This week in tech policy, Congress is set to scrutinize both the risks and opportunities of the digital age. The Senate will hear explosive whistleblower allegations that Meta suppressed research on child safety, while another panel takes up America’s broader AI action plan and its global competitiveness. Meanwhile, major developments off Capitol Hill—from Anthropic’s $1.5 billion copyright settlement to California’s latest AI transparency push, Google’s multibillion-dollar EU fine, and mounting state pressure on OpenAI—highlight how questions of safety, accountability, and market power are shaping the future of technology.

In this week’s Nimitz Tech:

• White House: When Silicon Valley’s biggest names line up to flatter Trump at the White House, it’s less about tech—and all about power.

• Chat: After suicides tied to ChatGPT, state attorneys general warn OpenAI: safety isn’t optional—it’s the law.

• EU: Europe just slapped Google with a $3.5 billion fine—and hinted only a breakup can fix its ad-tech monopoly.

WHO’S HAVING EVENTS THIS WEEK?

September 9, 2025

Senate Judiciary: “Hearing to examine whistleblower allegations that Meta buried child safety research.” at 2:30pm. Watch here.

September 10, 2025

Senate Commerce: “Hearing to examine America's AI action plan.” at 10:00am. Watch here.

TECH NEWS DRIVING THE WEEK

In Washington

• At a White House dinner on September 4, 2025, Donald Trump hosted top tech executives including Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Tim Cook, Satya Nadella, Sam Altman, and others, who offered conspicuous praise and commitments to U.S. investment while carefully avoiding controversial topics like immigration, tariffs, or environmental costs. The event, broadcast in part on C-SPAN, showcased Big Tech leaders competing for Trump’s favor, echoing his past displays of power with cabinet officials. Executives highlighted billions in U.S. spending and lauded the administration’s AI initiatives, while Oracle’s Safra Catz delivered particularly effusive praise. The spectacle underscored the uneasy alliance between Silicon Valley’s most powerful and a president undermining democratic norms, suggesting that in this relationship, principle takes a back seat to raw power.

• Anthropic has agreed to pay $1.5 billion to settle a lawsuit with authors and publishers who accused the AI company of illegally downloading millions of copyrighted books, marking the largest copyright payout in U.S. history. The case, which followed Judge William Alsup’s ruling that training AI on legally acquired books is “fair use” but using pirated libraries like Library Genesis is not, highlights the growing legal risks for AI companies reliant on massive datasets. The settlement, which pays $3,000 per work to 500,000 authors, underscores the industry’s “Napster moment” as courts, creators, and tech firms wrestle over the boundaries of copyright and AI training. Though not setting legal precedent, the deal is expected to influence other cases and push companies toward licensed data use, even as Anthropic insists pirated works never powered its publicly released models.

National

• California and Delaware attorneys general issued a sharp warning to OpenAI, citing “serious concerns” about safety practices following lawsuits and reports linking ChatGPT to multiple recent suicides, including those of a 16-year-old boy and a Connecticut man who killed himself and his mother. In a letter to OpenAI’s board, AGs Rob Bonta and Kathleen Jennings stressed that safety must be a non-negotiable priority, particularly for children, and tied their demands to ongoing talks about the company’s corporate restructuring. OpenAI responded by pledging new crisis-response protocols and teen protections, while board chair Bret Taylor emphasized the company’s commitment to safety and cooperation with policymakers. The scrutiny highlights mounting pressure on AI firms as regulators demand stronger safeguards in the wake of tragic incidents and amid wider concerns about risks to vulnerable users.

• Anthropic, maker of the Claude chatbot, has become the first major AI company to endorse California state Sen. Scott Wiener’s new AI transparency bill, which would require large AI firms to disclose safety testing protocols. The legislation, a pared-down version of Wiener’s failed 2024 effort, has been softened through industry consultations and exempts smaller companies, while protecting whistleblowers who reveal risky system behaviors. CEO Dario Amodei praised the measure for advancing transparency without imposing rigid technical mandates, aligning with Anthropic’s long-standing push for disclosure frameworks. If passed and signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom—who vetoed last year’s version—the bill could shape national AI safety debates while influencing both Wiener’s and Newsom’s political futures.

International

• The European Union fined Google €2.95 billion ($3.5 billion) for abusing its dominance in the ad-tech market by favoring its own services, marking the fourth multibillion-euro penalty against the company since 2017. Regulators ordered Google to end self-preferencing and address conflicts of interest in its advertising supply chain, warning that a structural remedy, including a forced sale of parts of its ad-tech business, may be the only solution. Google vowed to appeal, calling the decision “wrong” and harmful to European businesses, while former President Trump denounced the fine as an attack on U.S. jobs and investments. The ruling, which follows years of investigation into Google’s AdX and DFP platforms, intensifies global regulatory pressure as U.S., U.K., and Canadian authorities pursue parallel antitrust cases, raising the prospect of breakups on both sides of the Atlantic.

FOR FUN

• ⚖️ Free One-on-One Legal Advice at the Small Business Brief Advice Legal Clinic (Waterfront) (9/10)

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