Hello! This is The Vergecast, the flagship podcast of The Verge... and your life. Every Friday, Nilay Patel and Dieter Bohn make sense of the week's tech news with help from our wide-ranging staff. Join us every week for a fun, deeply nerdy, often off-the-rails conversation about what's happening now (and next) in technology and gadgets.

Apple's plot to crush OpenAI

July 17, 2026 1:33:44 16.26 MB ( -16.27 MB less) Downloads: 0

It's public beta season, which means David and Nilay have been upgrading some devices this week. We talk through the good and bad of our early experiences with Siri AI, and what it'll take for next-gen Siri to be a hit. After that, we discuss the real reason Apple decided to sue OpenAI over trade secrets, OpenAI's forthcoming smart speaker, the new Pixel colors, our emoji strategies, Brendan Carr, and much more.


Further reading:

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(Timestamps are approximate.)


00:01:00 Intro

00:02:00 Apple Betas and New Siri

00:08:00 Gemini Car Assistant Fails

00:15:00 Apple Sues OpenAI

00:18:00 Trade Secret Law Explained

00:28:00 Settlement or Long Fight

00:35:00 OpenAI Home Device Doubts

00:42:00 Smartphone Platform Lessons

00:50:00 Pixel Colors and Naming

00:52:00 OnePlus Retreat Explained

00:55:00 Carriers and iPhone Lock In

01:05:00 Brendan Carr Bribery Scandal

01:14:00 Emoji Lightning Round

01:18:00 X Algorithm Rediscovery

01:23:00 Foothills Of Singularity

01:29:00 Paramount Merger Spin

01:33:00 Wrap And Plugs

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