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The Verge's Nilay Patel, Alex Cranz, and David Pierce discuss ChatGPT and Gemini updates, Walmart acquiring Vizio, Apple's Sports app, and more. Further reading: Google cut a deal with Reddit for AI training data Google apologizes for ‘missing the mark' after Gemini generated racially diverse Nazis Google's open-source Gemma AI models draw from the research behind Gemini ChatGPT spat out gibberish for many users overnight before OpenAI fixed it One month with Microsoft's AI vision of the future: Copilot Pro Gemini, Gemma, Goose. OpenAI can't register ‘GPT' as a trademark — yet Artificial investment Walmart to acquire Vizio in $2.3 billion deal Echo Hub review: a simple, customizable smart home control panel Samsung details a host of audio upgrades coming to its phones, tablets, and TVs Apple says the iPhone 15's battery got better — but won't say how Rice is not included in Apple's official guidance for a wet phone One of the last small-ish Android phones looks like it's going the way of the iPhone Mini OnePlus is getting back into the smartwatch game The Garmin Forerunner 165 could be a great budget running watch Sony's PlayStation Portal hacked to run emulated PSP games Framework is selling a cheap modular laptop Wyze says camera breach let 13,000 customers briefly see into other people's homes Apple launches Apple Sports app with scores and betting odds Apple is already defending iMessage against tomorrow's quantum computing attacks IBM quantum computing updates: System Two and Heron Microsoft and Intel strike a custom chip manufacturing deal Rivian says it is laying off 10 percent of its workforce as EV woes deepen Ford slashes Mustang Mach-E prices again as EV price war enters its second year Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Verge's Nilay Patel, Alex Cranz, and David Pierce discuss Apple fans starting to return the Vision Pro, Xbox exclusive games, Super Bowl streaming troubles, and more. Further reading: Apple fans are starting to return their Vision Pros Zuckerberg says Quest 3 is ‘the better product' vs. Apple's Vision Pro Meta's big vision for face computers might be better than Apple's Microsoft's gaming chief on Xbox games coming to PS5, next-gen hardware, and more Microsoft prepares to take Xbox everywhere Gemini Advanced is most impressive when it's working with Google Gemini 1.5: Google's next-gen AI model is almost ready Google's Gemini assistant is fantastic and frustrating OpenAI introduces Sora, its text-to-video AI model ChatGPT's memory gives OpenAI's chatbot new information about you Can watermarks save us from deepfakes? Automating ableism The text file that runs the internet Apple won't be forced to open up iMessage by EU FCC commissioner wants to investigate Apple over Beeper Mini shutdown Apple appears to be breaking iPhone web apps in the EU Walmart might buy Vizio to win the fight over cheap TVs AI at Work Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Her label, Universal Media Group, pulled its entire catalog off TikTok. The Verge's Nilay Patel explains why, and author Cory Doctorow says the app's “enshittification” is inevitable. This episode was produced by Hady Mawajdeh, edited by Matt Collette, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by Rob Byers, and hosted by Sean Rameswaram. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
A reminder for new readers. That Was The Week collects the best writing on critical issues in tech, startups, and venture capital. I selected the articles because they are of interest. The selections often include things I entirely disagree with. But they express common opinions, or they provoke me to think. The articles are only snippets. Click on the headline to go to the original. I express my point of view in the editorial and the weekly video below.This Week's Audio:Thanks To This Week's Contributors: @jeffbeckervc, @eshap, @stevesi, @gruber, @daringfireball, @SamuelStolton, @leah_nylen, @mattmday, @chrisheuer, @JoannaStern, @Om, @sarahpereztc, @GeorgeNHammond, @Tabby_Kinder, @NicholasMegaw, @PeterJ_Walker, @SteveAbbott415, @adamlashinskyContents* Editorial: * Essays of the Week* Changing the Customer of Venture Capital (Jeff Becker)* What A Drag It Is (Evan Shapiro)* Building Under Regulation (Steven Sinovsky)* Apple's Plans for the DMA in the European Union (John Gruber)* Amazon Drops iRobot Deal; Roomba Maker Cuts 31% of Staff (By Samuel Stolton, Leah Nylen, and Matt Day)* Envisioning the Future of Human Work in the Age of AI: The 2024 Forecast (Chris Heuer)* Video of the Week* Joanna Stern Wears a Vision Pro for 24 Hours* Product of the Week* The Vision Pro (Daring Fireball)* Apple's Vision Pro -The Meta-Review. (Om Malik)* My 4 magic moments with Vision Pro (Om Malik)* Apple Vision Pro Review: The Best Headset Yet Is Just a Glimpse of the Future (Joanna Stern)* News Of the Week* Spotify calls Apple's DMA compliance plan ‘extortion' and a ‘complete and total farce' (Sarah Perez)* Investors raise billions to buy discounted stakes in start-ups (George Hammond, Tabby Kinder, Nicholas Megaw)* Founders: getting to the next venture stage may take longer than you expect (Peter Walker)* The State of the SaaS Capital Markets: A Look Back at 2023 and Look Forward to 2024 (STEVE ABBOTT Partner, Capital Markets, KEVIN BURKE Partner, Strategy)* PayPal is laying off 2,500 employees (Pranav Dixit)* Startup of the Week* Zum Raises $140M At $1.3B Valuation To Help Kids Get to School Faster With AI (Chris Metinko)* X of the Week* For a moment, I almost felt sorry for Mark Zuckerberg. (Adam Lashinsky)EditorialYou didn't hear it here first but Apple's Vision Pro is a hit.Some wonderful essays in this week's newsletter. I lead with Jeff Becker's look at venture capital, focusing on who the customer is. The question “Who is the customer?” is crucial for any product. The answer is easy when the product is an asset class - the customer is the person investing money. Yet most of the venture world pretends that the customer is the entrepreneur. In reality, the entrepreneur is a supplier. She or He supplies opportunity, commitment, and execution; the goal is to grow value by investing customer cash into that supply.Now it is easy to understand why venture investors sometimes describe the recipient of funding as the customer. It is important that the company feels served by the VC. But serving an investee company is clearly a mission carried out for the VC fund investors, the real customer.Jeff is addressing a real problem - how to best invest in the supply. I will leave you to read his essay and ponder it, but he proposes a radical re-think of how to do early-stage investing, and for the most part, it argues for a more liberal spread of cash, in larger numbers, to far more founders. It's interesting, to say the least.Evan Shapiro focuses on the rapid aging of the US population. He makes a strong case:Since 2019, America's population has grown by 7.8 million. Yet, the US now has 2.7 million fewer kids under 15 than it did in 2019. Meanwhile, there are now 7.1 million more Americans 65-80 than five years ago. America now has half a million fewer people under 40 than it did in 2019 and almost 8.4 million more people over 40.At a time when politicians from both sides are falling over themselves to point a finger at immigration as a major problem, it is refreshing to see analysis demonstrating that the US needs more immigrants. And in a context where there is virtual full employment this needs to be across all skill levels and needs to trend young. The essay is great.Part of the anti-immigrant narrative has focused on DACA - Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Ron Conway is part of a group of over 50 businesses signing an amicus brief to support DACA. Bravo to him.Hostility to immigrants is never OK. It is even less OK when the economy is desperate for skilled and unskilled willing hands.Politically inspired propaganda dominated elsewhere this week. Amazon was prevented from closing the acquisition of iRobot due to EU objections based on competitive concerns. Well done, EU. Amazon dropped the deal, and iRobot may well be in trouble as a result. Thirty percent of staff were laid off. And more EU interference when Apple was ordered to allow alternative app stores on the iPhone. Steven Sinofsky's wonderful essay, “Building Under Regulation,” leverages his vast experience at Microsoft. It seems every day it becomes more obvious that the EU is against innovation, especially when it produces successful big companies.The Congress got in on the act too (see X of the Week), calling social media leaders to DC to be accused, show-trial-like, of being responsible for teen suicides. Sadly, the Meta CEO apologized as if admitting culpability.Teen suicide and causality is a non-trivial issue, but it is fair to say that Social Media does not cause it. Teens (I have one and another two recently in their post-teen phase). All have had growing up challenges. As I recall, I did also. The world can be harsh in the face of those challenges. But to see social media as the only factor, or even a major one, seems superficial and plain wrong. I wish one of the executives had the nerve to push back against the accusations. Adam Lashinsky's piece is interesting.Finally, Chris Heuer has a research piece on AI and the Future of Work. Well done, Chris, this is such an important issue. My PoV is that work, defined as paid labor, will inevitably decline and the average working day will decline. I believe this is a fundamental good for humanity. I also believe it poses enormous global questions about how the abundance made possible will be distributed to improve life for everybody. I do. not think this is the end of human effort. Just the beginning of the end of the need to do paid labor in order to live.Essays of the WeekChanging the Customer of Venture CapitalThe gift of technologyJEFF BECKERJAN 29, 2024TLDR: We need to change the customer of early-stage venture capital so that we can fund the future of technology and build global prosperity for decades to come.Recently, I hosted a group of students from Wharton at Antler's offices and we talked about the future of early-stage VC.I alluded to this a couple weeks ago when I said:…for $5B per year, you could seed the vast majority of meaningful tech companies for 8 years with the amount of money Elon Musk spent on Twitter. (Link here)The reality is, $5B per year just isn't that much money in the grand scheme of private equities—roughly .5-1% depending how you slice it.As a former salesperson, that fact often leaves me wondering, “what if you changed the customer of venture capital?”Could you attract more money, create more impact, and actually produce more returns?Classically, putting your name on building was a way to not only have a fairly durable legacy, but let's be honest, that gift is outdated.And it hardly does any good in the world.Instead, legacies and the world's most important problems alike would be better served by a consolidation of brilliant minds and capital, combined with the speed and leverage of startups.I think there are two interesting solutions, and both should be built.The first is something I'd call the 501-VC, and the second would be to fund all of venture capital for a decade or more through a new kind of Giving Pledge.I'm going to talk about the second one today.Famously,The Giving Pledge is a promise by the world's wealthiest individuals and families to dedicate the majority of their wealth to charitable causes.The problem is, charitable foundations and organizations aren't historically the most efficient way to solve the world's problems. They exist for good reason, but most operate like old corporates rather than savvy startups.However, what if we thought of economic opportunity and global prosperity as a more ubiquitous problem to solve, and instead of funding mission-driven work, we fund the entirety of the tech sector?What if instead of the average high net worth individual trying to get a 3-5X return over 10 years, you focused on the ultra high net worth population, the economic development groups, and the sovereign funds who are both trying to achieve these returns and trying to improve the world?What if you focused on their shared goals and values as customers, like creating economic opportunity and building a durable legacy?What if you could do it in every corner of the planet through access to entrepreneurship?What if instead of one PayPal Mafia, you had thousands?What if you had an investor who could actually deploy $5B per year at the formation stage?That has simply never existed before, and yet it is a defining opportunity for the human race and our evolution as a society.Currently, high potential employees are stuck in their corporate jobs.Our brightest minds handcuffed to benefits and addicted to a salary, never realizing their true potential or having a real impact on the world.Many go get their MBA where they spend money to learn new skills and acquire a network, rather than receive money for becoming a more productive citizen of the world.Many job hop looking for a low-risk way to get on a rocket ship.Some try to build their own, but quickly run out of runway and mental fortitude.It's a broken system, and we need to rebuild it.First it requires a product.The product needs to be for two groups—the founders and the investors.It starts with the infrastructure required to reduce the risk of being a founder which in turn attracts more of the brightest minds to the job itself. At the same time, the product also has to be an investment vehicle that attracts a new type of customer to early-stage VC.… Lots MoreWhat A Drag It IsAmerica Feels OldEVAN SHAPIROJAN 29, 2024Since 2019, America's population has grown by 7.8 million. Yet, the US now has 2.7 million fewer kids under 15 than it did in 2019. Meanwhile, there are now 7.1 million more Americans 65-80 than five years ago. America now has half a million fewer people under 40 than it did in 2019 and almost 8.4 million more people over 40.Because of the sheer size of the Baby Boomer Generation and the fact that younger Americans have pulled out on having kids, in the last five years, America has gotten old - not just compared to itself, but also compared to the rest of the world.In 2019, 63% of the world's population was under 40. Now, 64% of the people of the planet are 39 or younger. In short:Over the last half-decade the world has gotten one percent younger and America has gotten one percent older.One percent may seem small. However, the consequences of this demographic shift are consequential. For countries like the US, the UK, France, Italy, Germany, and Japan, with aging populations where the number of people over 60 is growing faster than the number of people under 15, the coming years will be filled with challenges brought on by their age: Workforce shortages, inverted dependency ratios where a diminishing tax-base struggles to fund a widening social safety net, health care infrastructures ill-equipped to deal with increased demand. As the world's wealthiest and most powerful nations continue to age faster than they reproduce, expect these issues to get increased and more urgent attention.After decades of aging down, the US population is now aging up quickly. In 2000, 58% of the US population was under 40 years old. Now just a slim majority of 51% is under 40. The impacts of this rapid maturation can be felt throughout our culture, but perhaps nowhere as dramatically as in America's Media and Tech industries.Over the last half century (but for some intermittent challenges from Japan and China), the US has led the world in entertainment and technology, setting the standard for the world's consumption of Media. While many TVs and phones are manufactured in other countries, most of the systems, software, and vision for these products has come from America - and the entertainment consumed on these devices has been, for many decades, the United States' most notable export.Now, America's Media Industrial Complex finds itself amidst a widely-reported bloodbath of its own making. Recently, this meltdown has been joined by America's leading Tech firms. Some of this is cyclical, driven by innovation cycles, advertising recessions, and even the aftermath of the worldwide pandemic. But muchof the current Media Apocalypse was as predictable as the upside-down aging ratio of our population.The first decade of the 21st Century was marked by an almost inconceivable level of innovation in American Media and Tech. The internet invaded all aspects of our lives. Broadband grew across the country like a high-speed weed, bringing the universe to our desktops, making all our worlds, at once, much bigger and infinitely smaller. By 2012, tiny supercomputers known as smartphones had reached a critical mass in the US and TV was streaming into our homes.Then, right around that time, America's Media C-Suite inhabitants seemingly started a shared mid-life crisis, through which we are all still living.Bob Iger took over Disney in 2005, when he was 53 years old. Through some of the most masterful deal-making in Media history, and (seemingly) a true vision of the future, Iger took a troubled company and turned it into the greatest proprietor of intellectual property the world has ever known. He bought Pixar in 2006, revitalizing Disney Animation. He bought Marvel in 2009, jump stating the most successful film and TV franchise in history. He bought Lucasfilm in 2012, completing what many see as bar-setting hat-trick of entertainment, bringing the most valuable collection of titles in entertainment all under one roof.… Lots MoreBuilding Under RegulationAn essay on the EU Digital Markets Act and Apple's "Update on apps distributed in the European Union" (and some personal history)STEVEN SINOFSKYJAN 27, 2024Readers note: This is a long post. There are enough hot takes on this super important issue. I welcome corrections as always.This week Apple detailed the software changes that will appear in an upcoming release of iOS to comply with the European Union Digital Markets Act (DMA). As I read the over 60 pages of the DMA when it was passed (and in drafts before that, little of which changed in the process) my heart sank over the complexity of a regulation so poorly constructed yet so clearly aimed at specific (American) companies and products. As I read through many of the hundreds of pages of Apple documents detailing their compliance implementation my heart sank again. This time was because I so thoroughly could feel the pain and struggle product teams felt in clinging to at best or unwinding at worst the most substantial improvement in computing ever introduced—the promise behind the iPhone since its introduction. The reason the iPhone became so successful was not a fluke. Consumers and customers voted that the value proposition of the product was something they preferred, and they acted by purchasing iPhone and developers responded by building applications for iOS. The regulators have a different view of that promise, so here we are.To be clear, DMA covers a wide range of products and services all deemed to be critical infrastructure in the digital world. It is both an incredibly broad and sometimes oddly specific regulation. As written the regulation covers at least online intermediation services [commercial internet sites/markets], online search engines, web browsers, advertising services, social network services, video sharing platforms, number-independent interpersonal communications services [messaging], operating systems, virtual assistants, and cloud computing.If you're well-versed in online you can map each one of those to precisely who the target might be, or sometimes targets. It is all big tech, almost exclusively US-based companies. There are no EU companies that meet the criteria to be covered—hardcoded revenue of EUR 7.5 billion for three years, EUR 7.5 billion market cap, or 45 million MAU—with Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, ByteDance, Meta, Microsoft, and Samsung acknowledging the criteria apply to various units in addition to the following other “very large online platforms”: Alibaba AliExpress, Booking.com, Pinterest, Snapchat, Twitter, Wikipedia, Zalando [German fashion retailer]. Those thresholds seem strangely not round.I am going to focus on the Apple and primarily their App Store response because I think it is the most important and time critical and because iPhone is the most unique, innovative, and singular product in market. I can easily replace search, a browser, an ad network, a social network, a video site. Even cloud computing is not so sticky, and we all use multiple messaging services. What iPhone delivers is irreplaceable. At least for many of the subset of smartphone users that chose Apple.The thing is, as impressive as Apple has been it is not *that* successful by the measures that count for dominance. Worldwide Apple is clearly the number two smartphone to Google Android which has over 70% share. In the Europe (excluding Russia) Apple iPhone has about a 33% share (I won't debate exact numbers, units sold v in use, revenue v. profit v. units, etc. as all those do is attempt to tell a story that isn't obvious, which is Android is more popular). That's hardly a monopoly share by any standard. In some European countries Apple has a higher share, some data providers would say as high as 50% or nearly 60%, which by most legal standards is still not quite at a monopoly level especially in a dynamic market. Apple has not been fined, sued, or otherwise convicted of having a dominant share let alone abusing the market position it has. No consumer harm has been demonstrated. In Epic v. Applespecifically on the store, Apple prevailed in 9 of 10 claims of damages to Epic due to the store's costs. Of note, the same claims in Epic v. Google resulted in liability from Google and is being appealed. Many of most vocal competitors didn't even exist before the iPhone. They have become huge companies and don't appear to be struggling, and in fact benefit from being part of the iPhone ecosystem. Counter to the text of the DMA, innovation seems to be thriving as measured by the number of new companies and distinct new services.Yet, the EU DMA has declared that Apple is a “gatekeeper”—an ominous term applied to Apple among the others.… Lots MoreApple's Plans for the DMA in the European UnionFriday, 26 January 2024Apple yesterday announced a broad, wide-ranging, and complex set of new policies establishing their intended compliance with the European Union's Digital Markets Act, which comes into effect March 7. There is a lot to remark upon and numerous remaining questions, but my favorite take was from Sebastiaan de With on Twitter/X, the day before any of this was announced.After quipping “Oh god please no” to a screenshot of the phrase “Spotify also wants to roll out alternate app stores”, de With had this conversation:de With:The EU is once again solving absolutely no problems and making everything worse in tech. I gotta say, they are if anything highly consistent.“Anton”:Overly powerful, rent-seeking gatekeepers seem like a problem.de With:I love that I can't tell if you are talking about the EU or Apple in this case.My second-favorite take, from that same thread, was this from Max Rovensky:DMA is not pro-consumer.It's anti-big-business.Those tend to coincide sometimes, which makes it an easy sell for the general public, but do actually read the DMA, it's quite interesting.I'd go slightly further and describe the DMA as anti-U.S.-big-business, because as far as I can tell, nothing in the DMA adversely affects or even annoys any European tech companies. There are aspects of it that seem written specifically for Spotify, in fact.But Rovensky's framing captures the dichotomy. Anti-big-business regulation and pro-consumer results often do go hand-in-hand, but the DMA exposes the fissures. I do not think the DMA is going to change much, if anything at all, for the better for iOS users in the E.U. (Or for non-iOS users in the EU, for that matter.) And much like the GDPR's website cookie regulations, I think if it has any practical effect, it'll be to make things worse for users. Whether these options are better for developers seems less clear.I've often said that Apple's priorities are consistent: Apple's own needs first, users second, developers third. The European Commission's priorities put developers first, users second, and “gatekeepers” a distant third. The DMA prescribes not a win-win-win framework, but a win-win-lose one.Apple is proud, stubborn, arrogant, controlling, and convinced it has the best interests of its customers in mind.The European Commission is proud, stubborn, arrogant, controlling, and convinced it has the best interests of its citizens in mind.Ever since this collision over the DMA seemed inevitable, starting about two years ago, I've been trying to imagine how it would turn out. And each time, I start by asking: Which side is smarter? My money has been on Apple. Yesterday's announcements, I think, show why.APPLE'S PROPOSED CHANGESIt's really hard to summarize everything Apple announced yesterday, but I'll try. Start with the main Apple Newsroom press release, “Apple Announces Changes to iOS, Safari, and the App Store in the European Union”:“The changes we're announcing today comply with the Digital Markets Act's requirements in the European Union, while helping to protect EU users from the unavoidable increased privacy and security threats this regulation brings. Our priority remains creating the best, most secure possible experience for our users in the EU and around the world,” said Phil Schiller, Apple Fellow. “Developers can now learn about the new tools and terms available for alternative app distribution and alternative payment processing, new capabilities for alternative browser engines and contactless payments, and more. Importantly, developers can choose to remain on the same business terms in place today if they prefer.”Schiller is the only Apple executive quoted in the press release, and to my ear, his writing hand is all over the entire announcement. Apple was quite clear before the DMA was put into law that they considered mandatory sideloading on iOS a bad idea for users, and their announcement yesterday doesn't back down an inch from still declaring it a bad idea.Apple has also argued, consistently, that they seek to monetize third-party development for the iOS platform, and that being forced to change from their current system — (a) all apps must come from the App Store; (b) developers never pay anything for the distribution of free apps; (c) paid apps and in-app-purchases for digital content consumed in-app must go through Apple's In-App Payments system that automates Apple's 30/15 percent commissions — would greatly complicate how they monetize the platform. And now Apple has revealed a greatly complicated set of rules and policies for iPhone apps in the EU.MG Siegler has a great — and fun — post dissecting Apple's press release line-by-line. Siegler concludes:I'm honestly not sure I can recall a press release dripping with such disdain. Apple may even have a point in many of the points above, but the framing of it would just seem to ensure that Apple is going to continue to be at war with the EU over all of this and now undoubtedly more. Typically, if you're going to make some changes and consider the matter closed, you don't do so while emphatically shoving your middle fingers in the air.Some of these changes do seem good and useful, but most simply seem like convoluted changes to ensure the status quo actually doesn't change much, if at all. Just remember that, “importantly, developers can choose to remain on the same business terms in place today if they prefer.” What do you think Apple prefers?The puzzle Apple attempted to solve was creating a framework of new policies — and over 600 new developer APIs to enable those policies — to comply with the DMA, while keeping the path of least resistance and risk for developers the status quo: Apple's own App Store as it is.