The Vergecast

It's now surprisingly easy to watch most of a movie without ever trying to, or to spend hours with a podcast without ever playing an episode. In the burgeoning clip economy, everything is being cut into bite-sized pieces and being blasted around the internet hoping to land in your feeds. The Verge's Mia Sato explains the machinery of how all this works, and wonders what it means for our social media experience. After that, The Verge's Victoria Song joins to discuss the Fitbit Air, the new $99 Google fitness tracker she and David have both been testing. It's a fascinating, thoroughly AI-ified device, and it actually has some pretty good ideas. (And some bad ones!) Finally, Vee sticks around to help David answer a question from the Vergecast Hotline (call 866-VERGE11 or email [email protected]!) about smart glasses, and whether helping you find your other gear might just be a killer app.

Further reading:

Inside the cutthroat community of ‘clippers’

 Google’s taking a big swing at AI health with the Fitbit Air 

 What’s the role of a simple fitness band in the AI health era?

All these smart glasses and nothing to do

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.

(Timestamps are approximate.)

00:00:00 Brick Your Phone

00:03:00 Clips Go Industrial

00:06:00 How Clipping Platforms Work

00:08:00 Why It Looks Organic

00:11:00 Clavicular Case Study

00:13:00 Shady or Just Marketing

00:20:00 Platform Rules and Reality

00:26:00 Slop and the Future of Clips

00:36:00 Watch Band Color Debate

00:38:00 Why Fitbit Air Matters

00:40:00 Whoop Dupe Or Fitbit Roots

00:45:00 Google Health AI Coach

00:50:00 Limits And Lab Upload Friction

00:53:00 Privacy And Data Tradeoffs

00:56:00 AI Health Personalities Compared

01:04:00 Hotline Smart Glasses Tracking

01:09:00 Future Of All Day Glasses

01:13:00 Wrap Up
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Before we get into this week's tech news, we have some corporate news to discuss, and some very exciting Vergecast news to share. (If you have questions about either one, hit us up: [email protected] or 866-VERGE11!) Then, Nilay and David get back into the weeds on all things Google I/O, and in particular the ways AI is changing the Google Search experience. When Gemini can find things for you, make things for you, even buy things for you, are you even searching anymore? Finally, in the lightning round, it's time for the Hype Desk, Brendan Carr is a Dummy, SpaceX, the Trump Phone, and some very confusing social networks.

Further reading:

The future of Google is a search box that does everything 


Google is building a ‘universal’ AI shopping cart that tracks prices, offers suggestions, and finds discounts

 Demis Hassabis said this might be the ‘foothills of the singularity.’ What? 

Google is trying to make deepfake detection more accessible 

Google Search’s AI evolution includes more ads 

Google’s AI future demands trust — and your personal data 

Why does the Googlebook exist?

The FCC voted to ‘streamline’ tracking US broadband quality.

In SpaceX’s IPO, Elon Musk is the risk factor

Spotify is verifying podcasts made by real people too.

NBC just got the Trump phone.

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.

(Timestamps are approximate.)

00:00:00 Intro

00:02:00 Vox Media Sale

00:08:00 What Changes for The Verge

00:12:00 Vergecast Goes Daily

00:18:00 Feedback and Launch Details

00:23:00 Google I O Vibe Check

00:24:00 Agents Everywhere at Google

00:25:00 Search Becomes the Platform

00:26:00 Singularity Talk Whiplash

00:31:00 Monetizing AI and Google Zero

00:37:00 Shopping Web Takes Over

00:39:00 Agents Replace Browsing

00:43:00 Canvas Makes Apps

00:49:00 Google Book Devices Pitch

00:51:00 Agents Break App Economics

00:53:00 Traffic Deal Is Over

01:01:00 Hype Desk Forza Horizon 6

01:07:00 Subnautica 2 Surprise Hit

01:11:00 Brendan Carr is a Dummy

01:14:00 Broadband Map Complaints

01:21:00 Spotify AI Whiplash

01:25:00 Deepfake Detection Reality

01:30:00 SpaceX IPO Breakdown

01:34:00 Trump Phone In Wild

01:37:00 Wrap Up And Plugs
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Google I/O was, predictably, all about AI this year. And if it actually works, a lot of this stuff could be pretty useful! Immediately after the two hour long keynote (that contained approximately 190 total mentions of the terms "AI" and "Gemini") The Verge’s senior AI reporter Hayden Field and executive editor Jake Kastrenakes went live on YouTube with their reactions.

Further reading:

The 13 biggest announcements at Google I/O 2026


The 5 biggest changes coming to Gemini


Google Search is getting its biggest changes ever


Inside Google’s Beam Lab, an AI face appears

We’re also on video! Check us out on YouTube.

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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The Musk v. OpenAI trial continues, which means so do the allegations and leaks surrounding some of the most influential people in tech. Nilay and David recount the most interesting and entertaining moments from the courtroom this week, before digging into what we've learned about when Sam Altman was fired. After that, the hosts discuss OpenAI's apparent plans to build a phone, which seem utterly necessary and utterly doomed, along with the new Fitbit Air and a truly strange new home robot. Finally, in the lightning round, it's time for the Hype Desk, Brendan Carr is a Dummy, the Chinese company that wants to make everything, and the next big rebrand for xAI.

