Gutenberg Lab — Morning Paper

Tech has sold schools the same "transformation" promise for a century—with almost no evidence it improves learning

Speakers

Lauren Feiner (Senior Policy Reporter, The Verge — host) × Natasha Singer (Education Technology Reporter, The New York Times; Author of "Coding Kids")

Bottom line

The tech industry's promise to "democratize" and "transform" education—from Edison's 1912 film projectors to 2026 AI chatbots—follows the same script with little rigorous evidence of improved learning outcomes, and recent coding graduates now face job scarcity as the industry abruptly pivoted to AI.

3-line summary

• New York Times reporter Natasha Singer's book "Coding Kids" traces how code.org used startup tactics (viral videos, celebrity endorsements, state-by-state lobbying) to make computer science ubiquitous in US schools during the 2010s, and how the industry's sudden pivot to AI left recent graduates struggling
• Peru's 500+ schools ran One Laptop Per Child for a decade with zero improvement in educational outcomes (only increased computer use). UNESCO found "little rigorous evidence that digital technology improves educational outcomes," and most studies are funded by vendors
• College Board approved Apple (Swift) and Microsoft (Minecraft) corporate curricula for AP Computer Science Principles—something Singer notes would be unthinkable as "Pfizer AP Biology" or "ExxonMobil Environmental Science"

3 key points

1. Edison's 1912 promise repeats in every tech cycle: Thomas Edison told the New York Times in 1912 that film projectors should replace all school books because "books are boring" and movies would make kids "riveted." The same script recurs: Steve Jobs (early 1980s Apple computers will "democratize learning"), Google (Chromebooks will "democratize access"), now AI chatbots will "customize learning"—spanning over a century with the same playbook

2. Hour of Code reached 10 million students simultaneously: Former Microsoft executive and early Facebook/Uber investor Hadi Partovi launched code.org in 2013 with a viral YouTube video featuring will.i.am, Chris Bosh, and Mark Zuckerberg. In December 2013 (Computer Science Education Week), Hour of Code got over 10 million students coding simultaneously worldwide, with Microsoft, Google, and Apple holding tutorials in stores. It became an annual event. Simultaneously, code.org developed semester/year-long curricula, trained teachers, and lobbied states for CS funding/requirements—getting about 12 states to require CS for graduation

3. Recent CS graduates feel "gaslighted" by the industry's abrupt AI pivot: One student Singer interviewed said, "Every adult I met, every teacher, every neighbor since I was in first grade told me, just learn to code, and you'll have this amazing job in tech." He learned HTML in elementary school, made apps through high school, TA'd CS in college, and loved it—now he can't get interviews. "I feel like the tech industry gaslighted me, and I feel devastated that I devoted all these years to this thing that nobody cares about anymore"

Editorial perspective

The same question that medicine asks about pharma's influence on medical education—pharmaceutical companies argue doctors need to learn the latest pills to keep healthcare current, just as tech companies argue schools need the latest tools—should be askable in tech education without being labeled a "critic." As Singer notes, if learning's essence lies in "productive struggle" rather than "efficiency," the friction of deciding what flashcards to make may be the learning itself, not the AI-generated product.

AI Disclosure: Produced with AI assistance; facts and analysis reviewed by our editorial team.

Source

The Vergecast "Schools are catching onto tech's playbook" (September 10, 2026)

https://www.theverge.com/the-vergecast

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The $388M Bitget Breach: When Your Security Vendor Becomes the Attack Vector

Featuring

Kane Wark (host) × Taylor Monahan (security expert) × Austin Campbell (Ethereum Foundation) × Pablo Saptella (OPSEC founder)

Bottom line

An exchange's security posture is only as strong as its third-party vendors' operational discipline—a lesson Bitget learned when attackers exploited a zero-day in the security product meant to protect it.

3-Line Summary

• Attackers stole $388M from Bitget by exploiting a zero-day vulnerability in a third-party security product the exchange was using, accessing enough systems to push fraudulent withdrawals without triggering alerts or touching private keys directly
• The North Korean group (Trader Traitor) learned from Arbitrum's previous asset freeze and rushed off the chain within 10 minutes this time, versus sitting on Avalanche for 2-3 hours—the first demonstrable case of industry coordination changing threat actor behavior
• Thorchain claims to be "permissionless like Bitcoin/Ethereum" but distributes node software via private Discord, requires political alignment tests for operators, and its founder JP Thor has bragged on TV with a DPRK flag about "believing in sovereignty" while explicitly serving North Korean money laundering

3 Key Points

1. Third-party security vendors are the new attack surface

Pablo Saptella (OPSEC founder) notes that "your security posture is as good as your provider's OPSEC." Bitget had multi-layered defenses (infrastructure, risk controls, monitoring, nodes), but attackers exploited a zero-day in a security product to access enough systems to push bad transactions without triggering alerts. Most crypto organizations don't audit their registrars, mailing lists, or security tools—the very infrastructure meant to protect them.

2. Arbitrum's freeze changed North Korean tactics

Taylor Monahan attributes the hack to the same group behind Bybit, WazirX, Radiant, and KelpDAO breaches. The behavioral tell: attackers rushed off Arbitrum within hours (learned from previous freeze) but sat on Avalanche USDC for 2-3 hours. "Immense joy to know this industry had an impact on them"—the first time asset freezing demonstrably altered threat actor behavior.

3. Thorchain's "decentralization" is Discord-permissioned theater

Node software isn't open source—it's distributed via private Discord channel. To become an operator, you must pass a political test with "laser eyes" anti-government persona. If caught faking it, they rug your stake. Founder JP Thor went on TV with his Aston Martin helicopter and DPRK flag, bragging "I believe in sovereignty" while explicitly serving North Korean money laundering. Contrast with Tornado Cash: more decentralized, never marketed to threat actors, never directly profited—yet developers were prosecuted.

Editorial Perspective

The security vendor paradox extends beyond crypto: an organization can perfect its own systems, but if registrars, email providers, or monitoring tools operate at lower standards, they become the breach point. The most dangerous assumption may be "trusted vendor" itself—a category that deserves the same threat modeling as external attackers.

AI Disclosure: Produced with AI assistance; facts and analysis reviewed by our editorial team.

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Dedicated Device Demand vs. Corporate Investment: The Kodak Film Lesson

Featuring

David Amel (tech journalist, The Verge) × Travis Larchuk (producer, The Vergecast)

Bottom line

Consumers want dedicated devices, but companies won't invest until sustained demand is proven—Kodak's decision to forgo hundreds of millions in film production investment during the 2020-2021 demand surge exemplifies this structural tension.

3-Line Summary

Through listener questions, the hosts explored why smartphone companies don't make digital cameras, whether Apple should revive the iPod, the viability of an E Ink foldable iPhone, and how AI-powered hacking and impersonation threaten Internet trust. David Amel explained that glass lens manufacturing creates a natural moat around camera companies, that "weekend phone" manufacturers have all failed, and that—like pre-HTTPS cache poisoning attacks—if users can't trust website authenticity, "you're just not gonna use the Internet at all." Travis shared being personally impersonated by AI and noted NPR now publishes scam warnings on its website.

3 Key Points

Kodak's Film Investment Hesitation Reveals Market Structure

When film photography demand exploded in 2020-2021, Kodak couldn't meet demand and prices rose—yet the company refused to invest "hundreds of millions of dollars" in new film production capacity, choosing instead to "wait out a few years" to confirm the trend wasn't a fad. This decision explains why tech companies won't revive iPods or digital cameras despite vocal consumer interest: the risk of infrastructure investment is too high for what may be temporary nostalgia.

AI Impersonation Reaches Institutional Scale

NPR now publishes warnings at the bottom of its website stating they won't ask potential guests for money. Travis himself has been impersonated by AI, and The Verge's publisher was recently spoofed in a phishing attempt. This suggests routine communications may soon require out-of-band authentication like in-person code words to verify identity.

Internet Trust as Binary, Not Gradual

David drew parallels to pre-HTTPS era cache poisoning attacks, arguing that "if you can't trust that the website that you're going to is the real version of that website, you're just not gonna use the Internet at all." This suggests even modest increases in AI-powered hacking (caller Eli Johnson's hypothetical 10-15%) could trigger non-linear behavioral changes, not gradual degradation.

Editorial Perspective

The dedicated device resurgence and AI-era trust crisis appear unrelated but may be two sides of the same coin. People seeking physical iPods and film cameras might be responding to a digital world approaching "can't tell what's real from what's fake" territory. Kodak's investment hesitation was rational, but that rationality doesn't resolve consumer anxiety—and therein lies the difficulty of this moment.

AI Disclosure: Produced with AI assistance; facts and analysis reviewed by our editorial team.

Source: The Vergecast "We answer your questions about an iPod comeback, an E Ink iPhone Duo, and more" (October 1, 2026)

https://www.theverge.com/the-vergecast