The Vergecast

• Trump's confusing crusade against Big Tech

  Starlink is in the White House, Siri is still bad, Pebble is back, up is down, everything is chaos. In this episode, Nilay and David start the show by running through some big gadget news, from a Siri-related shakeup at Apple to the new Google Pixel 9A. After that, The Verge's Lauren Feiner talks us through some of the latest in tech regulation: Trump's illegal firings at the FTC, the confusing state of the TikTok ban, OpenAI and Google arguing their case for free-for-all AI, and more. Finally, in the lightning round, Nilay and David talk about the latest Tesla recall, the hugely popular book about Meta, some exciting ActivityPub news, and Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos gently zinging Apple TV Plus. Further reading: From Bloomberg: Apple Shuffles AI Executive Ranks in Bid to Turn Around Siri The first new Pebble smartwatches are coming later this year Europe is trying to get non-Apple smartwatches to work better with iPhones Google’s Pixel 9A gets a bigger screen and beefier water resistance Google briefly delays Pixel 9A release to investigate ‘component quality issue’  Huawei’s new flip phone is weirdly wide Nvidia says ‘the age of generalist robotics is here’ Nvidia’s cute ‘Digits’ AI desktop is coming this summer with a new name and a big brother Nvidia announces Blackwell Ultra GB300 and Vera Rubin, its next AI ‘superchips’ Musk’s Starlink gets deployed at the White House Federal rural broadband program loses head Oracle is reportedly in the lead to save TikTok from US ban A”high-level” deal to save TikTok can probably happen by the April 5th deadline, Vance says. Democratic FTC commissioners say they were ‘illegally fired’ by Trump Fired FTC commissioner warns of the ‘corrupting influence of billionaires’ Democratic FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks will resign this spring WBEZ, 12 other public media stations under investigation  CTIA Announces Ajit Pai as New CEO and President OpenAI and Google ask the government to let them train AI on content they don’t own Hundreds of celebrities warn against letting OpenAI and Google ‘freely exploit’ Hollywood Google Search charged with breaking EU antitrust rules DHS’s airport panopticon is getting people deported and detained Space science is under threat from the anti-DEI purge DOGE stranded USAID workers with laptops full of sensitive data They’re removing webpages about Black soldiers by adding ‘DEI’ to the URL. ‘Tesla Takedown’ protesters planning ‘biggest day of action’  Tesla recalls more than 46,000 Cybertrucks after trim starts falling off From NYMag: Elon Musk Has Become Too Toxic for YouTube ‘Careless People’ debuts at the top of the NYT best sellers list. Threads finally lets you set the following feed as default Ghost connects its newsletters to the open web Netflix’s CEO talks Apple TV, Amazon, and the NFL Email us at [email protected] or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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• Switch 2, Steam Deck, and the next-gen console wars

  Handheld gaming looks like the future — so why isn't it more popular? The Verge's Sean Hollister joins the show to talk about some new data about the handheld console market, what it says about the Steam Deck's dominance, whether the Switch 2 might change everything all over again, and why Sony and Microsoft don't appear to be in the game at all. After that, David reports on his trip to Florida to see TGL, the golf league aiming to bring the sport to new places and new fans, with the help of a truly enormous amount of technology. Finally, we answer a question on the Vergecast Hotline about iPads — and more specifically, one particularly good reason to upgrade to the Air or the Pro. Further reading: Three years later, the Steam Deck has dominated handheld PC gaming shipments Steam Deck OLED review: better, not faster Lenovo Legion Go S review: feels good, plays bad Asus ROG Ally X review: the best Windows gaming handheld by a mile MSI Claw review: an embarrassment A night at TGL, the would-be future of golf From ESPN: Inside the making of Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy's TGL From Wired: Robotic Putting Greens. Mixed Reality. Loud Spectators. This Is Golf?! Apple iPad Air 2025 review: what the M3 upgrade really gets you Email us at [email protected] or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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  1:24:53
• The fake promise of better Siri

