Monday, July 21, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

Lock down your Mac

No Apple ID, no tracking, no nonsense.

Published 17 May 2025
– By Naomi Brockwell
6 minute read

Apple markets itself as a privacy-focused company. And compared to Google or Microsoft, it is. But let’s be clear: Apple is still collecting a lot of your data.

If you want the most private computer setup, your best option is to switch to Linux. Not everyone is ready to take that step though, and many might prefer to keep their existing computer instead.

If you want to keep your current device but make it more private, what are your options?

Windows is basically a privacy disaster. Privacy expert Michael Bazzell says in his book Extreme Privacy:

I do not believe any modern Microsoft Windows system is capable of providing a secure or private environment for our daily computing needs. Windows is extremely vulnerable to malicious software and their telemetry of user actions is worse than Apple’s. I do not own a Windows computer and I encourage you to avoid them for any sensitive tasks”.

If you want to keep your Mac without handing over your digital life to Apple, there are ways to lock it down and make it more private.

In this article, I’ll walk you through how to set up a Mac for better privacy—from purchasing the computer to tweaking your system settings, installing tools, and blocking unwanted data flows.

We’ll be following the setup laid out by Michael Bazzell in Extreme Privacy, with some added tips from my own experience.

We also made a video tutorial that you can follow along.

You don’t need to do everything. Each chapter is modular. But if you follow the full guide, you’ll end up with a Mac that doesn’t require an Apple ID, doesn’t leak constant data, and gives you control over your digital environment.

Buying your Mac

Choose a model that still gets security updates

Apple eventually drops support for older devices. A privacy-hardened system isn’t useful if it doesn’t receive security updates.

Two helpful sites:

Pay with cash in a physical store

If you buy a Mac with a credit card, the serial number is forever linked to your identity.
Cash keeps you anonymous. You might get strange looks, but it’s completely within your rights. Be polite. Be firm. They’ll grumble. That’s fine.

Fresh install of macOS

If it’s a refurbished Mac—or even brand new—it’s worth doing a clean install.

Update macOS

  • System Settings > General > Software Update
  • Install updates, reboot, and reach the welcome screen.

Erase all content

  • System Settings > General > Transfer or Reset > Erase All Content and Settings
  • Enter your password, confirm warnings
  • Your Mac will restart and erase itself

This restores factory defaults: user data and settings are gone, but the OS remains installed.

Optional: Wipe the disk completely (advanced)

If you want a truly clean install, you’ll need to manually erase the entire internal disk. Only do this if you’re comfortable in recovery mode.

Modern Macs split the system into two parts—a sealed system volume and a data volume—tied together with something called firmlinks. If you don’t erase both correctly, you can end up with phantom volumes that clog your disk and break things silently.

Steps:

  • Enter Recovery Mode:
    • Apple Silicon: Hold power > click “Options”
    • Intel: Hold Command + R on boot
  • Open Disk Utility
  • Click View > Show All Devices
  • Select the top-level physical disk (e.g., “Apple SSD”)
  • Click Erase
    • Name: Macintosh HD
    • Format: APFS
    • Scheme: GUID Partition Map

Warning: Skip “Show All Devices” or erase the wrong item and you could brick your Mac. Only do this if you understand what you’re doing.

Once erased, return to the recovery menu and choose Reinstall macOS.

First boot setup

macOS wants to immediately link your device to iCloud and Apple services. Stay offline as long as possible.

Setup tips:

  • Region: Choose your location
  • Accessibility: Skip
  • Wi-Fi: Click “Other Network Options” > “My computer does not connect to the internet”
  • Data & Privacy: Continue
  • Migration Assistant: Skip (we’re starting fresh!)
  • Apple ID: Choose “Set up later”
  • Terms: Agree
  • Computer Name: Use a generic name like Laptop or Computer
  • Password: Strong and memorable. No hint. Write it down somewhere safe.
  • Location Services: Off
  • Time Zone: Set manually
  • Analytics: Off
  • Screen Time: Skip
  • Siri: Skip
  • Touch ID: Optional
  • Display Mode: Your choice

Harden system settings

Wi-fi & bluetooth

  • System Settings > Wi-Fi: Turn off
    • Disable “Ask to join networks” and “Ask to join hotspots”
  • System Settings > Bluetooth: Turn off

Firewall (built-In)

  • System Settings > Network > Firewall: Turn on
    • Disable “Automatically allow built-in software…”
    • Disable “Automatically allow downloaded signed software…”
    • Enable Stealth Mode
    • Remove any pre-approved entries

Notifications

  • System Settings > Notifications
    • Show Previews: Never
    • Turn off for Lock Screen, Sleep, and Mirroring
    • Manually disable for each app

Sound settings

  • System Settings > Sound
    • Alert Volume: Minimum
    • Disable sound effects and interface feedback

AirDrop & sharing

  • System Settings > General > AirDrop & Handoff: Turn everything off
  • System Settings > General > Sharing: Disable all toggles

Siri & Apple Intelligence

  • System Settings > Siri & Dictation: Disable all
  • Disable Apple Intelligence and per-app Siri access

Switch time server

Your Mac pings Apple to sync the time—leaking your IP every time it does.
Switch to a decentralized time server instead.

How:

  • System Settings > General > Date & Time
  • Click “Set…” > Enter password
  • Enter: pool.ntp.org
  • Click Done

Spotlight & gatekeeper

Spotlight

  • System Settings > Spotlight: Turn off “Help Apple improve search”

Gatekeeper

Gatekeeper prevents you from opening non-Apple-approved apps and sends app data to Apple.

If you’re a confident user, disable it:

  • Terminalsudo spctl --master-disable
  • System Settings > Privacy & Security: Allow apps from anywhere

FileVault & lockdown mode

FileVault

Encrypt your entire disk:

  • System Settings > Privacy & Security > FileVault: Turn on
  • Choose “Create a recovery key and do not use iCloud”
  • Write down your recovery key. Store it OFF your computer.

Lockdown mode (Optional)

Restricts features like USB accessories, AirDrop, and others. Useful for high-risk users.

Customize appearance & finder

Desktop & dock

  • Disable “Show Suggested and Recent Apps”
  • Disable “Recent apps in Stage Manager”

Wallpaper

Use a solid color instead of version-specific defaults to reduce your system’s fingerprint.

Lock screen

  • Screensaver: Never
  • Require password: Immediately
  • Sleep timer: Your preference (e.g. 1 hour)

Finder preferences

  • Show all file extensions
  • Hide Recents and Tags
  • Set default folder to Documents
  • View hidden files: Shift + Command + .

Block outbound connections

macOS and many apps connect to servers without asking. You’ll want to monitor and block them.

Use Little Snitch (or LuLu)

Browser

Install a privacy-respecting browser like Brave or Mullvad.

Compare options at privacytests.org

VPN

Use trusted providers like Mullvad or ProtonVPN.

Be careful which VPN you download — they’re often scamware and data collection tools.
Watch this video for more

Optional: Use Homebrew

Instead of the App Store, install software via Homebrew.

We’ll cover this more in a future guide.

Final takeaways

If you followed this guide, you now have:

  • A Mac with no Apple ID
  • No iCloud tether
  • Full disk encryption (FileVault)
  • A silent firewall
  • Blocked outbound connections
  • A private browser and VPN setup

You’ve taken serious steps to reclaim your digital autonomy. Well done.

In an upcoming guide, we’ll explore how to take the next step: switching to Linux.

Thanks again to Michael Bazzell for his work.

Find his book Extreme Privacy at: inteltechniques.com/book7.html

 

Yours in privacy,
Naomi

Naomi Brockwell is a privacy advocacy and professional speaker, MC, interviewer, producer, podcaster, specialising in blockchain, cryptocurrency and economics. She runs the NBTV channel on Rumble.

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Your data has been stolen – now what?

Why aliases matter, and why deleting yourself from people search sites isn’t enough.

Published 19 July 2025
– By Naomi Brockwell
5 minute read

If you’ve ever used a major tech platform (and let’s be honest—everyone has), your data has been stolen.

That’s not alarmism, that’s just the truth.

If you want to check whether your email or phone number has been involved in any of these breaches, go to HaveIBeenPwned.com. It’s a free tool that scans known data leaks and tells you where and when your information may have been exposed.

But breaches are just the beginning.

What’s often more insidious is how companies you trusted with your information—like your electric company or phone provider—turn around and sell that data. Yes, even your home address. And once it’s sold, there’s no getting it back.

You probably also give your data to companies that promise insights—like ancestry reports, health forecasts, or personality surveys. But behind the feel-good marketing, these platforms are often just data-harvesting operations. Sometimes they’re selling your information outright. Other times, a breach or bankruptcy sends your most sensitive data to the auction block—sold to pharma companies, insurers, or even foreign governments.

Deletion won’t save you

One thing people often try is deleting themselves from people search sites, or opting out of data broker lists. But it’s like playing whack-a-mole. Even if you get your info removed from one site, your bank, phone company, and utility providers are still selling it—so it just pops up again somewhere else.

And here’s the real problem: you can’t rewind the clock. Once your data hits the dark web, it’s out there for good. You can’t recall it. You can’t erase the copies. And if you keep using the same email, phone number, and payment info everywhere, your profile rebuilds itself instantly.

The system is designed to remember you.

What you can do

1) Use aliases

The real solution is to use aliases—unique emails, phone numbers, and payment methods—to make sure breached data can’t be easily correlated. Every alias breaks the link between you and your data trail, making it harder for data brokers to rebuild your profile.

  • Email: Use tools like SimpleLogin or DuckDuckGo Email Protection (powered by SimpleLogin) to auto-generate a unique email address for every account. You’ll still receive everything in one inbox.
  • Phone numbers: Try MySudo or Cloaked to create multiple VoIP numbers—one for work, one for deliveries, one for banking, etc.
  • Payments: Use Privacy.com (US-only) or Revolut (international) to generate burner credit cards and keep your real financial details hidden.

Each alias adds friction for trackers, data brokers, and anyone trying to stitch together your digital life.

2) Clean up old accounts

Your current email and phone number are likely tied to:

  • Old accounts
  • Shopping sites
  • Loyalty programs
  • Health portals
  • Social media
  • Subscription services

You not only need to stop handing over the same identifiers—but you should also go back and replace them anywhere they’ve already been used. Go through your accounts one by one. Update them with new aliases where possible. Delete your home address when it’s not essential. The goal is to scrub your personal info from as many places as possible—so the next breach doesn’t keep exposing the same data.

3) Create new accounts (when needed)

Some services won’t let you fully erase your trail. In those cases, the cleanest option may be to start fresh—with a new account and new aliases—and then delete the old one.

4) Monitor for future leaks

Stay ahead of future breaches by regularly checking what’s already out there.

  • Have I Been Pwned: Enter your email or phone number to see if they’ve appeared in known data leaks. It’s a quick way to know what’s been exposed.
  • IntelTechniques Search Tools: A powerful suite of OSINT tools that shows what others can find out about you online—from addresses to usernames to social accounts.

You gave away your DNA. Now it’s for sale

Millions of people gave 23andMe their DNA—now the company is in Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and that data could be sold to pharma companies, insurers, or even foreign governments. With the business on shaky ground, the idea of your genetic code hitting the open market is chilling. You can’t change your DNA—once it’s out, it’s out forever.

If you’re a 23andMe user, you can still log into your dashboard and:

  • Go to Account → Settings → Delete Data
  • Revoke your research consent
  • Request sample destruction

But there’s no guarantee it’ll be honored. And deletion doesn’t undo exposure.

So how do we avoid this in the future? Most companies quietly include clauses in their Terms of Service allowing them to sell your data in the event of bankruptcy or acquisition. It’s common—but that doesn’t mean it’s harmless. Just because it’s buried in fine print doesn’t mean it’s acceptable.

Before handing over sensitive data, ask yourself: Would I be okay with this information being sold to anyone with enough cash?
If not, it’s worth reconsidering whether the service is worth it.

The 23andMe collapse isn’t an isolated incident—it’s a symptom of a deeper problem. We keep trusting companies with intimate, irreversible data. And time after time, that data ends up somewhere we never agreed to.

Takeaways

Some breaches are just email addresses. Others are everything—your identity, your relationships, even your biology.

And when a company that promised to protect your most personal information collapses, that data doesn’t disappear. It becomes an asset. It’s auctioned. It’s repackaged. It becomes someone else’s opportunity.

That’s the world we’re living in. But you still have options.

You can choose to make your data harder to capture. Harder to link. Harder to weaponize. You can stop recycling identifiers that have already been compromised. You can stop giving out pieces of yourself you can’t get back.

This isn’t about disappearing.

It’s about refusing to be predictable.

Privacy is a discipline—and a form of resistance.

And no matter how much you’ve already given away, you can still choose not to hand over the rest.

 

Yours in Privacy,
Naomi

Naomi Brockwell is a privacy advocacy and professional speaker, MC, interviewer, producer, podcaster, specialising in blockchain, cryptocurrency and economics. She runs the NBTV channel on Rumble.

Pentagon purchases Musk’s politically incorrect AI models

The future of AI

Published 15 July 2025
– By Editorial Staff
1 minute read

Despite the deep rift with Trump, Elon Musk is now receiving a contract with the Pentagon worth up to $200 million to deliver specially adapted language models for the US military.

The project is called “Grok for Government” in a statement on X, by X.

Grok’s new AI model has been a major topic of conversation this past week, in establishment media primarily because after an update where certain filters were removed, it began breaking strongly against politically correct patterns, and among the general public due to the humor perceived in this.

Among other things, it has been noted how the chatbot writes that certain Jewish organizations, particularly the far-right group ADL, pursue a hostile line against European ethnic groups. For this, the chatbot has been accused of “antisemitism”.

American media analyst and political commentator Mark Dice on the controversy surrounding Grok’s new versions.

However, the criticism has apparently not prevented the US military from procuring Grok solutions for their purposes.

How to be anonymous on social media

How to protect your identity depending on whom you're hiding from.

Published 12 July 2025
– By Naomi Brockwell
9 minute read

Using a pseudonym on social media can be an incredibly valuable way to reclaim your privacy online. In an age where digital footprints last forever, the ability to separate your online identity from your real-world persona is more important than ever.

Maybe you’re concerned about protecting yourself from online mobs that might target your job, your family, or your personal reputation. Maybe you don’t want everything you say online to be permanently linked to your real name. Perhaps you have multiple interests or roles in life (professional, personal, creative) and want to maintain separate identities for each.

Maybe you simply value your privacy. Having a pseudonymous account can be liberating. It allows you the freedom to explore new ideas, revise your beliefs, and reinvent yourself without every past opinion you’ve ever expressed being etched in stone and forever tied to you.

But setting up a pseudonymous account on social media isn’t always straightforward. Your approach will depend heavily on the platform you’re using. It will also depend on your threat model, which you can think of as whom you’re trying to hide your identity from, how private you need to be, and what’s at stake.

Threat models

It’s essential to understand your own threat model clearly, because the steps you’ll need to take to create a pseudonymous social media identity will vary dramatically at each level. For example, hiding your opinions from your boss will require very different precautions than hiding from a hostile government that wants to target you for your political beliefs.

There are countless threat models, but here are 3 general categories to give you some ideas of where you might fit in:

1. Hiding from the general public, and preventing low-level insider doxxing

This is an easier level to achieve. You simply don’t want your boss, colleagues, or random strangers linking your social media activity back to your real identity.

2. Hiding from the platform itself

Perhaps you have a higher profile, and you’re concerned about a platform employee accessing your personal details, billing information, or potentially doxxing you. At this level, you’re not being actively targeted, but you also don’t want the platform to know who you are. Protecting your identity here gets trickier and requires a deeper understanding of internet tracking and more rigorous control over your digital footprint.

3. Hiding from a hostile government that is targeting you

This is an extreme threat scenario. Perhaps you live under a hostile regime where political dissent is dangerous and consequences for being identified online can be severe. This level of threat requires meticulous discipline, and a tailored approach that goes far beyond general privacy advice. We won’t cover this threat model in this newsletter — not because it isn’t important, but because the stakes are too high for shortcuts. If your life or freedom could be at risk, please seek help from security professionals who specialize in operating anonymously under repressive conditions. Even small mistakes can be catastrophic.

