Hello! This is The Vergecast, the flagship podcast of The Verge... and your life. Every Friday, Nilay Patel and Dieter Bohn make sense of the week's tech news with help from our wide-ranging staff. Join us every week for a fun, deeply nerdy, often off-the-rails conversation about what's happening now (and next) in technology and gadgets.
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Why Apple and Amazon can't stop launching stuff
We are once again back to taking your questions on The Vergecast Hotline! (Call 866-VERGE11, or email vergecast@theverge.com.) This time, David has some thoughts on Apple's new product launch strategy, the impossible task of building a modular operating system, and more. Also: a theory on the word "theory." Subscribe to The Verge for unlimited access to theverge.com, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ad-free podcast feed. We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
It only takes a prick to pop a bubble
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang admitted to having a relationship with a woman named Alice Huang (no relation). Was she a business partner, or was she a spy sent by the Chinese government to steal secrets from the most powerful person in AI? The Verge’s Liz Lopatto explains everything we know about the scandal, what a spy might want from Nvidia, and what could happen next for both Huangs. Further reading: The future of AI hinges on… Jensen Huang’s sex life? What could China get from Jensen Huang? Here’s what Trump said he knew about Jensen Huang Subscribe to The Verge for unlimited access to theverge.com, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ad-free podcast feed. We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Torrenters are building epic media collections
All around the internet, groups of media fans are hunting for and curating some of the best movie, music, and TV collections anywhere. And they're doing it all via BitTorrent. Verge contributor and Lowpass writer Janko Roettgers takes us into the world of private torrent trackers, where some people are saving culture and some people are just in it for the flicks.Torrent Underground We’re also on video! Check us out on YouTube. Subscribe to The Verge for unlimited access to theverge.com, subscriber-exclusive newsletters and our ad-free podcast feed. We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11. 0:00 Torrents Return01:20 Private Trackers Explained04:04 Rules Ratios And Leechers05:56 The Prestige Ladder10:00 Bounties And Salinger12:55 Piracy Ethics Today17:16 Streaming Backlash19:45 What Private Really Means22:12 Anti Piracy Crackdowns25:44 Why People Do It27:14 Is BitTorrent Growing28:45 Curation Beats Algorithms31:51 Enough Phone Kickstarter33:50 Phone Prices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Big Tech lost big in the 2026 election
The 2026 midterm elections in the US ended in a sweeping win for Democrats — and several dozen sweeping losses for the AI industry. Nilay and David dig into what the results will mean for data centers, Big Tech, and even the future of X. Then, they try to figure out whether anyone's making any money in AI — not so much, it turns out — and whether the touchscreen MacBook is worth the price. Further reading: The fight for tech accountability starts now Tech is about to get hammered in Congress Forbes: Elon Musk Deletes Midterm Posts After Stunning Election Losses Data centers lost the midterms Democrats leaned into Big Tech and AI opposition this cycle. Not even $200 million could help Elon Musk buy Texas OpenAI says ChatGPT is catching up to Google in search Google hasn’t figured out how to make AI pay like its search engine Uber only fulfilled 4 rides from AI agents last quarter DoorDash's CEO: Don't be 'delusional' after just a few hundred AI agent orders Apple is reportedly lowering AI usage budgets. Brendan Carr plans to let prisons jam cellphone signals SpaceX could buy Boost Mobile as part of its big mobile carrier plans Apple MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display review: a touchscreen winner Sam Altman addresses RAM comments: People should ‘put as much as they want in their computers Sam Altman says it’s better for RAM to be in a data center than on your desk Subscribe to The Verge for unlimited access to theverge.com, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ad-free podcast feed. We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11. 0:00 Bezos Hair Transplant Hoax 01:15 Midterms Shockwave Begins 02:00 Corruption And Data Center Backlash 06:53 AI Products Not Worth It 09:26 What Democrats Can Do Now 11:15 Congress Investigations Lawyer Up 13:15 Hype Reels Take Over Politics 15:42 X Bubble Versus Real Life 22:47 Microblogging Decline And AI Regulation 23:56 Ossoff Speech And AI Doomerism 27:35 Google Then Versus OpenAI Now 33:35 Back From Break 33:42 OpenAI Search Claims 35:19 Google Moat Erodes 38:02 Monetizing AI Overviews 42:52 Ads Break Trust 45:49 Google Zero Spiral 47:43 Agents Reality Check 50:41 Token Spending Pullback 52:50 Muse Novelty Wears Off 01:00:16 Brendan Carr is a Dummy 01:02:00 FCC Heat On Carr 01:07:04 MacBook Pro Touchscreen 01:09:09 Touchscreen Love Hate 01:10:25 Dynamic Island Reality Check 01:11:17 Best Touch Use Cases 01:11:58 App Support And Optimization 01:14:10 MacBook Pro Verdict 01:14:27 Speakers And Trade Ins 01:15:42 Sales And Upgrade Timing 01:17:11 SpaceX Boost Mobile Drama 01:22:05 Ram Altman Cloud Take 01:29:31 AI Photo Editing Panic 01:37:13 Wrap Up And Plugs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Books are .epubs, .mp3s, and .mp4s, too
Morgann Book reads a lot of books. And, as a literary creator and podcaster, makes a lot of content about books. She joins the show to explain why BookTok loves all things romance and romantasy, why physical books are an important balance to digital life, and why she's not worried at all about the future of reading. Further reading: Bookish Media Subscribe to The Verge for unlimited access to theverge.com, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ad-free podcast feed. We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Why Rian Johnson made a photo app
Film director and camera nerd Rian Johnson sits down with Vergecast guest host and camera nerd David Imel for an unapologetically nerdy conversation about cameras. They chat about cinematography, Rian's viral Chromagraph Camera app, and check out David's vast collection of quirky equipment. (As of recording, Rian is still waiting for his to be delivered.) Further reading: Rian Johnson explains why he had to build his own iPhone camera app Subscribe to The Verge for unlimited access to theverge.com, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ad-free podcast feed. We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Will data centers rock the vote?
It's Election Day in the United States, and data centers have become a core issue in some of the country's most important midterm races. The Verge's Adi Robertson explains why people are uniting against data centers, why they've become a proxy for all kinds of other fights, and how this year's results might change the AI industry going forward. Further reading: Apple is all in on AI — its own and everyone else’s | The Verge OpenAI is quietly renaming data centers ‘compute campuses’ | The Verge GTA VI’s download will need up to 212GB of hard drive space | The Verge Midterm elections 2026: all the news The Verge's investigative series: The Center Will Not Hold The 2026 iPad Mini is a terrific tiny tablet — for a big price Subscribe to The Verge for unlimited access to theverge.com, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ad-free podcast feed. We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Cloud gaming works — but it's not winning
Streaming all your video games seems like such a good, simple idea. All your games, everywhere, on any screen you like — it's the dream! The Verge's Sean Hollister explains how the tech works now (which might be better than you think), why it'll take a huge amount of work to make it even a little bit better, and why games like Grand Theft Auto VI probably can't just live in the cloud. Further reading: SpaceX could buy Boost Mobile as part of its big mobile carrier plans | The Verge Anthropic’s updated S-1 has even more eye-popping numbers. | The Verge More European supermarkets are getting their freezers hacked | The Verge Subscribe to The Verge for unlimited access to theverge.com, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ad-free podcast feed. We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The delightfully messy state of Apple gadgets
Nilay is going to buy the new touchscreen MacBook. But not for the touchscreen. He and David talk through Apple's new laptop, and what it means for Apple's other devices, including the tablet that used to be the future of everything. Then the hosts talk about Instagram's push into long-form video and its battle with AI content. Finally, it's time for Brendan Carr, Anthropic's S-1, robot vacuums, and the rest of the lightning round. Further reading: Apple finally combined a toaster and a refrigerator Hands-on with the new OLED iPad Mini Instagram doesn’t have a plan to pay long-form video creators Adam Mosseri says negativity around AI is ‘going to get worse’ Invasion of the Sexy A.I. Joke Thieves Brendan Carr plans to let prisons jam cellphone signals Five weird details from Anthropic’s IPO filing Microsoft is ending Copilot support on smart TVs Google says its investments in AI are driving more searches Palmer Luckey’s Anduril is getting into laptops — and claims they’ll be American-made Subscribe to The Verge for unlimited access to theverge.com, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ad-free podcast feed. We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11. 0:00 ProLED Cold Open 01:04 Touchscreen Mac Arrives 02:39 Why Apple Did Touch 05:27 App Store Pressure 07:54 Touch Is Just Enough 09:49 Influencer Event Demos 13:56 iPad Squeezed Middle 18:34 Luxury Hardware Bet 22:37 Duo Reality Check 28:18 Instagram Going Through It 29:07 AI Agents vs Ads 32:18 Zuck Escapes iPhone 32:41 Instagram Becomes TV 33:23 Slop Meme Deepfakes 36:09 Mosseri AI Crisis 42:58 Longform Video Push 44:34 Creators Demand Revshare 48:19 Loop Closing Arms Race 49:34 Reddit Versus Google Zero 53:22 AI Kills The Web 01:00:20 Brendan Carr is a Dummy 01:02:22 Spectrum Auction Plan 01:03:35 NOAA Weather Spectrum Fight 01:04:29 700 MHz Auction History 01:05:38 FCC Spectrum Power Grab 01:06:09 Privatizing Weather Data 01:09:27 Anthropic S1 Reality Check 01:12:34 AI Products Beat Models 01:16:55 Claude Goes Sentient 01:17:55 Copilot Leaves Smart TVs 01:21:16 Quiet Robot Vacuum Thoughts 01:25:03 Palmer Luckey Laptop Fight 01:30:10 X Replies and Racism 01:32:32 Wrap Up and Next Week Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The touchscreen MacBook Apple said it wouldn't make
Steve Jobs once said touchscreen laptops were a terrible idea. Now Apple is shipping one. The Verge's Antonio Di Benedetto tells us all about the new MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR, how MacOS is changing for touch, why a laptop user might want a touchscreen, and whether MacBook and iPad are destined to become one. Further reading: Hands-on with Apple’s touchscreen MacBook Pro Apple finally combined a toaster and a refrigerator DoorDash is acquiring Instacart for $17 billion Google says its investments in AI are driving more searches Samsung’s expecting the RAM shortage to last until at least 2028. Subscribe to The Verge for unlimited access to theverge.com, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ad-free podcast feed. We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Amazon built the Trojan Horse for your smart home
Amazon's product launch spree continues, this time with a bunch of new Alexa-powered Echo devices. The Verge's Jennifer Pattison Tuohy explains what the new Echo Show 16 finally got right, why a digital photo frame could be Amazon's next big Alexa hit, and whether this new way of thinking about smart home gadgets might help Amazon defeat the HomeView and win a space in your kitchen. Further reading: Apple announces its first touchscreen MacBook Pro Amazon’s new Echo line is here: the 6 biggest updates Here’s Virgin Galactic’s new Apeiron spaceship Amazon’s new Echo line is here: the 6 biggest updates Subscribe to The Verge for unlimited access to theverge.com, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ad-free podcast feed. We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Inside the early days of the AI revolution
Kevin Roose's new book, The AGI Chronicles, tells the story of the AI revolution. He joins the show to explain its earliest beginnings: the researchers who discovered what language models could do, the people who debated whether humans or computers should are more special, and the executives who started the companies that currently rule our economy. What do they want, and what are they building? Further reading: Kevin Roose is AGI-pilled. Why aren’t you? Machine Gods The AGI Chronicles Apple refreshes the iMac with M6 chips Apple updates the MacBook Pro with M6 chips Palmer Luckey’s Anduril is getting into laptops — and claims they’ll be American-made OpenAI announces three big science discoveries and a new way to work with academics Data center backlash is uniting America Subscribe to The Verge for unlimited access to theverge.com, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ad-free podcast feed. We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Files are over. All you need are URLs
We talk a lot about where the computer is, and where your stuff is. Paul Ford, a co-founder of Aboard and longtime tech blogger, recently built a tool called TinyLittleOffice that puts all the stuff in an unexpected place: the URL. Paul joins the show to explain how the web and the cloud have become powerful development tools, what it means to store a document in its domain, and why tiny, disposable software could make a comeback in the age of AI. Further reading: A YouTuber dissected an iPhone Duo and thinks he found the cause of crackgate Anthropic’s IPO filing lays out a plan to ‘revolutionize every area of human endeavor’ with AI Apple updates the iPad Mini with a larger OLED display Tiny Little Office Subscribe to The Verge for unlimited access to theverge.com, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ad-free podcast feed. We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The iPhone Duo should have been an iPad
We gave the iPhone Duo a 7 /10. But that wasn’t always the score we planned, and it might not be the right score forever. Such are the challenges of reviewing — and assessing — a big, new idea about the most popular smartphone in history. On this episode of The Vergecast, David and Nilay debate whether the Duo deserved the score it got, and try to work through how this device might change over time. After that, the hosts talk about the huge PHP cybersecurity flaw that rocked the web this week, the ongoing increase in AI shopping, an impending reboot inside of Netflix, and some very confusing Gemini news. Also, Brendan Carr is a Dummy. Further reading: The iPhone Duo is a messy, expensive, good time All the news about the iPhone Duo Daring Fireball: The iPhone Duo PHP: The three little letters wreaking havoc across the web AI agents are ready to shop. Some retailers are wary Walmart is inviting AI agents to shop for you 10 million people have already set up Muse agents. Netflix is telling investors not to worry, even though you’re watching less and less Google’s more personalized Gemini AI is heading to your car Subscribe to The Verge for unlimited access to theverge.com, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ad-free podcast feed. We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11. 0:00 No Sevens Pact 01:03 Show Agenda Setup 01:46 Duo Score Debate 03:08 App Optimization Phases 07:47 Two Thousand Dollar Problem 10:44 iPad Not iPhone 14:41 Outer Screen Compromises 18:04 Developer Badges Future 20:34 Early Adopter Reality 30:19 Handoff eSIM Limitations 34:49 PHP Shell Chaos 36:17 PHP Under the Hood 37:46 AI Finds the Exploit 40:46 Disclosure Panic Fallout 42:44 Patch Now or Go Dark 45:58 Autonomous Defense Arms Race 48:42 Agents Break the Web 53:04 Muse Adoption Shopping Stats 54:11 Bots Buying Movie Tickets 01:01:05 Instagram Deepfake Crisis 01:07:30 Brendan Carr is a Dummy 01:10:06 FCC Threatens Poll Coverage 01:17:44 FCC Free Speech Alarm 01:20:20 The Lightning Round 01:20:49 Arc Browser Shutdown 01:23:12 AI Browsers Future 01:27:14 Meta Terms Backlash 01:34:04 Netflix Identity Crisis 01:43:16 Gemini Confusion Car 01:49:12 Wrap Up And Awards Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Why Tesla needs its cars to fly
Tesla recently showed off a new version of its Roadster. Well, a new version of its old version of the Roadster, anyway. But this one flies! The Verge's Andy Hawkins joins the show to explain the last decade of the Roadster saga, make sense of the flying and kickflipping new vehicle, and cast out into the future of Tesla's cars for humans. If there even is one. Further reading: The incredible flying Tesla Roadster is just for show The Tesla Roadster flew, drove upside down, and hit 60mph in under a second Trump says Sundar Pichai talked him out of renaming the Atlantic Ocean 1Password lets AI agents use your passwords without seeing them The world’s first triple 200-megapixel cameraphone is great Subscribe to The Verge for unlimited access to theverge.com, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ad-free podcast feed. We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices