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TechLinked

Meta One Plans Reach $499 a Month, Microsoft Exec Called AI Scraping Labor Theft, AI Songs Hit Spotify Artist Pages + more!

September 19, 2026 • 8m

Summary

⏱️ 6 min read

Overview

TechLinked dives into Meta's new subscription tiers, a landmark German court ruling on platform liability, explosive revelations in the NYT vs. OpenAI lawsuit showing Microsoft execs calling AI scraping 'the largest theft of labor in human history,' and AI grifters exploiting Spotify to steal royalties from real artists. The episode also covers U.S. legislative moves on piracy enforcement and AM radio mandates, ongoing Nvidia chip smuggling to China, EU child safety regulations, and quirky tech like Japan's clothing compression machines at airports.

Meta Launches Subscription Service and Faces Legal Consequences

Meta has rolled out MetaOne, a new tiered subscription program spanning Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and MetaAI, with plans ranging from $3 to $500 monthly. The timing is notable as Meta faces a German court ruling holding them liable for fraudulent investment ads posted by third parties on their platforms. While the damage amount hasn't been determined and the ruling isn't final, this case could establish important precedent for platform accountability over deceptive advertising across Europe.

  • MetaOne subscription tiers range from $3/month for individual products like WhatsApp Plus to $500/month for Max business package
  • German court ruled Meta liable for fake investment ads posted by third parties on Facebook and Instagram
  • Court ordered Meta to remove ads and pay damages, potentially setting precedent for platform liability
" I thought we weren't doing the subscription. "
" I mean, about time, right? "

Microsoft Executive Calls AI Scraping 'Largest Theft of Labor in History'

Court filings in the New York Times lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft have exposed damaging internal memos where a Microsoft director characterized AI web scraping as the largest labor theft ever. The documents reveal a 94% reduction in publisher click-through traffic and describe a 'doom loop' hurting both AI models and the web. These revelations may undermine the fair use defense that AI companies have relied on, as the commercial harm to copyright owners appears substantial and documented.

  • Microsoft Director of Applied Science Brent Hetch called AI scraping process 'the largest theft of labor in human history'
  • Internal documents show up to 94% reduction in click-through traffic to publishers
  • New York Times lawyers argue these filings destroy the fair use defense by demonstrating commercial harm
  • Scraping creates a 'doom loop' that will hurt both AI model performance and the web
" the largest theft of labor in human history "
" No, dude, that's the part you say in your head. The out loud way to say this is fair use. "
" Until the case is settled, everyone at Microsoft should get used to using the phrase fair use whenever they want to talk about stealing. "

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