AI Companies Are Buying Rare Books, Scanning Them for Training Data, Then Shredding Them
Multiple AI companies are buying rare books, scanning them for training data, then shredding the originals — including irreplaceable texts.
The New York Times reports that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg attacked Anthropic and OpenAI in a new interview, accusing both companies of wanting to "tightly control A.I. development." Zuckerberg positioned Meta as the open alternative, casting his competitors as gatekeepers of a technology he argues should be more widely accessible.
Meta has built its AI strategy around open-weights model releases, and Zuckerberg's comments are a direct expression of that bet made public. By naming Anthropic and OpenAI specifically, he is making a values argument alongside a business one — and doing it at a moment when both companies are fielding increased public scrutiny.
The interview arrived the same day Sam Altman was publicly signaling caution after a security incident. That timing sharpens the contrast Meta is trying to draw: the more tightly rivals hold their systems, the more distinct Zuckerberg's openness pitch looks from the outside.
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Multiple AI companies are buying rare books, scanning them for training data, then shredding the originals — including irreplaceable texts.
Adam Mosseri says Instagram no longer requires engineers to code 40–60% of the time and has scrapped the traditional technical interview loop.
Sam Altman says AI won't shorten the workweek because humans enjoy staying busy and will just create more work to fill the time.