The Vergecast

The Musk v. OpenAI trial continues, which means so do the allegations and leaks surrounding some of the most influential people in tech. Nilay and David recount the most interesting and entertaining moments from the courtroom this week, before digging into what we've learned about when Sam Altman was fired. After that, the hosts discuss OpenAI's apparent plans to build a phone, which seem utterly necessary and utterly doomed, along with the new Fitbit Air and a truly strange new home robot. Finally, in the lightning round, it's time for the Hype Desk, Brendan Carr is a Dummy, the Chinese company that wants to make everything, and the next big rebrand for xAI.

Further reading:

⁠Internal Tech Emails on X: "Sam Altman texts Mira Murat⁠

⁠We are going through the removal of Sam Altman from OpenAI in detail. ⁠

⁠Toner is relating how Sam Altman’s firing happened. ⁠

⁠Toner says she found out about ChatGPT by seeing screenshots on Twitter. ⁠

⁠Zilis sent Altman a text message of support after his 2023 ouster. ⁠

⁠Google’s taking a big swing at AI health with the Fitbit Air⁠

⁠OpenAI is reportedly launching a phone for ChatGPT ⁠

⁠The creator of Roomba is back with a furry robot companion ⁠

⁠Inside Dreame’s wild launch event — packed with products no one can buy⁠

⁠Dreame — the vacuum company — just ‘launched’ its own phones | The Verge⁠

⁠Dreame’s rocket-powered car can do 0–60 in 0.9 seconds because you can just say things now⁠

⁠A foldable iPhone dummy — on video. ⁠

⁠Apple agrees to pay iPhone owners $250 million for not delivering AI Siri ⁠

⁠DOJ assault on the NFL could end the Packers as we know them.⁠

⁠Apple could let you pick a favorite AI model in iOS 27 ⁠

⁠xAI is becoming SpaceXAI.⁠

⁠Microsoft gives up on Xbox Copilot AI ⁠

⁠Microsoft’s new Xbox shake-up is all about platform changes ⁠

⁠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 Intro

00:02:00 Trial Discovery Era

00:06:00 Early OpenAI Origins

00:11:00 Elon Power Struggle

00:17:00 Altman Firing Texts

00:27:00 Why The Board Panicked

00:36:00 ChatGPT Phone Rumor

00:39:00 OpenAI Phone vs App Store

00:41:00 Why Apps Still Matter

00:44:00 Apple Siri Power Play

00:49:00 Apple Intelligence Lawsuit

00:53:00 Google Fitbit Air

00:57:00 Google Health Rebrand Backlash

01:01:00 Familiar Robot Pet Debate

01:10:00 Nintendo Star Fox Returns

01:12:00 Nintendo Weirdness Wins

01:15:00 Furry Overlap Discourse

01:16:00 Zach Gardening Surprise

01:21:00 Brendan Carr Broadband Fight

01:23:00 NFL Antitrust And Packers

01:29:00 Dreame Vaporware Parade

01:32:00 Rocket Car Reality Check

01:34:00 Elon Corporate Matryoshka

01:36:00 Xbox Ditches Copilot

01:37:00 Wrap Up And Schedule
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Car companies are beginning to use AI tools to radically speed up their development process, which could change the cars we drive forever — and have some big effects on the people who make them now. Verge contributor Tim Stevens explains. Then, The Verge’s Hayden Field catches us up on Codex vs. Claude Code, Anthropic vs. the US government, the vibes at OpenAI, and more, before helping answer a question on the Vergecast Hotline (call 866-VERGE11 or email ⁠[email protected]⁠!) about whether all the recent tech layoffs are really about AI.

Further reading:

⁠The AI-designed car is taking shape | The Verge⁠

⁠Pentagon strikes classified AI deals with OpenAI, Google, and Nvidia — but not Anthropic⁠

⁠Google employees ask Sundar Pichai to say no to classified military AI use | The Verge⁠

⁠Anthropic’s new cybersecurity model could get it back in the government’s good graces | The Verge⁠

⁠Microsoft and OpenAI’s famed AGI agreement is dead | The Verge⁠

⁠Here’s how the new Microsoft and OpenAI deal breaks down | The Verge⁠

⁠ChatGPT downloads are slowing — and may cause problems for OpenAI’s IPO | The Verge⁠

⁠Claude can now plug directly into Photoshop, Blender, and Ableton | The Verge⁠

⁠OpenAI’s new security model is for ‘critical cyber defenders’ only | The Verge⁠

⁠Anthropic releases a new Opus model amid Mythos Preview buzz | The Verge⁠

⁠Jack Dorsey’s Block cuts nearly half of its staff in AI gamble | The Verge⁠

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 Intro

00:02:00 Today Show Preview

00:04:00 Car Design Primer

00:08:00 AI Speeds Up Design

00:13:00 Clay Models and Craft

00:15:00 Jobs Pipeline Risk

00:18:00 Software Defined Cars

00:20:00 Regulation and Safety

00:27:00 Slate Truck Update

00:34:00 Claude Code vs Codex

00:42:00 OpenAI Vibes Check

00:44:00 PR vs AI Doomerism

00:48:00 Pentagon Deals Exclude Anthropic

00:53:00 Mythos Reality Check

00:56:00 RIP AGI Moment

01:04:00 Hotline AI Layoffs ROI

01:13:00 Wrap Up and Sign Off
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Elon Musk spent a lot of his week trying to explain how OpenAI wronged him — but mostly just seemed to annoy everyone else in the courtroom. Nilay and David discuss Musk's testimony in the OpenAI trial, and what it might mean for the trial going forward. After that, the Hype Desk gang recommends a couple of new things to watch, before the hosts chat about the week's new gadgets, including the Steam Controller and the dual-screen Zephyrus Duo laptop. Finally, in the lightning round, Brendan Carr picks a fight over Jimmy Kimmel again, Netflix buys into the clip economy, and Taylor Swift fights the AI.

Further reading:

Elon Musk confirms xAI used OpenAI’s models to train Grok

All the evidence unveiled so far in Musk v. Altman 

Elon Musk appeared more petty than prepared 

Elon Musk tells the jury that all he wants to do is save humanity 

Elon Musk’s worst enemy in court is Elon Musk 

Jury selection in Musk v. Altman: ‘People don’t like him’ 

Microsoft and OpenAI’s famed AGI agreement is dead 

Now that OpenAI’s Microsoft exclusivity is over, it has a new deal with Amazon and AWS.

ChatGPT downloads are slowing — and may cause problems for OpenAI’s IPO

Meta lost 20 million users last quarter

The more young people use AI, the more they hate it

Google Search queries hit an ‘all time high’ last quarter

Valve’s new Steam Controller isn’t perfect, but I’m buying one anyway 

Valve launches the Steam Controller without the Steam Machine 

Why the Steam Controller is (and isn’t) a big deal 

Samsung’s first smart glasses have leaked 

Is this Samsung’s upcoming wide foldable? 

The long rumored foldable iPad may never see the light of day. 

The new Razr Ultra is still the best-looking phone out there 

Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo (2026) review: 2 screens 2 furious

Trump demands ABC fire Jimmy Kimmel

The FCC is going after the broadcast licenses of Disney-owned ABC stations 

Former FCC staffers agree: Brendan Carr needs to be stopped 

The FCC is saving Amazon’s Eero and Leo routers from its ban, too. 

Taylor Swift deepfakes are pushing scams on TikTok 

Here’s what Netflix’s new vertical video feed is like

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 Intro

00:03:00 Elon vs OpenAI Overview

00:07:00 Jury Selection Drama

00:12:00 Elon's Testimony Begins

00:23:00 Trial Implications

00:26:00 Microsoft and OpenAI Split

00:30:00 The AWS Deal

00:32:00 Consumer AI Backlash

00:41:00 AI Powered Ad Targeting

00:44:00 Enterprise AI Success Story

00:45:00 Widow's Bay Recommendation

00:46:00 Apple TV Quality Content

00:48:00 Coyote vs Acme

00:55:00 Steam Controller Review

00:57:00 Universal Remote Theory

01:01:00 Smart Glasses Problem

01:05:00 Wide Foldable Phones

01:09:00 Motorola Razr Ultra

01:12:00 ASUS ROG Zephyrus Duo

01:17:00 Brendan Carr is a Dummy

01:18:00 Jimmy Kimmel Controversy

01:25:00 FCC Open Meeting Response

01:26:00 News Distortion Rule Lawsuit

01:29:00 Router Ban Update

01:33:00 Taylor Swift Trademark Strategy

01:37:00 YouTube Likeness Protection

01:41:00 Netflix Clips Feature

01:44:00 The Clip Economy Shift

01:46:00 Streaming Services vs TikTok

01:49:00 Show Wrap Up
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Elon Musk's case against OpenAI is heading to trial. Musk is almost certainly going to lose, but he might still get everything he wants from the fight. The Verge's Liz Lopatto explains how this spat made it this far, and where it's going next. After that, The Verge's Sean Hollister tells us about the latest products from Framework, including the company's coolest laptop yet — and a keyboard for couch potatoes. Finally, Sean helps David answer a question from the Vergecast Hotline (call 866-VERGE11 or email [email protected]!) about the Surface Go and other small PCs, which might be due for a comeback.

Further reading:

Musk vs. Altman is here, and it’s going to get messy 

Mark Zuckerberg lies about content moderation to Joe Rogan’s face 

A look at the evidence of Elon Musk’s lawsuit against Open AI 

Framework announces Laptop 13 Pro, ‘the MacBook Pro for Linux users’ 

Framework is building a better couch keyboard because everyone hates the Logitech one 

Framework’s first OCuLink eGPUs hack its laptop into a desktop PC 

Microsoft Surface Go review: a little goes a long way

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 Rabbit R1 Returns

00:05:00 Musk vs OpenAI

00:07:00 What the Lawsuit Claims

00:11:00 Musk Motives and Remedies

00:16:00 Discovery Dirt and Strays

00:22:00 Altman Reputation Stakes

00:28:00 Risks for Musk and IPO

00:37:00 Framework Laptop Pro

00:41:00 Battery Life and Specs

00:43:00 Display Specs Upgrade

00:44:00 Battery And Memory Gains

00:45:00 Modular Upgrades Promise

00:50:00 Transparency And Community

00:53:00 Who This Laptop Is For

00:54:00 Linux First Developer Pitch

00:56:00 Pricing And Value

01:01:00 Couch Keyboard Upgrade

01:13:00 Vergecast Hotline Tiny Laptops

01:16:00 Arm Chip Revolution Explained

01:22:00 Wrap Up
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Now that we've had a few days to digest the Apple CEO succession news, Nilay and David get some help from Daring Fireball's John Gruber to discuss Tim Cook's legacy, the potential for change under John Ternus, and whether the Touch Bar actually could have been great. Then, Nilay and David react to some breaking news: Microsoft is going back to the Xbox. And everything is an Xbox now. Finally, in the lightning round, we have a round of Brendan Carr is a Dummy, a very 2026 new microphone, a BMW we can't figure out, and Meta's new AI training tool: its employees.

We’re also on video! Check us out on YouTube.

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.

Further reading:


Behold the cursed 2027 BMW 7 Series interior (via Car and Driver)


Tim Cook’s departure is the start of a new era at Apple 


Read Tim Cook’s letter to the Apple world as he departs as CEO 


Wearable health tech might be Tim Cook’s greatest legacy  


Who is Apple’s new CEO John Ternus? 


Tim Cook: “I am healthy. My energy is high, and I plan to be in this new role for a long time.”


Xbox Game Pass Ultimate gets a price cut but loses new Call of Duty games 


Microsoft says the ‘idea’ of an Xbox mobile store ‘is not dead’ 


Call of Duty never made much sense for Xbox Game Pass 


We found Microsoft’s amicus brief about the Xbox mobile game store.


Variety: Trump’s FCC Wants Input on Whether ‘Transgender and Gender Nonbinary’ TV Programming Is ‘Appropriate’ for Children


Anthropic’s most dangerous AI model just fell into the wrong hands


Insta360 is putting screens on its next wireless mics to show logos or images


Now Meta will track what employees do on their computers to train its AI agents

--EPISODE RUNDOWN--

(Timestamps are approximate.)

00:01:00 Tim Cook to step down as Apple CEO

00:50:00 Xbox rebrand

01:06:00 Brendan Carr is a Dummy

01:08:00 FCC targets "transgender and gender nonbinary" kids' TV

01:13:00 Mythos

01:21:00 BMW 7-Series' confusing interior

01:27:00 Insta360 mic with screen

01:30:00 Meta tracks employees
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