During the height of the cryptocurrency craze a few years ago, the actor Ben McKenzie found himself wondering why no one else was seeing what he was seeing. He joins the show to explain his yearslong attempt to understand Bitcoin and the crypto world, all of which is in his new documentary Everyone Is Lying to You For Money. (You can probably guess how he feels.) After that, The Verge's Victoria Song tells us about her testing of continuous glucose monitors, which have gone from medical device to influencer trend in some worrying ways. Finally, we answer a question from the Vergecast Hotline (call 866-VERGE11 or email [email protected]!) about why all our gadgets seem the same these days.

Vote for The Vergecast in the Webby Awards! A vote for The Vergecast is a vote that Brendan Carr is a dummy, that buttons are good, and that party speakers rule the world. Voting is open until April 16.  https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2026/podcasts/shows/technology

Further reading:

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 Sprinkler Duty Intro

00:03:00 Ben McKenzie Crypto Journey

00:04:00 Is Crypto Really Money

00:09:00 El Salvador Reality Check

00:11:00 Could Crypto Ever Work

00:14:00 Crypto Culture

00:19:00 Casino Capitalism And Crime

00:23:00 Why Bitcoin Keeps Rising

00:30:00 CGMs Explained

00:32:00 FDA OTC And Wellness Boom

00:33:00 Government Push For Wearables

00:39:00 Longevity Wearables Boom

00:41:00 Why Try CGMs

00:44:00 Scary Readings Doctor Visit

00:47:00 Living in the Data

00:48:00 Apps Scores Calibration

00:51:00 Disordered Eating Spiral

00:54:00 No Consensus for Non Diabetics

00:57:00 Medication Tradeoffs

01:00:00 Wellness vs Medical Regulation

01:04:00 Using CGMs Thoughtfully

01:10:00 Vergecast hotline

01:11:00 Why Gadgets Got Bland

01:22:00 Final Thoughts

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices