Greta Cross

Greta Cross tracks how technology, consumer brands and policy changes show up in everyday life, translating fast-moving online trends into clear, service-driven stories for USA TODAY’s national audience. Her coverage sits at the intersection of consumer tech, digital infrastructure, retail and entertainment, with explainers that focus on what readers need to know right now. With more than five years of journalism experience, she works as a national trending reporter and carries over sub-beats in the LGBTQ+ community, the marijuana industry and Gen Z social media trends.

Consumer tech, AI tools and practical explainers

Cross writes frequently about consumer-facing technology and AI tools, emphasizing what outages, new features and security alerts mean for users day to day. She has covered major disruptions affecting ChatGPT and Claude, laying out what happened, how long services were down and what users should expect as systems come back online.

Her reporting on viral products like DuckDuckGo’s anti-AI sunglasses breaks down what the tools claim to do, how they work in practice and why they are spreading across social platforms.

She follows operating system releases closely, detailing iOS 27’s new features and providing straightforward lists of compatible devices so readers can quickly see whether their hardware will support the update. Cross also explains security notifications, including Apple’s push alerts about spyware, clarifying when alerts are genuine, what they signal and how affected users should respond. On the entertainment side of technology, she extends that practical lens to branded pop culture, such as coverage of Lego’s “KPop Demon Hunters” set released after its movie tie-in, situating these products inside broader trends in fandom, collectibles and media franchises.

Big tech events, infrastructure and policy shifts

Beyond consumer devices, Cross consistently covers how decisions by large tech companies and governments reshape the digital environment. Ahead of Apple’s major product events, she outlines what to expect, synthesizing rumor cycles, past launch patterns and likely feature sets into tight previews for general readers.

Her reporting on data centers looks at the physical footprint behind the internet and AI, framing “America’s new NIMBY war” as a conflict between local communities and the infrastructure required to power modern computing.

She explains why these facilities are growing, how they affect land use and energy, and what opposition looks like at the neighborhood level. In coverage of New York City’s new click-to-cancel subscription rules, Cross shows how policy can change the user experience, walking readers through which services are affected, how cancellation will work in practice and why regulators are targeting subscription friction. Together, these stories show a reporter who connects headline policy decisions and corporate moves directly to the way people interact with technology and digital services each day.

Retail, pricing and the business of everyday consumption

Cross’s trending work extends into retail and consumer brands, where she focuses on how corporate decisions translate to store closings, price changes and product availability. She has reported on Starbucks closing 250 locations within a single week, placing the closures in the context of broader shifts in the coffee chain’s strategy and what customers can expect in their local markets.

Her coverage of Kroger discontinuing Red Bull products centers on what shoppers will see on shelves, what the chain has said about the decision and how the move fits into changing relationships between retailers and big-name beverage brands.

Cross also tracks pricing moves, such as Target lowering prices on nearly 2,000 items, presenting clear lists and examples of affected products to show where families might feel relief in their budgets. In earlier work, she has followed Target’s expansion of next-day delivery, mapping out which cities gain access and how delivery offerings compare across markets. Across these stories, she treats consumer business news as a service beat, prioritizing tangible impacts - closures, price cuts, product changes - over abstract financial analysis.

Entertainment, lists and wider social trends

Cross frequently uses entertainment and list-driven stories to surface broader cultural trends, reflecting her sub-beats in Gen Z social media and other communities. She has covered The Voice’s thirtieth season, detailing premiere dates, times and coaching lineups to orient viewers as long-running series evolve.

In another direction, her work on Forbes’ “Greatest Self-Made Americans” list highlights which figures are included and how rankings are structured, tapping into ongoing public conversations about success, entrepreneurship and celebrity.

Beyond these specific pieces, her professional portfolio notes regular coverage of the LGBTQ+ community and the marijuana industry, as well as Gen Z social media trends, indicating a habit of following how younger audiences shape platforms, language and online movements. From 2024 into early 2025, she was part of a team covering the death penalty, showing range into criminal justice and policy reporting alongside her technology and culture stories.

Taken together, this mix of entertainment, lists, social trends and justice work shows a reporter who uses accessible formats to connect everyday readers to complex shifts in law, identity and generational behavior.