The Vergecast

We've been covering what's happening in Minnesota, and the killing of Alex Pretti, all week on The Verge. To begin this episode, Nilay explains why — and why so many others seem to feel the same way right now. After that, the hosts talk about the CEO-studded screening of Melania Trump's documentary last weekend, the disastrous public appearance from Tim Cook, and whether Cook and other CEOs have any other option but to capitulate to the Trump administration. Then it's time for some gadgets: we talk about the super-foldy, super-expensive Samsung Galaxy  Z Trifold, the Clawdbot / Moltbot phenomenon, and whether Google can finally put Chrome OS and Android together the right way. Finally, in the lightning round, it's time for Brendan Carr is a dummy, Tesla's anti-car pivot, Apple's design hires, and more.

Further reading:

On the ground in Minneapolis after the killing of Alex Pretti 

I grew up with Alex Pretti 

Creators and communities everywhere take a stand against ICE 

It doesn’t matter if Alex Pretti had a gun 

Why won’t anyone stop ICE from masking? 

Tim Cook, Andy Jassy, and AMD CEO Lisa Su are at the White House for a VIP screening of the Melania doc.

Tim Cook had ‘a good conversation’ with Trump about deescalation 

Cook in 2020: Speaking up on racism

From The New York Times: Amazon’s $35 Million ‘Melania’ Promotion Has Critics Questioning Its Motives

From The Hollywood Reporter: ‘Melania’ Set for a $3 Million Opening Despite Amazon’s $35 Million Marketing Push

Here’s Tim Cook hanging out with accused rapist Brett Ratner at the Melania screening

What TikTok’s new owners mean for your feed 

TikTok USA is broken 

TikTok is still down, here are all the latest updates 

TikTok is still struggling in the US due to a “cascading systems failure.” 

TikTok US is mostly back up and running 

TikTok blames its US problems on a power outage 

Oracle admits it broke TikTok.

Congress doesn’t seem to know if the TikTok deal complies with its law 

Is New TikTok banning the word “Epstein” in DMs? Not really. 

TikTokers are heading to UpScrolled following US takeover 

Mark Zuckerberg is all in on AI as the new social media 

Meta is stopping teens from chatting with its AI characters 

Bluesky is testing ‘live’ features to take on X 

Best gas masks

The Samsung Trifold will cost nearly three grand 

Google just leaked a first look at Android for PC in action 

Chromebooks train schoolkids to be loyal customers, internal Google document suggests 

Moltbot, the AI agent that ‘actually does things,’ is tech’s new obsession


Clawdbot’s bad day 

I used Claude to vibe-code my wildly overcomplicated smart home

The FCC’s Late Night Comedy Show

Tesla discontinuing Model S and Model X to make room for robots 

Tesla says production-ready Optimus robot is coming soon 

Tesla hits a grim milestone: its second straight year of decline

Elon Musk invests $2 billion in Elon Musk

Hang on, there’s a Trump Phone Ultra coming too? 

Halide co-founder Sebastiaan de With is joining Apple’s design team 

The Stream Deck-packed gaming keyboard is a monster of good ideas

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Like so many others, we’re still reeling from the killing of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. To open the show, we talk with Adi Robertson about how videos of the incident moved around social platforms, how even well-intentioned people got confused by AI imagery, and what we’ve learned about the state of misinformation. Then Adi explains the new TikTok, which is both the same and very different from the old TikTok. The newly US-centric version of the app has had some switching pains so far, and the changes may only be just beginning. After that, it’s time for a hard pivot, as Vulture’s Nick Quah joins the show to talk about Netflix’s entry into podcasts — and whether what Netflix is doing can even be called “podcasts” anymore. Finally, David answers an old Vergecast Hotline question that got him thinking about all the ways we hold our phones to make calls, and which one is the best. 

Further reading:

It doesn’t matter if Alex Pretti had a gun

The day of the second killing

TikTok USA is broken

Everything (Including Netflix) Will Become YouTube This Year

It’s finally time to retire the word ‘podcast’

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 [email protected] or call us at 866-VERGE11.
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Nilay owns a Sony TV. He loves his Sony TV, and he's a little sad that it appears this era of Sony TVs is ending. He and David talk through the news of a new joint venture between Sony and TCL, before digging into OpenAI's new-fangled plan to make money (spoiler alert: it's ads!), and some new news about an AI gadget Apple may or may not be working on. Then it's time for the lightning round: Brendan Carr, Netflix, the Trump Phone, and much more.

Further reading:

The TikTok deal could finally close this week.