Further reading:

⁠Internal Tech Emails on X: "Sam Altman texts Mira Murat⁠

⁠We are going through the removal of Sam Altman from OpenAI in detail. ⁠

⁠Toner is relating how Sam Altman’s firing happened. ⁠

⁠Toner says she found out about ChatGPT by seeing screenshots on Twitter. ⁠

⁠Zilis sent Altman a text message of support after his 2023 ouster. ⁠

⁠Google’s taking a big swing at AI health with the Fitbit Air⁠

⁠OpenAI is reportedly launching a phone for ChatGPT ⁠

⁠The creator of Roomba is back with a furry robot companion ⁠

⁠Inside Dreame’s wild launch event — packed with products no one can buy⁠

⁠Dreame — the vacuum company — just ‘launched’ its own phones | The Verge⁠

⁠Dreame’s rocket-powered car can do 0–60 in 0.9 seconds because you can just say things now⁠

⁠A foldable iPhone dummy — on video. ⁠

⁠Apple agrees to pay iPhone owners $250 million for not delivering AI Siri ⁠

⁠DOJ assault on the NFL could end the Packers as we know them.⁠

⁠Apple could let you pick a favorite AI model in iOS 27 ⁠

⁠xAI is becoming SpaceXAI.⁠

⁠Microsoft gives up on Xbox Copilot AI ⁠

⁠Microsoft’s new Xbox shake-up is all about platform changes ⁠

⁠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.

(Timestamps are approximate.)

00:00:00 Intro

00:02:00 Trial Discovery Era

00:06:00 Early OpenAI Origins

00:11:00 Elon Power Struggle

00:17:00 Altman Firing Texts

00:27:00 Why The Board Panicked

00:36:00 ChatGPT Phone Rumor

00:39:00 OpenAI Phone vs App Store

00:41:00 Why Apps Still Matter

00:44:00 Apple Siri Power Play

00:49:00 Apple Intelligence Lawsuit

00:53:00 Google Fitbit Air

00:57:00 Google Health Rebrand Backlash

01:01:00 Familiar Robot Pet Debate

01:10:00 Nintendo Star Fox Returns

01:12:00 Nintendo Weirdness Wins

01:15:00 Furry Overlap Discourse

01:16:00 Zach Gardening Surprise

01:21:00 Brendan Carr Broadband Fight

01:23:00 NFL Antitrust And Packers

01:29:00 Dreame Vaporware Parade

01:32:00 Rocket Car Reality Check

01:34:00 Elon Corporate Matryoshka

01:36:00 Xbox Ditches Copilot

01:37:00 Wrap Up And Schedule
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Car companies are beginning to use AI tools to radically speed up their development process, which could change the cars we drive forever — and have some big effects on the people who make them now. Verge contributor Tim Stevens explains. Then, The Verge’s Hayden Field catches us up on Codex vs. Claude Code, Anthropic vs. the US government, the vibes at OpenAI, and more, before helping answer a question on the Vergecast Hotline (call 866-VERGE11 or email ⁠[email protected]⁠!) about whether all the recent tech layoffs are really about AI.

Further reading:

⁠The AI-designed car is taking shape | The Verge⁠

⁠Pentagon strikes classified AI deals with OpenAI, Google, and Nvidia — but not Anthropic⁠

⁠Google employees ask Sundar Pichai to say no to classified military AI use | The Verge⁠

⁠Anthropic’s new cybersecurity model could get it back in the government’s good graces | The Verge⁠

⁠Microsoft and OpenAI’s famed AGI agreement is dead | The Verge⁠

⁠Here’s how the new Microsoft and OpenAI deal breaks down | The Verge⁠

⁠ChatGPT downloads are slowing — and may cause problems for OpenAI’s IPO | The Verge⁠

⁠Claude can now plug directly into Photoshop, Blender, and Ableton | The Verge⁠

⁠OpenAI’s new security model is for ‘critical cyber defenders’ only | The Verge⁠

⁠Anthropic releases a new Opus model amid Mythos Preview buzz | The Verge⁠

⁠Jack Dorsey’s Block cuts nearly half of its staff in AI gamble | 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 [email protected] or call us at 866-VERGE11.

Timestamps are approximate.)

00:00:00 Intro

00:02:00 Today Show Preview

00:04:00 Car Design Primer

00:08:00 AI Speeds Up Design

00:13:00 Clay Models and Craft

00:15:00 Jobs Pipeline Risk

00:18:00 Software Defined Cars

00:20:00 Regulation and Safety

00:27:00 Slate Truck Update

00:34:00 Claude Code vs Codex

00:42:00 OpenAI Vibes Check

00:44:00 PR vs AI Doomerism

00:48:00 Pentagon Deals Exclude Anthropic

00:53:00 Mythos Reality Check

00:56:00 RIP AGI Moment

01:04:00 Hotline AI Layoffs ROI

01:13:00 Wrap Up and Sign Off
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