The Vergecast

Everywhere you look, antitrust fights have the potential to reshape the tech industry. Nilay, David, and The Verge's Jake Kastrenakes start by digging into the latest ruling in the Apple / Epic trial, in which a furious judge rips open the App Store in a way Apple likely never saw coming. The way we pay for apps is about to change, and fast. After that, it's time for an update on the Google and Meta trials, as Google tries to preserve its search empire and Meta tries to make the case that basically every company on the web is its vicious competitor. Finally, in the lightning round, it's time for another installment of Brendan Carr is a Dummy, plus some notes on this week's Worldcoin launch and the strange new Meta AI app. Also: party speakers. Always party speakers.

Further reading:

A judge just blew up Apple’s control of the App Store

‘Cook chose poorly’: how Apple blew up its control over the App Store

The future of the App Store depends on the difference between a ‘button’ and an ‘external link’

Apple must allow other forms of in-app purchase, rules judge in Epic v. Apple

Apple exec ‘outright lied’ during Epic trial

Apple confirms it will appeal the App Store order.

Epic says Fortnite is coming back to iOS in the US

Sundar Pichai says the DOJ’s antitrust plan could kill Google Search

Google confirms it’s close to getting Gemini support on iPhones

The TikTok ban is back in court — in Meta’s antitrust trial

TikTok’s head of operations takes the stand.

Reels isn’t Instagram’s ‘core’ experience.

TikTok doesn’t compete with Meta for ‘personal social networking.’

TikTok’s legal entanglements collide.

The TikTok ban makes another cameo.

TikTok’s friends tab is not exactly a hit.

TikTok and Reels are ‘indistinguishable.’

Are YouTube and Instagram the top competitors for TikTok? 

TikTok predicted Instagram would redesign its app to focus on Reels.

Meta prepared for a ‘flood in traffic’ ahead of the TikTok ban.

Facebook execs worried Google would buy WhatsApp and make it ‘a cross-platform iMessage.’

Facebook worried most about Google or Apple buying WhatsApp.

Google had a ‘long shot’ chance of becoming competitive in social with WhatsApp.

Facebook exec worried about losing the business to mobile messaging apps.

‘I was really worried that this could become the end.’

‘This shit is getting scary.’ 

WhatsApp showed ‘absolutely no signs of morphing’ into a social app.

Facebook floated starting from scratch on messaging.

Facebook didn’t know how it would make money from WhatsApp.

Facebook didn’t fear WhatsApp becoming a social competitor.

Meta releases AI app to compete with ChatGPT

Brendan Carr congratulates himself

Brendan Carr’s FCC is an anti-consumer, rights-trampling harassment machine

Brendan Carr’s Bizarro World FCC

Sam Altman-backed Worldcoin cryptocurrency launches in the US

Email us at [email protected] or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you.

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Sometimes you want more tech in your life — and sometimes you want a lot less. This episode is all about less. First, Tim Stevens joins the show to talk about his story about the Slate Truck, an ultra-minimal electric vehicle that has almost no features to speak of and yet still promises to reinvent the way we think about cars. After that, Casey Johnston tells us about her journey in managing her screen time. She has tips for how to get the most problematic apps of your phone, is a big proponent of a factory reset, and has seen first-hand what happens when you look at your devices just a little less. Finally, we answer a question on the Vergecast Hotline (call 866-VERGE11 or email [email protected]!) about whether there's a MacBook Air equivalent in the Windows world. The answer surprised us, and it might surprise you too.

Further reading:

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Some weeks, it just feels like everything is up in the air all at the same time. Nilay and David are joined by The Verge’s Jake Kastrenakes to talk about all the unrest, starting with the ever-changing tariff rules that are making gadgets hard to price, hard to find, and hard to bet on going forward. (Maybe that’s why it seems everyone on Earth tried to pre-order a Switch 2 this week.) After that, the hosts catch up on the Meta and Google antitrust trials happening this week, and try to figure out who might be interested in the internet’s most popular browser. Finally, in the lightning round, we talk Brendan Carr (who is a dummy), the wood-backed Motorola Razr Ultra, and the 20th anniversary of YouTube.

Further reading:



Email us at [email protected] or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you.

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 If you’re heading on vacation this summer, you’re going to want to listen to this. The Verge’s Gaby del Valle joins the show to explain how worried you need to be about your digital data when you cross borders, and what you can do to protect yourself. Even if you don’t think you have anything to hide, a little precaution goes a long way. After that, Puck’s Matt Belloni joins the show to explain why Apple, Amazon, Google, and other tech companies continue to pour money into the streaming business, when it seems so far removed from what those companies do well. (Spoiler alert: it’s fun to be friends with Ben Stiller.) Finally, we answer a hotline question about the Google Pixel’s ascent to “best Android phone for people who just want a phone.” 

Oh, also: thanks to everyone who voted for us in the Webby Awards! We’ll know soon whether we won, but however it shakes out, we’re so grateful to everyone who voted for us.

Further reading:

Email us at [email protected] or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you.

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We promise, this episode is only a little bit about header bidding. Nilay and David are joined by The Verge’s Alex Heath to talk about some big news in tech regulation: Google lost its ad-tech monopoly trial, which could reshape both Google and the internet altogether. And that’s not the only monopoly news! Meta’s trial also started this week, and Alex was there to see Mark Zuckerberg and others try to defend Instagram, WhatsApp, and the company as a whole. After all that, we talk about OpenAI’s plans to build a social network, and how this company seems to never run out of ambition. Finally, in the lightning round, it’s time for another round of Brendan Carr is a Dummy, and some news about viral cameras and the Switch 2. Which we’ll be yeeting into our homes as soon as possible

Further reading:

Email us at [email protected] or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you.

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It's time, once again, to see what's what in the streaming wars. For the third year in a row, our hosts — this time Nilay, David, and The Verge's Jake Kastrenakes — have to build a roster of streaming options that will win awards, show 4K content, satisfy their live TV needs, and much more. First, the hosts decide who won last year's competition, and then they pick their favorites for 2025.

Make sure you listen to the episode before you read this, but here are the results of the draft:

Jake's picks:

Cheap: Tubi

Awards: Netflix

4K: Hulu

Live: Instagram Live

Niche: PBS Passport

Content: LoFi Girl

Wild Card: Kanopy

Nilay's picks:

Cheap: TikTok

Awards: Max

4K: Disney Plus

Live: Sunday Ticket

Niche: Kaleidescape

Content: CNBC

Wild Card: F1 TV

David's picks

Cheap: Peacock

Awards: Amazon Prime

4K: YouTube Premium

Live: YouTube TV

Niche: BritBox

Content: Stranger Things season 5

Wild Card: Paramount Plus

We want to know who you think won the draft! Email us at [email protected], or call The Vergecast Hotline at 866-VERGE11, and tell us all your thoughts. And if you want to catch up, you can check out our draft from 2024 and from 2023. A lot has changed, and nothing has.

The Vergecast was nominated for a Webby, which means we can win a Webby People’s Voice Award and that’s voted online by you! So we’d love your support. You can vote at the link:https://bit.ly/3DXFgpN

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Welcome to tech in 2025, where everything's made up and the numbers don't matter. Nilay, David, and The Verge's Jake Kastrenakes start the show by running down the latest tariff news, the uncertain future facing tech companies of all sizes, and what we're learning so far about how they're responding. After that, the hosts talk about a big week in AI news, including Meta's sketchy benchmark numbers and the latest damning reporting about the future of Siri. Finally, in the lightning round, it's time for America's favorite podcast within a podcast, Brendan Carr is a Dummy, along with some news about the TikTok ban and the Pixel 9A. And then some more tariff numbers, because they just never stop.

Further reading:

The Vergecast was nominated for a Webby, which means we can win a Webby People’s Voice Award and that’s voted online by you! So we’d love your support. You can vote at the link:https://bit.ly/3DXFgpN

Email us at [email protected] or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you.

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

Last week, The Verge's Ash Parrish got to play with the new Nintendo Switch 2. We got over our outrageous jealousy long enough to ask her all about it: what it's like to hold, how the screen looks, whether the mouse-control is any good, and much more. Ash gives us the good news, and the bad news, on everything we now know about the Switch 2. (We do talk about the price, but we recorded before the Trump administration launched its massive new tariff push — so you can consider the price even worse news than we thought.) After that, The Verge's Tom Warren joins the show to talk about Microsoft's 50th anniversary celebration, how the company has stayed so resilient for so long, and whether AI is really the next five-decade project for one of the world's biggest companies. Finally, we answer a question on the Vergecast Hotline (866-VERGE11, or email [email protected]!) about how you should change your shopping habits in a tariff-filled world. It's hard to know where we'll be in a few months, but it sure doesn't look like gadgets are getting any cheaper.

Further reading:

The Vergecast was nominated for a Webby, which means we can win a Webby People’s Voice Award and that’s voted online by you! So we’d love your support. You can vote at the link:https://bit.ly/3DXFgpN

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

It's a Nintendo Switch 2. What could it cost, a thousand dollars? In this episode, Nilay, David, and The Verge's Richard Lawler talk through why we don't really know. But first, we talk about the Switch 2, and some of the reasons we're excited — and maybe just a little concerned — about Nintendo's new console. This is likely to be the most interesting device of the year, and we learned an awful lot more about it this week. We also talk about Microsoft's 50th anniversary, the fate of TikTok, and other gadget news. Then we get to tariffs, with the help of Tuneshine creator Tobias Butler, who explains how tariffs affect the way hardware companies do business — and how they're navigating the current uncertainty. After that, in the lightning round, it's time for a little Brendan Carr is a Dummy, followed by the latest on Tesla's sales numbers, Alexa Plus, and Coyote vs. Acme.

Further reading:

 The Vergecast was nominated for a Webby, which means we can win a Webby People’s Voice Award and that’s voted online by you! So we’d love your support. You can vote at the link:https://bit.ly/3DXFgpN

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

David has a Light Phone III, and it's making him wonder a lot of things about technology. So The Verge's Allison Johnson joins the show to talk about the whole trend of minimalist smartphones, and to figure out which features a smartphone absolutely needs, and which ones we could all probably do without. After that, The Verge's Andy Hawkins takes us through a big weekend in the Tesla Takedown movement, what's happening with Elon Musk's car company, how automakers are responding to impending tariffs, and whether we're wrong to be excited about the new Nissan Leaf. Finally, The Verge's Jen Tuohy answers a question from the Vergecast Hotline (call 866-VERGE11, or email [email protected]!) about all-seeing cameras in our homes. Which mostly don't exist yet. Mostly.

Further reading:

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