The Vergecast

Latest Episodes:

Mark Zuckerberg has an Instagzam Aug 14, 2026

Show notes

Have you seen Instagram's new logo? Meta debuted it right before we started recording, so of course David and Nilay needed to talk about it. Then, the hosts turn to Mark Zuckerberg's 6,500-word missive on the future of AI, and the problem with his idea that giving AI to everyone will fix everything. After that, it's time for Claude watermarks, Spotify AI personas, Brendan Carr, Flock, and much more.

Further reading:

⁠This is Instagram’s new logo | The Verge⁠

⁠The Pepsi Universe PDF

⁠The Future is for Everyone⁠

⁠Four takeaways from Mark Zuckerberg’s massive AI manifesto ⁠

⁠Mark Zuckerberg doesn’t understand how to live ⁠

⁠https://www.meta.com/design-at-meta/blog/⁠

⁠Claude will apply invisible watermarks to AI text and images ⁠

⁠‘If it was opt-in, nobody would opt in.’ ⁠

⁠Spotify says it won’t recommend music from ‘AI Personas’ ⁠

⁠Apple could help you prove your iPhone photos aren’t deepfakes | The Verge⁠

⁠Guitar company D’Addario admits that AI music was used in a promotional video | The Verge⁠

⁠Fender’s CEO seems to think your bandmates are just analog AI | The Verge⁠

⁠Suno Unveils Download Song Caps for Free, Paid Tiers⁠

⁠Brendan Carr is one firing away from an unchecked FCC⁠

⁠YouTube is making it harder to earn money on YouTube ⁠

⁠Flock CEO: ‘We got this one wrong’ ⁠

⁠The first rival Android app store just arrived in the US Play Store ⁠

⁠ChatGPT and Gemini both just passed 1 billion users ⁠

⁠The sub-$100 phone market is disappearing. ⁠

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

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

0:00 Welcome and Parental Leave Announcement

00:43 Instagram Redesigns Their Logo

01:04 Why Companies Change Logos

03:37 Meta Design Blog Quotes

07:22 The 2008 Pepsi Universe Presentation

09:41 Blanding

10:37 Zuck’s AI Manifesto

13:29 Collective Action Problems

18:49 Superintelligence for All

20:57 Cybersecurity and AI Risks

22:22 China Chips and Distillation

27:48 Write the Law Challenge

32:30 Claude Text Watermarking

35:33 How The Watermark Works

39:34 Limits And Evasion Risks

41:54 Apple Marks Real Photos

46:03 Provenance Standards Fail

46:58 AI Music Backlash

49:39 Fender CEO AI Scandal

53:08 Where AI Fits In Music

59:13 Twitch Opt Out Training

01:01:35 The Lightning Round

01:02:55 Brendan Carr is a Dummy

01:04:55 Bans Don’t Work

01:05:56 Made in America Assembly

01:10:19 Gemini Claims a Billion Users

01:15:40 YouTube Partner Paywall

01:20:56 RAMageddon Cheap Phones

01:23:52 Flock Camera Backlash

01:27:19 Goodbyes and Plugs

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

Should you let a robot mow your lawn? Aug 13, 2026

Show notes

Is it time to fire the neighbor kid and hire a robot lawnmower instead? Last year I wrote that “in all but a few scenarios, robot lawnmowers still aren’t worth your money,” but there’s a new class of Roombas with razor blades ready to tackle bumpy terrain and dodge crazy chickens. Realtor and smart home reviewer Brandon Doyle joins me to talk about our experiences with 2026’s newest robotic mowers and to let you know if they're finally worth all that money.

Further reading:

It looks like Apple’s iPhone 18 really will skip the fall launch this year

Flock CEO: ‘We got this one wrong’

Cats and dogs are missing meals after a popular smart feeder went down

I finally found a robot lawnmower I’d trust with my yard

I put four robot lawnmowers through a brutal backyard battle — and only one person got injured

A hacker ran me over with a robot lawn mower

The US government just banned Roombas

5 Robot Mowers, 90 Days, 1 Winner — My 2026 Picks (and One to Avoid)

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

Pixel 11 and Pixel Watch 5: Our first impressions | The Vergecast Livestream Aug 12, 2026

Show notes

Google just showed off its next generation of hardware, including the Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro XL, and Pixel11 Pro Fold. (Whew, those names.) There's also the new Pixel Watch 5, the Pixel Tag, and a bunch of really interesting new ideas about smartphone cameras, GPS, and wellness. David Pierce, Nilay Patel, and Victoria Song went live to talk about the state of Google's hardware, and whether there's anything worth upgrading for this year.

Further reading:

The 7 biggest announcements of Google’s Pixel 11 launch

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

Lessons from the very first chatbot Aug 11, 2026

Show notes

Before Alexa and Siri, there was ELIZA. The first chatbot ever was the creation of a man named Joseph Weizenbaum, who built the bot almost as a magic trick — and then couldn't believe how many people fell for it. David Berry and Mark Marino, two members of a team dedicated to restoring and understanding ELIZA, explain how Weizenbaum created the virtual conversant, why he came to regret it, and what ELIZA can teach us about life in the AI age.

Further reading:

Why your Amazon order confirmation emails have become so unhelpful

David Ellison’s ready to pull Paramount out of California

What to expect from Google’s 2026 Pixel hardware launch event

The ELIZA Archaeology Project

Inventing ELIZA: How the First Chatbot Shaped the Future of AI

From Eliza to ChatGPT: the 60-year history of chatbots

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

Pencils down: We share our vibe-coded websites Aug 10, 2026

Show notes

We've spent the last month vibe coding our own corners of the internet. The Verge's Jake Kastrenakes and Hayden Field join David to talk about their use of Gemini, Codex, and Claude Code to build 90s-themed personal websites, vegetable-sharing systems, and photo boards. It wasn't always easy, and we didn't get everything done, but with a little AI and a lot of prompting, we made it work.

Further reading:

Four takeaways from Mark Zuckerberg’s massive AI manifesto | The Verge

The first rival Android app store just arrived in the US Play Store | The Verge

Space mirrors could ruin astronomy — and your eyes | The Verge

Claude has been having a moment — can it keep it up? | The Verge

The vibe-coding AI future is both exciting and terrifying | The Verge

Welcome to the personal software revolution | The Verge

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

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

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

What's behind the Google AI shakeup Aug 07, 2026

Show notes

Google underwent a big AI shakeup this week, leaving a lot of people wondering whether there are big problems on team Gemini. David and Nilay start the show by discussing what's next for Jeff Dean and Demis Hassabis, before diving into the ways in which Google and Reddit have become existentially, problematically dependent on one another. After that, we talk through Disney's plan to turn Disney Plus into an everything app, and all the reasons we think that's a terrible idea and a sign of big problems in the streaming biz. Finally, in the lightning round, Brendan Carr is still a dummy, Snapchat wants AI out of your feed, and BMW has a Spider-Man to sell you.

Further reading:

The messy politics behind Google’s big AI shakeup | The Verge

Google just announced a major shakeup of its top AI leadership

Google Assistant will disappear from your phone next month

Can Reddit fend off a new wave of AI SEO spam?

Reddit is introducing a new moderator: AI

Reddit says it plans to “make changes” to old Reddit

Bluesky CEO Toni Schneider wants to grow the platform and the protocol

Disney says it’s ‘exploring’ adding a free tier to Disney Plus

Disney gives TikTok creators official access to Marvel, Star Wars, and Pixar characters

Despite Spider-Man: Brand New Day’s success, the MCU is on shaky ground

Disney Plus is about to go beyond streaming

Paramount and WBD’s antitrust trial is set for March 2027

David Ellison promises he’s not going to ruin CNN.

Almost half of HBO Max subscribers watch with ads. | The Verge

Federal Communications Commission scraps limit on broadcast TV ownership

SpaceX is barely Space and mostly X

SpaceX is coming for T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon

BMW’s in-car Spider-Man ad is villain behavior

X product chief Nikita Bier is leaving after one year | The Verge

Snapchat will no longer recommend ‘wholly AI-generated videos’ in its vertical video feed

Snap reports 971 million monthly active users ahead of its Specs launch event on September 16th

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

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

0:00 Cold Open
01:05 Google AI Shakeup Explained
03:24 Gemini Product Mess
05:29 Demis Hassabis and the AGI Split
14:06 Is Google Actually Behind?
15:29 AI Overviews Fail Parade
18:12 Gemini Users and Distribution
20:55 Google Plus Warning Signs
24:14 Reddit as Search Lifeline
27:35 AI Slop and Dead Internet
29:32 Google Buys Reddit Theory
33:51 Reddit Earnings Reality Check
35:40 Smoking Community Vibes
38:20 Disney Everything App
44:25 Time Spent Arms Race
47:39 Free Tier and Ads
52:08 Paramount Warner Deal Drama
01:00:23 Brendan Carr is a Dummy
01:11:51 Nikita Bier Leaves X
01:13:53 SpaceX Telecom Dreams
01:20:15 Snapchat Versus AI Slop
01:25:26 BMW In Car Ads
01:31:19 Wrap And Subscribe

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

The next big thing in movies is 60-year-old IMAX tech Aug 06, 2026

Show notes

Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey is the first feature film ever shot entirely with IMAX 70mm film cameras, which is apparently a very big deal, and why it's been harder than usual to get a ticket to see Matt Damon. And now that Spider-Man is moving onto IMAX screens, it may be even harder to get a ticket. Why is this 60-year-old technology suddenly the hottest thing in movies? The Verge's film and TV reporter Charles Pulliam-Moore joins senior reviewer Jennifer Pattison Tuohy to compare the standard and IMAX versions of The Odyssey and talk us through the difference between IMAX, LieMAX, and Infinity Vision.

Further reading:

Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey will be the first movie shot entirely on IMAX film

Don’t screw this up, Marvel

The Odyssey turned me into an IMAX believer

Google just announced a major shakeup of its top AI leadership

Nintendo beats earnings thanks to US tariff refunds it won’t share with gamers

Bose’s upgraded QuietComfort headphones add head-tracking immersive audio

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

Hotline: E Ink, the fediverse, and smart Puka shells Aug 05, 2026

Show notes

You have questions. We have (some) answers! For this week's hotline episode, Travis Larchuk asks David your questions about E Ink screens, federated messaging, minimalist phones, AI wearables, and what we got wrong about wide foldables. And don't forget, you can always call 866-VERGE11 or email vergecast@theverge.com to get your questions in about anything and everything. Bonus points if it involves popping your two collars.

Further reading:

The Light Flip is a minimalist flip phone with a point to prove

‘Max Ink Mode’ is back on TCL’s NXTPaper 70 Pro

Daylight DC-1 tablet hands-on: an Android tablet with a new kind of screen

Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 feels like the future

Disney says it’s ‘exploring’ adding a free tier to Disney Plus

Disney Plus is about to go beyond streaming.

Disney gives TikTok creators official access to Marvel, Star Wars, and Pixar characters

SpaceX is coming for T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon | The Verge

Google Assistant will disappear from your phone next month

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

What's really open about open-weight AI? Aug 04, 2026

Show notes

Everyone in AI is talking about open-weight models right now. Some see them as the ticket to faster, more efficient development; others see them as an economic threat; they're either a security risk or the only security solution, depending who you ask. The Verge's Robert Hart explains how open-weight models work, why they're suddenly at the center of discussions about AI safety, and whether the only way to stop a bad guy with AI is a good guy with AI.

Further reading:

The next Xbox could play every Xbox game ever made

Microsoft is bringing Xbox 360 games to PC

Apple briefly yanked Telegram from the App Store over CSAM violations

These trackable batteries could help you locate a missing camera

OpenAI’s rogue AI agent didn’t stop at hacking Hugging Face

We’re running out of reasons to ignore AI safety

Anthropic says Claude accidentally hacked real companies too

China’s Alibaba takes another swipe at America’s AI supremacy

OpenAI’s biggest threat may just be open AI

Nvidia, Microsoft launch open AI security alliance — without OpenAI, Google, or Anthropic

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

Rise of the Whoop dupes Aug 03, 2026

Show notes

For the last few years, the trend in wearables has been all about screens. As many of them as possible. But now, companies like Whoop, Fitbit, and Garmin are creating new products that ditch the display entirely. The Verge's Victoria Song explains why no-screen is the new flex, why even the most quantified athletes might not want a display on their wrist, and whether Whoop and the Whoop Dupes are a sign of a broader trend

Further reading: