Transcript of Websites Go Offline, Protests in France, Netflix Downsizes

AI found a flaw in the code that runs most internet servers.

Businesses and governments around the world scrambled to fix it this week before hackers got there.

I'm Ayesha Rascoe.

And I'm Scott Simon, and this is Up First from NPR News.

A really bad week in cybersecurity showed us how much of the internet is vulnerable to powerful AI.

And authorities in France hope to avoid more vandalism and looting this weekend with hordes of police officers on Young people in France continue to demand better schools.

And mass layoffs at Netflix as viewers turn to YouTube and TikTok.

So please stay with us. We've got the news you need to start your weekend.

Internet security researchers made a startling discovery 2 months ago. a vulnerability in the code that most of our servers use. They tried to keep it secret as they raced to fix it, but that didn't stop chaos from spreading across the internet over the past couple of days.

Kevin Roose is the co-host of the new podcast from NPR about AI called Machine Gods. Kevin, thanks for being with us.

Thanks for having me, Scott.

What's happened?

Well, we found out this week that there was a big bug in a very important piece of decades-old software called PHP. Now, for non-technical people, PHP runs on something like 70% of the websites on the internet. And this week we learned it had 2 flaws that would let someone take over any computer that was running a website without a password and without leaving any fingerprints. So basically imagine that 70% of the doors in the world ran on the same locks, and then we figured out that there was a way to pry open that lock and get in, and we need a bunch of new locks for a bunch of doors.

And as I understand it, researchers used AI to discover this hole?

They did, yes. Researchers used AI to discover this hole. The issue is that You need to now patch all of the systems that are running PHP, maybe on an older version, because now we also have these AI tools that can quickly exploit vulnerabilities like this. So there's a little bit of a cat and mouse game going on. Defenders try to patch the systems before the offenders can get in.

So it sounds like you have 2, 2 or maybe more rivalrous groups, all of them using AI, half of them to cause problems, half of them to solve them.

Yeah, I hope it's something like only, you know, half and half. But what we're seeing now is a much bigger problem because it is not just PHP. Yeah. These AI tools have gotten so good at coding that they have also gotten very good at finding the flaws and bugs in code. And there are a lot of those bugs out there. So some researchers are calling this Black October because there have been so many major incidents, cybersecurity threats, just in the last couple of weeks because of these AI tools and what they allow us to discover.

And what kind of cybersecurity threats?

They're finding vulnerabilities and exploitable holes in very core pieces of software, pieces of software that people have been using for decades. Things like bank systems, things like Node.js, Plex. I mean, I could go on, but basically these are sort of the big sort of pieces of infrastructure that underlie most of the modern world. And researchers who study these systems are finding a record number of flaws just in the last few months because these AI systems are now able to go out and just be very persistent and try and try and try different ways of picking these digital locks until they find the way in.

Sounds like it's only going to get worse.

Well, the good news is that over the long term, it may get better. We may have much more secure systems once all these bugs have been fixed. But people I talk to in the security industry say they expect that for the next year or two, every week is going to feel like a new crisis as these AI tools crawl over more of the internet and try to figure out what's broken or

What can be done?

Well, for individuals, I think now is a great time to check up on your own security, to change your passwords if you haven't rotated them in a while, to use a password manager, take more precautions with things like using unique passwords and updating the software that runs on your devices. I don't think it's time to panic for most people, but if you run a small website or your organization hasn't checked in on its security in a while, in a while, this would be a really good time to do that. There are going to be a lot of new pieces of software patches and fixes to these vulnerabilities that need to get installed very quickly. This is crunch time for people who worry about cybersecurity, and this is something that I think a lot of people in the AI industry have been expecting to, to happen, but maybe not this quickly.

Kevin Roose is co-host of a new podcast about AI called Machine Gods. Kevin, thanks so much for joining us.

Thanks for having me.

And Machine Gods is available now wherever you get your podcasts.

There are some 70,000 police on the streets in French cities today, including elite units, to make sure another round of protests don't turn violent. Last week, the destruction and looting on the periphery of demonstrations shocked the world. President Emmanuel Macron, in his last 6 months in office, has been widely criticized for letting the protests get out of hand.

NPR's Eleanor Beardsley joins us now from Paris. Eleanor, thanks for being with us.

You're welcome, Scott.

We can hear the protests around you. What are you seeing?

Well, absolutely. thick, coarse stream of protesters going down this boulevard. I've kind of pulled back to a side street. But there are just thousands, tens of thousands of people, young, old— a lot of young, but middle-aged. Today it's actually being led by the Yellow Vests. That's that white working-class movement that dogged Macron, President Emmanuel Macron, during his first term. They and others like union workers and public sector workers have joined the student movement, which began for more teachers and better facilities, but it's ballooned into a much wider movement against the high cost of living and inequalities. Everyone is carrying, like, a lot of signs against Macron. There's, you know, it's a very lively protest. And I spoke with 16-year-old Éloi Couget. He was out with his mother. He was actually dressed as a big banana, he said, to have fun. Here he is.

Everyone in France is angry, and it's today that they show it.

And President Macron met with students for the first time. Why did it take so long?

Yeah, Macron has been criticized for being absent from this crisis. He flew to the Gulf right after last week's destruction. You know, he was going there to get more oil for the country, he said. But he's sort of— you know, he was absent and he let his prime minister handle things. He's being— he's very isolated now. And the more unpopular he has become at home over the last few years, the more his focus has been on, for example, strengthening the European Union or rallying for the defense of Ukraine. But back in France, he's being blamed for everything by the far left and the far right. His term ends next spring and he can't seek reelection. So there's really a feeling of fin de régime, the end of his reign. He did not see this movement coming. The students now want €10 billion for education, which is not possible. France is in a very precarious position with unprecedented debt, partly from, you know, keeping businesses alive during COVID and shielding people from high energy costs. Now it has this big debt, the highest borrowing costs in Europe. You know, Macron told the students there would be better dialogue with them, but that doesn't seem to be enough.

