Roblox CEO interview gets heated over child safety

In a recent episode of The New York Times’ Hard Fork podcast, Roblox CEO Dave Baszuki engaged in a lively discussion about the platform's new age verification feature. This feature requires users to submit a face scan to access messaging capabilities, aiming to enhance safety for younger players. However, as the conversation shifted to concerns about child safety, Baszuki appeared increasingly frustrated. When questioned about a report suggesting that Roblox had prioritized growth over user safety, he remarked, "Fun. Let’s keep going down this," signaling his annoyance with the focus on the topic. Co-host Kevin Roose suggested that improving Roblox's AI models could significantly enhance child safety. In response, Baszuki quickly agreed, stating, "Good, so you’re aligning with what we did. High-five." Despite the tension, he expressed his enthusiasm for the podcast, saying, "I came here because I love your podcast and came to talk about everything." He emphasized that he was willing to discuss age-gating but was eager to cover a wider range of topics during the interview.