Meet Max, Russia’s Super-App

Summary

WSJ Tech News Briefing – “Meet Max, Russia’s Super-App”

Date: April 3, 2026
Host: Julie Chang
Featured Guests: Will Parker (WSJ reporter), Matthew Luxmore (WSJ correspondent)

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Episode Overview

This episode focuses on two significant stories at the intersection of technology, policy, and state power:

1. Maine’s Proposed Moratorium on Data Centers: The state is on the verge of passing a landmark bill that would temporarily halt large-scale data center construction due to concerns over energy demand and environmental impact.

2. Russia’s “Max” Super-App: With the Kremlin backing this new, all-in-one digital platform, Russia moves to further control its citizens’ digital lives, tightening restrictions on Western tech and ramping up surveillance and censorship.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Maine's Data Center Construction Moratorium

[00:50–05:00]

Bill Overview & Motivation

• Maine’s legislature is considering a bill to freeze construction of large data centers (>20 megawatts) until November 2027. This is a preemptive move to study potential adverse effects on the state's fragile electricity grid and environment.

  “Maine has a bill that would temporarily freeze the construction of large data centers for more than a year.” — Will Parker [01:41]

• The state already faces high residential electricity prices. Lawmakers are concerned that the power and water demands of next-generation AI “hyperscaler” data centers could drive costs even higher and strain infrastructure.

Scope & Local Context

• Existing projects in Maine are small compared to those in Virginia or Texas; none of the big tech firms have major data centers there yet.

• There is community apprehension in some areas, but only a handful of projects have been proposed or met resistance to date.

  “Some of which have been crushed by community members who have been really upset about it and really concerned about the possible effects on the grid or on the environment.” — Will Parker [02:49]

• The current legislative draft contains potential carve-outs for projects already in progress, which the governor supports.

National Trends & Developer Reaction

• Other states (South Carolina, Oklahoma, New York) are considering similar legislation. In some places—as in South Dakota—such efforts have failed, but local moratoria are spreading.

  “The expectation in the industry... is that some of them do end up passing in some form. And we’ve seen local governments... enact their own temporary suspensions of data center construction.” — Will Parker [03:27]

• Data center developers are worried these rules will ‘shrink the map’ for expansion, especially if larger, more populous states follow Maine’s lead.

  “As data center developers look across the country... swelling community opposition, kind of shrinks the map of where they are likely to try to and do business.” — Will Parker [04:07]

Political & Societal Implications

• Growing public skepticism of AI and data centers, with negative polling nudging politicians to act.

  “The polling on voter opinions of data centers and AI is increasingly negative.” — Will Parker [04:42]

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2. Russia’s “Max” – The Kremlin’s Super-App

[05:55–10:51]

What Is Max?

• Max is a state-backed, all-in-one app modeled after Telegram and WeChat. Features include messaging, e-commerce, taxi hailing, e-passport, payments, healthcare appointments, and more.
• Max comes pre-installed on all new Russian smartphones; rival Western platforms like Telegram and WhatsApp are now blocked.
• VK (VKontakte), originally a Russian Facebook clone, is the parent company—now directly controlled by Kremlin-related figures.

  “The Russian government took over VK and merged it into this bigger tech enterprise run by the son of the deputy chief of staff to Putin.” — Matthew Luxmore [08:22]

Government Aims & Surveillance

• The lack of encryption allows state monitoring of all activity: messaging, payments, health, finance, etc.

  “Because Max is not encrypted, it is a way of the Russian government being able to freely monitor what people are discussing online, but also to get their personal data, to get their health data, their financial data.” — Matthew Luxmore [06:24]

• The Kremlin’s years-long effort to blunt Western tech influence heightened after mass protests in 2011 and escalated post-Ukraine invasion (2022).

  “When Vladimir Putin came into power as president in 2000, he understood that the Internet was something that could become a problem... [and] really became clear to him when protests erupted... in 2011.” — Matthew Luxmore [07:08]

Censorship & Network Control

• Russians are frustrated but accustomed to the “foisting” of Max and periodic Internet outages—officially blamed on security needs but perceived as censorship.

  “There’s been a lot of grumbling about this, about the effort to foist Max on people.” — Matthew Luxmore [08:58]

• Internet and mobile outages, justified as defense against Ukrainian drone attacks, are widely seen as tests of censorship infrastructure.

The “Splinternet”

• Max is part of a global move toward the “splinternet”: a fragmented Internet, where authoritarian states erect digital borders and control citizens’ online information.

  “What we're seeing is the emergence of what they call a splinternet... subdivided by authoritarian governments into separate fiefdoms.” — Matthew Luxmore [10:03] “This technology that was once created to allow people to freely exchange information... is now being used by strongmen leaders to surveil people and wall themselves off…” — Matthew Luxmore [10:14]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Will Parker on industry anxieties:

  “If this snowballs and starts to affect bigger states, I think you’ll see much more of a response to that.” [04:26]

• Matthew Luxmore on Russia's rationale:

  “Essentially right now in central Moscow... you’re not even able to use mobile Internet on your phone… Most Russians believe this is simply a way of restricting people's access to information and also testing... censorship infrastructure that would be crucial... if ever there’s a time of major political upheaval.” [09:27]

• The “Splinternet” explained:

  “Technology that was once created to allow people to freely exchange information... is now being used by strongmen leaders to surveil people and wall themselves off from information that’s coming from the rest of the world that is deemed politically dangerous.” — Matthew Luxmore [10:14]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:50–05:00 — Maine’s Data Center Moratorium (with Will Parker)
• 05:55–10:51 — Russia’s Max Super-App & Kremlin Internet Control (with Matthew Luxmore)

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Overall Tone & Style

• Informative and investigative, blending policy explanation with broader societal context.
• Speaker tone is measured and explanatory; experts draw on reporting and on-the-ground insights to connect technology trends with political currents.
• The episode highlights the intersection of technology, power, and personal freedoms—both at the US state level and in the context of global authoritarianism.

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This episode offers a front-row seat to emerging battles over digital infrastructure, government control, and the future of online freedom—making it a must-listen for anyone interested in how technology is reshaping societies around the world.

Transcript

[A]

Social engineering attacks come in disguise, but Doppel sees through them. Our AI native platform shuts down threats and turns employees into first line defenders. Learn more at D O P E l dot com. Welcome to Tech News briefing. It's Friday, April 3rd. I'm Julie Chang for the Wall Street Journal. In Maine, a battle is brewing over the future of AI and tech. We'll tell you about a bill that could put a pause on new data center construction projects driven by fears of soaring electricity costs and pollution. Then in Russia, the Kremlin has long tried to rein in the influence of Western platforms, and that goal may now be within reach. That's thanks to Max, a new Russian super app that could help cement state control over the digital lives of millions of Russians. First up, Maine is set to make history as the first US State to put the brakes on data center construction. With a temporary moratorium, the proposed bill aims to freeze all large new data center projects until November 2027. Why the drastic measure? Maine already grapples with some of the highest residential electricity prices in the nation, and elected officials fear a wave of data center power demand will push those costs. Even WSJ reporter Will Parker joins us to break down this landmark power struggle and which areas it could pop up in next. So, Will, can you give our listeners just a brief rundown of this bill? What are the highlights we should know?

[B]

Yeah. So Maine has a bill that would temporarily freeze the construction of large data centers for more than a year. And this is a bill proposed by a Democratic legislator in the House where there's a Democrat majority. And the plan is to pause data center construction while the state studies the impacts on the environment and the electricity

[A]

grid and which data centers would be impacted by this.

[B]

So this bill targets data centers that would be more than 20 megawatts, which is the power load cut off. It's the data centers over that size where you start to start talking about artificial intelligence hyperscalers, which is the kind that is growing really fast and that have the largest demands for power and water, the kind that is not proposed for Maine at the current time. There are some larger data center projects, but none of those big tech companies that have been building out data centers in places like Virginia and Texas are yet in Maine.

[A]

Okay, so data center construction isn't a particular concern for residents of Maine. This is preemptive.

[B]

Yeah, there have been projects proposed in different parts of Maine, Maine, some of which have been crushed by community members who have been really upset about it and really concerned about the possible effects on the grid or on the environment. But it's really that's a handful of projects at this point. The bill currently though, it looks very likely to pass in some form. The legislature is considering a couple of carve outs for planned projects that are in the works and the governor supports some of those exceptions as well.

[A]

There are other states or areas that are looking into similar legislation. Could you tell us a bit about those?

[B]

Yeah. So the bill in Maine looks like the first one that will likely pass, but there are several other states, South Carolina, Oklahoma, New York state have seen these bills introduced in the last year. A similar bill in South Dakota, though, already failed. So many of those bills probably won't go anywhere. The expectation in the industry, though, is that some of them do end up passing in some form. And we've seen local governments like counties and towns enact their own temporary suspensions of data center construction and we'll probably continue to see more of that.

[A]

And how are data center developers reacting to this push?

[B]

As data center developers look across the country for new areas to expand, these kind of rules, proposed or real and swelling community opposition, kind of shrinks the map of where they are likely to try to and do business. So it's a mounting concern for data center developers. If this snowballs and starts to affect bigger states, I think you'll see much more of a response to that.

[A]

What ripple effects could this bill have if it passes or not? Does it tell us anything about data center construction as an issue for voters?

[B]

I think it might. I think it shows momentum. You know, the polling on voter opinions of data centers and AI is increasingly negative. And I think you're likely to see more politicians try to respond to that with various legislative proposals for the time being.

[A]

That was WSJ reporter Will Parker. Are electricity costs rising in your area? We want to hear from you. If you're a listener on Spotify, leave us a comment with your thoughts. Coming up, how a new Russian super app is helping the Kremlin's efforts to restrict Internet freedoms and limit the influence of tech platforms that have built substantial user bases in Russia. That's after the break. Social engineering attacks come in disguise, but Doppel sees through them. Our AI native platform shuts down threats and turns employees into first line defenders. Learn more at.pp e l.com. Russia's got a new super app, Max. Modeled after Telegram and China's WeChat, the messaging and e commerce platform aims to be an all in one digital hub offering everything from taxi hailing services to electronic passport wallets and another thing the app has backing from the government. WSJ correspondent Matthew Luxmore joins us now to talk about the years long fight between the Kremlin and foreign tech giants and what the launch of Max means for that tug of war. Matthew, tell us more about why the Kremlin is backing this app.

[C]

Many tech experts I've talked to for this piece say that because Max is not encrypted, it is a way of the Russian government being able to freely monitor what people are discussing online, but also to get their personal data, to get their health data, their financial data. Because people will be using this app not just for exchanging messages, but but also for making payments to banks, for booking appointments with doctors, for ordering food and retail online, and for all kinds of other services that would allow a government that is following what's happening on the app to get a very, very kind of comprehensive picture of its citizens.

[A]

Can you tell us a bit about what paved the way for this app to come about?

[C]

In many ways, the Russian government has been trying to get to this point for the past two decades now. After the Soviet Union collapsed in the 1990s, Russia was a country that was very open to Western business presence inside the country. But when Vladimir Putin came into power as president in 2000, he understood that the Internet was something that could become a problem for Russia. And that really became clear to him when protests erupted against his return to power for a third presidential term in 2011. And his main opponent, the opposition leader Alexei Navalny, began to really harness the Internet in a way that no other Kremlin critic had done before, using blogs, online and social media, Facebook and other things like that, to criticize the government. The Russian government started to look for ways in which it could replace Western apps that are popular inside the country. But what really accelerated this process was the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, when the government understood how much of a threat foreign messaging apps such as Telegram and WhatsApp are for the government.

[A]

What about the company behind Max, the tech giant vk?

[C]

Yeah, VK was created initially as a Facebook clone. The Russian government took over VK and merged it into this bigger tech enterprise run by the son of the deputy chief of staff to Putin. So a highly placed government official is now running this company, and it's very much in with the Kremlin and backed by it.

[A]

And we should note that VK declined to comment for this story. So every new smartphone in Russia must now come with Macs preloaded while Telegram and WhatsApp are blocked. How are people there responding to that.

[C]

There's been a lot of grumbling about this, about the effort to foist Max on people. But we really have to look at max's emergence kind of in a broader context of the many different ways that the Russians are trying to censor the Internet right now. It's not just this new super app that they're trying to spread across Russia. It's also various Internet outages, mobile Internet outages, that have been happening across the country. Essentially right now in central Moscow, you can be walking around and you're not even able to use the mobile Internet on your phone. And it's not just in Moscow, it's all across Russia. Intermittently. The mobile Internet just goes off, sometimes for weeks at a time. And local authorities are citing the threat from Ukrainian drones, which sometimes use Russian SIM cards or Russian cell towers. But most Russians believe that this is simply a way of restricting people's access to information and also testing an Internet infrastructure, censorship infrastructure that would be crucial to the Russian government if ever. There's a time of major political upheaval.

[A]

Zooming out, what is the broader picture here?

[C]

People who follow the development of tech say that what we're seeing is the emergence of what they call a splinternet, which is an Internet that is now being kind of subdivided by authoritarian governments into separate fiefdoms or separate small sectors of the Internet that are being controlled and policed. Essentially, this technology that was once created to allow people to freely exchange information and instantly talk to people across the world is now being used by strongmen, leaders to surveil people and wall themselves off from information that's coming from the rest of the world that is deemed politically dangerous to those leaders. And that is really where Max fits in.

[A]

That was the WSJ's Matthew Luxmore. And that's it for Tech News Briefing. If you're a listener on Spotify, be sure to leave us a comment. Today's show was produced by me. Julie Chang. Jessica Fenton and Michael Lavalle wrote our theme music. Our supervising producer is Katie Ferguson. Our development producer is Aisha Al Muslim. And Chris Sinsley is the deputy editor of audio for the Wall Street Journal. We'll be back later this morning with your TNB Tech Minute. Thanks for listening. Social engineering attacks come in disguise, but Doppel sees through them. Our AI native platform shuts down threats and turns employees into first line defenders. Learn more at D O P P e L Com.