And young people have only known Macron, many of these young people, so there's a lot of frustration.

Let me ask about the far-right party of Marine Le Pen. She has condemned the violence. Does she seem to be getting a political boost from all this?

I would say absolutely. You know, Scott, polls show her National Rally party in the number one position right now. president if the election were held tomorrow. And the French who are sitting home and watching their TV screens and this violence, they're shocked, and a lot of them are contemplating voting for her. She says Macron's government has completely lost control. She called the situation, quote, budgetary security and immigration chaos. Now, today her party, the National Rally, is having a big party congress in the town— the city of Orléans, which is a couple hours south of Paris. And outside the conference There are tens of thousands of protesters who are against her and what they call her racist policies. And, you know, when Macron was elected in 2017, he said he would make sure that the French would never have a reason to vote for the far right again. And, Scott, it seems like just the opposite has happened.

Government has put curfews in place in dozens of cities this weekend, including parts of Paris. What's the reaction?

Oh, I mean, people are really kind of shocked. And it's really rare. I've never— in 23 years, I don't feel like I've ever seen a curfew and banned protests. In many cities, protests were actually banned today, but I'm seeing on TV skirmishes like in Lyon and Lille. And even in Paris, they changed the route of the protest march, so there's been confusion. And these restrictions are creating tensions, and many are charging that the government is trying to crack down on basic freedoms. But people are scared of the violence. Yesterday in a small town, a guy pulled out a rifle and shot and killed somebody and wounded others. It's being investigated as a terrorist attack, and President Macron condemned it as an attack motivated by racism. There are real fears this country is falling into a spiral of violence ahead of a very contentious presidential election in 6 months.

Eleanor Beardsley in Paris, thanks so much.

Thank you, Scott.

It's been a tough few weeks at Netflix.

The streaming giant laid off workers and fired some of its top executives. This reorganization comes as Netflix reported slower quarterly revenue growth and engagement in the U.S.

NPR's Mandalit del Barco joins us from Los Angeles to round it all up. Thanks for being with us.

Sure, Aisha.

Let's start with those layoffs and firings. What happened?

Well, it was actually a surprise move. 1,000 people were laid off. That's 6% of Netflix's workforce. And after handing them their pink slips, the chief content officer was fired. Then the chair of Netflix Film and 6 other top executives were let go. The company's leaders said that they had to make some tough decisions about where to trim or redirect their investments. And even though they beat Wall Street expectations in this latest quarter, Netflix's growth has slowed. Co-CEO Ted Sarandas told investors this week that viewer engagement in the US is slowing down.

We do need better execution in the US. It's just not growing as fast as it could or as fast as we'd like.

Okay, so growth is slowing in the US, but Netflix is global, right?

Yeah, Netflix is actually available in 190 countries. And Sarandos credited the outgoing Chief Content Officer, Bela Bajaria, for expanding the company's global reach. Her replacement, Peter Rice, is by all accounts beloved in Hollywood. He's the former president of 21st Century Fox, Century Fox. And when he headed Fox Searchlight, he greenlit films like Slumdog Millionaire, Juno, and Little Miss Sunshine.

Well, can you tell us more about this new leadership and the reboot at Netflix?

It will be interesting to see if and how Netflix's content changes eventually. The streamer hasn't had a water cooler hit in a while. And as for the layoffs and firings, here's what Natalie Jarvey, who covers the creator economy in Hollywood, had to say on the Ankler Agenda podcast.

It was messy. It was sloppy. It shocked a lot of people. But it still approaches strategy and decision-making very different than a lot of Hollywood companies.

So Aisha, there's a lot of nervousness and unease as the TV and film companies consolidate and reorganize.

Well, yeah, that's the thing. I mean, layoffs and firings seem to be happening a lot in Hollywood. So what's going on?

Yeah, well, just a few weeks ago, Disney had its 3rd wave of layoffs in 6 months. And a lot of people are bracing for massive layoffs at Skydance, the recent merger between Paramount and Warner Brothers. And remember, Skydance outbid Netflix to acquire Warner Brothers and all its assets. Meanwhile, you've got TikTok and YouTube, which has more revenue and a bigger audience than Netflix. Just ask the kids what they watch. Netflix seems to be playing catch-up by signing up digital content creators.

Well, what else is in the works for Netflix?

Well, Sarandas continues to insist that Netflix is a streaming company first, but this week he was tapped to head the board of directors of the American Film Institute. And Netflix continues to release some movies in theaters before streaming them. This Thanksgiving, Netflix will release a film on IMAX, The Further Misadventures of Cliff Booth, starring Brad Pitt. It's a sequel to Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. And beyond films, Netflix execs once said that they would never do sports. Now they're livestreaming them, including NFL games and next summer, the Women's World Cup.

That's NPR's Mandalit del Barco in Los Angeles. Thank you so much for joining us.

Thank you.

And that's Up First for Saturday, October 24th, 2026. I'm Scott Simon.

And I'm Ayesha Rascoe. Our producer is Dave Mistich. He has help from Chris Harlan Duniway, Andy Craig, and Gabe O'Connor.

Our editor is Diana Douglas, and she worked along with Ruth Sherlock and Russell Lewis.

In our control room is our director, Elena Twork, and our technical director, David Greenberg. They're so ably assisted by Zoe Vangenhoven, Simon Laszlo Janssen, and Stacy Abbott.

Our deputy managing editor is Catherine Laidlaw. Our executive producer is Evie Stone, and our senior supervising editor is Shannon Rhodes. If Up First were Hogwarts, these 3 would be Hermione Granger.

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