Some organizations you might reach out to include:

Let’s use X as an example

Depending on which social media platform you want to use, the steps for setting up a pseudonymous account will vary dramatically. In this article, we’ll just focus on X as one example, because it’s a popular platform where pseudonymous accounts thrive. While Facebook aggressively pushes users to use real names and actively works to de-anonymize its users, X is a place where personas, satire accounts, and anonymous commentary are quite common.

That said, pseudonymity is a delicate privacy layer that can easily be broken. In this article, we are not providing exhaustive checklists, but rather examples of what kinds of mistakes lead to deanonymization, and tips for better protecting yourself.

Threat model 1: Hiding from the general public, and preventing low-level insider doxxing

Goal:
You simply don’t want random people or followers connecting your tweets to your real identity. You want to ensure that even the average X employee with backend access won’t immediately be able to see your real identity linked to your pseudonymous account. Perhaps you’re worried about accidental exposure, corruption, or misuse of internal access.

Tips:

  • Choose a completely separate profile name and username
    • Select a pseudonym that has no obvious connection to your real-world identity (avoid birthdays, locations, or nicknames).
  • Create a new email address (use an email alias service)
    • Don’t reuse your personal or work email. Use an email alias service (like SimpleLogin) that you only ever use for this account.
    • Even though your email address isn’t publicly visible on your profile, data breaches are extremely common. Presume that your credentials will be leaked. If your email ties back to your real identity, your pseudonym is blown.
  • Use a VoIP number for verification
    • Your personal cell number is a unique identifier that’s already been leaked everywhere. If you use it for verification, a data breach could link your identity to your pseudonymous account.
    • Use a VoIP service like MySudo or Cloaked to generate a clean, separate number.
  • Avoid personal identifiers
    • Don’t include real-world hobbies, your profession, specific locations, or distinctive personal details in your profile or posts.
  • Be careful whom you follow
    • Don’t follow your real account or people closely tied to you (e.g., best friend, sibling, coworker). These connections can unravel your anonymity.
  • Profile pictures and images
    • Don’t reuse photos from other accounts (reverse image searches can link them).
    • Consider AI-generated or royalty-free images.

These are some general tips that will help you. Just remember: any link, reference, or overlap between your pseudonymous account and real identity can risk exposure.

Threat model 2: Hiding from the platform itself

Goal:
You want to prevent the platform (X) from identifying you. This involves more sophisticated steps to scrub your digital footprint and reduce the metadata you leak by default.

This guide is not intended for people in life-threatening situations or under hostile regimes. It’s a conceptual framework for lower-risk scenarios, where the goal is to increase your privacy, not guarantee anonymity. Also keep in mind that this is not an exhaustive list — it’s a starting point for awareness, not a guarantee of protection.

This model assumes you’ve already followed all steps from Threat Model 1. From here, you’re adding aggressive compartmentalization, anonymization, and metadata hygiene.

Core protections

  • Minimize metadata exposure
    • Always strip EXIF data from images before uploading. Use privacy-friendly tools (see our video on metadata scrubbing).
  • Use a masked or virtual payment method
    • If you subscribe to X Premium, use a virtual card like Privacy.com to avoid exposing your billing info. You can enter a fake name and billing address, and the payment will still go through (we talk about masked credit cards in this video).
  • Always use a VPN
    • VPNs help hide your IP address from the platform. Choose one that doesn’t log (e.g., Mullvad, ProtonVPN). Use it consistently.
  • Careful device management
    • Access X only via a privacy-focused browser (like Brave), never the app. Apps collect far more data and can bypass system-level protections, often in a super sneaky way that users don’t even know about.
    • Use a dedicated browser profile or even a separate browser just for your pseudonymous identity. This prevents cross-contamination from cookies, autofill, and history.

Advanced protections

  • Never use personal internet connections
    • Avoid using home, work, or school Wi-Fi. Use public networks far from places associated with you.
    • Pay for your VPN anonymously (cash, crypto, gift card). Consider adding Tor as an additional layer.
  • Avoid platform fingerprinting
    • Disable JavaScript when feasible.• Avoid using a unique combination of extensions that can fingerprint you.
    • Regularly rotate browser profiles and clear cookies, local storage, and cache.
    • Consider disabling advanced fingerprinting vectors like canvas rendering and WebGL.
  • Make sure email and phone have also been set up anonymously
    • Your email should be created using anonymous methods and not linked to anything else you use.
    • Your VoIP number should also be generated in a way that avoids personal identifiers. Accidental crossover is one of the most common ways people get deanonymized.
  • Avoid revealing patterns
    • Vary your writing style and posting schedule.
    • Don’t engage with people or topics tied to your real-world identity.
    • Avoid posting about events or niche communities that could reveal your location or background.
  • Understand legal and jurisdictional risks
    • Be aware of keywords and behavior that could flag surveillance systems.
  • Don’t trust devices
    • Don’t bring your pseudonymous device near your home or workplace.
    • Wi-Fi probes and Bluetooth signals can reveal patterns.
    • Disable or remove mics/cameras where possible.
  • Use dedicated hardware and OS
    • Use a separate device that’s never touched your real accounts.
    • If that’s not possible, use isolated OSes (like Virtual Machines, Tails OS, Qubes OS) for advanced compartmentalization
    • Always wipe and reinstall OS if using secondhand hardware.• Never log in to pseudonymous and personal accounts from the same browser or device.
  • Limit interaction with the platform
    • Don’t click on X notifications or emails (they often contain trackers).
    • Avoid engaging unless it’s strategic.
  • Maintain a rotation schedule
    • Periodically “burn” your pseudonymous account and start fresh: new device, new email, new behavior.
    • The longer an identity lives, the more data accumulates.
    • Keep your footprint minimal and delete what you no longer need.

Threat model 3: Hiding from the government in a high-risk environment

Goal:
You live under a hostile regime where expressing dissenting opinions online carries severe consequences. For instance, you might be in Turkey, China, Iran, or another environment known for targeting political opponents, activists, or critical voices.

Is true anonymity possible?

Let’s be clear: achieving absolute, foolproof anonymity online is extraordinarily difficult. Governments have massive resources — they have surveillance infrastructure, legal coercion, and advanced forensic tools. One small mistake can unravel everything.

This guide does not offer operational security for high-risk environments. If your life or freedom are on the line, consult with trained security professionals. Do not rely on generalized privacy guides.

What would that involve?

Just to give you a sense of what’s involved, you’d need to consider:

  • Buying hardware anonymously and avoiding camera networks
  • Creating burner accounts and rotating them frequently
  • Maintaining total behavioral and linguistic separation
  • Never discussing pseudonymous work, even with trusted friends
  • Compartmentalizing your life with extreme precision

And this is just the beginning. If this sounds overwhelming, that’s because it is.

If you’re in this situation: don’t go it alone.
Your safety is worth getting help.

The good news

The good news is that most people’s threat model doesn’t involve being specifically targeted by the government. What does that mean exactly? Targeting an individual requires considerable time, effort, and cost, so governments rarely do it unless there’s a clear reason. Instead, they rely on mass surveillance: automated systems that vacuum up data at scale and piece together your identity from the information you (or your devices) voluntarily give away.

And that’s why this is good news: most of this exposure is preventable. You don’t need extreme measures to protect yourself, you just need better defaults. By using VoIP numbers, email aliases, and privacy-focused browsers, you can significantly reduce how much of your life is available for collection in the first place. Small changes in behavior can go a long way toward protecting your identity and limiting what’s visible to mass surveillance systems.

Final thoughts

For most people, achieving basic pseudonymity online is much easier than it sounds. If your goal is to keep your professional life separate from your online commentary, or just to prevent casual Googling from exposing your social media presence, a thin veil of anonymity can go a long way. Choosing a new name, using a separate email and phone number, and keeping your circles compartmentalized are often all you need.

If you want a stronger break between your real identity and your online persona, you can layer on more privacy tools like VPNs, burner devices, and metadata hygiene. These steps aren’t just for activists or whistleblowers, they’re increasingly useful for anyone who wants to reclaim a sense of control in a world of hyper-connected data.

But if your life or freedom truly depends on staying anonymous — if you are being targeted by a government or powerful institution — then the game changes. In high-risk situations, pseudonymity becomes fragile. One careless follow, one reused phone number, one unstripped photo is all it takes to unravel everything. You need airtight operational security, and professional guidance to match the stakes.

No matter where you fall on that spectrum, this guide is here to help you think critically about how you engage online, and to offer practical, achievable steps that meet you where you are. Privacy is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor. What matters most is understanding your threat model, being consistent in your habits, and staying aware of the tradeoffs you’re making.

Every privacy step you take makes a difference.

 

Your in privacy,
Naomi

Naomi Brockwell is a privacy advocacy and professional speaker, MC, interviewer, producer, podcaster, specialising in blockchain, cryptocurrency and economics. She runs the NBTV channel on Rumble.

Musk launches Grok 4 – takes the lead as world’s strongest AI model

The future of AI

Published 10 July 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Elon Musk speaks during the press conference alongside developers from xAI.
3 minute read

Elon Musk’s AI company xAI presented its latest AI model Grok 4 on Wednesday, along with a monthly fee of $300 for access to the premium version. The launch comes amid a turbulent period for Musk’s companies, as X CEO Linda Yaccarino has left her position and the Grok system, which lacks politically correct safeguards, has made controversial comments.

xAI took the step into the next generation on Wednesday evening with Grok 4, the company’s most advanced AI model to date. At the same time, a premium service called SuperGrok Heavy was introduced with a monthly fee of $300 – the most expensive AI subscription among major providers in the market.

Grok 4 is positioned as xAI’s direct competitor to established AI models like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini. The model can analyze images and answer complex questions, and has been increasingly integrated into Musk’s social network X over recent months, where xAI recently acquired significant ownership stakes.

Musk: “Better than PhD level”

During a livestream on Wednesday evening, Musk made bold claims about the new model’s capabilities.

“With respect to academic questions, Grok 4 is better than PhD level in every subject, no exceptions”, Musk claimed. However, he acknowledged that the model can sometimes lack common sense and has not yet invented new technologies or discovered new physics – “but that is just a matter of time”.

Expectations for Grok 4 are high ahead of the upcoming competition with OpenAI’s anticipated GPT-5, which is expected to launch later this summer.

Launch during turbulent week

The launch comes during a tumultuous period for Musk’s business empire. Earlier on Wednesday, Linda Yaccarino announced that she is leaving her position as CEO of X after approximately two years in the role. No successor has yet been appointed.

Yaccarino’s departure comes just days after Grok’s official, automated X account made controversial comments criticizing Hollywood’s “Jewish executives” and other politically incorrect statements. xAI was forced to temporarily restrict the account’s activity and delete the posts. In response to the incident, xAI appears to have removed a recently added section from Grok’s public system instructions that encouraged the AI not to shy away from “politically incorrect” statements.

Musk wore his customary leather jacket and sat alongside xAI leaders during the Grok 4 launch. Photo: xAI

Two model versions with top performance

xAI launched two variants: Grok 4 and Grok 4 Heavy – the latter described as the company’s “multi-agent version” with improved performance. According to Musk, Grok 4 Heavy creates multiple AI agents that work simultaneously on a problem and then compare their results “like a study group” to find the best answer.

The company claims that Grok 4 demonstrates top performance across several test areas, including “Humanity’s Last Exam” – a demanding test that measures AI’s ability to answer thousands of questions in mathematics, humanities, and natural sciences. According to xAI, Grok 4 achieved a score of 25.4 percent without “tools,” surpassing Google’s Gemini 2.5 Pro (21.6 percent) and OpenAI’s o3 high (21 percent).

With access to tools, Grok 4 Heavy allegedly achieved 44.4 percent, compared to Gemini 2.5 Pro’s 26.9 percent.

Future products on the way

SuperGrok Heavy subscribers get early access to Grok 4 Heavy as well as upcoming features. xAI announced that the company plans to launch an AI coding model in August, a multimodal agent in September, and a video generation model in October.

The company is also making Grok 4 available through its API to attract developers to build applications with the model, despite the enterprise initiative being only two months old.

Whether companies are ready to adopt Grok despite the recent mishap remains to be seen, as xAI attempts to establish itself as a credible competitor to ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini in the enterprise market.

The Grok service can now be accessed outside the X platform through Grok.com.

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