-back-20762858.php10 Jul 2025 16:33 +0000at://did:plc:bxhmllj74jslczzvpt7ingf3/app.bsky.feed.post/3ltmr2nsy722nhttps://bsky.app/profile/stephco.bsky.social/post/3lsuikbx4bk2rMost experts think the U.S. is on a good path to meet energy demand with its buildup of solar and batteries. Trump thinks solar is "ugly as hell," and mostly ignores that batteries exist. here we are! https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/trump-megabill-california-energy-costs-20401692.php01 Jul 2025 00:57 +0000at://did:plc:bxhmllj74jslczzvpt7ingf3/app.bsky.feed.post/3lsuikbx4bk2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/stephco.bsky.social/post/3lsm32nhfyc26A protester, directing her ire toward potential Palantir recruits: "Don’t stain your hands with blood while you fill your pockets with money, it's not worth it." at the scene yesterday in palo alto: https://www.sfgate.com/tech/article/ice-protesters-palantir-bay-area-20396486.php27 Jun 2025 16:34 +0000at://did:plc:bxhmllj74jslczzvpt7ingf3/app.bsky.feed.post/3lsm32nhfyc26https://bsky.app/profile/stephco.bsky.social/post/3lrbh2wqeu22i"If politicians claim that they want peace, then they need to really confront the Trump administration and the federal government." an organizer said. "[They] have to draw a line in saying we cannot witness the separation of families. It’s inhumane." https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/thousands-march-sf-protest-california-ice-raids-20369532.php10 Jun 2025 17:45 +0000at://did:plc:bxhmllj74jslczzvpt7ingf3/app.bsky.feed.post/3lrbh2wqeu22ihttps://bsky.app/profile/stephco.bsky.social/post/3lqsdeqkmac2vthe GOP's massive bill has a tax cut that Bay Area tech has been desperately hoping for since Trump raised their tax bills with a "budgetary gimmick" https://www.sfgate.com/tech/article/trump-bill-gift-bay-area-hiring-20359908.php04 Jun 2025 17:29 +0000at://did:plc:bxhmllj74jslczzvpt7ingf3/app.bsky.feed.post/3lqsdeqkmac2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/stephco.bsky.social/post/3lpcjsa5afc2nMicrosoft's Bay Area layoffs include dozens of software engineers across various earning levels, state filings show they came as part of a 6,000-worker cut at the company, and shortly after CEO Satya Nadella said 20-30% of the company's code is now AI-written https://www.sfgate.com/tech/article/microsoft-layoffs-hit-bay-area-staff-20330085.php16 May 2025 17:16 +0000at://did:plc:bxhmllj74jslczzvpt7ingf3/app.bsky.feed.post/3lpcjsa5afc2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/stephco.bsky.social/post/3lojesv7ppk2y"I also realized that the Orb’s technology — which is dressed up in revolutionary language — is basically just a yassified form of Captcha." read @arianabindman.bsky.social!! on sam altman's push to scan our irises... https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/downtown-san-francisco-retail-dying-sam-altman-20307342.php06 May 2025 17:10 +0000at://did:plc:bxhmllj74jslczzvpt7ingf3/app.bsky.feed.post/3lojesv7ppk2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/stephco.bsky.social/post/3lnizfg6yek2lLawyers said that a $27.5 million privacy settlement reached last year was open for claims from basically every Californian — setting up people for a tiny payout. But so few eligible claimants filed that Tuesday's payments landed them each a healthy $156. https://www.sfgate.com/tech/article/lawsuit-californians-cash-thomson-reuters-20290760.php23 Apr 2025 20:20 +0000at://did:plc:bxhmllj74jslczzvpt7ingf3/app.bsky.feed.post/3lnizfg6yek2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/stephco.bsky.social/post/3lmnrv4skpk2jreviewed Lady Gaga's Coachella set. a triumph in every way, but especially for choreographer Parris Goebel. will remember this one forever: https://www.sfgate.com/sf-culture/article/lady-gaga-coachella-headliner-review-20272636.php13 Apr 2025 00:24 +0000at://did:plc:bxhmllj74jslczzvpt7ingf3/app.bsky.feed.post/3lmnrv4skpk2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/stephco.bsky.social/post/3ljqpbqxa4k2plistened to the first eposide of Gavin Newsom's new podcast, feat. Charlie Kirk, and was provoked to write a rare column: https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/gavin-newsom-podcast-charlie-kirk-humiliating-20207067.php07 Mar 2025 00:00 +0000at://did:plc:bxhmllj74jslczzvpt7ingf3/app.bsky.feed.post/3ljqpbqxa4k2phttps://bsky.app/profile/stephco.bsky.social/post/3lj6ccr4psk26“If I was working on an AI-driven SaaS product for Fortune 500 companies to like, automate accounting processes … imagine how much I’d have to pay people who are this smart to come in and pretend they give a f—k about that." new profile: https://www.sfgate.com/tech/article/longshot-startup-take-on-spacex-20185009.php27 Feb 2025 16:20 +0000at://did:plc:bxhmllj74jslczzvpt7ingf3/app.bsky.feed.post/3lj6ccr4psk26https://bsky.app/profile/stephco.bsky.social/post/3lixbhcaonc2oSan Francisco's lone Tesla dealership just saw four protests in an eight-day stretch https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/sf-tesla-showroom-protest-elon-musk-20184983.php24 Feb 2025 21:16 +0000at://did:plc:bxhmllj74jslczzvpt7ingf3/app.bsky.feed.post/3lixbhcaonc2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/stephco.bsky.social/post/3lhzl2v634k26in San Francisco today, workers for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau protested Musk's plan to axe the regulator, and talked up its $21 billion track record: https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/sf-protest-federal-workers-warn-musk-plan-20164099.php13 Feb 2025 01:48 +0000at://did:plc:bxhmllj74jslczzvpt7ingf3/app.bsky.feed.post/3lhzl2v634k26https://bsky.app/profile/stephco.bsky.social/post/3lhtzd6obpc2z33 bus profile!! 33 bus profile!! https://www.sfgate.com/sf-culture/article/san-francisco-stomach-flipping-hairpin-turn-20152424.php10 Feb 2025 20:47 +0000at://did:plc:bxhmllj74jslczzvpt7ingf3/app.bsky.feed.post/3lhtzd6obpc2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/stephco.bsky.social/post/3lhh4nywam22o"Phantom is a weapon with a side hustle as a DJ. His music career essentially constitutes a goodwill campaign for a morally dubious project." a great piece by @bimonthly.bsky.social: https://www.sfgate.com/sf-culture/article/sf-hottest-dj-war-machine-20136704.php05 Feb 2025 17:42 +0000at://did:plc:bxhmllj74jslczzvpt7ingf3/app.bsky.feed.post/3lhh4nywam22ohttps://bsky.app/profile/stephco.bsky.social/post/3lgw6m4xujk2aThe Bay Area tech scene-tied "Zizian" group has been linked to two recent killings, one in California and one in Vermont. from @andrewchamings.bsky.social https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/bay-area-death-cult-zizian-murders-20064333.php30 Jan 2025 00:02 +0000at://did:plc:bxhmllj74jslczzvpt7ingf3/app.bsky.feed.post/3lgw6m4xujk2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/stephco.bsky.social/post/3lgvlhslyrs25Jan. 2023: Google announced 12,000 layoffs Jan. 2024: 1,000+ more layoffs, across several teams Jan. 2025: 1,300+ workers sign onto a petition pushing for changes to how Google cuts staff The context, including an interview with the VP of @alphabetworkersunion.org : https://www.sfgate.com/tech/article/google-layoffs-petition-workers-union-20062176.php29 Jan 2025 18:20 +0000at://did:plc:bxhmllj74jslczzvpt7ingf3/app.bsky.feed.post/3lgvlhslyrs25