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.
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Facebook lost daily users for the first time ever / Spotify CEO defends Joe Rogan deal
The Verge's Nilay Patel, Alex Cranz, Ashley Carman, and Alex Heath discuss Meta's rough week: Facebook reported its first-ever quarterly decline of daily users globally, along with lower-than-expected ad growth that sent its stock plunging roughly 20 percent. The crew also discuss Spotify's response to the Joe Rogan controversy and how it will be handling moderation going forward. Further reading: Facebook lost daily users for the first time ever last quarter Meta’s stock price plunges 25 percent overnight Google parent company Alphabet broke $200 billion in annual revenue for the first time Epic largely lost to Apple, but 35 states are now backing its fight in a higher court Spotify CEO defends Joe Rogan deal in tense company town hall Spotify says it’s a creator company now Here is the Spotify COVID content policy that lets Joe Rogan slide Spotify finally responds to Joe Rogan controversy with a plan to label podcasts that discuss COVID-19 Joe Rogan defends podcast and apologizes to Spotify for backlash The Joe Rogan controversy is what happens when you put podcasts behind a wall Sony is buying Bungie, the developer of Destiny and original creator of Halo Big video game companies just can’t stop buying studios Wordle has been bought by The New York Times, will ‘initially’ remain free for everyone to play Peloton’s latest gadget is a $90 heart rate monitor for your arm Echelon persuades USPTO that Peloton’s streaming tech is unpatentable Appeals court upholds California’s net neutrality law Google leaks Pixel 6A name in, of all things, a coloring book Tesla has a new feature that will disable your seat controls if you keep messing with them Public accountants are deducting themselves from their jobs What’s the difference between 5G, 5G Plus, 5G UW, and 5G UC? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Spotify picks Joe Rogan over Neil Young / Intel’s $20 billion bet on Ohio / Q4 earnings for Big Tech
The Verge's Nilay Patel, Alex Cranz, and Tom Warren discuss Q4 earnings for the big tech companies like Microsoft, Samsung, Intel, and Tesla. Casey Newton joins the show to discuss Spotify's controversy regarding Joe Rogan's podcast, leading to musician Neil Young removing his music from the platform. Further reading: Windows 11 is getting Android apps, taskbar improvements, and more next month Microsoft got a whole lot of people to play Halo and Forza Call of Duty’s next three games will hit PlayStation despite Microsoft’s Activision deal It’s 2022, and the Surface Duo is finally getting Android 11 Microsoft is making its Xbox subscriptions more flexible after UK regulator steps in Samsung sets revenue records with stronger product sales What to expect from Samsung’s February Unpacked Samsung’s next Unpacked event is set for February 9th What we know about Intel’s $20 billion bet on Ohio The chip shortage didn’t stop Intel from having its ‘best year ever’ Tesla hails its second profitable year as a ‘breakthrough’ Elon Musk says ‘don’t forget about my robots’ as Roadster, Semi, Cybertruck deadlines slip Tesla Cybertruck delayed until at least next year, Elon Musk confirms Tesla Cybertruck walkaround video shows the absurdly huge windshield wiper in detail The self-driving car industry is abandoning the term ‘self-driving’ and leaving it to Tesla Spotify picks Joe Rogan over Neil Young Why Spotify can’t afford to lose Joe Rogan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Microsoft to acquire Activision for $68.7 billion / Google is building an AR headset / The 5G battle between the FAA, AT&T, Verizon, and airlines
Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel talks with games reporter Ash Parrish and senior reporter Alex Heath about Microsoft acquiring Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion and Google building a new AR headset. Policy editor Russell Brandom joins the show to discuss the battle between the FAA, AT&T, Verizon, and airlines over 5G and the antitrust bills in Congress this week. Further reading: The US’s free COVID test website has more visitors than all other .gov sites combined Microsoft to acquire Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion Read Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick’s email to employees about the Microsoft acquisition Read Microsoft Gaming CEO’s email to staff about the Activision Blizzard acquisition Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass service grows to 25 million subscribers Microsoft’s Activision acquisition would instantly make it a force in mobile gaming A guide to Microsoft’s Xbox game studios empire Is Microsoft building a gaming monopoly? Sony expects Microsoft to ‘continue to ensure’ Activision games stay multiplatform Google is building an AR headset AT&T and Verizon are limiting C-band 5G expansion around airports even more AT&T begins 5G C-band rollout in limited number of metro areas Verizon’s faster C-band 5G is live and off to a promising start Apple and Google split with startups over antitrust bill Tim Cook and Sundar Pichai are personally lobbying senators against antitrust legislation: report Lawmakers approve Big Tech antitrust overhaul, but with strings attached US competition enforcers launch overhaul of merger approval process Democrats unveil bill to ban online ‘surveillance advertising’ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Wordle and the App Store clones / FTC’s Meta antitrust lawsuit moves forward / PCs had another big year
The Verge's Nilay Patel, Alex Cranz, and Russell Brandom discuss the FTC proceeding with an antitrust lawsuit against Meta, the success of Wordle and its app clones, and more RCS drama. Verge deputy editor Dan Seifert stops by to chat about this week's gadget news and the state of the PC market. Stories discussed: White House to launch COVID test-ordering site ‘by this weekend,’ reports say White House hosts tech summit to discuss open-source security after Log4j Google calls for new government action to protect open-source software projects Judge says the FTC’s Meta monopoly lawsuit can go forward Meta’s real antitrust problems are only beginning Want the ‘TLDR’ on a site’s terms of service? There’s a bill for that Apple says App Store developers have earned more than $260 billion The App Store clones are here to profit off Wordle’s success The Wordle clones have disappeared from the App Store Wordle copycat creator apologizes for ripping off the popular free word game The real beauty of Wordle is how its emoji results tell a story Alleged Apple App Store scammer AmpMe lowers prices and says it’ll investigate its ‘consultants’ Google exec says Apple is ‘holding back’ customers who text Google says Apple ‘should not benefit from bullying’ created by iMessage lock-in It fills me with glee that Canon printers now think Canon’s own toner is fake Apple’s $19 polishing cloth is back in stock online Ford doesn’t want the F-150 Lightning’s launch to be plagued by scalpers Tesla removes 2022 production date from Cybertruck website The PC market just had another big year thanks to pandemic demand TSMC earmarks record $44 billion for chip manufacturing expansion in 2022 The pandemic has blurred the lines between laptop categories Sony Xperia 5 III now shipping in the US, almost nine months after initial announcement The Nvidia Shield is getting Android 11 and other upgrades Sony says it’s still making new PS4s, but most stores aren’t selling them Google’s Android 12 update has been the rockiest one in years Ford doesn’t want the F-150 Lightning’s launch to be plagued by scalpers Wear OS will work better for lefties... eventually Tesla removes 2022 production date from Cybertruck website GM is creating an online used car marketplace Buy Nothing exploded on Facebook — now it wants a platform on its own Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
CES 2022: all the TVs, concept cars, laptops, and gadgets announced this week