….Lots MoreAmazon Drops iRobot Deal; Roomba Maker Cuts 31% of Staff* IRobot CEO steps down and company cuts workforce by 31%* Tech giant to pay $94 million to iRobot over deal terminationBy Samuel Stolton, Leah Nylen, and Matt DayJanuary 29, 2024 at 5:33 AM PSTAmazon.com Inc. has abandoned its planned $1.4 billion acquisition of Roomba maker iRobot Corp. after clashing with European Union regulators who had threatened to block the deal.The fallout came quickly. IRobot, which has been struggling recently, said Chief Executive Officer Colin Angle has stepped downas the company embarks on a restructuring plan that will result in about 350 job cuts, or 31% of the workforce. The vacuum maker's shares tumbled 19% in New York to $13.80, their lowest level since 2009. Amazon's shares were up less than 1% at $160.07.The decision is a sign of the intense pressure Amazon is facing to prove its actions don't harm competition as its influence grows in retail, cloud-computing and entertainment. Antitrust regulators on both sides of the Atlantic have been keen to ensure that the biggest US tech companies don't snap up innovative startups before they have a chance to become formidable competitors on their own.Amazon met with the FTC's senior antitrust staff last week, who informed the company they were recommending a suit over the deal, according to a person familiar with the meeting. Executives and lawyers from the tech giant were scheduled to meet with the FTC's three commissioners this week to make a final push for the acquisition, said the person, who asked not to be named discussing the confidential probe.… Lots MoreEnvisioning the Future of Human Work in the Age of AI: The 2024 ForecastResearch Fellowship ProgramIntroductionAs technological change and the adoption of new technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) accelerate, the future of human work will be characterized by disruption, uncertainty, and opportunity. As 2024 approached, the Team Flow Institute Research Fellows gathered for a roundtable to discuss their visions for the future of human-focused work in the age of AI. As described by the institute's co-founder and Managing Director, Chris Heuer, “The Team Flow Institute is an organization dedicated to shaping a human-centric future of work as we face the choice of augmentation or automation in every industry and every function. This transformational decision will reshape what we call work and society itself, requiring us to abandon business as usual and finally design business as possible.” The Team Flow Institute Research Fellows' roundtable discussion delved into the potential opportunities and challenges of this technology revolution driven by the institute's “mission to gather like-minded individuals and organizations to steer our collective destiny toward a more sustainable future, where the essence of humanity and human work is valued and preserved as we increasingly adopt AI tools and technologies, explained Jennifer McClure, Senior Research Fellow, and Advisory Board member. This article analyzes key insights from the discussion, offering a glimpse into the work landscape of 2024 and beyond. As the Team Flow Institute embarks on its inaugural fellowship program, this analysis holds particular significance as it seeks to equip individuals with the knowledge and skills necessary to thrive in the evolving landscape of AI-enabled work. Through this program, the Team Flow Institute aims to foster a community of leaders who can guide organizations and individuals toward a future where humans and technology collaborate to create a more sustainable and fulfilling work environment.Part I: AI Progress and PromiseNo longer relegated to science fiction, AI has infiltrated our lives, transforming industries with its vast potential. From automating tedious tasks to streamlining complex decision-making processes, its applications are far-reaching. In the realm of design, AI-powered software is revolutionizing industries like architecture and fashion, enabling rapid prototyping and personalized creations. Team Flow Institute co-founder Jaime Schwarz says, “Imagine being able to prototype a new building or clothing line in minutes instead of weeks. This remarkable advancement accelerates design cycles and fosters increased customization, ultimately leading to more innovative and personalized consumer products.”The creative landscape is also poised for disruption with the emergence of generative AI. Team Flow Institute Research Fellow Shel Holtz describes its transformative potential: “Generative AI is blurring the lines between human and machine creativity. We're seeing machines create realistic text, images, and even music that is nearly indistinguishable from human-generated work.” This democratization of creativity opens doors for individuals with diverse backgrounds and abilities to express themselves in new and exciting ways. But it also opens up philosophical questions and debates about the nature of art and creativity, adds Jen McClure. Amidst these exciting advancements, Chris Heuer reminds us that “AI is not just a science fiction concept anymore; it's here, and it's changing the way we do everything.” This necessitates a thoughtful approach to the future of work, a need to ensure the value of human skills and their role in work, proactive workforce development initiatives to ensure that individuals are equipped with the necessary skills to thrive in the evolving job market, and an elevation of the need for constant communications within organizations, reminds Team Flow Institute Research Fellow Sharon McIntosh.As AI continues to permeate our lives, it is crucial to acknowledge its remarkable potential and challenges. By navigating this dynamic landscape with careful consideration and proactive planning, we can ensure that AI serves as a force for progress, innovation, and a brighter future for all. As Team Flow Institute Research Fellow Gina Debogovich reminds us, it will undoubtedly unlock economic growth. “The 20th century began with a global GDP of $3 trillion and, largely due to technological advancement, ended with a GDP of $33.8 trillion. AI is poised to boost the economy to unseen heights.”AI will be a catalyst for creating new jobs, just as the web did in the mid-1990s. Businesses must integrate these jobs and activities into existing workflows and business models and develop new ones. Indeed, innovative organizations are already experimenting with, if not embracing, the role of prompt engineers. The Team Flow Institute advocates for a Team Flow Facilitator to serve as a coach, a collaboration facilitator, and an AI pilot to support high-performing teams.Part II: The Risks and DownsidesWhile AI offers many benefits, possibilities, and opportunities, its advancements are not without potential pitfalls. AI and automation technologies bring both promise and peril to the workforce. While they offer the potential to augment human capabilities and business efficiencies significantly, understandable concerns persist surrounding job losses and the general impact on workers. Organizations must chart a thoughtful course that fully harnesses technical capabilities without losing sight of the humans at the heart of work.… Lots MoreVideo of the WeekProduct of the WeekThe Vision ProTuesday, 30 January 2024For the last six days, I've been simultaneously testing three entirely new products from Apple. The first is a VR/AR headset with eye-tracking controls. The second is a revolutionary spatial computing productivity platform. The third is a breakthrough personal entertainment device.A headset, a spatial productivity platform, and a personal entertainment device.I'm sure you're already getting it. These are not three separate devices. They're one: Apple Vision Pro. But if you'll pardon the shameless homage to Steve Jobs's famous iPhone introduction, I think these three perspectives are the best way to consider it.THE HARDWAREVision Pro comes in a surprisingly big box. I was expecting a package roughly the dimensions of a HomePod box; instead, a Vision Pro retail box is quite a bit larger than two HomePod boxes stacked atop each other. (I own more HomePods than most people.)There's a lot inside. The top half of the package contains the Vision Pro headset itself, with the light seal, a light seal cushion, and the default Solo Knit Band already attached. The lower half contains the battery, the charger (30W), the cables, the Dual Loop Band, the Getting Started book (which is beautifully printed in full color, on excellent paper — it feels like a keepsake), the polishing cloth1, and an extra light seal cushion.To turn Vision Pro on, you connect the external battery pack's power cable to the Vision Pro's power connector, and rotate it a quarter turn to lock it into place. There are small dots on the headset's dime-sized power socket showing how to align the cable connector's small LED. The LED pulses when Vision Pro turns on. (I miss Apple's glowing power indicator LEDs — this is a really delightful touch.) When Vision Pro has finished booting and is ready to use, it makes a pleasant welcoming sound.Then you put Vision Pro on. If you're using the Solo Knit Band, you tighten and loosen it using a dial on the band behind your right ear. VisionOS directs you to raise or lower the headset appropriately to position it at just the right height on your face relative to your eyes. If Vision Pro thinks your eyes are too close to the displays, it will suggest you switch to the “+” size light seal cushion. You get two light seal cushions, but they're not the same: mine are labeled “W” and “W+”. The “+” is the same width, to match your light seal, but adds a wee bit more space between your eyes and the displays inside Vision Pro. For me the default (non-“+”) one fits fine.The software then guides you through a series of screens to calibrate the eye tracking. It's all very obvious, and kind of fun. It's almost like a simple game: you stare at a series of dots in a circle, and pinch your index finger and thumb as you stare at each one. You go through this three times, in three different artificial lighting conditions: dark, medium, and bright. Near the end of the first-run experience, you're prompted to bring your iPhone or iPad nearby, just like when setting up a new iPhone or iPad. This allows your Vision Pro to get your Apple ID credentials and Wi-Fi password without entering any of that manually. It's a very smooth onboarding process. And then that's it, you're in and using Vision Pro.There's no getting around some fundamental problems with the Vision Pro hardware.First is the fact that it uses an external battery pack connected via a power cable. The battery itself is about the width and height of an iPhone 15/15 Pro, but thicker. And the battery is heavy: about 325g, compared to 187g for an iPhone 15 Pro, and 221g for a 15 Pro Max. It's closer in thickness and weight to two iPhone 15's than it is to one. And the tethered power cable can be an annoyance. Vision Pro has no built-in reserve battery — disconnect the power cable from the headset and it immediately shuts off. It clicks firmly into place, so there's no risk of accidentally disconnecting it. But if you buy an extra Vision Pro Battery for $200, you can't hot-swap them — you need to shut down first.… Lots MoreApple's Vision Pro -The Meta-Review.Apple Vision Pro reviews have started to roll in — and depending on who you read, the consensus vacillates between amazing and work in progress. In most cases, they reflect some version of reality. If one is looking for faults with Apple's face computer, then one will find them. And if you are looking at what it represents, you are going to be excited. I am in the ‘camp' of the amazed, though I am not blinded by the challenges that await Vision Pro in the real world.The Verge's Nilay Patel sums up the challenge of Vision Pro, writing:The technology to build a true optical AR display that works well enough to replace an everyday computer just isn't there yet. The Magic Leap 2 is an optical AR headset that's cheaper and smaller than the Vision Pro, but it's plagued by compromises in field of view and image quality that most people would never accept. So Apple's settled for building a headset with real-time video passthrough — it is the defining tradeoff of the Vision Pro. It is a VR headset masquerading as an AR headset. And let me tell you: the video passthrough on the Vision Pro is really good. It works! It's convincing. You put the headset on, the display comes on, and you're right back where you were, only with a bunch of visionOS windows floating around.Let's get on with the cons: The Verge points out problems like ‘motion blur,' ‘blurriness,' ‘color fringing,' ‘limited field of view,' and ‘vignetting.' I have not personally experienced any of these because, well, I don't have the device.The device is sometimes laggy. It's heavy, and the wired battery is limited to just over 2 hours. You can plug it into a ‘wall charger' with a USB-C cable, or daisy-chain it to another USB-C battery pack. And it does get a tad warm. You need to use the ‘dorky' headband to use the device without feeling the weight (or in some cases, a headache).None of this surprises me! Vision Pro is, after all, a full-blown computer. It's made from magnesium, carbon fiber, and aluminum. It has two high-resolution front-facing cameras (video pass-through), two cameras that face down to track your hands and gestures, a LiDAR, TrueDepth cameras, and some kind of infrared lights. The device has two tiny MicroOLED displays packed with a total of 23 million pixels. (As I noted in an earlier piece, these displays are the magic and the primary reason why Vision Pro is so expensive.)All these sensors, cameras, and displays are powered by an M2 chip and an R1 spatial coprocessor, and fans. Apple has packed this in an enclosure that is about three times the weight of the iPhone 15 Pro Max and is still lighter than the iPad 12.9. Paint me impressed purely from a technological standpoint.…. Lots MoreMy 4 magic moments with Vision ProNo, not again! Not another Vision Pro Review! I feel you — after all the reviews yesterday, I am pretty sure you don't want to read another review. Here's the good news — it's not a review. Instead, I will share my quick impressions from a deep dive at Apple Park, and my four magic moments with the Vision Pro.Unlike the reviewers who published their reviews, my access to the device has come in dribs and drabs. It has been a carefully managed experience — an early demo, exposure to the photos app, and the spatial video capabilities. A few days ago, I got to use the device for less than two hours.This was a highly curated experience — so this doesn't and won't qualify as a review. I am skipping all the stuff that has been covered by the deep dive that professional reviewers have already published. WSJ's Joanna Stern's review is amazing — especially the video version. It is best to consider these as my considered impressions.First, can I wax eloquent about the technological achievement of Vision Pro? As a chip and hardware nerd, I think Vision Pro is a witches' brew of the latest of all types of technologies. Let me quote my post from yesterday:Vision Pro is, after all, a full-blown computer. It's made from magnesium, carbon fiber, and aluminum. It has two high-resolution front-facing cameras (video pass-through), two cameras that face down to track your hands and gestures, a LiDAR, TrueDepth cameras, and some kind of infrared lights. The device has two tiny MicroOLED displays packed with a total of 23 million pixels. (As I noted in an earlier piece, these displays are the magic and the primary reason why Vision Pro is so expensive.)All these sensors, cameras, and displays are powered by an M2 chip and an R1 spatial coprocessor, and fans. Apple has packed this in an enclosure that is about three times the weight of the iPhone 15 Pro Max and is still lighter than the iPad 12.9. Paint me impressed purely from a technological standpoint.What's even more impressive is the sound — Apple is using beamforming to direct the sound into your ears. And unless you are really blasting it out loud — you could get away with wearing it in a public place — though people in Business Class will notice the slight din from the seat next to them. Apple is hoping you will splurge on AirPods Pro.No matter how you see the device — love it or hate it, you can't deny that it is yet another amazing computer built by a company that knows how to build great consumer computers.… Lots MoreApple Vision Pro Review: The Best Headset Yet Is Just a Glimpse of the FutureWorking, cooking, skiing, kicking back—our columnist wore Apple's new mixed-reality headset for a week to see what it's forBy Joanna Stern at the WSJJan. 30, 2024 at 9:00 am ETA few things surprised me after wearing the Vision Pro mixed-reality headset for nearly 24 hours straight:* I didn't puke. * I got a lot of work done. * I cooked a delicious meal.Also, my Persona—the headset's animated video-call avatar—will haunt your dreams.For the last week, I have been testing Apple's boldest bet yet on the post-smartphone future. Strap on the 1.4-pound goggles and you see apps floating right in your living room. Living room a stress-inducing mess? Go full virtual reality and watch a 3-D movie on a giant screen perched on the mouth of a Hawaiian volcano.Let's get this out of the way: You're probably not going to buy the $3,500 Apple Vision Pro. Unless you're an app developer or an Apple die-hard, you're more likely to spend that kind of money on an actual trip to a Hawaiian volcano.And that's OK. Reviewing the Vision Pro, I wanted to understand the potential of the device, and the technical constraints that keep it from being a must-have, at least for now. Most importantly, I wanted to answer one question: In a world full of screens, what's the benefit of strapping one to your eyes?… Lots MoreNews Of the WeekSpotify calls Apple's DMA compliance plan ‘extortion' and a ‘complete and total farce'Sarah Perez @sarahpereztc / 2:41 PM PST•January 26, 2024Image Credits: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto (opens in a new window)/ Getty ImagesCount Spotify among those not thrilled with how Apple has chosen to comply with the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA), which sets the stage for sideloading apps, alternative app stores, browser choice, and more. On Friday, the streaming music company issued its response to Apple's new DMA rules, calling the new fees imposed on developers “extortion” and Apple's compliance plan “a complete and total farce,” that demonstrated the tech giant believes that the rules don't apply to them.Apple earlier this week announced a host of changes that comply with the letter of the EU law, if not the spirit. The company said that app developers in the EU will receive reduced commissions, but it also introduced a new “core technology fee” that requires developers to pay €0.50 for each first annual install per year over a 1 million threshold, regardless of their distribution channel. It will also charge a 3% payment processing fee when developers use Apple's in-app payments instead of their own.Epic Games' CEO Tim Sweeney, whose company sued Apple over antitrust concerns, already condemned Apple's plan, saying it was a case of “malicious compliance” and full of “junk fees,” and now Spotify is essentially saying the same.…. Lots MoreInvestors raise billions to buy discounted stakes in start-upsBuyers return after secondary market for private shares was hit by higher interest ratesGeorge Hammond and Tabby Kinder in San Francisco and Nicholas Megaw in New YorkJANUARY 16 2024Investment firms are raising billions of dollars to buy stakes in venture capital-backed technology start-ups, as a long drought in acquisitions and initial public offerings forces early investors to offload their stock at discounts. The start-up secondary market, where investors and employees buy and sell tens of billions of dollars' worth of shares in privately held companies, is becoming an increasingly important trading venue, in the absence of traditional ways of cashing out and given a slowdown in start-up funding. Venture secondaries buyers are primed for a busy year as start-up employees look for a way to sell their stock and investors look to return capital to their own backers or reallocate it elsewhere. Secondary market specialist Lexington Partners last week announced a new $23bn fund to buy up stakes from “large-scale investors”. Lexington had originally aimed to raise $15bn, but upped its target on the back of high demand, and said it was “in the early stages of a generational secondary buying opportunity” that could last years.The fund will predominantly buy shares from private equity funds but also expects to invest as much as $5bn into venture capital secondaries, said a spokesperson.“We are seeing crazy amounts of [limited partner investors] that are distressed and need to lighten their venture load,” said the head of a $2bn venture capital firm. The latest Lexington fund “speaks to the sheer demand” from LPs that feel “over-allocated” to private capital including to start-ups, they said. Other specialist firms such as Pinegrove Capital Partners, a joint vehicle created by Brookfield Asset Management and Sequoia Heritage, and StepStone have also been raising multibillion-dollar funds to target venture secondaries.…. Lots MoreFounders: getting to the next venture stage may take longer than you expectPeter WalkerHead of Insights @ Carta | Data StorytellerThe median number of days between a priced seed and Series A round hit 679 in 2023, a new peak.Median for Series A to B was 744 days (over 2 years). Very similar for Series B to C (739 days, also over 2 years).Fascinating to watch the 25th percentile (green) and the 75th percentile (blue) trends as well. It looks as though the 25th pct has pulled closer to the median for the middle venture rounds - suggesting there are very few companies speed-running through venture fundraising right now. Some of that could be company choice, as founders have cut spend and become more capital-efficient over the prior 12 months. However, I'm certain a lot of the increase in time is due to VCs being far more choosy about where to invest.So what are founders doing if primary rounds are not on the menu? Getting creative.Founders are raising bridge rounds at record rates, usually from insiders already on the cap table. They are turning to SAFEs and Convertible Notes, even between named venture stages. Some are turning to non-dilutive financing and loans.And many are trying to make customer revenue their primary fundraising channel. But switching from growth at all costs to profitability in a short period of time is no easy track change. My bet is that the time between rounds plateaus in 2024 (or maybe even declines just a touch). Maybe that's wishful thinking
The Verge's Nilay Patel, David Pierce, and Alex Cranz discuss the Apple Vision Pro review rating, changes to the TikTok app, streaming news, and more. Further reading: Apple Vision Pro review: magic, until it's not The Vision Pro is a computer for the age of walled gardens Apple's Vision Pro battery pack is hiding the final boss of Lightning cables Even without Netflix and YouTube, Apple's Vision Pro has over 600 apps at launch TikTok loses Taylor Swift, Drake, and other major Universal Music artists UMG set to remove music from TikTok amid AI and payment concerns TikTok test automatically identifies products in videos and offers purchase links TikTok goes full YouTube Hulu is cracking down on password sharing, just like Disney Plus and Netflix The death of the Amazon deal could mean goodbye iRobot Lawmakers propose anti-nonconsensual AI porn bill after Taylor Swift controversy All the news from Congress' Big Tech child safety hearing Snap is recalling and refunding every drone it ever sold TikTok's CEO can't catch a break from xenophobia in Congress Your home's internet connection could soon be called .internal Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Verge's Nilay Patel, David Pierce, and Alex Cranz discuss Nilay's review of the Apple Vision Pro, and then answer questions from our listeners. Further reading: Apple Vision Pro review: magic, until it's not Apple Vision Pro review (video) Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Verge's Nilay Patel, David Pierce, and Alex Cranz discuss Apple allowing alternative browser engines in the EU, Netflix getting WWE, Pixel 9 leaks, and more. Further reading: Apple is bringing sideloading and alternate app stores to the iPhone Apple is allowing alternative browser engines in iOS 17.4 — but only in the EU Apple opens App Store to game streaming services Netflix is turning into cable TV Netflix is going to take away its cheapest ad-free plan WWE Monday Night Raw is ditching cable for Netflix The Mac turns 40 — and keeps on moving Looking back on 40 years of Macintosh The Pixel 9 leaks are already here Leaked pictures show a very blue Pixel 9. The Vision Pro's most important app is Safari, whether Apple likes it or not Vision Pro cover glass repairs will set you back $799 without AppleCare Plus Apple tells artists how much more money they can make with spatial audio Inside India's race to cool 1.3 billion people in a warming world Nintendo goes after the Palworld Pokémon modder The Pokémon Company says it will ‘investigate' Palworld This baby is covered in old flip phones and chips — and you cannot afford it Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Verge's Nilay Patel, Victoria Song, David Pierce, and Alex Cranz discuss the Apple Vision Pro demo, the Samsung Galaxy S24 announcement, and more of this week's tech news. Further reading: Apple Vision Pro hands-on, again, for the first time Apple Vision Pro demos will include scanning your glasses to identify your prescription The Apple Vision Pro has a ‘guest' mode for your friends to try it Apple Vision Pro will launch with 3D movies from Disney Plus Netflix's app won't work on the Vision Pro Magic Leap's CEO isn't worried about competing with the Apple Vision Pro. Apple Watch ban: everything you need to know Apple Watch sales ban restarts Thursday Apple Watches without banned blood oxygen features will go on sale Thursday morning This smartwatch has the tech that sparked the Apple Watch ban Samsung is making a Galaxy Ring Samsung's Galaxy S24 and AI event: all the news The Galaxy S24 Ultra is smarter, pricier, and just as big as ever Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra might fend off scratches just as well as drops Samsung's S24 and S24 Plus put new AI smarts in a polished package Samsung's Galaxy S24 is first to be able to upload HDR photos to Instagram Google's Circle to Search makes visual searches super simple Samsung's Galaxy AI is coming to 100 million Galaxy phones. Meta's new goal is to build artificial general intelligence Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Verge's Nilay Patel, David Pierce, and Alex Cranz follow up on all the rest of the gadgets and tech seen at CES 2024. Further reading: CES 2024: all the TVs, laptops, smart home gear, and more from the show floor The Rabbit R1 is an AI-powered gadget that can use your apps for you Rabbit sells out 10,000 units of its R1 pocket AI companion in one day Samsung's Ballie robot is now a projector that follows you around Wi-Fi 7 quietly took off while everyone was looking at AI Wi-Fi 7 certification is now underway for new routers and devices Belkin made an iPhone dock that can track you around the room Satechi's new Qi2 charging stands are stylish and storable Have yourself some more Thunderbolt 5. Behold: the first Thunderbolt 5 port we've seen on an actual PC. I just watched the first interactive broadcast TV channel in the US Thread Group is finally fixing Thread border routers The Aqara Hub M3 launches at CES 2024 Google and Samsung team up to simplify Android sharing Intel: ‘We are bringing the AI PC to the car' Hyundai says hydrogen will play a ‘prominent role' in going carbon neutral BMW turns inward for CES, announcing new gaming, streaming, AR, and AI features VW's software division and Bosch are testing robot parking and EV charging Volkswagen says it's putting ChatGPT in its cars for ‘enriching conversations' Kia's ‘Platform Beyond Vehicles' is a family of modular electric minivans for businesses Mercedes-Benz taps Will.i.am to create an ‘interactive musical experience' for its cars Mercedes-Benz's best-in-class voice assistant is getting an AI boost Honda debuts new global EV series, Honda Zero, coming in 2026 Google Chrome is coming to your car Sony's Afeela needs to be more than a feeling Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Verge's Nilay Patel, David Pierce, and Alex Cranz are discuss all the things with screens announced at CES 2024. Further reading: I've looked through LG's new transparent OLED TV and seen something special Samsung's got its own transparent display. Samsung's new OLED TV could make annoying glare a thing of the past Samsung finally puts the TV at the heart of its smart home The Frame has become such a hit that Samsung is making a speaker version Intel's new 14th Gen mobile processors are here for 2024's gaming laptops Lenovo's latest 2-in-1 crams Windows and Android into one device Razer gaming laptops at CES 2024: Blade spec bumps and display upgrades Alienware's M16 R2 trims the behind for less power and more portability MSI Claw hands-on: the Steam Deck rival with Intel inside MSI's Claw is an Intel-powered Windows competitor to Valve's Steam Deck What if your Samsung flip phone could flip further? Apple Vision Pro launches February 2nd Apple Vision Pro prescription lenses will cost $149 extra Xreal's new AR glasses are aimed at the Apple Vision Pro Asus targets Apple's Vision Pro (with M2) with the AirVision M1 Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Verge's Nilay Patel, David Pierce, and Alex Cranz kick off the new year with a preview of what we're excited to see at CES 2024 next week, but not before a brief discussion on copyright, the open web, and the first movements of a battle between The New York Times and OpenAI. Further reading: The New York Times sues OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement Here's how major media companies are handling OpenAI. Read the lawsuit! For the second year in a row, Sony won't have new TVs at CES CES 2024: Dell's XPS laptop lineup is about to look very different Samsung's new AI-enabled smart fridge can design recipes for you Jony Ive imagined the Vision Pro giving you Zoom eyes and sunglasses Alamo Drafthouse blames ‘nationwide' theater outage on Sony projector fail Amazon Prime Video will start showing ads on January 29th Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Verge's Nilay Patel, David Pierce, and Alex Cranz start the final show of 2023 with some chat about the state of USB-C: the ups and downs of charging gadgets, the ubiquity of one cable, and what the future looks like for gadgets with ports. The crew competes in a few rounds of USB-C Price is Right, a game we completely made up to show how confusing USB-C and its specs can be. Nilay, David, and Alex each play for a Vergecast listener to win an awesome Verge swag basket from our merch store. Check out the video version of the game below. David and Nilay end the holiday show with Noah Dentzel, the CEO and co-founder of Nomad Goods, to talk about how USB-C on the iPhone has changed his business, the challenges of building cables, and what tech accessories he's most excited about in 2024. Have a happy, safe, and fast-charging holiday. We'll see you in 2024! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Verge's Nilay Patel, David Pierce, and Richard Lawler discuss Apple pulling the Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 from its website, the potential Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount merger, and what the biggest stories were on The Verge Dot Com. Further reading: Apple to pull Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 this week due to ITC ban Apple loses attempt to halt Apple Watch sales ban Why the Apple Watch is being banned — and how Apple can avoid it Masimo CEO thinks Apple can't code its way out of the Watch ban. Apple Watch ban: everything you need to know Beeper is giving up on its iMessage dream Apple reportedly plans Vision Pro launch by February Apple's immersive next-gen CarPlay will start with Porsche and Aston Martin Bird's goose is cooked. Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount in discussions for a max merger Adobe explains why it abandoned the Figma deal Adobe won't compromise on UK's attempt to block Figma merger Peloton's oldest bike tablet will be cut off from classes in a few months Peloton's app now pairs with third-party treadmills for some subscribers Inside Elon Musk's “extremely hardcore” Twitter Elon Musk predicts X will replace banks in 2024 Mark Zuckerberg agrees to Elon Musk cage match challenge Apple Vision Pro is Apple's new $3,499 AR headset I wore the Apple Vision Pro. It's the best headset demo ever. Sam Bankman-Fried gambled on a trial and his parents lost Amazon has just opened up its Sidewalk network to give any gadget free low speed data Sony's portable PlayStation Portal launches on November 15th for $199.99 Sam Altman fired as CEO of OpenAI OpenAI board in discussions with Sam Altman to return as CEO FTC v. Microsoft: all the news from the big Xbox courtroom battle Buckle up because El Niño is almost here, and it's going to get hot iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max in titanium: price, features, and release date This is Microsoft's new disc-less Xbox Series X design with a lift-to-wake controller Samsung caught faking zoom photos of the Moon The Steam Deck wasn't born ready, but it's ready now Inside the AI Factory: the humans that make tech seem human SodaStream is a bad deal, and modding your own is better Did SEO experts ruin the internet or did Google? Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The bookseller has gone from big-box villain to company on the brink of bankruptcy to bright spot in the mostly dismal retail space. The Verge's Nilay Patel and prosecutor Brendan Ballou explain the unlikely story of its apparent turnaround. This episode was produced by Isabel Angell, edited by Matt Collette, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by Patrick Boyd, and hosted by Noel King. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Verge's Nilay Patel, David Pierce, and Alex Cranz discuss Apple responding to Beeper's iMessage for Android and the various other text-based platform news from this week. Sean Hollister joins the show to discuss his time covering the Epic v Google trial, and what we learned from it all. Further reading: The year Twitter died: a special series from The Verge Beeper vs. iMessage is a fight about how tech works — and who's really in charge Apple responds to Beeper's iMessage for Android: ‘We took steps to protect our users' Beeper says Apple is blocking some iMessages, but there's a fix Google Messages might let you edit texts after they're sent Threads is officially starting to test ActivityPub integration Threads launches for nearly half a billion more users in Europe Adam Mosseri's Threads account is rocketing up the Mastodon followed lists. An X outage broke all outgoing links, again Epic win: Jury decides Google has illegal monopoly in app store fight Epic CEO Tim Sweeney: the post-trial interview 20 things we learned from the Epic v. Google trial The Apple TV app now looks more like an all-purpose streaming hub E3 is officially over forever Opera's gamer browser now has a ‘panic button' for when you're caught in the act Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Verge's Nilay Patel, Alex Cranz, and Dan Seifert discuss Google Gemini's attempt to compete with ChatGPT, Beeper Mini bringing iMessage to Android, and shakeups in the podcast industry, and much more. Further reading: “Welcome to hell, Elon” has now been cited in a Supreme Court brief. Google launches Gemini, the AI model it hopes will take down GPT-4 Google's Gemini AI model now powers the Bard chatbot Google's Gemini AI model is coming to the Pixel 8 Pro — and eventually to Android Apple joins AI fray with release of model framework Bing's GPT-4-powered Deep Search takes its time with AI questions Getty lawsuit against Stability AI to go to trial in the UK Beeper Mini brings iMessage to Android EU officials think iMessage isn't ‘popular enough' with businesses to warrant regulation. Spotify cancels industry-favorite podcast Heavyweight Spotify's not going for Pulitzers anymore Spotify's CFO and general counsel sold millions of dollars worth of stock the day after the layoff. Tidal is laying off more than 10 percent of its staff. Seems like Apple's iTunes Movies and TV Shows apps for Apple TV really are going away. Here's how a bridal photo captured a single person in three poses at once Federal judge vows to investigate Google for intentionally destroying chats Microsoft is investigating a Windows issue that's renaming printers to HP LaserJet Motorola Razr 2023 review: not enough of a good thing Disney Plus and Hulu's one-app experience is launching in beta The race to 5G is over — now it's time to pay the bill Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Verge's Nilay Patel, Alex Cranz, and David Pierce discuss the Tesla Cybertruck event, the latest with OpenAI leadership, and what Elon Musk and Bob Iger said at Dealbook Summit 2023. Getting close — but not too close — to the Tesla Cybertruck Tesla Cybertruck delivery event: Elon Musk hands over the first trucks to customers Elon Musk tells advertisers: ‘Go fuck yourself' Sam Altman is back, so what's next for OpenAI and ChatGPT? Interview: Sam Altman on being fired and rehired by OpenAI ChatGPT is winning the future — but what future is that? Ikea debuts a trio of affordable smart home sensors DealBook Summit 2023: Elon Musk, Bob Iger, and more How to find your 2023 Spotify Wrapped Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Verge's Nilay Patel and Alex Heath join David Pierce after a long, winding weekend reporting on breaking news of a dramatic shakeup at OpenAI, still in progress. Further reading: Sam Altman fired as CEO of OpenAI OpenAI's new CEO is Twitch co-founder Emmett Shear OpenAI board in discussions with Sam Altman to return as CEO Emmett Shear named new CEO of OpenAI by board Microsoft hires former OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Hundreds of OpenAI employees threaten to resign and join Microsoft Sam Altman is still trying to return as OpenAI CEO We're doing a survey on how people use The Verge (and what they'd want from a Verge subscription). If you're interested in helping us out, you can fill out the survey right here: http://theverge.com/survey Credits: Decoder is a production of The Verge and is part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Today's episode was produced by Liam James, Kate Cox, and Nick Statt. It was edited by Andru Marino. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Verge's Nilay Patel and Alex Heath join David Pierce after a long, winding weekend reporting on the dramatic shakeup at OpenAI, still in progress. Further reading: Turmoil at OpenAI: after firing Sam Altman, what's next for the creators of ChatGPT? Sam Altman fired as CEO of OpenAI OpenAI's new CEO is Twitch co-founder Emmett Shear OpenAI board in discussions with Sam Altman to return as CEO Emmett Shear named new CEO of OpenAI by board Hundreds of OpenAI employees threaten to resign and join Microsoft Microsoft hires former OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. We're doing a survey on how people use The Verge (and what they'd want from a Verge subscription). If you're interested in helping us out, you can fill out the survey right here: http://theverge.com/survey Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Verge's Nilay Patel, David Pierce, and Alex Cranz discuss Apple announcing it will support RCS next year, AI news that came out of Microsoft Ignite, YouTube's new policy on deepfakes, and much more. Further reading: Apple says iPhones will support RCS in 2024 Google turns to regulators to make Apple open up iMessage Meta will fight the EU over regulating Messenger Microsoft Ignite 2023: all the AI news from Microsoft's IT pro event Microsoft rebrands Bing Chat to Copilot, to better compete with ChatGPT Windows is now an app for iPhones, iPads, Macs, and PCs Microsoft Copilot Studio lets anyone build custom AI copilots Microsoft is finally making custom chips — and they're all about AI YouTube is going to start cracking down on AI clones of musicians Google is embedding inaudible watermarks right into its AI generated music Nothing is bringing iMessage to its Android phone Taylor Swift fans used record amounts of data during the Eras Tour in North America PlayStation Portal impressions: hands-on with Sony's remote play handheld for PS5 Opal's second camera is the Tadpole, a tiny webcam for laptops The first OLED Roku TV is here after a long, long wait Sonos teases a major new product coming next year Sonos fixes its Dolby Atmos loud pop issue after years of complaints Taylor Swift fans used record amounts of data during the Eras Tour in North America Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Verge's Nilay Patel, David Pierce, Alex Cranz, and Alex Heath discuss the debut of Humane's AI Pin, OpenAI's DevDay, GPT-4 updates, and more. Further reading: Exclusive leak: all the details about Humane's AI Pin, which costs $699 and has OpenAI integration Humane officially launches the AI Pin, its OpenAI-powered wearable All the news from OpenAI's DevDay conference OpenAI is letting anyone create their own version of ChatGPT OpenAI wants to be the App Store of AI ChatGPT subscribers may get a ‘GPT builder' option soon OpenAI turbocharges GPT-4 and makes it cheaper OpenAI's GPT builder interface is dead simple to use. Valve reveals the Steam Deck OLED: $549 buys better screen, battery, and more Steam Deck OLED review: better, not faster This smart garage door controller is no longer very smart YouTube pages are getting a TikTok-like For You feed Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Verge's Nilay Patel, David Pierce, and Alex Cranz discuss the takeaways from Apple's Mac event, the problem with SEO on the internet, streaming news, and much more. Further reading: Apple ‘Scary Fast' Mac launch event: the 4 biggest announcements Goodbye, Touch Bar, you held incredible promise Here's what Apple means when it says its event was ‘shot on iPhone' Amanda Chicago Lewis' excellent piece about the web SEO built Some thoughts about The Verge article on SEO Sundar Pichai argues in court that Google isn't evil, it's just a business Disney is about to own all of Hulu Joe Rogan's big Spotify decision HBO Bosses Used ‘Secret' Fake Accounts to Troll TV Critics Max is taking 4K away from its legacy ad-free subscribers Netflix's ad-supported plan will reward binge watchers with ad-free episodes Streaming is more expensive than ever — and it's only going up from here YouTube is getting serious about blocking ad blockers There's a surprising new top-five player in the smartphone market Excuse me, it's “really an aftermarket sound solution.” The best robot vacuum for me is the one I hacked Chrome on iOS now lets you move the address bar to the bottom Google is officially trying to make .ing domains a th.ing The EV transition trips over its own cord Closing time for Sam Bankman-Fried What stalking a delivery robot taught us about AI's limits Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Verge's Nilay Patel, David Pierce, and Alex Cranz discuss the next Apple event, a Twitter successor, and Windows Phone regrets. Further reading: Apple plans ‘Scary Fast' product event just before Halloween Apple's future AirPods roadmap just leaked, and big changes are coming Apple TV Plus is getting a price hike — and other Apple subscriptions are, too The Apple Watch's double tap points at a new way to use wearables iOS 17.2 Beta Introduces Journal App - MacRumors Meta's Threads app has almost 100 million users, says Mark Zuckerberg Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella admits giving up on Windows Phone and mobile was a mistake Here's your first look at Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater gameplay Humane's AI Pin is Here's your first look at Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater gameplay Google reportedly pays $18 billion a year to be Apple's default search engine Is my co-worker AI? Bizarre product reviews leave Gannett staff wondering In the end, the FTX trial was about the friends screwed along the way The obsessive tormentor who made professors' lives miserable The restaurant nearest Google Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Verge's Nilay Patel, Alex Cranz, and David Pierce discuss a whole bunch of tech news from this week — a new Apple Pencil, the latest Cybertruck confusion, streaming updates, and more. Further reading: Apple Pencil joins the iPad confusion zone Apple announces entry-level Apple Pencil with USB-C charging Elgato's new $279.99 Prompter is an all-in-one teleprompter and extra monitor Analogue is making a 4K Nintendo 64 OnePlus Open review: right size, wrong price Elon Musk says ‘we dug our own grave with Cybertruck,' offers new delivery date Elon Musk answers Tesla pricing question with anti work-from-home rant https://www.theverge.com/2023/10/18/23923256/musk-dodges-question-about-accepting-legal-liability-for-tesla-full-self-driving-cars Tesla profits dip as it invests in factory upgrades and AI development https://www.threads.net/@keubikooriginal/post/CyjavWouN0w X will start charging new users in two countries $1 per year ChargePoint is bringing Tesla's NACS plug to its vast network of EV chargers These space-saving public EV chargers are ridiculously fast and rolling out now FCC kicks off fight to restore net neutrality https://www.theverge.com/2023/10/19/23923617/nokia-announces-14000-job-cuts-amid-5g-downturn Here comes another Netflix price hike Netflix's first live sports broadcast pairs up F1 drivers with pro golfers Spotify launches hub for artists' merch YouTube might make an official way to create AI Drake fakes Get ready to see a lot more product ads in YouTube videos YouTube wants to get you watching more news from ‘authoritative sources' There's no way you'll miss YouTube's like and subscribe buttons now There's no way you'll miss YouTube's like and subscribe buttons now How Ecobee is becoming the smart home company Nest should have been Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Verge's Nilay Patel, David Pierce, and Alex Cranz discuss the Meta Quest 3 review, Google gadgets, and Threads continuing to compete with X. Chris Welch joins the show to discuss the result of Sonos' legal battle with Google. Further reading: Google Pixel Watch 2 review: better battery, better watch Pixel 8 and 8 Pro review: in Google we trust? WordPress now offers official support for ActivityPub Threads is getting an edit button — and you don't have to pay for it @mosseri • We're not anti-news At US v. Google antitrust trial, the Apple search deal takes center stage Judge blasts Sonos for abusing patent system and throws out $32.5 million win against Google Google is already bringing back the software features it removed because of Sonos' lawsuit Sonos vows to keep fighting Google for the benefit of smaller companies – and its own revenue Ruling pdf: https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/legaldocs/znpnznkjgpl/GOOGLE%20SONOS%20TRIAL%20ruling.pdf Google has fixed its recent history of terrible speakers with the Pixel 8 Pro Alameda's paper trail leads straight to Sam Bankman-Fried Samsung joins Google in RCS shaming Apple Sony's new PS5 with a removable disc drive launches in November Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Verge's Nilay Patel, David Pierce, and Alex Cranz discuss the announcement of Google's Pixel 8 phone, along with the new AI tools that raise lots of questions. Further reading: Google Pixel 8 launch event: the 7 biggest announcements Google Pixel 8 hands-on: a little bit smaller and a little bit smarter The Pixel 8 Pro hands-on: better cameras, a brighter screen, and new AI Google Pixel 8 will get seven years of Android updates Google Photos' new AI tools for Pixel 8 raise messy questions Google releases Android 14 for Pixel phones Android 14 gets AI-generated wallpapers on Google's latest Pixels Google Pixel Watch 2 hands-on: new sensors, longer battery, better accuracy Google announces new colors and features for its Pixel Buds Pro earbuds Netflix is planning to raise prices... again Streaming service price increases: the latest on Netflix, Disney Plus, Max, Hulu, and more Paramount uploads Mean Girls to TikTok across 23 video clips The Humane Ai Pin makes its debut on the runway at Paris Fashion Week https://www.threads.net/@mosseri/post/Cx8M6xqAWeC/ Apple addresses iPhone 15 overheating with a new iOS 17 update Paris Hilton gets special deal to post on X LG is dropping ATSC 3.0 from its TVs next year The Verge and dbrand have partnered on new skins for the Pixel 8, iPhone 15, and more iPhone 15 Pro Max camera: 1000 photos later, it's still missing something Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Verge's Nilay Patel, Alex Cranz, and David Pierce discuss all the announcements from Amazon's fall product launch event and Microsoft's Surface and AI event. Further reading: Amazon's fall 2023 product launch event: live news, announcements, and more Amazon is set to supercharge Alexa with generative AI The Fire TV should be at the heart of Amazon's smart home The new $269.99 Echo Frames look a whole lot more like glasses. Alexa Eye Gaze offers a new way to control Alexa on a Fire tablet In the new Echo Show 8, Alexa will be 40 percent faster. Finally some hardware...for kids. YouTube is going all in on AI with background and video topic suggestions YouTube made a video editing app — just like TikTok Microsoft Surface event: the 6 biggest announcements Microsoft's new Xbox controller borrows great ideas from Stadia, Steam, and Sony This is Microsoft's new disc-less Xbox Series X design with a lift-to-wake controller Microsoft's next Xbox, coming 2028, envisions hybrid computing Microsoft addresses the huge Xbox leaks: here's Phil Spencer's full memo Microsoft's Phil Spencer says acquiring Nintendo would be ‘a career moment' Microsoft announces the Surface Laptop Studio 2 with upgraded chips and ports A first look at Microsoft's upgraded Surface Laptop Studio 2 Microsoft announces the new Surface Laptop Go 3 Hands-on with the Surface Laptop Go 3 The Surface Go 4 comes with a much-needed performance boost Microsoft 365 Copilot launches in November Windows 11's next big update arrives on September 26th with Copilot, RAR support, and more Microsoft announces Surface Hub 3 with portrait mode The cable bundle of the future is officially here Google's Bard chatbot can now find answers in your Gmail, Docs, Drive The Home Assistant Green is here to make the most powerful smart home platform more accessible Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
It's been a week! The Verge's Nilay Patel, David Pierce, and Alex Cranz rejoin the studio to process all the tech news and announcements. Apple had its annual hardware event where the iPhone 15 and new Apple Watch lineup were shown off. Later, senior tech and policy reporter Adi Robertson joins the show to walk us through the US v Google antitrust trial that kicked off earlier in the week. Further reading: iPhone 15 event: all the news on Apple's new phones Here's why Apple put a Thread radio in the iPhone 15 Pro Rumors of Lightning's death are just slightly exaggerated The iPhone Mini is officially gone, long live the iPhone Mini USB-C Backbone One controllers will be ‘upgraded' to work with the iPhone 15 lineup. The iPhone is getting new ringtones with iOS 17 Apple announces more iOS 17 features coming later this year: Apple Music updates How Google plans to win its antitrust trial What to expect from the Google Search antitrust trial US v. Google antitrust trial: updates Developers respond to Unity's new pricing scheme Unity cancels town hall over reported death threats What happens when Google Search doesn't have the answers? Google AMP: how Google tried to fix the web by taking it over A storefront for robots The little search engine that couldn't Who killed Google Reader? Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
After attending Apple's fall hardware event, The Verge's Nilay Patel, Allison Johnson, Dan Seifert and Victoria Song break down the biggest announcements: the iPhone 15, 15 Pro, the new Apple Watch Series 9 and the Ultra 2. Further Reading: iPhone 15 event live blog: all the news from Apple's keynote Apple iPhone 15 event: the seven biggest announcements Apple announces iPhone 15 with USB-C, a camera upgrade, and the Dynamic Island Apple iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max announced with titanium bodies and an Action Button iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max hands-on A first look at the new iPhone 15 with USB-C and a big camera upgrade Apple's cheapest iPhone 15 Pro Max now costs more — but also has double the storage Apple is releasing iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 on September 18th Apple announces Apple Watch Series 9, and it has a handy double-tap feature Apple Watch Ultra 2: price, release date, and features Apple is switching the AirPods Pro charging case to USB-C Apple's USB-C AirPods Pro will support lossless audio with the Vision Pro Apple's Lightning connector was the first great port — and USB-C might be the last Post-process: why the smartphone camera changed photography forever The iPhone 7 Plus vs. the original iPhone: a camera showdown The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max are the first smartphones with Thread Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Verge's Nilay Patel, David Pierce, and Richard Lawler discuss Threads' new web app, Sony's Playstation handheld, NFL 4K streaming, AI music copyright, and a whole lot more. Further reading: Elon Musk says (yet again) that X will stop letting you block users X glitch wipes out most pictures and links tweeted before December 2014 X fixed the ‘bug' that broke images attached to tweets from before 2014 X tests removing headlines from links to news articles Elon Musk says news organizations can get a share of X's advertising revenue, too. Threads on the web is here NFL Sunday Ticket has arrived on the Google TV homescreen Amazon is bringing a whole lot of AI to Thursday Night Football this season Sony's portable PlayStation Portal launches later this year for $199.99 Sony's PlayStation wireless earbuds will cost a whopping $199.99 Sony's PlayStation division is acquiring headphone maker Audeze This batarang houses Qualcomm's next big bet on gaming Somebody already unboxed the Quest 3 Microsoft kills Kinect again Corsair's first standing desk is designed for gaming, streaming, and more Google and YouTube are trying to have it both ways with AI and copyright Microsoft is bringing Python to Excel Netflix is going to let DVD subscribers keep unreturned discs for free White Noise Podcasters Are Costing Spotify $38 Million a Year - Bloomberg Sonic Spectrum: a journey into noise white, pink, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple & violet Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Verge's Nilay Patel, David Pierce, Alex Cranz, and Dan Seifert discuss the iMac's 25th anniversary, the state of streaming, a TV in a suitcase, and a whole lot more. Further reading: Linus Tech Tips pauses production as controversy swirls They Review Movies on TikTok, but Don't Call Them Critics YouTube is adding chat, highlights, and Shorts to NFL Sunday Ticket It's official, people aren't watching TV as much as they used to iMac at 25: a visual history of Apple's iconic all-in-one computer How the iMac saved Apple For a generation of students, the iMac was a gateway to the future In a world full of laptops, is there a place for the iMac? Apple moved the end call button again in iOS 17 These iOS 17 Features Won't Be Available at Launch - MacRumors Everything New in iOS 17 Beta 6 - MacRumors DisplayPort: A Better Video Interface | Hackaday LG now sells this bizarre TV in a suitcase, and I must have it Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 family review: easier choices Google Chrome will summarize entire articles for you with built-in generative AI OpenAI wants GPT-4 to solve the content moderation dilemma An Iowa school district is using ChatGPT to decide which books to ban The Biden administration urges the Supreme Court to take up content moderation cases Special counsel obtained ‘some volume' of DMs from Donald Trump's Twitter account Microsoft to hold ‘special event' in New York City on September 21st Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Verge's Nilay Patel, David Pierce, and Alex Cranz break down the chaotic and increasingly more expensive state of streaming video. Are we just recreating cable TV? And afterwards, the crew explores the wild world enterprise software. Further reading: Disney Plus and Hulu are about to get even more expensive The Emmy Awards are officially delayed because of the writers and actors strikes Disney is ‘actively exploring' ways to crack down on password sharing What does Bob Iger think about selling Disney to Apple? Paramount says it has a plan to weather the Hollywood strikes. Barbie earns $1 billion at the box office worldwide Verizon will soon raise prices on certain unlimited plans — yes, again Slack's redesign: new DM and Activity sections and more features in the messaging app Verizon is shutting down BlueJeans, which it bought for $400 million Zoom says its new AI tools aren't stealing ownership of your content The LK-99 ‘superconductor' went viral — here's what the experts think Cadillac's Escalade IQ is the next GM vehicle to lack Apple CarPlay MrBeast's burger company is suing him for $100 million You can now verify your Threads profile on Mastodon Sign up for Installer, our weekly guide to all the best and Verge-iest stuff on the internet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Verge's Nilay Patel, David Pierce, and Alex Cranz discuss YouTube adding a slew of new TikTok-like features to Shorts, Elon Musk's extravagant 'X' sign, and much more. We also go through this week's emails. The Samsung fans have spoken. Further reading: Elon Musk wants a second chance to fail at X Elon Musk capitulates: Twitter will default to dark mode but still offer a light option Twitter Blue subscribers can now hide their blue checks Elon Musk's extravagant 'X' sign atop the former Twitter HQ has been dismantled Elon Musk's X sues anti-hate researchers for allegedly scraping data from Twitter Do you want to buy stocks on X? YouTube is adding a slew of new TikTok-like features to Shorts BBC launches an ‘experimental' Mastodon server LG 27GR95QE-B review: ushering in a new age for gaming monitors Some details on what Apple needs to ship the Apple Vision Pro developer kits. Apple's Vision Pro platform joins Pixar's bid to standardize 3D content The Excel World Championship esport is coming back to ESPN this week Exclusive: the Sonos Move 2 is coming in September with stereo sound and 24-hour battery life MrBeast is suing his ghost kitchen partner over ‘inedible' MrBeast Burgers Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Verge's Nilay Patel, Alex Cranz, and Richard Lawler discuss Twitter being rebranded as X. Allison Johnson joins the show to discuss everything announced at Samsung's Galaxy Flip 5 and Fold 5 Unpacked event. Also: we read your emails! Further reading: Twitter is being rebranded as X Elon Musk just changed Twitter's logo again — sort of Can Elon Musk really use that X logo for Twitter? For Elon Musk, X equals everything Twitter Blue's former lead talks about Elon Musk, X, and sleeping on the floor Twitter Japan will be called simply, Japan Threads is rolling out its Following feed You can't just leave Threads in the Following feed The Galaxy Z Fold 5 is last year's phone with a new hinge The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 gets a big little screen upgrade Samsung goes OLED all the way with the Galaxy Tab S9 tablets The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 series is all about the bezels DJI Air 3 review: old ideas, new package OpenAI can't tell if something was written by AI after all Seven major automakers are teaming up on a North American EV charging network T-Mobile says its ultrafast 5G capable of up to 3.3Gbps is rolling out now Boost Infinite's $25 unlimited wireless plan is now on Amazon Prime T-Mobile's charging a $5 fee for in-store bill payments My first MP3 player had everything I needed Looking back at the original Chromecast, which just turned 10 years old Japan's indie game scene is growing up How to build a better search engine than Google Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Verge's Nilay Patel, Alex Cranz, and David Pierce discuss all the gadget news from this week, the state of EV charging for non-Tesla owners, the unions of Hollywood on strike, and much more. Further reading: Beats Studio Pro headphones review: leaning on a legacy The future of EV charging for non-Tesla owners may not be as bad as it looks HP Spectre x360 13.5 vs. Dell XPS 13: which flagship should you buy? Motorola G Stylus 5G (2023) review: a good phone spoiled by bloatware Framework Laptop 16: our exclusive hands-on OnePlus 12 leaks show a bigger battery and faster charging Logitech buys Stream Deck rival Loupedeck Tesla reveals Cybertruck size specs as it builds release candidates Meta is giving away its AI tech to try to beat ChatGPT Apple is testing an AI chatbot but has no idea what to do with it The unions of Hollywood are trying to save it from itself Bob Iger's big ideas for Disney involve cost-cutting at Marvel A real-time reaction to the actors' strike. TREE LAW Vox Media drops its own CMS Netflix reportedly has around 1.5 million subscribers on its ad tier in the US. The Biden administration is tackling smart devices with a new cybersecurity label Here's why 70mm IMAX movies like Oppenheimer need a Palm Pilot to work Your Starbucks order is not ready Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Verge's Nilay Patel, David Pierce, and Alex Cranz discuss Microsoft winning the case against the FTC for its Activision Blizzard deal. Also: the Nothing Phone 2 and more gadgets. Further reading: Meta-provided Facebook chats led a woman to plead guilty to abortion-related charges Microsoft wins FTC fight to buy Activision Blizzard Read Xbox chief Phil Spencer's memo to Microsoft employees about the FTC win FTC appeals its loss to Microsoft in Activision Blizzard case Nothing Phone 2 review: the vibes abide Is the Nothing Phone (2)'s camera better than these? Apple iMac rumor suggests a 32-inch version is being considered Sarah Silverman is suing OpenAI and Meta for copyright infringement Email us at vergecast@theverge.com, or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Verge's Nilay Patel, Alex Cranz, and David Pierce discuss the vibe shift that is happening on social media and the communal internet. Further reading: Instagram's upcoming Twitter competitor shown in leaked screenshots Facebook, Fosstodon & The Fediverse Daring Fireball: Not That Kind of 'Open' Daring Fireball: More on Preemptively Blocking Facebook's Imminent ActivityPub Entry It's September, Forever Mark Zuckerberg agrees to Elon Musk cage match challenge Reddit removed moderators behind the latest protests before restoring a few of them Reddit says it's ‘not acceptable' for communities to go NSFW in protest Google Pixel Tablet review: the dock makes all the difference Apple reportedly has fitness features for the Vision Pro we haven't seen yet Easily replaceable phone batteries might be back, and I'm here for it Gary Vaynerchuk is 'petrified' of Slack TikTok COO V. Pappas has reportedly quit Microsoft is hiking the price of Xbox Series X and Xbox Game Pass DPReview will live, actually — under new ownership Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Verge's Nilay Patel, David Pierce, Alex Cranz, and Jay Peters discuss all the news about the API changes infuriating Redditors, as well as takeaways from Jay's interview with Reddit CEO Steve Huffman. Later on the show: will the Apple Vision Pro replace the TV? Further reading: Reddit CEO Steve Huffman isn't backing down: our full interview Reddit CEO Steve Huffman: Reddit ‘was never designed to support third-party apps' Reddit crashed because of the growing subreddit blackout Reddit CEO tells employees that subreddit blackout ‘will pass' How Reddit set itself up for a fall Google is getting a lot worse because of the Reddit blackouts The Apple Vision Pro might be a TV, but it won't replace the TV Steve Jobs Showing off Macintosh to Andy Warhol, Keith Haring and Kenny Scharf in 1984 ~ Vintage Everyday In the bid to grow at all costs, Instant Pot is cooking itself and has filed for bankruptcy Live Nation-Ticketmaster to disclose full ticket prices upfront Twitter sued for $250 million by music publishers over ‘massive' copyright infringement The Meater smart meat thermometer now supports the iPhone Dynamic Island and Live Activities. Instagram's status update now includes what song you're listening to It's not just you: Steam suddenly looks nice Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Verge's Nilay Patel, David Pierce, and Alex Cranz discuss all the updates to Apple's iOS, macOS, watchOS, and iPadOS announced at WWDC this week. Later, Verge senior correspondent Liz Lopatto joins the show to explain the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) suing crypto exchanges Binance and Coinbase, and what it means for the future of crypto. Further reading: Apple WWDC 10 biggest announcements: Vision Pro, MacBook Air, iOS 17, and more watchOS 10 is bringing back widgets in a big way Apple's iPadOS 17 adds personalized lock screen and interactive widgets Apple's Siri will soon handle multiple smart home commands Apple's iPadOS 17 adds personalized lock screen and interactive widgets Apple announces iOS 17 with StandBy charging mode and better autocorrect Standby is a new iOS 17 feature for your iPhone that could be great for Apple Home users Online age verification is coming, and privacy is on the chopping block Hands-on with the new 15-inch MacBook Air Apple announces macOS Sonoma with game mode and support for desktop widgets Mac Pro with M2 Ultra first look: boy, that's a big chip All the features Apple didn't mention in its WWDC 2023 keynote The SEC is suing crypto giant Binance, here's all the details The SEC is trying to freeze Binance's assets The SEC sues crypto exchange Coinbase for breaking US securities laws Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
On Apple's campus, The Verge's Nilay Patel, David Pierce, Alex Cranz, and Dan Seifert discuss the long-rumored Apple Vision Pro that was announced this week at WWDC. Later, Marques Brownlee, Andrew Manganelli, and David Imel of the Waveform podcast join the show for a lightning round of everyone's favorite WWDC announcements. Coming soon: the Vergecast and Waveform team challenge each other to trivia! Further reading: Apple WWDC 10 biggest announcements: Vision Pro, MacBook Air, iOS 17, and more Apple Vision Pro is Apple's new $3,499 AR headset Apple announces visionOS, the operating system for its Vision Pro headset Apple Vision Pro first look: the mixed reality future is (almost) here I wore the Apple Vision Pro. It's the best headset demo ever. Optic ID will unlock Apple's new Vision Pro headset Apple's Vision Pro headset will turn you into a digital avatar when FaceTiming Everywhere Apple imagines you'll use its $3,500 Vision Pro headset Apple's new VR headset will feature over 100 Apple Arcade games at launch Disney Plus and VR sports games are coming to Apple Vision Pro Microsoft Word, Excel, and Teams are all coming to Apple's new Vision Pro headset What's so ‘pro' about Apple's Vision Pro headset? The Vision Pro headset is really Apple's first TV Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Verge's Nilay Patel, David Pierce, Alex Cranz, and Tom Warren discuss the biggest announcements from Microsoft Build 2023. Later, the crew discuss the launch of Warner Bros. Discovery's combined streaming service Max. Further reading: Elon Musk fails to launch Ron DeSantis in disastrous Twitter Space Microsoft Build 2023: The 5 biggest announcements Microsoft's Copilot and Bing AI plug-ins will be interoperable with ChatGPT Bing is now the default search for ChatGPT Microsoft 365 Copilot is getting plug-ins Microsoft's Edge browser is getting the 365 Copilot AI assistant Microsoft CTO Kevin Scott thinks Sydney might make a comeback Microsoft announces Windows Copilot, an AI ‘personal assistant' for Windows 11 Max has arrived, and it'll feel very familiar to HBO Max customers Max will stream over 1,000 movies and TV episodes in 4K at launch Warner Bros. Discovery apologizes for crediting writers and directors as ‘creators' on Max HBO Max remote button killed in Max rebrand — 9to5Mac HBO Max now Max: lacks native video player features; 'Up Next' support bugs - 9to5Mac Sony's new Q handheld is official: 8-inch screen, streams PS5 games Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Verge's Nilay Patel, David Pierce, and Adi Robertson discuss Montana being the first state to ban TikTok, the Supreme Court ruling against reexamining Section 230, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman testifying before the Senate. Then, David interviews vlogger Hank Green about the TikTok ban in Montana. Later, Verge senior news editor Richard Lawler joins the show to discuss this week in gadgets, from the free Telly TV to the Beats Studio Buds Plus. TikTok is now banned in Montana: here's what you need to know Montana bans Telegram, WeChat, and Temu from government devices Full Hank Green interview here TikTok ban: all the news on attempts to ban the video platform Supreme Court puts off showdown over Texas and Florida social media laws Supreme Court rules against reexamining Section 230 Congress hates Big Tech — but it still seems optimistic about AI This free TV comes with two screens The free TV company briefly wasn't sure what it should do with data from kids Amazon's latest Echo Buds have an all-new design and much cheaper price Amazon's new Echo Pop is a $40 smart speaker Beats Studio Buds Plus review: it's cool to be clear CueCat YouTube is bringing unskippable 30-second ads to TV Max promises shorter ad breaks than other streamers when it launches May 23rd Netflix's ad tier has attracted almost 5 million users Apparently, they were all losers in the race to 5G. Tesla's humanoid robot can pick things up and put them down Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Verge's Nilay Patel, David Pierce, and Alex Cranz discuss the big announcements and takeaways from Google I/O 2023. Further reading: The nine biggest announcements from Google I/O 2023 The AI takeover of Google Search starts now Google Perspectives: the new search feature helps you find human information online Google rebrands AI tools for Docs and Gmail as Duet AI — its answer to Microsoft's Copilot Google's new Magic Editor uses AI to totally transform your photos Google drops waitlist for AI chatbot Bard and announces oodles of new features Google announces PaLM 2 AI language model, already powering 25 Google services Google teases Project Tailwind — a prototype AI notebook that learns from your documents Android's new generative AI can reply to your texts and design its own wallpaper Google's Find My Device will soon use billions of Android devices to locate your stuff Google is bringing YouTube, Waze, and Zoom to cars with native Android software The Pixel Fold is Google's $1,800 entry into folding phones Google's new Pixel Tablet is a $500 slate for the home Google Pixel 7A review: a better deal Google's new Project Starline prototype isn't a giant booth Disney is finally combining Hulu and Disney Plus into the same app Apple launches Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro on iPad with new subscription pricing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Verge's Nilay Patel, David Pierce, Alex Cranz, and Sarah Jeong discuss Bluesky gaining popularity and why it may be Twitter's most chaotic successor. Also: is AI going too far too soon? Further reading: shop.theverge.com Google announces the Pixel Fold Everything happening on Bluesky, Twitter's most chaotic successor Bluesky is starting to feel like Twitter Mozilla's new Mozilla.Social Mastodon instance is an attempt to reinvent content moderation ‘Godfather of AI' quits Google with regrets and fears about his life's work White House rolls out plan to promote ethical AI Snapchat is already testing sponsored links in its My AI chatbot New ChatGPT Zillow plug-in rolls out to select users today AI is being used to generate whole spam sites AI offers new tools for making games, but developers worry about their jobs Writers are striking and AI rights are on the table. Microsoft is forcing Outlook and Teams to open links in Edge, and IT admins are angry Microsoft's Bing chatbot gets smarter with restaurant bookings, image results, and more Andreessen Horowitz saw the future — but did the future leave it behind? Now Gmail has blue verified checkmark icons too Google accounts now support passkeys for password-free sign-in Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Verge's Nilay Patel explains how a spurious collaboration between Drake and The Weeknd started a copyright fight over generative AI. Holly Herndon introduces her AI alterego, Holly+. This episode was produced by Amanda Lewellyn, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, fact-checked by Avishay Artsy, engineered by Paul Robert Mounsey, and hosted by Sean Rameswaram. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Verge's Nilay Patel, David Pierce, Alex Cranz, and Andrew Hawkins discuss what's happening in the world of EVs and where that industry is headed. Also: more Apple headset rumors and whatever the heck that Humane demo was last week. Further reading: Apple's AR/VR Headset Plans: iPad Apps, Fitness+, Sports Viewing, Gaming, Music - Bloomberg Apple's mixed reality headset could connect to a battery pack that looks like the iPhone's Humane's wearable screenless AI assistant leaks in first demo clips Apple is reportedly building a paid AI health coach Should we trust Apple with mental health data? 2023 Toyota Prius review: EV reality check GM is ending Chevy Bolt EV and EUV production at the end of the year GM killed the Chevy Bolt — and the dream of a small, affordable EV GM, Hyundai announce EV battery plants for the US Honda's making a bigger electric SUV to follow the Prologue — due 2025 Tesla's carbon footprint is finally coming into focus, and it's bigger than the company let on in the past Cruise continues to burn GM's cash as robotaxis expand to daylight hours Amazon shuts down Halo division and discontinues all devices Disney sues Florida for ‘government retaliation' in escalating feud y Apple is reportedly developing its own journaling app for the iPhone Dyson Zone review: an absurd pair of air purifying ANC headphones Come see a screening of Blackberry with us! Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Verge's Nilay Patel, David Pierce, and Alex Cranz discuss Warner Bros. Discovery's new streaming service, Sony's mobile gaming move, and Twitter's feud with Substack. Further reading: HBO and Discovery's ‘Max' streaming service is here Max is charging more money for 4K, and that means it can't suck this time What we've learned about Sony PlayStation's new smartphone games team Sony is gearing up for a new cloud gaming push amid rumors of a PlayStation handheld NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube starts at $249 for the 2023 season Google TV's live guide is getting crammed full of over 800 free channels Microsoft is experimenting with a Windows gaming handheld mode for Steam Deck-like devices NPR becomes first major news organization to leave Twitter PBS also stops tweeting after being hit with ‘government-funded media' label Is Substack Notes a ‘Twitter clone'? We asked CEO Chris Best Mini's cars are getting an ‘intelligent personal assistant' named Spike You can now talk to Microsoft's Bing chatbot from your keyboard in iOS with SwiftKey Nvidia RTX 4070 review: a $599 RTX 3080 — kind of Vote for us in the People's Voice Webby Awards for Best Technology Podcast Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Verge's Nilay Patel, David Pierce, and Alex Cranz discuss the end of Twitter and the future of infotainment. Links: The color quiz Twitter tried to hide who pays for their checkmark, but life finds a way. https://twitter.com/AlexBlechman/status/1641905502043926530 Substack is getting a Twitter-like ‘Notes' feed Elon Musk's obsession with blue checks is a verified problem Twitter yanks the New York Times' checkmark in verification overhaul Today in Twitter: where are the retweet labels, and why did Doge replace the bird? Spotify shuts down its Clubhouse competitor Spotify shows how the live audio boom has gone bust Everybody hates GM's decision to kill Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for its EVs The rest of the auto industry still loves CarPlay and Android Auto GM is cutting off access to Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for its future EVs Could a new PlayStation handheld be built for Remote Play? I like the idea Asus ROG Ally handheld gaming PC is no April Fools' joke Walmart's redesigned website looks better than Amazon Donald Trump was arrested, please like and subscribe The Home Assistant SkyConnect is a combination Zigbee and Thread dongle for better smart home control Vote for us in the People's Voice Webby Awards for Best Technology Podcast! Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Verge's Nilay Patel, Alex Cranz, and David Pierce discuss AI image generators getting better, WWDC 2023 rumors, and the other big stories in tech this week. Further reading: The swagged-out pope is an AI fake — and an early glimpse of a new reality Another hurdle for AI image generators: unicycles It's so hard to be worried about AI when the shit is so funny. AI-generated video is still in its “demonic phase.” Elon Musk and top AI researchers call for pause on ‘giant AI experiments' UK rejects idea of dedicated AI regulator. The US government is gearing up for an AI antitrust fight FTC should stop OpenAI from launching new GPT models, says AI policy group Apple's WWDC 2023 kicks off on June 5th Apple staff reportedly express doubts about mixed-reality headset months ahead of launch Apple Pay Later is finally launching The ugly economics behind Apple's new Pay Later system Apple Music Classical is now available from the App Store Disney just laid off the guy it bought Marvel from... but that's probably a good thing Elon Musk is now the most-followed person on Twitter Twitter is secretly boosting Elon Musk, Dril, and MrBeast for some reason Google's ADT partnership finally has a new home security product to show for it Sony's new ZV-E1 camera is designed to help your vlogs suck less The TikTok ban is a betrayal of the open internet Can Mastodon seize the moment from Twitter? Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we'd love to hear from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Verge's Nilay Patel, Alex Cranz, and David Pierce are joined by policy reporter Makena Kelly, who is on the ground in Washington for the House Energy and Commerce Committee's hearing on TikTok. Later, we dive into all the other news from this week, from Google's release of Bard to OpenAI's rapid expansion of ChatGPT. It was a big week. Further reading: TikTok ban hearing: all the news on the US's crackdown on the video platform TikTok bans deepfakes of nonpublic figures and fake endorsements in rule refresh Google opens early access to its ChatGPT rival Bard — here are our first impressions Google says its Bard chatbot isn't a search engine — so what is it? Testing Google Bard: the chatbot doesn't love me, but it's still pretty weird Google and Microsoft's chatbots are already citing one another in a misinformation shitshow Sundar Pichai expects that ‘things will go wrong' with Bard Can AI generate a way to pay for itself? GitHub Copilot gets a new ChatGPT-like assistant to help developers write and fix code Mozilla.ai is a new startup created to build more open and trustworthy AI OpenAI is massively expanding ChatGPT's capabilities to let it browse the web and more Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices