IT General

In these times of necessity, that old laptop gathering dust in your drawer isn't just junk—it's a goldmine. Those old hard drives might have a lot of life left in them.

Entrepreneur Matt Shumer's essay, "Something Big Is Happening," is going mega-viral on X, where it's been viewed 42 million times and counting.

The piece warns that rapid advancements in the AI industry over the past few weeks threaten to change the world as we know it. Shumer specifically likens the present moment to the weeks and months preceding the COVID-19 pandemic, and says most people won't hear the warning "until it's too late."

We've heard warnings like this before from AI doomers, but Shumer wants us to believe that this time the ground really is shifting beneath our feet.

"But it's time now," he writes. "Not in an 'eventually we should talk about this' way. In a 'this is happening right now and I need you to understand it' way."

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Unfortunately for Shumer, we've heard warnings like this before. We've heard it over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over. In the long run, some of these predictions will surely come true — a lot of people who are a lot smarter than me certainly believe they will — but I'm not changing my weekend plans to build a bunker.

The AI industry now has a massive Chicken Little problem, which is making it hard to take dire warnings like this too seriously. Because, as I've written before, when an AI entrepreneur tells you that AI is a world-changing technology on the order of COVID-19 or the agricultural revolution, you have to take this message for what it really is — a sales pitch.

Don't make me tap my sign.

Why people are so worried about AI right now

Shumer's essay claims that the latest generative AI models from OpenAI and Anthropic are already capable of doing much of his job.

"Here's the thing nobody outside of tech quite understands yet: the reason so many people in the industry are sounding the alarm right now is because this already happened to us. We're not making predictions. We're telling you what already occurred in our own jobs, and warning you that you're next."

The post clearly struck a nerve on X. Across the political spectrum, high-profile accounts with millions of followers are sharing the post as an urgent warning.

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To understand Shumer's post, you need to understand big concepts like AGI and the Singularity. AGI, or artificial general intelligence, is a hypothetical AI program that "possesses human-like intelligence and can perform any intellectual task that a human can." The Singularity refers to a threshold at which technology becomes self-improving, allowing it to progress exponentially.

Shumer is correct that there are good reasons to think that progress has been made toward both AGI and the Singularity.

OpenAI's latest coding model, GPT-5.3-Codex, helped create itself. Anthropic has made similar claims about recent product launches. And there's no denying that generative AI is now so good at writing code that it's decimated the job market for entry-level coders.

It is absolutely true that generative AI is progressing rapidly and that it will surely have big impacts on everyday life, the labor market, and the future.

Even so, it's hard to believe a weather report from Chicken Little. And it's harder still to believe everything a car salesman tells you about the amazing new convertible that just rolled onto the sales lot.

Indeed, as Shumer's post went viral, AI skeptics joined the fray.

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There are a lot of reasons to be skeptical of Shumer's claims. In the essay, he provides two specific examples of generative AI's capabilities — its ability to conduct legal reasoning on par with top lawyers, and its ability to create, test, and debug apps.

Let's look at the app argument first:

I'll tell the AI: "I want to build this app. Here's what it should do, here's roughly what it should look like. Figure out the user flow, the design, all of it." And it does. It writes tens of thousands of lines of code. Then, and this is the part that would have been unthinkable a year ago, it opens the app itself. It clicks through the buttons. It tests the features. It uses the app the way a person would. If it doesn't like how something looks or feels, it goes back and changes it, on its own. It iterates, like a developer would, fixing and refining until it's satisfied. Only once it has decided the app meets its own standards does it come back to me and say: "It's ready for you to test." And when I test it, it's usually perfect.

I'm not exaggerating. That is what my Monday looked like this week.

Is this impressive? Absolutely!

At the same time, it's a running joke in the tech world that you can already find an app for everything. ("There's an app for that.") That means coding models can model their work off tens of thousands of existing applications. Is the world really going to be irrevocably changed because we now have the ability to create new apps more quickly?

Let's look at the legal claim, where Shumer says that AI is "like having a team of [lawyers] available instantly." There's just one problem: Lawyers all over the country are getting censured for actually using AI. A lawyer tracking AI hallucinations in the legal profession found 912 documented cases so far.

It's hard to swallow warnings about AGI when even the most advanced LLMs are still completely incapable of fact-checking. According to OpenAI's own documentation, its latest model, GPT-5.2, has a hallucination rate of 10.9 percent. Even when given access to the internet to check its work, it still hallucinates 5.8 percent of the time. Would you trust a person that only hallucinates six percent of the time?

Yes, it's possible that a rapid leap forward is imminent. But it's also possible that the AI industry will rapidly reach a point of diminishing returns. And there are good reasons to believe the latter is likely. This week, OpenAI introduced ads into ChatGPT, a tactic it previously called a "last resort." OpenAI is also rolling out a new "ChatGPT adult" mode to let people engage in erotic roleplay with Chat. That's hardly the behavior of a company that's about to unleash AI super-intelligence onto an unsuspecting world.

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This article reflects the opinion of the author.

Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April 2025 filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.

If you haven't already figured it out, I'm talking about the one and only Winamp. For all of the 2000s and a good chunk of the 2010s, Winamp was one of the first apps that I installed on a fresh Windows installation or new computer. This one app was literally the soundtrack to my life for all those years. Whether I was studying or just chilling with my friends.

TL;DR: We found the best deals on Valentine's Day candy at Amazon and Target, including budget-friendly classroom exchange packs and premium gifts from Lindt and Ferrero Rocher.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Amazon's Valentine's Day Shop   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Target Target's Valentine's Day Shop   Get Deal

Valentine's Day is this Saturday, but you haven't missed the window for the good stuff just yet. If you're still hunting for sweets, the strategy is simple: go to Target for the kids and Amazon for the adults.

Target has completely cornered the market on "classroom exchange" packs. You can grab 25-count boxes of Haribo Goldbears, Fun Dip, and Nerds Gummy Clusters that come pre-labeled with "To/From" tags. With prices ranging from $3.99 to $5.99, it's the most cost-effective way to host a school party. Plus, you can order online and grab your haul via Order Pickup in as little as two hours.

If you're looking for something a little more "grown up," Amazon has a ton of premium options with overnight shipping. I found markdowns on Ferrero Rocher gift boxes and Lindt Lindor truffles, plus harder-to-find treats like Whitman's S'mores chocolates and Leonessa Dubai Chocolate Cones.

The best Breville deals from the Amazon Presidents' Day sale at a glance: Best Splurge Breville Deal Breville Barista Touch $799.95 (save $200) Get Deal Best Midpriced Breville Deal Breville Barista Express Impress $399.95 (save $100) Get Deal Best Budget Breville Deal Breville Bambino Plus $399.95 (save $100) Get Deal

There's nothing quite like a morning cup of coffee. It's even better when you make it yourself. If you've been considering picking up a machine to do just that, you may want to turn your attention to the Amazon Presidents' Day sale, where several Breville machines have been discounted for your coffee-brewing pleasure.

From luxurious espresso machines with built-in steamers to more budget-priced models that can still whip up something delicious each morning, these deals are well worth perusing while you're enjoying your time away from work, heading out on a trip, or even going to the office this Monday (bummer).

Check out out favorite picks from the sale below:

Best splurge Breville espresso machine deal Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Breville Barista Touch $799.95 at Amazon
$999.95 Save $200   Get Deal Why we like it

For at-home espresso that's just like it is at the coffee shop, this machine is your best bet.

You get a delightful cup with a single touch and extremely limited input as the machine does all the work for you. Using the four keys formula, it uses a conical burr grinder with dose control to deliver the optimal amount of coffee to get you the most flavor possible. It also controls its own water pressure, temperature, and infusion time without needing you to tweak any settings for a truly autonomous brew. If you prefer coffee drinks with milk, it has automatic microfoam milk texturing as well, which lets you adjust the tempeature of the milk and texture if you prefer, but it can handle all that on its own as well.

From straight espresso to latte art, this machine can get you what you want in just minutes, so you don't have to leave home to get the taste you're craving.

Best mid-range Breville espresso machine deal Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Breville Barista Express Impress $649.95 at Amazon
$799.95 Save $150   Get Deal Why we like it

If you're looking for a reliable way to whip up a great espresso every day, this machine is a fantastic investment. It uses a dosing system that calculates and adjusts the amount of coffee it needs to deploy every shot. Combined with assisted tamping for consistent pressure for each cup as well as 25 grind settings to customize your brew, it's a powerhouse that will get you exactly what you're looking for a personalized brew.

It also includes a steam wand that's attached to the machine to steam milk for other types of coffee drinks. And you'll get all of this at the perfect temperature thanks to the Thermocoil heating system, which can keep the temperature, flow rate, and contact time consistent enough for barista-quality coffee right from your kitchen every morning.

Best budget Breville espresso machine deal Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Breville Bambino Plus $399.95 at Amazon
$499.95 Save $100   Get Deal Why we like it

If you want at-home espresso without breaking the bank, this smaller Breville machine will be your go-to pick. It still offers many of the same features you'll get with a larger machine, but you don't have the huge footprint in the kitchen. It's fast, compact, and simple to use, though it doesn't offer an included wand for milk-infused drinks nor the capacity of its larger brethren.

More Breville Amazon President's Day deals

• Breville Juice Fountain Compact — $79.95 $149.95 (save $70)

• Breville Juice Fountain Plus — $119.95 $149.95 (save $30)

James Van Der Beek has died at the age of 48 following a long battle with colorectal cancer. His wife, Kimberly, confirmed the tragic news in a heartfelt Instagram post. Van Der Beek publicly announced his cancer diagnosis in 2024 and shared health updates over the past year. Van Der Beek was the father of six children.

Amazon may be the next tech giant trying to help AI companies get their hands on publisher content.

According to TechCrunch, citing original reporting from The Information, Amazon is considering launching a marketplace that would allow media companies to license their content directly to AI firms. The company has reportedly been meeting with publishing executives and circulating slides ahead of an AWS conference that reference a "content marketplace," per The Information.

SEE ALSO: Why so many people hate Ring's 'Search Party' Super Bowl ad

When reached by TechCrunch, Amazon didn’t deny the plans but stopped short of confirming them, saying only that it works with publishers across AWS, retail, advertising, AGI, and Alexa and has "nothing specific to share." The move also comes amid mounting lawsuits and scrutiny over how AI models are trained on copyrighted material.

The proposal is notable given the increasingly tense relationship between publishers and AI companies. As Mashable has previously reported, investigations have accused Common Crawl — a nonprofit web archive used by major AI developers — of enabling access to paywalled journalism, claims the organization denies. At the same time, AI web browsers like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Atlas, and Perplexity’s Comet have reportedly been able to bypass some publisher paywalls by blending in with regular user traffic. If publishers don't want Google to use their content for AI training, they have to opt out of appearing in Google search results altogether.

Publishers have described the situation as a traffic apocalypse, with AI summaries siphoning clicks and revenue. A centralized marketplace could offer what some executives see as a more scalable, structured way to monetize content as AI usage grows.

Whether Amazon actually launches the marketplace remains to be seen. However, after years of scraping, lawsuits, and uneasy partnerships, Big Tech increasingly appears ready to put a price tag on the internet.

Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April 2025 filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.

There are two sides to the Netflix equation. On one hand, the streamer adds a new selection of movies every month. Independence Day, Mrs. Doubtfire, and Zero Dark Thirty all arrived at the beginning of February. Unfortunately, the influx of new movies means that several popular titles must leave.

There's a pretty good chance that the computer you currently use doesn't have any hard drives with spinning magnetic platters inside it. Solid State Drives (SSDs) have matured enough that they've essentially replaced hard drives when it comes to running operating systems and software.

UniFi Drive is the network attached storage solution for UniFi NAS and UNAS systems, allowing you to set up shared folders to access from any device. Now, it's getting a significant update that includes automatic photo backups from iPhone and iPad.

Wireless Android Auto adapters promise a cleaner dashboard and a more seamless driving experience, eliminating the need to plug in your phone every time you get behind the wheel. On paper, it sounds like the perfect upgrade, especially for drivers who rely heavily on navigation, music streaming, and hands-free communication.

TL;DR: Live stream Sweden vs. Italy in men's ice hockey for free on CBC Gem. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.99 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

Winter ice hockey is showcasing some incredible matchups between the best international sides, including Sweden vs. Italy. The hosts are going into this matchup as underdogs, but anything can happen in a tournament like this. Sweden will need to be at their best to gain victory and take one step towards qualification from the group stage.

If you want to watch Sweden vs. Italy in men's ice hockey for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Sweden vs. Italy?

Sweden vs. Italy in men's ice hockey takes place at 3:10 p.m. ET on Feb. 11. This fixture takes place at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.

How to watch Sweden vs. Italy for free

Sweden vs. Italy in men's ice hockey is available to live stream for free on CBC Gem.

CBC Gem is geo-restricted to Canada, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These handy tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Canada, meaning you can access free live streams of the 2026 winter sports ice hockey from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Sweden vs. Italy in men's ice hockey for free by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Canada

4. Visit CBC Gem

5. Watch Sweden vs. Italy for free from anywhere in the world

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to free live streams without committing with your cash. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you time to watch the ice hockey before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for CBC Gem?

ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including Canada

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure

• Fast connection speeds

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).

Live stream Sweden vs. Italy in men's ice hockey for free with ExpressVPN.

The price of the average new car now exceeds $50,000. As a result, many Americans are holding onto their current cars longer than ever. A study by S&P Global Mobility found that in 2025, the average age of a vehicle in the U.S. was 12.8 years.

A long time ago, in the burgeoning smartphone era, Google launched Android 4.2 Jelly Bean on the Nexus 4. Along with it came a brand new camera mode called "Photo Sphere," which allowed for taking full 360-degree photos. It was a big hit, but Google removed the feature in 2023, and that's a shame.

The 'Burbs is back! Inspired by the 1989 Tom Hanks cult classic, this Peacock TV series stars Keke Palmer, Jack Whitehall, Paula Pell, Mark Proksch, Julia Duffy, and Kapil Talwalkar as a batch of surbanites who have suspicions about the rotting Victorian house on their block.

New to the neighborhood, Samira (Palmer) is eager to make friends with her nosy neighbors. But when she learns of the cold case of a missing girl — that her husband was friends with — she begins to get her snoop on. Wild turns will be had, along with sardines and lots of laughs.

Mashable Entertainment Editor Kristy Puchko spoke with Palmer, Duffy, Talwalkar, and The 'Burbs creator Celeste Hughey. For Puchko, the dark comedy of the movie was all the more exciting because she snuck watching it past her parents. So, she asked this 'Burbs cast what they remembered covertly watching without parental guidance.

Then of course, they talked tinned fish! This savory snack is having a moment on TikTok, where creators are rolling out serving suggestions for sardines and other tinned seafood. Of course, sardines were a pivotal element in The 'Burbs then, and they're in the new series too! Lucky for Palmer, she's a fan. And she knows where to go to get tinned fish for cheap.

The 'Burbs is now streaming on Peacock.

Having trouble following the latest Epstein Files revelations?

Every few weeks now it seems like there's a new release of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein and his ties to the powerful, rich, and famous. Each new document dump sends shockwaves across the tech, political, and entertainment world. For example, OpenAI lost a member of its board, Larry Summers, after he resigned following November's email release, which revealed he was in close contact with Epstein. And, of course, Saturday Night Live, The Daily Show, and others can't help but cover the more interesting revelations.

Most recently in the Epstein Files saga, the Department of Justice released a new batch of 3.5 million pages of documents on Jan. 30, which includes 180,000 new images and 2,000 video files.

As before, the new Epstein emails and documents are basically just millions of individual text files, scanned PDFs, and images containing the contents of those emails. It's hard to sift through.

That is, it was hard to sift through until Jmail came along.

What is Jmail?

In November 2025, right after that month's Epstein Files dump from the House Oversight Committee, Riley Walz, who Wired describes as a "prankster," and developer Luke Igel released Jmail, a recreation of Epstein's email inbox. Jmail is essentially a Gmail clone interface that looks and acts as if you're viewing Epstein's emails via his jeevacation@gmail account through his actual email inbox.

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But Jmail isn't just visually stunning in its presentation of these Epstein emails. It actually makes the emails incredibly easy to search through as well. The search box at the top of the page can actually be used to find names, keywords, and other information in specific emails. The Inbox and Sent pages separate the emails that Epstein both sent and received. The Starred page acts as a crowdsourced compilation of what visitors found to be the most interesting missives. A People section in the sidebar presents itself as a contact list of all the most notable individuals who interacted with Epstein in the emails included in this dump.

Jmail is really an ingenious project that combines art and web development to create a journalistic research tool.

And since its release, Jmail has only expanded.

See the latest Epstein Files in Jmail

Jmail's creators have added every new Epstein Files Release to the Jmail archive, so even the latest released Epstein emails can be viewed as if you have unauthorized access to Epstein's personal Gmail account.

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Besides adding the latest releases in the Epstein Files, Jmail's creators have been busy creating new Google-inspired features.

Jmail now offers the whole "suite" of Google products, too. JPhotos is a Google Photos clone filled with all the photos that have been released with the documents. JDrive showcases PDFs and other Epstein-related files that have been released in a Google Drive format. JFlights maps out Epstein's travels. Jamazon provides an Amazon-like design for Epstein's Amazon order history. Jotify clones Spotify in order to deliver streams of all the audio files released with the documents. JMessage gives visitors an easy way to follow the text messages Epstein was sending to his contacts.

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There's even Jemini, a Gemini clone, which provides an AI chatbot for users to ask Epstein document-related questions.

According to Jmail's founder, the site has become so popular that it crossed 450 million pageviews as of Feb. 9.

UPDATE: Feb. 11, 2026, 1:55 p.m. EST This piece has been updated since it was originally published on November 21, 2025. We've added additional context about

AI-generated content, which some call slop, is everywhere. And the 2026 Winter Olympics are no exception, now that Czech ice dancers have come under fire for using AI-generated music in their routine.

In the run-up to the Olympics, Czech pair Katerina Mrazkova and Daniel Mrazek caught flak for using an AI song that appeared to rip off the 1998 New Radicals hit "You Get What You Give". (Journalist Shana Bartels has covered that saga in depth.)

Here is the Czech pair dancing to their AI rip-off of You Get What You Give, replaced for the Olympics by an AI song with “original” lyrics that sounds pretty much the same

[image or embed]

— Rodger Sherman (@rodger.bsky.social) February 10, 2026 at 9:44 AM

Mrazkova and Mrazek didn't use that tune again in Milan — but they did use another AI generated piece. One with lyrics that appear to, uh, closely mirror the Bon Jovi track "Raise Your Hands."

The back half of their routine used music created by actual humans, specifically the rock classic "Thunderstruck" by AC/DC. But that didn't stop online criticism from viewers, who found it particularly galling in a sport known for its human artistry.

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In the end, the AI music wasn't a successful ploy. The Czech pair scored a middling 72.09, which put them out of the medal race.

Linux Mint has been a popular Linux distribution based on Ubuntu and Debian for years, with new versions coming (roughly) every six months. That might change in the future, though.

TL;DR: Live stream Bayern Munich vs. RB Leipzig in the DFB-Pokal for free on ServusTV. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Domestic football in Europe is turning its attention towards cup competitions this week. We've got some huge FA Cup games on the schedule this weekend, but before that, the Copa del Rey and DFB-Pokal are showcasing some massive matchups. This lineup of games includes Bayern Munich vs. RB Leipzig.

Bayern Munich have a decent lead at the top of the Bundesliga standings, but they've shown some signs of weakness lately. Still, they go into almost every game as favorites. Any team with Harry Kane, Michael Olise, and Luis Díaz is going to be tough to beat. RB Leipzig have a lot of talent, but they'll need to be at their absolute best to make it through to the DFB-Pokal semi finals.

If you want to watch Bayern Munich vs. RB Leipzig in the DFB-Pokal from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Bayern Munich vs. RB Leipzig?

Bayern Munich vs. RB Leipzig in the DFB-Pokal kicks off at 2:45 p.m. ET on Feb. 11. This fixture takes place at the Allianz Arena.

How to watch Bayern Munich vs. RB Leipzig for free

Bayern Munich vs. RB Leipzig in the DFB-Pokal is available to live stream for free on ServusTV.

ServusTV is geo-restricted to Austria, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Austria, meaning you can unblock ServusTV to live stream the DFB-Pokal for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Bayern Munich vs. RB Leipzig in the DFB-Pokal for free by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Austria

4. Visit ServusTV

5. Watch Bayern Munich vs. RB Leipzig for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can access free live streams of the DFB-Pokal without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream Bayern Munich vs. RB Leipzig in the DFB-Pokal before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for ServusTV?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on ServusTV, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including Austria

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).

Live stream Bayern Munich vs. RB Leipzig in the DFB-Pokal for free with ExpressVPN.

When a 5 p.m. PT ransom deadline passed this week in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, investigators were still grappling with a crucial uncertainty: Was the Bitcoin demand real — and if so, who sent it?

In two unverified notes sent to media outlets, the sender claimed to have abducted the 84-year-old mother of Today Show host Savannah Guthrie and set a deadline for her family to pay a ransom in Bitcoin. Law enforcement officials have said they are taking the messages seriously but have not confirmed their authenticity or received proof of life. There is no evidence that the Guthrie family was targeted for holding cryptocurrency.

SEE ALSO: Elon Musk's X bans 'InfoFi' crypto projects for posting AI slop and reply spam

Authorities have said they do not know why she was taken or whether her daughter’s fame played a role. But the demand for Bitcoin — regardless of motive — reflects a broader global shift in how criminals seek ransom payments.

While high-profile kidnappings are extremely rare in the United States, organized crime syndicates in Latin America, Asia, and West Africa are known to engage in kidnapping. This has led to a growing kidnapping insurance industry. And for kidnappers, cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin is an attractive vehicle for ransom payments, for a variety of reasons. There is no evidence that the Guthrie family was targeted for holding cryptocurrency.

"Bitcoin is much easier to launder than cash," YouTuber and crypto investigator Stephen Findeisen, known online as Coffeezilla, wrote in an email to Mashable. "A Bitcoin wallet you can create brand new, receive your demand money without it being traced to you personally, and then launder via mixers, privacy coins, or decentralized exchanges that don’t implement KYC (know your customer) restrictions."

Another appeal, experts say, is the irreversibility of crypto exchanges.

Paul Sibenik, CEO of Cryptoforensic Investigators, explained that from a kidnapper’s perspective, Bitcoin eliminates many of the friction points associated with traditional ransom payments. "No need for an in-person meeting or cash drop… entirely digital," he wrote to Mashable over email. Unlike bank wires, which can sometimes be reversed or flagged, "the Bitcoin transaction, once posted to the blockchain, cannot be reversed and it's immutable."

He added that there is "no custodian or entity that could freeze the Bitcoin in the kidnappers' wallet," meaning once the funds move, they move for good.

That finality is central to the appeal. According to Chainalysis data cited by the BBC, more than $3.4 billion in cryptocurrency was stolen in 2025, with an estimated $713 million tied to hacks, scams, or coercion of individuals. Attacks targeting individuals have doubled in recent years.

Physical extortion has followed the money. A 2025 security assessment warned that "crypto kidnappings are happening weekly," as criminals turn to violence to extract digital wealth that cannot be clawed back once transferred.

Sibenik noted that while Bitcoin is traceable on the public ledger, that doesn’t necessarily deter criminals. "Just because Bitcoin is much more traceable doesn't mean that it would be much harder to launder Bitcoin than cash," he wrote, pointing to loosely regulated exchanges and services that can obscure trails.

In Nancy Guthrie’s case, investigators are still trying to determine whether the person demanding Bitcoin is even connected to her disappearance. Retired FBI agents told ABC News that negotiators would typically seek proof of life before any payment is considered.

For now, the motive behind her abduction remains unclear. What is clear is that Bitcoin has become a default ransom currency — not necessarily because victims are crypto holders, but because criminals increasingly view it as the most efficient way to get paid.