Epic and Google have a secret $800 million Unreal Engine and services deal

Sony’s TV business is being taken over by TCL 


What a Sony and TCL partnership means for the future of TVs OpenAI’s 2026 ‘focus’ is ‘practical adoption’ 

OpenAI releases a cheaper ChatGPT subscription 

Ads are coming soon to ChatGPT, starting with shopping links 


Opinion | A.I. Is Real. But OpenAI Might Still Fail.Apple is reportedly working on an AirTag-sized AI wearable 

Apple is turning Siri into an AI bot that’s more like ChatGPT 

FCC Targets Colbert and Kimmel in New Crackdown on Late-Night TV - The New York Times

Bureau Provides Guidance on Political Equal Opportunities Requirement | Federal Communications Commission

Free TV startup Telly only had 35,000 units in people’s homes last fall

Microsoft wants to build 15 data centers in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin 

OpenAI says its data centers will pay for their own energy and limit water usage

Netflix will revamp its mobile UI this year 


600,000 Trump Mobile phones sold? There’s no proof.

YouTubers will be able to make Shorts with their own AI likenesses 

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 [email protected] or call us at 866-VERGE11.
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There’s a new biggest name in EVs, and if you live in the US, you pretty much can’t buy one. But before we get to that, we have some stuff to catch up on: The Verge's Hayden Field joins us for a round of “Big Deal Medium Deal Small Deal” with some AI news, from the launch of ChatGPT Health to the recent viral moment for Claude Code. After that, The Verge’s Andy Hawkins joins the show to explain how BYD recently eclipsed Tesla as the world’s largest seller of electric vehicles, what makes its cars so desirable, and when you, too, might be able to buy a Dolphin Surf. Finally, David tackles a question from the Vergecast Hotline (call 866-VERGE11 or email [email protected]!) about giving your kids iPads instead of iPhones, and whether all screen time is created equal.

Further reading:

Car influencers love Chinese EVs — and China loves them back

Tesla’s fourth quarter sales fell a lot more than expected

From Inside EVs: A Guide To BYD, The Chinese Automaker That Just Surpassed Tesla

Anthropic wants you to use Claude to ‘Cowork’ in latest AI agent push

Anthropic shakes up C-suite to expand its internal incubator


OpenAI launches ChatGPT Health, encouraging users to connect their medical records

Google brings buy buttons to Gemini and AI search

Grok is undressing children — can the law stop it?

Google is taking over your Gmail inbox with AI

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 [email protected] or call us at 866-VERGE11.
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Nearly two years ago, Apple showed off what an AI-powered Siri might do. That Siri never materialized, but thanks to a deal with Google for its Gemini tech, it might finally have a chance to work. David and Nilay discuss the ins and outs of the deal, and what it might mean for both Apple's and Google's ambitions in AI. (They also talk about the onslaught of new lawsuits from publishers related to Google's adtech antitrust case, including from our parent company Vox Media. Disclosure is our brand.) After that, they talk about Grok's horrific deepfake problem on X, and why everyone involved deserves the blame. Then it's time to pour one out for VR and the metaverse, which is losing steam as Meta loses interest and continues to pivot to AI. RIP Supernatural, a surprise hit of an exercise app! Finally, in the lightning round, it's time for Brendan Carr is a Dummy, the latest Paramount / Warner / Netflix drama, the Trump Phone, and the Digg reboot.

Further reading:

The Atlantic, Penske, and Vox Media have all sued Google for antitrust violations

Apple picks Google’s Gemini AI for its big Siri upgrade

What Apple and Google’s Gemini deal means for both companies

Google’s Gemini AI will use what it knows about you from Gmail, Search, and YouTube 

Why Google Gemini looks poised to win the AI race over OpenAI 

A “conscious decision” from OpenAI. 

X hasn’t really stopped Grok AI from undressing women in the UK 

Advocacy groups demand Apple and Google block X from app stores 

UK pushes up a law criminalizing deepfake nudes in response to Grok


X claims it has stopped Grok from undressing people, but of course it hasn’t  

Meta plans to lay off hundreds of metaverse employees this week 

Meta confirms Reality Labs layoffs and shifts to invest more in wearables 

Meta is closing down three VR studios as part of its metaverse cuts 

Meta’s layoffs hit the studio that made Batman: Arkham Shadow, too. 

 Supernatural Will No Longer Get New Content Or Features

 FTC won’t appeal court decision permitting Meta to buy Within

The best thing to do in VR is work out

FCC chair Brendan Carr is pressed on removing ‘independent’ from its website. 

Verizon gets FCC permission to end 60-day phone unlocking rule 

Anthropic wants you to use Claude to ‘Cowork’ in latest AI agent push 


Paramount sues after Warner Bros. Discovery rejects its latest deal Netflix is reportedly considering an all-cash offer for Warner Bros. 

The new Digg is launching an open beta. 

Elon Musk Cannot Get Away With This

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 [email protected] or call us at 866-VERGE11.
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