Bobby Allyn Bobby Allyn is a technology correspondent at NPR based in Los Angeles.
Bobby Allyn
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Bobby Allyn

Wanyu Zhang/NPR
Bobby Allyn
Wanyu Zhang/NPR

Bobby Allyn

Reporter

Bobby Allyn is a technology correspondent based in Los Angeles.

He reports on Big Tech, startups, social media, artificial intelligence, surveillance and privacy issues, tech litigation, Silicon Valley culture and other tech-related topics.

He's covered TikTok's battle against U.S. regulators, the fraud trial of Elizabeth Holmes and Elon Musk's hostile take-over of Twitter.

He came to Los Angeles after stints in San Francisco, Washington and Philadelphia where he covered criminal justice at member station WHYY. He helped lead NPR's reporting of Bill Cosby's two criminal trials.

At other points in life, Allyn has been a staff reporter at Nashville Public Radio and daily newspapers including The Oregonian in Portland and The Tennessean in Nashville. His work has also appeared in BuzzFeed News, The Washington Post, and The New York Times.

A native of Wilkes-Barre, a former mining town in Northeastern Pennsylvania, Allyn is the son of a machinist and a church organist. He's a dedicated bike commuter and long-distance runner. He is a graduate of American University in Washington.

Story Archive

Friday

In a Supreme Court emergency hearing on Friday, lawyers for TikTok are expected to argue that banning the app will violate the free speech of 170 million American users. The Justice Department is expected to argue that the app is a national security risk. Roni Bintang/Getty Images hide caption

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Roni Bintang/Getty Images

TikTok lawyers to argue before the Supreme Court over law banning the app in the U.S.

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Wednesday

Tech industry watchers see Meta's end of fact-checking as a move to appease Trump

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Tuesday

Artificial intelligence companies are rooting on the second Trump administration.

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Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifying during the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in January 2024. Zuckerberg announced on Jan. 7, 2025 that the company would no longer work with third-party fact checking organizations. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

Meta ends fact-checks

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Friday

Is TikTok in or out in 2025? Drew Angerer/Dan Kitwood/Getty Images hide caption

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Drew Angerer/Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Saturday

Trump asks the Supreme Court to pause TikTok ban, set to go into effect in January

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Friday

The TikTok logo is seen on their building in Culver City, Calif. Damian Dovarganes/AP hide caption

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Damian Dovarganes/AP

Roundup: Clock ticks toward TikTok ban & government shutdown

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Thursday

Julie Inman Grant, Australia's top internet regulator, will be enforcing one of the strictest social media crackdowns in the world. Provided by the Australian eSafety Commission hide caption

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Provided by the Australian eSafety Commission

Supreme Court to hear TikTok's arguments against possible ban in the U.S.

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Wednesday

The TikTok Inc. building is seen in Culver City, Calif., on March 17, 2023. Damian Dovarganes/AP hide caption

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Damian Dovarganes/AP

Supreme Court agrees to hear TikTok case

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Monday

Tech executives are courting Trump

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Friday

From left to right, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on Dec. 4 at The New York Times Dealbook Summit; Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Feb. 27 in Tokyo; and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on Dec. 4 at The New York Times Dealbook Summit. Eugene Gologursky and JIJI Press/Getty Images hide caption

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Eugene Gologursky and JIJI Press/Getty Images

Tuesday

Getty Images/Image Source/Connect Images

Character.AI lawsuit

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Monday

How will Australia's teen social media actually work?

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Friday

APPEALS COURT UPHOLDS TIKTOK BAN LAW

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After President Biden signed a law banning TikTok unless it divests from its China-based owner ByteDance, the viral video app sued to block it, arguing the act violates the First Amendment rights of millions of Americans. Drew Angerer/Getty Images hide caption

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Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Monday

TikTok sale under Trump? China may allow U.S. investors to buy the app

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Wednesday

TikTok's future in the U.S. remains uncertain, with a divest-or-ban law about to take effect on Jan. 19. If TikTok's legal team is not able to defeat the law in court, one possibility that is being increasingly discussed among TikTok experts involves the sale of the service to a group of American investors. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images North America hide caption

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Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images North America

Wednesday

Bluesky, a social media alternative to X, sees huge growth after Trump's election win

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Tuesday

Jay Graber is the CEO of Bluesky, a social media site that originally started as a side project of Twitter. Provided by Bluesky/Bluesky hide caption

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Provided by Bluesky/Bluesky

Tuesday

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