The Vergecast

Lots of gadget news this week! David, Jake Kastrenakes, and Allison Johnson start by talking about the iPhone 16E, which is both the cheapest compelling iPhone in a long time and a deeply odd addition to Apple's phone lineup. They also discuss the end of the Humane AI Pin, the latest from the Rabbit R1, and whether AI gadgets are even going to be a thing. After that, it's time for the lightning round: David and Jake talk about Amazon Chime, Mira Murati's new startup, and the future of James Bond. Then, in a special DOGE lightning round, Lauren Feiner joins the show to discuss everything happening with Trump, Musk, DOGE, and the US government. Because there's a lot of it.
Further reading:

Apple launches the iPhone 16E

8 important things to know about the iPhone 16E

The iPhone is done with home buttons — here’s why I’ll miss it

Verge staffers react to the iPhone 16E: what we love and don’t love

Apple no longer sells new iPhones with Lightning ports

How the new iPhone 16E compares to the rest of Apple’s iPhone 16 lineup

Apple’s first in-house iPhone modem is the C1

Oppo Find N5 review: the final evolution of foldables

The world’s thinnest foldable phone doesn’t come cheap

Humane is shutting down the AI Pin and selling its remnants to HP

The Humane AI Pin never had a chance

Rabbit shows off the AI agent it should have launched with

Amazon’s revamped Alexa might launch over a month after its announcement event

Microsoft announces quantum computing breakthrough with Majorana 1 chip

A death knell for Chime

Mira Murati launches rival to OpenAI called Thinking Machines Lab

The New York Times adopts AI tools in the newsroom

Amazon now has creative control over the James Bond franchise

Spotify’s HiFi streaming could finally arrive this year

Treasury inspector general will investigate DOGE payments access | The Verge

Trump threatens 25 percent ‘and higher’ tariff on chips.

Acer is the first to raise laptop prices because of Trump

Trump issues an executive order claiming more oversight of independent agencies like the FTC and FCC.

Trump administration cancels approval for NYC congestion pricing.

DOGE’s alleged cost-cutting achievements included a few extra zeroes.

A SpaceX team is being brought in to overhaul FAA’s air traffic control system

Trump admin pulls hundreds of videos from CFPB’s YouTube channel

DOGE can keep accessing government data for now, judge rules


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This episode is all about companies in flux. First, we chat with The Verge's Alex Heath about all things Meta — whether the company is still serious about the metaverse, why its AI plans seem to be going so well, what "OG Facebook" really means, and what headsets to expect this year. After that, The Verge's Chris Welch takes us through the last year at Sonos, from the disastrous app launch to the pretty good headphones that were totally derailed by the disastrous app launch. Can the company get it together in order to launch its next big swing, a set-top box codenamed Pinewood? Finally, we answer a question on the Vergecast Hotline all about business cards. Because, yes, it's 2025, but sometimes you still need a place to put a business card.
Further reading:

Mark Zuckerberg tells Meta employees to ‘buckle up’ in internal meeting

Meta says this is the make or break year for the metaverse

Meta’s Ray-Bans smart glasses sold more than 1 million units last year

Meta’s AR / VR hardware roadmap through 2027

Meta CTO says the company is working to ‘catch’ leakers

Zuck wants to bring the “OG Facebook” back.

The Sonos app fiasco: how a great audio brand nearly ruined its reputation

Sonos CEO Patrick Spence steps down after disastrous app launch

Sonos’ interim CEO hits all the right notes in first letter to employees

Sonos Arc Ultra review: don’t call it a comeback (yet)

Sonos Ace review: was it worth it? | The Verge

After a bruising year, Sonos readies its next big thing: a streaming box

Adobe Scan


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On today's episode, once again, it's OpenAI and DOGE. And some other things! Nilay and David start the show by talking about Elon Musk's surprise bid to buy the nonprofit arm of OpenAI, along with the company's plans for new models and new rules for those models. After that, The Verge's Lauren Feiner joins to catch us up on what's happening with DOGE, how Musk and co. are making boring government information into something deeply fascinating and deeply confusing, and what it's like to work for the government now. Finally, in the lightning round, we talk about rumors of a new Apple Studio Display and iPhone SE, the new Powerbeats 2 Pro, Brendan Carr still being a dummy, and some surprising streaming moves from Apple and YouTube.
Further reading:

Elon Musk just offered to buy OpenAI for $97.4 billion

OpenAI apparently hasn’t actually received Elon Musk’s acquisition offer. 


Altman feels bad for Elon 

OpenAI lays out plans for GPT-5

OpenAI is reportedly getting closer to launching its in-house chip

OpenAI is rethinking how AI models handle controversial topics

Scarlett Johansson calls for anti deepfake laws after AI video goes viral

Thomson Reuters wins an early court battle over AI, copyright, and fair use

AI chatbots are distorting news stories, BBC finds

Waste.gov locks down after people discover it’s a WordPress template


https://doge.gov/ exists

Federal workers say they increasingly distrust platforms like Facebook

The Trump administration restores federal webpages after court order

Trump administration illegally allowed DOGE to access workers’ data, lawsuit alleges

State Dept.’s plan to buy $400 million worth of armored Teslas hastily changed to ‘armored EVs’

Constitutional crisis intensifies.

Google Maps now shows the ‘Gulf of America’

Apple Maps now shows the Gulf of America

Bing jumps on the Gulf of America bandwagon.

Trump wants news outlets to get on board with “Gulf of America” — or else. Will they?

Apple’s next Studio Display could get a much-needed Mini LED upgrade

Tim Cook teases a new Apple launch next week, and it’s probably the iPhone SE

FCC to investigate Comcast for having DEI programs

The FCC is a weapon in Trump’s war on free speech

Trump’s MAGA Media Enforcer Is Having ‘the Time of His Life’

FCC chairman Brendan Carr has vowed to target all of Donald Trump's enemies.

Jeep’s Wrangler-like Recon EV is ready to launch this year

Jeep warranty ads in the infotainment

Apple TV Plus is finally coming to Android

YouTube is now even bigger on TVs than phones

Powerbeats Pro 2 review: the workout buds to beat

Samsung Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus review: incredibly iterative


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AI and politics, politics and AI. That's the story of 2025. On this episode, The Verge's Kylie Robison joins the show to talk about ChatGPT's big new features, Operator and deep research, both of which promise to make the chatbot more useful and more autonomous. To access either one costs $200 a month — is it worth it? After that, The Verge's Liz Lopatto catches us up on the latest from Elon Musk and Doge, including why Musk is doing this thing, this way. Liz also makes the case that this isn't going to slow down anytime soon. Finally, Nilay Patel helps us answer a question from the Vergecast Hotline, and tells us how he felt about the Super Bowl's 4K stream.
Further reading:

OpenAI’s new Operator AI agent can do things on the web for you

ChatGPT’s agent can now do deep research for you

I tested ChatGPT’s deep research with the most misunderstood law on the internet

Elon Musk’s rapid unscheduled disassembly of the US government

DOGE wreaked havoc on the government in just one week

Federal judge blocks DOGE from accessing sensitive Treasury records

How Elon Musk’s Department of Energy access could pose a nuclear threat

What we know about President Elon’s government takeover


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Nilay, David, and Richard Lawler take on a big week in confusing news stories. First, they talk through the latest from Elon Musk's DOGE, which is running rampant through government computer systems with little pushback. Then they explain the latest on the US government's tariff strategy, and the mass confusion it's causing across tech. Then they pivot away from politics and talk about streaming: the Super Bowl coming to Tubi, the deeply confusing forthcoming Fox streaming service, whatever Comcast is doing this year, and more. Finally, in the lightning round, they talk about Sonos's streaming box, Brendan Carr's latest assaults on free speech, OpenAI's "new" logo, and more.
Further reading:

DC is just waking up to Elon Musk’s takeover

Elon Musk is staging a takeover of the federal budget

Workers are reeling from chaos at federal agencies

Can anyone stop President Musk?

“For all practical purposes, I’d call that a coup.”

Trump imposes sweeping tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China

Canada will retaliate against Trump with tariffs on US goods

Trump agrees to a one-month pause on Mexico, Canada tariffs

Qwertykeys halts keyboard shipments to US over tariff costs and confusion

Shein and Temu depend on a 100-year-old tariff loophole that Trump wants to close

Your packages are about to get slower and more expensive

USPS backtracks, will accept parcels from China after all

China tariffs may already be hiking up import fees

China opens Google antitrust probe in retaliation to tariffs

Fox plans to launch a streaming service by the end of 2025

Super Bowl LIX will stream for free on Tubi

Comcast is adding Dolby Atmos to its ‘4K’ Super Bowl broadcast this year

Warner Bros. is streaming full movies for free on YouTube

Disney teases ESPN’s expansive sports streaming future

Disney’s streaming business posts another profit.

CBS is preparing to give Harris interview materials to the FCC.

FCC launches probe into Soros-backed radio station that revealed live locations of undercover ICE agents

After a bruising year, Sonos readies its next big thing: a streaming box

Sonos lays off 200 employees as its struggles continue

Google has ‘very good ideas’ for native ads in Gemini

ChatGPT’s agent can now do deep research for you

Here’s OpenAI’s new logo

Chairs Are Like Facebook


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Today on the show, it’s all about the future of phones… and your data. The Verge’s Allison Johnson joins the show to talk about the new Samsung Galaxy S25, what’s new in this high-end phone, and what it means for all the other smartphones coming this year. After that, Cooper Quintin, a senior staff technologist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, talks us through how to think about the privacy implications of RedNote, TikTok, DeepSeek, and all the other tech that puts us in contact with China. Finally, we enlist The Verge’s Jennifer Pattison Tuohy to help us answer a question from the Vergecast Hotline all about the Meta Portal. Remember the Meta Portal?? If you’re missing yours, we have some ideas.
Further reading:

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra isn’t so ‘ultra’ anymore

Samsung Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus hands-on: more of the same

Samsung Galaxy S25 vs. S25 Plus vs. S25 Ultra: specs comparison

Trump signs order refusing to enforce TikTok ban for 75 days

TikTok’s service providers still risk billions in penalties for bringing it back online

TikTok is still on shaky ground in the US

Chinese social media app RedNote tops App Store chart ahead of TikTok ban

As Americans flock to RedNote, privacy advocates warn about surveillance

Will RedNote get banned in the US?

RedNote: what it’s like using the Chinese app TikTokers are flocking to

Why everyone is freaking out about DeepSeek

DeepSeek’s top-ranked AI app is restricting sign-ups due to ‘malicious attacks’

US Navy jumps the DeepSeek ship.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation

Facebook’s new Portal Go is great for video calls, but not much else


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Nilay and David dig into the week's biggest story: the new Intel-powered Surface Pro. Kidding! They talk about DeepSeek, the out-of-nowhere AI company that sent both Silicon Valley and the stock market into uproar this week. Then, after the hosts debate what the real killer app for AI is — and whether we've even found one yet — we follow up on our question from last week about how people are actually using AI. We got so many good answers, and we talk through what to make of them all. Finally, in the lightning round, we talk about Brendan Carr being a dummy, the return of the Pebble, the continued rise of Bluesky and Threads, and Meta's $25 million check to Trump.
Further reading:

Why everyone is freaking out about DeepSeek

DeepSeek says its newest AI model, Janus-Pro can outperform Stable Diffusion and DALL-E 3.

Microsoft makes DeepSeek’s R1 model available on Azure AI and GitHub

OpenAI has evidence that its models helped train China’s DeepSeek

China’s DeepSeek AI is hitting Nvidia where it hurts

DeepSeek’s AI app is restricting sign-ups due to ‘malicious attacks’ 

US Navy jumps the DeepSeek ship.

DeepSeek wakes up Trump.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on DeepSeek R1: “an impressive model.”

Mark Zuckerberg tells Meta investors to not worry about DeepSeek

The Pebble smartwatch is making a comeback, with some help from Google 

Oracle and Microsoft are reportedly in talks to take over TikTok

FCC chair says landlords can force bulk internet service on residents

From NYT: F.C.C. Chair Orders Investigation Into NPR and PBS Sponsorships


Meta agrees to pay $25 million to settle Trump account suspension suit

Zuckerberg wants to Make Facebook Great Again

Zuck wants to bring the “OG Facebook” back.


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The Verge’s Victoria Song joins the show to talk about the most popular and most-bailed-on New Year’s Resolution of all: getting in shape. She tells us about the apps that help you work out more without being rude about it, the data you really need to care about in your fitness tracker, and much more. After that, we talk to Anna Valtonen, one of the curators and researchers behind the new Nokia Design Archive. She tells us about the concepts, presentations, and overall culture that made Nokia such an important company in the history of phones. Finally, we answer another question on the Vergecast Hotline about how audio works on your phone. It’s all still too complicated.

Further reading:

Ladder

Fantasy Hike

Stompers

Runkeeper

5K Runner

Our interview with Adrian Hon about Zombies, Run

The Nokia Design Archive

Nokia’s “Morph” concept

The Nokia Communicator

The Nokia Moonraker smartwatch

From Apple: Share audio with AirPods and Beats headphones from iPhone or iPad


Also from Apple: Play audio through multiple devices at once in Audio MIDI Setup on Mac


From Samsung: Play music on two Bluetooth devices from your Galaxy phone



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Nilay, David, and The Verge's Allison Johnson run down all the biggest news from the latest Samsung Unpacked. The S25 Edge had everyone excited, but the other new Galaxy S25 models feel a little familiar. Then, The Verge's Lauren Feiner updates us on the many goings-on in the first days of the new Trump administration, from the TikTok ban delay to the executive orders on citizenship and AI. Finally, in the lightning round, David and Nilay talk about Netflix's price increase, smart-home standards, and more.
Further reading:

This is the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge

Samsung Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus hands-on: more of the same

Samsung Galaxy S25 vs. S25 Plus vs. S25 Ultra: specs comparison

Here’s what Samsung’s first Android XR headset looks like in person

Samsung and Google are developing AR glasses together

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra stylus: back to boring basics

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra hands-on: smoothing out sharp edges

Samsung claims its new Galaxy S25 Ultra glass can survive head-high drops on concrete

Google Gemini now works across multiple apps in a single prompt

The Stargate Project is a $500 million AI data center plan for OpenAI

The United States Digital Service is now DOGE — here’s what it was responsible for. 

Vivek Ramaswamy steps down from DOGE

Trump signs order refusing to enforce TikTok ban for 75 days

Trump says he’s open to Musk or Ellison buying TikTok

TikTok’s service providers still risk billions in penalties for bringing it back online

Bluesky and X launch new video feeds amid TikTok uncertainties

Instagram announces a blatant CapCut clone

Apple says it’s following the law by removing TikTok from the App Store

Sen. Tom Cotton warns TikTok’s service providers of “ruinous liability” for hosting the app.

Two lawmakers introduce a bill to repeal the TikTok ban.

Trump is absolutely going to make ByteDance sell TikTok or shut down again.

Netflix is raising prices again

YouTube Premium gets more experimental features that can now be tested all at once

Here’s the tech that could turn millions of Zigbee light bulbs into motion sensors with a single update

Samsung is bringing ambient sensing to SmartThings


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First in this episode, a quick update on the TikTok ban (which didn't turn out to be much of a ban at all.) Then, Sportico's Jacob Feldman joins the show to talk about Venu, the much-hyped streaming service that planned to bring all sports into a single platform — and never even managed to launch. After that, The Verge's Kevin Nguyen tells us how to read more books this year, and how to turn all your aimless scrolling time into more productive reading time. Finally, we answer a question on the Vergecast Hotline about audio sources on your phone, and why you can't listen to a thousand things at once.

Further reading:

TikTok ban: all the news on the app’s shutdown and return in the US

TikTok is back, but where are Marvel Snap, CapCut, and Lemon8?

Trump touts his plan to save TikTok during his victory rally

TikTok isn’t back in the App Store yet

Bluesky and X launch new video feeds amid TikTok uncertainties

The new ‘Hulu for Sports’ streaming service has a name: Venu Sports

Venu Sports shuts down before it ever launches

From Sportico: YouTube TV vs. Fubo Sports Bundle Could Be Next Streaming Fight


The Boox Palma is an amazing gadget I didn’t even know I wanted

From GQ: How to Read a Whole Damn Book Every Week



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