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The U.S. will need a "whole new workforce" within the next two years to be competitive in the AI race, Meta President Dina Powell McCormick said Wednesday at Axios' AI+DC Summit.

Why it matters: She says half a million electricians will be necessary to build the vast infrastructure needed in the U.S. alone.

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Driving the news: "We talk about it as the workforce of America because if you're competing on behalf of America, these are the real heroes that are building the very infrastructure that will help us win," McCormick told Axios' Mike Allen.

• The recent elevation of McCormick, a prominent banking executive, reflects Meta's focus on new tech and dealmaking.

Catch up quick: McCormick, a former Republican official, was tapped to join Meta full-time as president and vice chairman in January.

• Her global finance connections make her a central piece of Meta's dealmaking in the AI era with key industries, like tech infrastructure and energy, Axios' Sara Fischer reports.
• CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg announced the launch of "Meta Compute" in January, an initiative to build AI infrastructure and oversee its data center fleet.
• He said McCormick would work alongside that project with a particular focus on partnering with governments and sovereigns to support Meta's infrastructure.

Go deeper: Five key takeaways from the AI-energy summit with Trump

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A jury on Wednesday found Big Tech giants Meta and YouTube negligent in a landmark social media trial, awarding $3 million in compensation to a woman who argued the companies were to blame for her social media addiction.

Why it matters: It is rare that social media giants are found liable for any harms people may face using their platforms, and the verdict in the Los Angeles trial could lead to more court losses, more lawsuits and potentially online safety legislation.

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What they're saying: "This verdict sends an unmistakable message that no company is above accountability when it comes to our children," the plaintiffs' counsel said in a statement.

• "Top tech executives took the stand, and their own internal documents were put before a jury, revealing that company leadership knew their platforms were hurting kids and repeatedly chose profits over children's safety," they said.
• A Meta spokesperson said that "we respectfully disagree with the verdict and are evaluating our legal options."

Catch up quick: Meta and Google's YouTube were the remaining defendants in the bellwether case, which involved a woman from California identified in court documents as K.G.M.

• K.G.M., also known as Kaley, started using YouTube when she was six and Instagram around age nine. She said that social media addiction led to depression, anxiety and body dysmorphia.
• TikTok and Snap previously settled.
• The plaintiffs' core argument was that social media is a product that should be held to product liability standards, not a platform where Section 230 shields company executives from liability for design choices.
• The verdict comes one day after a jury in New Mexico ordered Meta to pay $375 million over harms to young users.

Flashback: Zuckerberg testified earlier this year, with lawyers grilling him over past statements about his company's role in child safety and knowledge of alleged harms.

• This was the first time Zuckerberg had faced a jury in a courtroom alongside families who said that Meta's products harmed their children.

Our thought bubble: For the majority of the social media era, companies shook off accusations of neglect from those who argued their lack of safeguards cause harm to users of all ages.

• Now, there's court precedent showing that argument may no longer fly, just as AI changes how people use social media in new and sometimes dangerous ways.

What we're watching: Another bellwether social media trial, which is set to begin in June in federal court, puts together nationwide cases from attorneys general, school districts, local governments and families.

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A think tank wants to limit Social Security payouts to $100,000 per couple — but critics say capping benefits breaks a fundamental promise to American workers.

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The Federal Trade Commission is mailing refund checks to more than 443,000 people who were scammed by a fraudulent credit repair operation that charged up to $89 a month for services that often made credit scores worse.

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Foreign accounts allegedly mimic American voices online, with Argyle research claiming 60% of Operation Epic Fury discourse originates outside the U.S.

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CSCO only just overtook its 2000 peak in February. Not many people realize this simply because it has taken so long to actually come back.

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A jury in Los Angeles has found that Meta and YouTube were negligent in a closely-watched trial over social media addiction. The companies were ordered to pay $3 million in damages to the woman who said she was harmed by their addictive features as a child.

The case was brought by a 20-year-old woman, named in court documents as “K.G.M,” who sued Meta, YouTube, TikTok and Snap, saying that she had been harmed by the platforms as a child due to addictive features. TikTok and Snap reached a settlement ahead of the trial. 

According to NBC News, Meta was ordered to pay 70 percent of the $3 million in compensatory damages with YouTube taking on the remaining portion. Punitive damages have not yet been decided. “We respectfully disagree with the verdict and are evaluating our legal options,” a Meta spokesperson said in a statement. “We disagree with the verdict and plan to appeal.,” Google spokesperson José Castañeda said in a statement. “This case misunderstands YouTube, which is a responsibly built streaming platform, not a social media site.”

The weeks-long trial has been closely watched because it's the first of many court cases in which plaintiffs have argued that social media platforms harmed minors due to how they were designed. Meta's lawyers and executives have disputed the idea that social media should be considered an "addiction." CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified that the company wants Instagram to be "useful," and repeatedly accused the plaintiff's lawyer of "mischaracterizing" his past statements. 

“This is the first time in history a jury has heard testimony by executives and seen internal documents that we believe prove these companies chose profits over children,” Joseph VanZandt, one of K.G.M.’s lawyers, said in a statement to The New York Times,

For Meta, it's the second legal setback in as many days. The verdict comes one day after a jury in New Mexico ruled against Meta in a trial over child safety issues. The company was ordered to pay $375 million in penalties; the company said it would appeal.

Update, March 25, 2026, 11:22AM PT: Added a statement from Google.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/jury-rules-against-meta-and-youtube-in-social-media-addiction-case-181344860.html?src=rss

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Investors already have funds to play SpaceX's potential move to the public market.

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At least one franchise could have benefited from Flacco's services

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The NBA has a chance to have some fun when (and if) it gets to Sin City

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TSA officials are warning that ongoing staffing shortages and long airport lines could create major travel challenges as the 2026 World Cup approaches.

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With the officials' CBA set to expire in May, the NFL is preparing contingency plans that could include replacement referees and a larger role for its centralized command center.

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Simpson could be a first-round pick this spring. Here are five teams that could use his services

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It took some deft maneuvering and a friendly neighbor for Houston to get a Sweet 16 home game

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'The WNBA's growth and cultural impact have never been stronger,' said Dan Weinberg, CBS Sports' executive VP of programming

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SportsLine's model simulated Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers and revealed its college basketball picks for this NCAA Tournament 2026 Sweet 16 matchup on Thursday

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Elsewhere on the Golazo Starting XI newsletter,

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SportsLine's model simulated Texas Longhorns vs. Purdue Boilermakers and revealed its college basketball picks for this NCAA Tournament 2026 Sweet 16 matchup on Thursday

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SportsLine's model simulated Arkansas Razorbacks vs. Arizona Wildcats and revealed its college basketball picks for this NCAA Tournament 2026 Sweet 16 matchup on Thursday

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SportsLine's model simulated Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Houston Cougars and revealed its college basketball picks for this NCAA Tournament 2026 Sweet 16 matchup on Thursday