The Vergecast

It feels right now like prices are going up, gadgets are getting worse, and everything is getting harder to buy. Leo Mastrolia, the Digital Doctor and the owner of a repair shop in New Jersey, is seeing this all play out first hand. For the second part of our conversation (and the first part of our RAMageddon survival guide), he tells us what he’s telling his clients about fixing their gadgets, managing upgrades, and surviving a parts crisis.

Further reading:

Elon Musk made flying even worse so Palantir could profit

Apple’s camera-equipped AirPods appear in leaked video

Fairphone’s latest repairable phone is going on sale in the US

Spirit in the machine

Polaroid’s new Pokémon collection captures memories, not Pikachus

Digital Doctor Repairs on YouTube

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A few years ago, Leo Mastrolia started a gadget repair shop. Little did he know he’d eventually become known across the internet as The Digital Doctor, and would learn to fix practically every gadget you can think of. On this episode, which is part one of our conversation with Leo, he tells us about his journey as a gadget fixer, the growth of his social channels, and how right-to-repair fights and upgrade cycles are affecting life in his store.

Further reading:

ChatGPT’s Computer History tracks your clicks and keystrokes

Amazon is trying to crush class action suits before they get started

Uber partners with Zipline on Eats drone deliveries

Disney D23 2026: Everything announced for Star Wars, Marvel, and more

Digital Doctor Repairs on YouTube

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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
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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.
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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

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