At WIRED, we’ve been kinda obsessed with rogues for a long time. Like, since the early ’90s when this whole thing started. We were all about championing the subversive, disruptive side of the internet and the people who were all about pushing boundaries and stuff. Little did we know back then that these rogues would end up causing a whole mess of problems. Bad actors everywhere causing chaos online, conspiracy theorists spreading dangerous ideas, and tech billionaires with way too much power. Yeah, the same rogues who built the internet are now kinda messing things up.
In this edition of WIRED, we’re diving deep into the world of rogues. Matt Burgess is taking us into the world of Nigeria’s Yahoo Boys and this ‘scam influencer’ who’s teaching them how to pull off these crazy digital cons on unsuspecting Americans. Then there’s Andy Greenberg with a timeline of ghost guns leading up to the one allegedly used in a murder. And Evan Ratliff is telling us about the Zizians, a group of tech-savvy folks who turned into an AI-infused death cult. Yeah, things are pretty wild out there.
But it’s not all doom and gloom. We’ve got some cool stuff for you too. Like Amber Scorah, who’s helping whistleblowers share info safely. And Bluesky CEO Jay Graber, who’s all about a more democratic social internet. Plus, our Gear experts have some villainous products to show you for your supervillain lair. The world might be a mess, but we’re here to remind you that being a rogue isn’t always a bad thing. In fact, we could probably use a few more rogues right now. The ones with big dreams and the guts to challenge the status quo. Be the rogue you wanna see in the world, and know that WIRED is right there with you, rebellious spirit and all.
