Really pleased the work Jeff Horwitz and I have done to investigate Meta's child-safety shortcomings is a finalist for a The Deadline Club Public Service Award. It's an honor to be named alongside so many other talented colleagues and peers -- full list here:
deadlineclub.org/2024-awards-fi…

When PG&E neared collapse five-ish years ago, I vividly recall having conversations with folks in the industry who believed the prospect of massive fire-related liability costs was largely a California problem.

That argument no longer holds. My latest:

wsj.com/finance/invest…

SF energy folks: the next Asiento happy hour is happening tomorrow at 5 pm. Come early, come late. It'll be a good crew as usual.

Hon. Tammy Cordova (Nevada) and Patti Poppe (@PGE4Me) joined Katherine Blunt (@WSJ) to discuss her book 'California Burning,' as well as wildfire risks, and ways to ensure a safe grid. #NARUCWINTER24

Lots of good vibes in the discussion between Pacific Gas & Electric CEO Patti Poppe and Katherine Blunt here @narucwinter24. “People think I am motivated by money. I’m not motivated by money,” Poppe said.

Listen 🎧: Meta staff found that new paid subscription tools on Facebook and Instagram were being used to exploit children. Katherine Blunt tells Alex Ossola how the company addressed it. link.chtbl.com/WSJTechNewsBri…

Looking forward to speaking at the Hawaii Energy Conference in May. Lessons from the PG&E story are becoming increasingly relevant for all utilities.

mauinow.com/2024/02/21/awa…

New from me and Jeff Horwitz :

Meta launched paid subscription tools on Instagram and Facebook. Internal investigations found serious misuse by parents seeking to profit by exploiting their own children. The company pressed ahead anyway.

wsj.com/tech/meta-staf…

Book club is today (!) and while it's only open to regulatory commissioners, staff, and NARUC alums, I thought I would post the poll questions I'm going to ask about Katherine Blunt's CALIFORNIA BURNING in the 🧵 so you can all take a shot at giving your own answers!

I hope this means I’ve reached the apex by extension⚡️

Looking forward to speaking at NARUC later this month!

Always proud to work for WSJ but especially today after several colleagues’ stories were mentioned in the senate hearing.

TikTok’s data privacy failures Georgia Wells: wsj.com/tech/tiktok-pl…

Instagram enabling pedophiles Jeff Horwitz & Katherine Blunt: wsj.com/articles/insta…

At today's Senate hearing about online child safety, Ted Cruz grilled Mark Zuckerberg about our June story (led by Jeff Horwitz) showing that Instagram's algorithms connect pedophiles & promote underage sex content. At issue: A popup warning flagging CSAM w/ 'see results anyway'

I'll be speaking about California Burning at the NARUC meeting next month. Drop me a note if you plan to be there, too.

Bay Area energy & climate folks, the first monthly happy hour of 2024 will be Jan. 23 at Asiento at 5 p.m. Spread the word, all are welcome!

Talk about PG&E long enough and someone will ask why it's still investor-owned. My answer: Change has proven difficult, and it wouldn't solve everything.

Still, it's an interesting conversation, unpacked a bit in this piece about efforts to create co-ops.
powermag.com/how-pge-almost…

Had a great conversation today with KQED Forum's Alexis C. Madrigal about what PG&E's new rate hike means for the company and its customers. The undergrounding plan is a big spending driver. But cost concerns are real -- callers made that clear.

kqed.org/forum/20101018…

THUR at 9AM PT w/ Alexis C. Madrigal:

We’ll talk w/ The Wall Street Journal’s Katherine Blunt, UC Berkeley Prof. Meredith Fowlie & TURN—The Utility Reform Network’s Mark Toney about what a new rate hike means for Pacific Gas & Electric and for ratepayers.

❓What is your reaction to PG&E’s latest rate hike?
sfchronicle.com/climate/articl…

Meta insiders have been warning about the dangers of encryption for as long as the company has been working on it. Messages between adults and kids have been critical in prosecuting child sex abuse cases. Now, they're going dark.

Latest w/ Jeff Horwitz
wsj.com/tech/encryptio…

On front page today: PG&E fire victims will soon receive final compensation, but none will be made whole.

The trust this month sold its last block of shares, finalizing funds available for distribution. Total assets
top $14B, but total claims top $19B.
wsj.com/business/pg-e-…

So incredibly heartbroken over the death of my dear friend, the incomparable Rebecca Smith. She was one of The Wall Street Journal's most lauded reporters, for her work on the California energy crisis, Enron and PG&E. Please read her obit here. wsj.com/business/media… via The Wall Street Journal Katherine Blunt