The Vergecast

Latest Episodes:

The geek's guide to running faster Nov 25, 2025

Show notes

It's a holiday week for many of us, which means a lot of Turkey Trots and a lot of TV. We have something for both in this episode! First, Nick Thompson, the CEO of The Atlantic and author of the new book, The Running Ground, joins the show to talk about his lifelong journey as a runner, and all the tech — from smartwatch to shoes to custom GPTs — he uses in training. After that, The Verge's John Higgins makes his first Vergecast appearance to help us understand how motion smoothing works, why you should turn it off, and all the other ways you can improve your TV watching experience this holiday season. Finally, David follows up on a question on the Vergecast Hotline (call 866-VERGE11 or email vergecast@theverge.com!) with some recommendations on inexpensive earbuds worth cranking up the volume on.

Further reading:

Nick Thompson's book, The Running Ground

From The Atlantic: Why I Run

TV manufacturers unite to tackle the scourge of motion smoothing

Dear Roku, you ruined my TV

How to turn off motion smoothing on your high-definition TV

Samsung’s Frame TV is finally getting the knockoffs it deserves

Samsung announces The Frame Pro: could this be the perfect TV?

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Version History: Vine Nov 23, 2025

Show notes

Vine was the original short-form video platform, and pioneered so many of the ideas we now take for granted in reels and TikToks. It was a cultural engine whose executives clashed with the creators who made it famous, before everybody decamped for other platforms. Marina Galperina, Sarah Jeong and Mia Sato join David Pierce to revisit their favorite Vines and discuss the platform's lasting impact on creator culture.

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AI agents are invading your PC Nov 21, 2025

Show notes

Like it or not, you may not be able to avoid the AI agents for long. David and Nilay discuss the ways Microsoft is pushing agents to practically every corner of Windows, and where Google plans to put Gemini 3 now that it's confident it makes the best model. After that, the hosts dig into the ruling in Meta's monopoly case, which has a lot to say about TikTok — and about the state and future of the internet. Finally, in the lightning round, it's time for an extra-long Brendan Carr is a Dummy, some thoughts on domain names, and a quick Boox screen test.

Further reading:

Google cracked Apple’s AirDrop and is adding it to Pixel phones

Talking to Windows’ Copilot AI makes a computer feel incompetent

Microsoft is turning Windows into an ‘agentic OS,’ starting with the taskbar

Microsoft Agent 365 lets businesses manage AI agents like they do people

Screw it, I’m installing Linux

Google is launching Gemini 3, its ‘most intelligent’ AI model yet

Google Antigravity is an ‘agent-first’ coding tool built for Gemini 3

Google’s AI Mode can now help you visualize your travel plans

Google Gemini is getting better at identifying AI fakes | The Verge

Google’s Nano Banana AI image model goes Pro and is free to try | The Verge

Meta is not a monopolist, judge rules

FTC v. Meta: the antitrust battle over Instagram and WhatsApp

Inside the courthouse reshaping the future of the internet

Europe is scaling back its landmark privacy and AI laws

Here’s the Trump executive order that would ban state AI laws

Republicans are looking for a way to bring back the AI moratorium

Brendan Carr’s FCC launches probe into BBC’s Trump edit | The Verge

The FCC wants to roll back steps meant to stop a repeat of a massive telecom hack | The Verge

Matter 1.5 brings camera support at last — here’s what it means for your smart home

MSNBC’s website is now MS.NOW

Future Google TV devices might come with a solar-powered remote

Disney loses bid to block Sling TV’s one-day cable passes

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It's not your job to fix the internet Nov 18, 2025

Show notes

Enshittification. It's fun to say, hard to spell, and a useful descriptor of exactly how the internet has gone wrong. Cory Doctorow, the author and activist who coined the term a few years ago, recently published a book on the subject, called Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It. He was on Decoder a few weeks ago to explain what happened, and joins The Vergecast this week to help us figure out what to do about it. Can we, as regular people on the internet, help to de-enshittify the place? What responsibility do we have, and what kinds of choices should we be making? Cory has lots of thoughts on whether you can shop your way out of a monopoly, and what it really takes to enact structural change online.

Further reading:

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Version History: LimeWire Nov 16, 2025

Show notes

You wouldn't steal a car. You wouldn't steal a handbag. But plenty of people used LimeWire and other file sharing services to share music, movies and more. If Napster was the beginning of the piracy story, LimeWire may have been the final chapter. Nilay Patel and Sarah Jeong join David Pierce to chart the history of LimeWire and the legal cases that shaped U.S. copyright law and the lives of college students taxing the bandwidth of their dormitory internet.

If you like the show, ⁠⁠subscribe to the Version History feed⁠⁠ to make sure you get every new episode.⁠

Subscribe to The Verge⁠ for unlimited access to ⁠theverge.com ⁠, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ⁠ad-free podcast feed⁠.

We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to ⁠vergecast@theverge.com⁠ or call us at 866-VERGE11.

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Valve made Microsoft's dream console Nov 14, 2025

Show notes

The console wars are back on. This week, Nilay Patel sits down with Jake Kastrenakes, Sean Hollister, and special guest Joanna Stern, senior columnist at The Wall Street Journal, to talk about Valve's return to the living room gaming race with the Steam Machine, Steam Controller, and Steam Frame VR headset. Then, Joanna discusses her time putting the Neo robot to the test and seeing whether it's capable of loading a dishwasher. Finally, it's time for the Lightning Round, where the crew is talking the YouTube/Disney spat, Apple's new mini apps, and letting Waymo speed down the highway.

Further reading:

Our first look at the Steam Machine, Valve’s ambitious new game console

Valve enters the console wars

Valve just built the Xbox that Microsoft is dreaming of

Valve’s new Steam Controller might be my dream controller The Steam Frame is a surprising new twist on VR

Steam Machines have returned: all the news about Valve’s new hardware universe

The Steam Frame has two speakers on each side of your face for vibration cancellation

Valve’s new VR streaming trick won’t just work with its own headset

How the Steam Frame compares to other VR headsets

Valve thinks Arm has ‘potential’ for SteamOS handhelds, laptops, and more

Valve is welcoming Android games into Steam

Valve has stopped manufacturing its Index VR headset

Valve has no news about Steam Deck 2 — because it’s still waiting for the right chip

We tried Valve’s new VR headset, PC, and controller — ask us anything!

I Tried the First Humanoid Home Robot. It Got Weird

Know Your Meme

1X Neo is a $20,000 home robot that will learn chores via teleoperation

Meet NEO, the AI-Driven Robot That’s Coming to Lend a Hand Around the House — for a Steep Price

The Problem with this Humanoid Robot

Samsung brings a generative AI-powered Bixby to its TVs

Gemini for TV is coming to Google TV Streamer starting today

Google says its confusing Gemini Home rollout is going just great

Google Photos lets iPhone users edit images by describing changes

Disney is losing over $4 million a day in revenue on the YouTube TV blackout

Disney is “trying really hard” to get ESPN back on YouTube TV

Peyton and Eli Manning Drop the Ball, Embarrass Themselves With Bob Iger Interview

Apple made a $230 crossbody… sock

Steve Jobs introduces iPod socks in 2004

Mini apps

Apple will take a mini commission from mini app developers

⁠Amazon is cracking down on illegal streaming on its Fire TV Stick ⁠

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Extreme smart home makeover Nov 11, 2025

Show notes

David has a new house, and no idea what to do with it. So he taps The Verge's Jennifer Pattison Tuohy to help him make the place a lot smarter. Jen and David go room by room, figuring out how to improve everything from his lighting to his fridge to his front door. Some of the decisions are easy, like betting on Matter. Some are more complicated: what do you do when you have a split household between Android and iOS? Some are downright existential — how much would you spend for a better cup of coffee? Jen has ideas, and a vast set of product recommendations as well.

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Version History: Fire Phone Nov 09, 2025

Show notes

In 2014, the tech world was abuzz with the prospect of a phone made by Amazon. When the Fire Phone arrived, it was chock full of ideas — a "dynamic perspective" feature that created 3D illusions, an image-recognition feature called "Firefly," and many, many opportunities to buy Amazon products. Allison Johnson and Sean O’Kane join David Pierce to discuss why, unlike Amazon's successful e-readers, this device was a gigantic flop.

If you like the show, ⁠⁠subscribe to the Version History feed⁠⁠ to make sure you get every new episode.

Subscribe to The Verge⁠ for unlimited access to ⁠theverge.com ⁠, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ⁠ad-free podcast feed⁠.

We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to ⁠vergecast@theverge.com⁠ or call us at 866-VERGE11.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bring back the iBook, you cowards Nov 07, 2025

Show notes

The DoorDash problem just became Amazon's problem. Perplexity's Comet browser is allegedly stealthily shopping on the internet's largest mall, and the folks in Seattle want it to stop. It's just one example of the fast-moving power dynamics on the internet, as AI companies try to change the way we search, shop, and do everything else. Lots of companies are not going to settle for being dumb databases, and Nilay and David discuss how this fight might play out. After that, the hosts talk about the reports of an impending cheaper Mac with an iPhone chip, and whether that might mark Apple's true return to consumer laptops — or be something else entirely. Finally, in the lightning round, they talk Brendan Carr, late-night shows, party speakers, and sonic logos. Lots and lots of sonic logos.

Further reading:

Amazon and Perplexity have kicked off the great AI web browser fight

WEB WAR III

Apple is planning to use a custom version of Google Gemini for Apple Intelligence

OpenAI launches its Sora app on Android

Perplexity is going to power AI search in Snapchat .

Easier access to AI Mode, if that’s your thing.

Google Gemini’s Deep Research can look into your emails, drive, and chats

Google Maps taps Gemini AI to transform into an ‘all-knowing copilot’

Amazon is building Alexa Plus into its Music app

The AI industry is running on FOMO

Apple is reportedly working on a cheaper Mac laptop with an iPhone chip

iOS 26.1 lets you tweak Liquid Glass, and it’s out now

YouTube wants a piece of the late-night TV pie.

Apple TV’s new name now comes with a new sound

Brendan Carr votes to eliminate cybersecurity requirements

Epic and Google agree to settle their lawsuit and change Android’s fate globally

I’m amused by how Google is complying with the Epic injunction.

xAI used employee biometric data to train Elon Musk’s AI girlfriend

Into the Huluverse: The sonic evolution of Hulu

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Your smart home questions, answered Nov 04, 2025

Show notes

Here at The Vergecast, we get a lot of questions. Questions from you, which we love! Questions that, for some reason, often tend to be about the smart home and why it's often not so very smart. So on this episode, the first in a two-part series, The Verge's Jennifer Pattison Tuohy helps us answer a whole bunch of your questions. Questions like: what's Apple's deal with the smart home? Are there any good smart faucets? And what's about to happen to my robot vacuum cleaner? Jen helps us wade through all that and more. We also go on a long diversion about smart smoke detectors, which are pretty awesome.

Further reading: