Latest episode
Of course Meta thinks gambling is the future
Meta's business is doing just fine. But Meta as a company, and Meta as a series of products? That is, uh, messier. David and Nilay discuss the company's ongoing desire to be relevant and cool, the unceasing importance of Instagram, and why it makes perfect sense that Facebook would clone Polymarket. After that, the hosts talk about Apple's huge price increases, and the ways in which RAMageddon might change the gadget market forever. Then it's time for Brendan Carr is a dummy, the latest on the movie Artificial, and the looming fight over AI data.
Further reading:
The Steam Machine is the most ambitious game console I’ve ever played
Valve prices the Steam Machine at $1,049
How much would the Steam Machine cost to build?
Valve describes just how brutal RAM negotiations are in 2026
The Steam Machine is the start of an even more expensive future for game consoles
I drove the Slate Truck — there’s more to it than EV minimalism
The Slate Auto pickup truck starts at $24,950
Meta pauses employee tracking tool after internal leak.
Now Meta will track what employees do on their computers to train its AI agents
Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth Admits the Company’s AI Reorg Was ‘Atrocious’ | WIRED
Zuckerberg reportedly wants a Polymarket clone — but without real money
Polymarket paid creators to post fake videos of themselves placing and winning bets.
Meta plans to release AI-powered prediction market app
Facebook’s Creator Studio has been revived as an AI companion app
Kaleidescape’s Strato E player blows streaming, and your wallet, away
Something’s off with Midjourney’s pivot to body scanners
People Inc. CEO says it’s “probably” headed for a confrontation with Google over AI crawling.
ABC encourages viewers to back network amid FCC investigations
Bob Iger’s Disney wanted Apple, Twitter, and 007
The film about Sam Altman has been dropped by Amazon MGM
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 vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11.
(Timestamps are approximate.)
00:01:00 Cannes Cold Open
00:07:00 Coach x Spotify Absurdity
00:10:00 Vox Media PMX Shakeup
00:14:00 Meta Chaos vs Money
00:26:00 Gambling as Engagement
00:33:00 Ramageddon Hits Gadgets
00:44:00 Slate Truck Price
00:45:00 Range And Truck Feel
00:48:00 Tech Bloat Backlash
00:50:00 BYD Versus Tesla
00:56:00 FCC Targets The View
01:04:00 Amazon Drops Artificial
01:08:00 Kaleidescape Versus Blu Ray
01:13:00 Bob Iger Merger Rumors
01:17:00 Blocking AI Crawlers
01:22:00 Wrap Up And Next Week
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Further reading:
The Steam Machine is the most ambitious game console I’ve ever played
Valve prices the Steam Machine at $1,049
How much would the Steam Machine cost to build?
Valve describes just how brutal RAM negotiations are in 2026
The Steam Machine is the start of an even more expensive future for game consoles
I drove the Slate Truck — there’s more to it than EV minimalism
The Slate Auto pickup truck starts at $24,950
Meta pauses employee tracking tool after internal leak.
Now Meta will track what employees do on their computers to train its AI agents
Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth Admits the Company’s AI Reorg Was ‘Atrocious’ | WIRED
Zuckerberg reportedly wants a Polymarket clone — but without real money
Polymarket paid creators to post fake videos of themselves placing and winning bets.
Meta plans to release AI-powered prediction market app
Facebook’s Creator Studio has been revived as an AI companion app
Kaleidescape’s Strato E player blows streaming, and your wallet, away
Something’s off with Midjourney’s pivot to body scanners
People Inc. CEO says it’s “probably” headed for a confrontation with Google over AI crawling.
ABC encourages viewers to back network amid FCC investigations
Bob Iger’s Disney wanted Apple, Twitter, and 007
The film about Sam Altman has been dropped by Amazon MGM
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 vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11.
(Timestamps are approximate.)
00:01:00 Cannes Cold Open
00:07:00 Coach x Spotify Absurdity
00:10:00 Vox Media PMX Shakeup
00:14:00 Meta Chaos vs Money
00:26:00 Gambling as Engagement
00:33:00 Ramageddon Hits Gadgets
00:44:00 Slate Truck Price
00:45:00 Range And Truck Feel
00:48:00 Tech Bloat Backlash
00:50:00 BYD Versus Tesla
00:56:00 FCC Targets The View
01:04:00 Amazon Drops Artificial
01:08:00 Kaleidescape Versus Blu Ray
01:13:00 Bob Iger Merger Rumors
01:17:00 Blocking AI Crawlers
01:22:00 Wrap Up And Next Week
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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