Interview With Roblox CEO Kicks Off With An Unbelievable Answer...

Roblox CEO David Baszucki is taking heat for a recent podcast interview with the New York Times, in which he discussed the platform's new AI-powered age gating technology, dismissed accusations that Roblox has a predator problem, and got into a bit of a high-strung back-and-forth with the interviewer over the company's approach to moderation.

The interview starts off with a real bang: When asked what he thinks of "the problem of predators on Roblox," Baszucki replies, "We think of it not necessarily just as a problem, but an opportunity as well. How do we allow young people to build, communicate and hang out together? How do we build the future of communication at the same time?"

Yeah, that's sure one way to look at it, and squinting very hard I can sort of see it as a very poorly worded but otherwise okay answer: There is a problem, and by solving it Roblox can lead the way on the development of effective moderation tools for everyone. Okay, fine.

But as the interview continues, Baszucki comes up very short on specifics, talking about using "behavioral signals" with facial scans and other systems "that can really help us make cool decisions," and of course about the power of AI, but offering nothing of real substance.

He's similarly vague when asked why it's taken so long for Roblox to implement some of these systems, in particular one that aims to restrict conversations on the platform to "bands" of certain age groups. And when the interviewer pointed out that predators don't seem to have had much trouble getting around Roblox's systems up to this point, Baszucki said he didn't want to comment on it. He also appeared to deny that there's a problem with predators on Roblox at all, acknowledging that it's something seen in lawsuits and the media but saying he "categorically reject[s]" the interviewer's characterization.

Roblox is the largest kids' gaming platform in the world, and it's facing 20+ lawsuits, and multiple state investigations over issues related to child safety. Parents should know how its CEO responds when asked about them! pic.twitter.com/TQTELusD8GNovember 21, 2025

A bit after that, it starts to get weird. When asked about a Hindenburg Research report claiming that Roblox was reducing its spending on trust and safety, Baszucki first pointed out that Hindenburg research is no longer in business, and then asked the interviewer "if you’ve done your own research."

Then, after turning the question into a weird hypothetical, with which th

Source: PC Gamer