  Big tech companies are forever making promises about the future. And you might (or might not) be surprised how often they don't come true. On this episode, Nilay and David start by discussing the good and bad of Apple's new iPads and Macs, before diving into the supposedly AI-powered, all-powerful Siri that is delayed indefinitely. Maybe this whole "AI will fix everything" plan wasn't such a good one. After that, The Verge's Andy Hawkins joins to discuss what's going on with Tesla: why sales are down, how the perception of the company has shifted as Elon Musk's job description has changed, and how it happened that President Trump did a Tesla sales pitch on the White House lawn. Everything's computer, you know? Finally, in the lighting round, the hosts discuss Brendan Carr's ongoing shenanigans, Jay Graber's sartorial burns, the future of Pokemon Go, and much more. Further reading: Apple is reportedly planning a design overhaul for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS Apple’s plans for a smart display suffer a Siri-related setback Apple adds Siri disclaimer to iPhone 16 pages. Apple pulled its iPhone 16 ad showing off the good Siri. ‘HomePad’ delayed to post-WWDC to ensure iOS 19 design consistency All this bad AI is wrecking a whole generation of gadgets Apple MacBook Air M4 review: a little more for a little less Apple Mac Studio (M3 Ultra) first look: a weekend with an $8,000 powerhouse Apple iPad Air 2025 review: what the M3 upgrade really gets you Is Tesla cooked? Trump says he’ll label attacks on Tesla locations as domestic terrorism The Tesla protests are getting bigger — and rowdier Trump hosts a Tesla ad at the White House. Everything's computer Tesla protests continue to escalate. Sonos has canceled its streaming video player Home Assistant makes it official. FCC chair asks if YouTube TV ‘discriminates against faith-based programming’ Brendan Carr on X: FCC chairman asks the public to list every regulation he should remove A Trump official has been moonlighting as a fashion influencer Pokémon Go developer Niantic to sell gaming business to Saudi group TikTok’s mood music will tell teens to ‘wind down’ after 10PM Bluesky CEO Jay Graber has a message for Zuck. Email us at [email protected] or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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  1:47:14
• China has some big ideas about smartphones

  In this episode, what's old is new again, and what's new is... AI again. The Verge's Allison Johnson and Dominic Preston join David to discuss their experience at Mobile World Congress 2025, where they saw the latest devices from Xiaomi, Samsung, Realme, and others — and found themselves confronted with some big, surprising new ideas about how our smartphones should look and work. After that, Kevin Rose and Justin Mezzell talk about the process of bringing Digg back, and how AI can improve the way social networks operate. Digg got a lot of things right two decades ago, and plans to do it all over again now. Finally, we answer a question about printers from the Vergecast Hotline (call 866-VERGE11 or email [email protected]!), with some help from Framework CEO Nirav Patel. Further reading: MWC 2025 was all about the odds and ends What if your phone’s camera was much, much bigger? You spin me right round, baby, right round. Xiaomi 15 Ultra review: ugly phone, beautiful camera Digg Reboot How Digg helped invent the social internet Digg is coming back, with founder Kevin Rose and Reddit’s Alexis Ohanian Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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  1:18:36
• Apple's chip bumps, big and small

  Apple's new gadgets this week were pretty minor updates, so of course we talk about them for a long time. Nilay and David are joined by The Verge's Jake Kastrenakes, and the three hosts discuss the latest iPad, iPad Air, MacBook Air, and Mac Studio. All three have... a lot of thoughts. After that, they run through some more tech news, including the Digg reboot, the end of Skype, VW's cheap new EV, and more. Finally, in the lightning round, they talk about the latest from DOGE and the Trump administration, Brendan Carr's latest assaults on free speech, and a smartphone that is mostly (but not entirely) a camera. Further reading: Apple iPad Air 2025: launch, price, and specs Apple refreshes the iPad but doesn’t add Apple Intelligence Apple announces MacBook Air with M4 chip and a price cut Our first look at Apple’s sky blue MacBook Air Apple launches new Mac Studios with M4 Max and M3 Ultra chips Behold the maxed out Mac Studio. Digg is coming back, with founder Kevin Rose and Reddit’s Alexis Ohanian Discord is reportedly exploring an IPO. Nothing’s Phone 3A and 3A Pro use AI to organize all your stuff The Volkswagen ID. EVERY1 is an affordable EV for the masses Volkswagen’s cheapest EV ever is the first to use Rivian software Microsoft is shutting down Skype in favor of Teams The Verge remembers Skype Big Tech is now slightly less silent on Trump’s tariffs Trump imposes tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and China Car prices expected to increase by as much as $12,000 thanks to Trump’s tariffs Best Buy and Target CEOs say prices are about to go up because of tariffs What’s an import? Trump to Cabinet: Musk has no authority to fire workers FAA staff reportedly ordered to find funding for deal with Musk’s Starlink  Trump’s USCIS wants to review all prospective citizens’ social media accounts Senate votes to strip the CFPB of its power to regulate X MWC: FCC chair says U.S. will defend interests of its tech giants FCC’s Carr defends broadcast probes, slams social media ‘threat’ A camera for your cameraphone: Sony Cyber-shot QX10 and QX100 review Xiaomi 15 Ultra is a small update with a big periscope lens  Email us at [email protected] or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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