Inevitably, more of these situations will come up under the Trump administration, and I’m curious to see if any of Musk’s supporters end up jumping ship.
Drop-shipper
The act of drop-shipping — third-party sellers filling retail orders — exploded in popularity in the late 2010s, becoming a prominent part of online hustle culture. With the launch of TikTok ShopDrop-shipping has entered a renaissance of sorts, with more and more people using the app. Fast cash that can scale.
One of Trump’s biggest economic promises this election cycle was imposing tough tariffs on Chinese imports. If TikTok is not banned next month, the Chinese tariffs could ruin the app’s drop-shipping profits, as most of the product manufacturing is done overseas. What about drop-shippers? Where do they go next?
New Jersey drone hunters
Without much guidance or input from the government, Conspiracy theories around the The mysterious drone The drift along the eastern seaboard is believed to have gotten out of control. Just this week, real housewives star Bethenny Frankel has a Instagram video series Claiming to have a confidential Pentagon source who told him the drones were searching for nuclear material.
Now, I don’t claim to know the truth about drones, but I can see what it’s doing to people online. For the past few weeks, I’ve been monitoring one of the largest Facebook pages dedicated to solving mysteries, and what started as a place for people to share their strange sightings has turned into hysteria. . Members are accusing mods working for the Feds of hiding the “truth” (whatever that is) and encouraging others to invest in iodine pills, gas masks, and, of course, toilet paper.
It’s too early to tell, but I’ll bet these groups are already introducing emotional and disturbed people to doctrines they won’t believe. Is this what the aliens and UAP communities are waiting for? Maybe! In any case, don’t expect the faithful to believe anything the government says unless someone holds an alien corpse in front of photographers.
chat room
Last week for the podcast, we made some predictions about what the new year will bring. What do you think will happen next year as it relates to technology and its impact on politics? Send your thoughts to mail@wired.com.
Wired Reads
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What else are we reading?
🔗 The FTC issues regulations that require hotels, ticket sellers to disclose ‘junk fees’: There’s at least one political victory we can all celebrate this holiday season. This week, the Federal Trade Commission issued new rules banning hotels and ticketing services from hiding extra charges, or “junk fees.” (Washington Post)
🔗 ‘It would be brutal’: Inside Trump’s planned war on leaks and the press: The Trump administration is reportedly making new plans to go after the media, including more lawsuits and subpoena threats. (Rolling Stone)
🔗 Elon Musk and SpaceX face federal reviews after violating safety reporting rules: The US government is reviewing whether Elon Musk and SpaceX repeatedly ignored disclosure protocols that protect state secrets, such as withholding information related to meetings with foreign leaders. (New York Times)
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