The Verge's Nilay Patel, Dieter Bohn, and Alex Cranz run through the huge amount of products announced at the Consumer Electronics Show 2022 this week — from QD-OLED TVs, to EVs, to a hair-coloring gadget. All the stories discussed: CES 2022 will close a day early because of COVID concerns CES 2022 will introduce HDMI 2.1a, another confusing new spec Sony announces the world’s first QD-OLED 4K TV, coming later this year Sony is joining the Mini LED TV bandwagon in 2022 Samsung promises ‘groundbreaking’ new TV feature: NFT support Samsung’s latest Frame TVs have a matte screen that looks and feels more like real art Samsung’s new 2022 TVs bring Nvidia GeForce Now and Google Stadia gaming Samsung’s new TV remote uses radio waves from your router to stay charged LG announces its largest and smallest OLED TVs ever as part of 2022 lineup LG TVs now have a built-in health platform The Samsung Odyssey Ark is its largest curved monitor yet Chevy Silverado EV revealed: GM’s best-selling truck goes electric General Motors announces electric versions of the Chevy Equinox and Blazer SUVs BMW’s IX M60 is a dual-motor performance EV with 280 miles of range BMW debuts its new color-changing paint technology at CES: E Ink Sony pivots into cars with Sony Mobility and a Vision-S SUV prototype at CES 2022 Dell XPS 13 Plus hands-on: is that... a touch bar? Asus will release a 17-inch foldable OLED laptop this year Lenovo’s new ThinkBook Plus Gen 3 has an eight-inch secondary screen Intel’s 12th Gen Alder Lake chips arrive at CES 2022 for its most powerful laptops ever Intel’s upcoming Arc GPUs inch closer to their debut with latest OEM update Intel announces 5.5GHz capable 12th Gen CPU Nvidia still has no idea how to pronounce the name of its best gaming GPU Google will spend 2022 trying to match Apple’s ecosystem integrations The OnePlus 10 Pro’s official specs are not the least bit surprising The Galaxy S21 FE officially joins Samsung's crowded mirage lineup Why AT&T and Verizon are feuding with the US Government over a last-minute delay to 5G L’Oreal’s newest gadget takes the mess out of coloring your hair Sony confirms PlayStation VR2 name and Horizon game Samsung’s tiny Freestyle projector is fun so get over it Anker’s new Nano II 100W USB-C charger is the smallest 100W GaN charger yet The Motorola MA1 is a dongle for wireless Android Auto Razer’s new Zephyr Pro mask has the voice amp feature we wanted all along Black + Decker’s $300 Bev vacuums up a Keurig-shaped hole in the robot bartender space Are we ready for the smart front door? Masonite thinks so This breathing PC case looks like it’s alive Podcasters are letting software pick their ads — it’s already going awry Pete Buttigieg is racing to keep up with self-driving cars Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
James Webb Space Telescope to launch next week / cool gadgets announced this week
Nilay Patel, Dieter Bohn, Alex Cranz, and Loren Grush discuss NASA's plan for launching the James Webb Space Telescope, the successor to NASA’s Hubble telescope. Second half of the show, the crew go through all the gadgets and software updates announced this past week. Stories discussed this week: NASA’s massive next-generation space telescope arrives in South America ahead of launch NASA sets new date for James Webb Space Telescope launch Five former SpaceX employees speak out about harassment at the company Sony Glass Sound Speaker review: it’s not what it looks like Analogue Pocket review: Game Boy games have never looked so good Opal’s C1 offers DSLR-rivaling video quality in a small form factor Dell’s Concept Stanza converts your chicken scratch to digital text Amazon Echo Show 15 review: Alexa’s on your wall Oppo’s Find N is an impressive first folding phone Huawei’s P50 Pocket is a stylish clamshell foldable launching this month Samsung’s working on a rollable smartwatch with a camera Apple releases iOS 15.2 with App Privacy Report, Digital Legacy, and more Apple scrubs controversial CSAM detection feature from webpage but says plans haven’t changed Universal Control won’t be coming to macOS Monterey until sometime this spring Adobe launches Creative Cloud Express, a new app that simplifies its powerful editing tools Snap launches Story Studio, a standalone video editing app for mobile Log4j is patched, but the exploits are just getting started ‘No easy solution’ for Tesla Cybertruck’s comically large windshield wiper, Elon Musk says Chrome OS tablets are getting fancier but not better Former FCC officials are worried about air safety fears delaying 5G rollout Toyota is going to make you pay to start your car with your key fob Delivery failed How to sneak into a Bored Ape Yacht Club party Matter’s plan to save the smart home Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Can Matter save the smart home?
In our final Vergecast Spec-tacular of the year, Dieter Bohn dives into Matter, the new tech standard that smart home gadgets will use to communicate with each other, making compatibility between gadgets significantly easier. Guests include: Verge smart home reviewer Jennifer Pattison Tuohy Michelle Mindala-Freeman, Head of Marketing for the Connectivity Standards Alliance. Tim Both, brand manager and product manager for Eve Samantha Fein, VP of Marketing and Business Development at Samsung SmartThings Further reading: Matter is the new name of Project CHIP, the partnership that promises to simplify your smart home Matter could bring universal casting that actual works Smart home company Eve plans to use Matter to move beyond Apple’s HomeKit Amazon confirms its support for Matter Google shares its commitment to Matter, promises future interoperability between smart home platforms Samsung promises Matter support for SmartThings hubs, Galaxy devices, TVs, and fridges Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Matrix Awakens Unreal Engine 5 demo / Snap’s first AR Spectacles / LG TVs can now play Google Stadia
Nilay Patel, Dieter Bohn, and Alex Heath discuss Epic Games' Matrix experience in Unreal Engine 5, Snap’s first AR Spectacles, streaming news, and more. Stories discussed: Snap’s first AR Spectacles are an ambitious, impractical start How Snap is sidestepping the metaverse The Matrix Awakens is an interactive tech demo for PS5 and Xbox Series X / S Meta opens up access to its VR social platform Horizon Worlds Apple’s AR headset reportedly uses 3D sensors for hand tracking Your LG TV can now play Google Stadia if it’s running webOS 5.0 or later Matter could bring universal casting that actually works Roku settles YouTube dispute and locks down apps in ‘multi-year’ deal Spotify removes popular comedians’ content over royalties dispute Apple Music’s voice plan likely to launch with iOS 15.2 Sonos now supports Amazon Music’s Ultra HD and Dolby Atmos tracks Google Pixel’s lock screen Snapchat shortcut is here Google releases first Android 12L beta for large-screen devices Google Pixel mail-in repairs have allegedly twice resulted in leaked pics and a privacy nightmare 5G now means some flights won’t be able to land when pilots can’t see the runway Jessica Rosenworcel confirmed by Senate to lead the FCC Verizon might be collecting your browsing history and here’s how to stop it Sonos announces plans to make its products more efficient and repairable Instagram head says it’s bringing back the chronological feed The vice president should not be using Bluetooth headphones Kickstarter says it’s switching to crowdfunding via the blockchain Epic v. Apple ruling put on hold after appeals court grants a stay Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Behind the scenes of our Treo documentary, Springboard
Live at On The Verge in New York City, Nilay and Dieter discuss The Verge's documentary Springboard: the secret history of the first real smartphone and conduct at Q&A with the audience. Springboard is now streaming worldwide. You can watch it on The Verge’s new app on Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, or Apple TV. It is now also available to watch on our YouTube channel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jack Dorsey steps down from Twitter / The future of the blockchain / FTC is suing to block Nvidia’s purchase of Arm
Nilay Patel and Dieter Bohn chat with Alex Heath and Casey Newton about Jack Dorsey stepping down as CEO of Twitter and what's going in the world of crypto. Managing editor Alex Cranz stops by to share news that the FTC is suing to block Nvidia's $40 billion purchase of Arm. Stories referenced: Jack Dorsey steps down as Twitter CEO Twitter CTO Parag Agrawal replaces Jack Dorsey as CEO Jack steps back An introduction to Parag Agrawal, Twitter’s new CEO Big tech’s first generation of founders starts to step aside As tech founders resign, Congress loses its favorite targets Jack Dorsey’s Square is changing its name to Block The leader of Facebook’s stalled cryptocurrency project is leaving the company Macy’s is auctioning off Thanksgiving Day Parade NFTs, including this creepy elf Almost buying a copy of the Constitution is easy, but giving the money back is hard ConstitutionDAO will shut down after losing bid for Constitution Is the music industry’s future on the blockchain? US banking regulators are looking to clarify crypto rules in 2022 The FTC is suing to block Nvidia’s $40 billion purchase of Arm Qualcomm is updating its Snapdragon branding to try and simplify its chip names Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip is here to power the Android flagships of 2022 Qualcomm’s new always-on smartphone camera is a privacy nightmare Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 is its latest attempt to hit a Windows on Arm home run Microsoft’s Qualcomm exclusivity deal for Windows on Arm reportedly ending soon Qualcomm’s new G3x platform could usher in a new wave of Nintendo Switch-alikes Razer’s Qualcomm-powered handheld console leaks Meta ordered to sell Giphy by UK regulator Barnes & Noble announces new Nook GlowLight 4, says it cares for real this time Alex's tablet Tile is selling its Bluetooth tracking business to Life360 for $205 million Elizabeth Holmes admits that she was CEO of Theranos, the company she founded Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Eero CEO Nick Weaver on 5G, Thread, and the future of the smart home
Nilay Patel and Dieter Bohn interview CEO of Eero Nick Weaver live at On The Verge in New York City. The discussion includes how the Ring Alarm Pro came together, Eero supporting Thread and Matter, integration of 5G, and what's next for the smart home. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Apple will make repair manuals and parts available to public / Russia blows up a satellite / Biden signs infrastructure package
Nilay Patel and Dieter Bohn chat with policy reporter Makena Kelly about Pres. Biden's $1 trillion infrastructure package and what it will do to improve broadband access in the US. Senior science reporter Loren Grush joins the show to talk about Russia destroying one of its own satellites with a ground-based missile. Managing editor Alex Cranz stops by to chat about Apple opening up iPhones and Macs to DIY repairs. Stories referenced: Biden signs $1 trillion infrastructure package into law Biden’s FCC is still deadlocked, and net neutrality hangs in the balance Biden’s pick for FDA chief works at Google Russia blows up a satellite, creating a dangerous debris cloud in space NASA delays ambitious human lunar landing to 2025 NASA’s Moon landing will likely be delayed ‘several years’ beyond 2024, auditors say Blue Origin loses lawsuit against federal government over NASA’s human lunar lander contracts SpaceX’s Starlink reveals new smaller, rectangular user dish to connect to satellites Apple will sell you iPhone parts to fix your own phone at home The shareholder fight that forced Apple’s hand on repair rights Apple reportedly wants to launch a self-driving EV in 2025 with a custom chip The Balmuda Phone is a compact Android phone from a high-end toaster company Meta’s sci-fi haptic glove prototype lets you feel VR objects using air pockets Sonos finally adds DTS audio support to its home theater lineup Hyundai’s restomod Grandeur is the perfect EV for a supervillain Google explains the tradeoffs that led to Pixel 6’s slow charging complaints A look under the hood of the most successful streaming service on the planet Meta goes into lockdown Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Let's Chat about RCS
The Verge's Dieter Bohn dives into the messy past and uncertain future of Rich Communication Services, or RCS, a new texting standard that Google had been pushing for Android users. Guests include: Sanaz Ahari, Senior Director of Communications Products at Google Ron Amadeo, reviews editor at Ars Technica Relevant links: RCS: What it is and why you might want it AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile have finally agreed to replace SMS with a new RCS standard A decade and a half of instability: The history of Google messaging apps Google is rolling out end-to-end encryption for RCS in Android Messages beta SVP of Android offers open invitation to help Apple put RCS texting on the iPhone Produced by Andru Marino, Liam James, and Dieter Bohn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
EV startup Rivian goes public / Judge orders Apple to allow external payment options / Microsoft announces Windows 11 SE
The Verge's Nilay Patel, Dieter Bohn, Alex Cranz, and Sean O'Kane discuss electric vehicle startup Rivian becoming a publicly traded company after executing one of the biggest initial public offerings in history. The crew also cover multiple stories about Apple from this week, Microsoft's Windows 11 SE release, and a new Surface Laptop for schools. Further reading: Rivian goes public in one of the biggest IPOs ever Rivian’s mega IPO is a good test of the meme stock craze Judge orders Apple to allow external payment options for App Store by December 9th, denying stay Apple must allow other forms of in-app purchase, rules judge in Epic v. Apple Apple backs off of breaking Face ID after DIY iPhone 13 screen replacements Tim Cook says he owns cryptocurrency Apple hires Tesla’s former Autopilot software director Johnson & Johnson’s CEO joins Apple’s board iPhone 13 Pro vs. Pixel 6 Pro: what 2,000 photos tell us Microsoft announces Windows 11 SE, a new Chrome OS competitor Microsoft’s new $249 Surface Laptop SE is its first true Chromebook competitor Microsoft partners with Meta to integrate Teams into its Facebook-like Workplace Microsoft fixes Windows 11 features failing due to an expired certificate Updating The Verge’s background policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
What’s next for USB-C
The Verge's Dieter Bohn dedicates this week's Tuesday episode to the fractious history and fraught future of USB-C. Guests include: CTO of ASTC Rod Whitby, who has worked with USB-C standards since its infancy Verge senior reporter Chaim Gartenberg, who explains the many variations of USB-C cables Ken Pillonel, a hacker in Switzerland who figured out how to replace his iPhone's lightning port with USB-C Relevant links: USB-C cables are getting new, confusing logos for faster 240W charging standard You can now, technically, build your own USB-C iPhone EU proposes mandatory USB-C on all devices, including iPhones Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices