The Vergecast

OpenAI announced its next big model, GPT-6 Astra, and also, by the way, that AGI is here now.Today on The Vergecast, we've got an all-star panel to break down the news of the week.First, senior AI reporter Hayden Field joins us to talk about our supposed AGI era and Nvidia's acquisition of Hugging Face. Then, our friend Joanna Stern pops in to talk about new Apple CEO John Ternus, old Apple CEO Tim Cook, and to, most importantly, speculate on the format of next week's Apple keynote.We wrap things up with a super-special lightning round from the IFA electronics show in Berlin. Senior reviewer Jennifer Pattison Tuohy and editor Dominic Preston each pick out the five most interesting gadgets they saw at the show.And two more things: Vergecast producer Travis Larchuk pops in to tell his tale of identity theft woe and warn you that he isn't the one DMing you on Twitter to ask you to be on The Vergecast. Plus, Brendan Carr is a dummy.

Further reading:

OpenAI’s next big AI model has ‘entered the AGI era’

Researchers fear safety disaster ahead of OpenAI’s Astra release

OpenAI delayed its new model’s development after the Hugging Face hack

Nvidia is buying Hugging Face for almost $13 billion

John Ternus sends first memo as Apple CEO teasing a ‘huge launch next week’

Phil Schiller is leaving his biggest jobs at Apple

Siri AI is already changing how I use my iPhone

IFA 2026: the biggest tech and gadget announcements

This might be the fanciest toothbrush launch ever.

Anker’s new MindBase is an AI-powered brain for your smart home

This NAS company wants to run your local smart home

I want to wrap myself in Hue’s new Liane rope lights

Homey just made the smart home controller I hoped Apple would

The robot butler dream doesn’t have legs

Here’s Xiaomi’s wide 18 Fold

I held the first truly bezel-free phone

Acer’s new concept hardware is a gaming handheld with a keyboard

Lenovo’s new MacBook Neo competitor comes in two sizes and seven colors

Packard Bell is back, and more colorful than ever.

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0:00 Welcome00:46 Fake Travis warning03:01 OpenAI's Astra model05:45 Safeguards and delays08:55 Opaque recurrence fears13:08 What Astra does well18:08 Access tiers and rollout19:53 Nvidia buys Hugging Face23:04 Is this really AGI26:28 AGI vibes and Microsoft clause32:17 Apple event preview33:41 Ternus keynote politics39:43 Keynote Vibes Shift40:23 Tim Cook Era Review44:56 Services And Fees Machine47:15 Phil Schiller Steps Back49:52 Event Predictions Fold And AI55:43 Siri AI Real Use Cases58:32 Smart Home Display Rumors59:47 Bets And Keynote Structure01:05:19 Brendan Carr Is A Dummy01:09:23 IFA Lightning Round01:10:49 Philips Hue Smart Lighting01:11:03 Hue Rope Light Rave01:11:44 Sticker Shock Pricing01:13:03 Xiaomi Wide Foldable01:15:43 Dyson Camera Toothbrush01:20:31 Tecno Bezelless Concept01:22:42 Local AI Smart Home Hub01:27:09 MacBook Neo Clones01:29:35 Homey Dial Controller01:33:39 Acer DualPlay Handheld01:36:19 Dreame Humanoid Robot01:39:44 Packard Bell Revival01:42:17 Wrap Up And Credits
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Apple's big hardware event is coming next week. iPhones are the main draw, but senior reviewer Jennifer Pattison Tuohy has her eyes on the rumors around — what else? — smart home gadgets. Andrew O'Hara from the Smart Home Insider podcast joins Jen to fire up the Rank-o-Matic and speculate on which rumored gadgets are most likely to see the light of day.

Further reading:

OpenAI’s next big AI model has ‘entered the AGI era’

Nvidia is buying Hugging Face for almost $13 billion

Microsoft slashes Xbox Cloud Gaming to just 15 hours a month for Ultimate subscribers

Microsoft opens up Xbox Cloud Gaming with new pay-as-you-go option

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.
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Data centers have been a staple of Loudoun County since the early dot-com boom, but recent expansions have left some residents wondering how much more the county can take. In this episode, guest host David Imel talks to Lauren Feiner about her recent article detailing the buildout of “Data Center Alley,” what it means for residents, and what other counties reeling with similar buildouts can learn from it.

Further reading:

Is this the future of America?

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Elizabeth Lopatto recently wrote about Mark Zuckerberg's 6,500-word AI manifesto in her piece, "Mark Zuckerberg doesn't understand how to live." Today, she joins guest host David Imel and senior wearables reviewer Victoria Song for a freewheeling discussion about what happens when we let AI make decisions for us.

Further reading:

Mark Zuckerberg doesn't understand how to live

Dyson made a camera-equipped toothbrush that flosses for you

Markiplier is now GoPro’s biggest shareholder

GoPro has been acquired and is getting into ‘defense, government, robotics and aerospace’

John Ternus is now the CEO of Apple

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.
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Skyrocketing RAM prices put a spotlight on product longevity and repairability, which makes this a particularly apt time for Fairphone to launch its first smartphone sold directly in the United States. Today, David Imel talks to CEO Raymond van Eck about the Fairphone 6+, the company's goals of user-repairability and ethically-sourced materials, and what place AI has in the future of Fairphone.

Further reading:

⁠Read Tim Cook’s final message to Apple staff as CEO⁠

⁠Sony Music Publishing and Warner Chappell are suing Anthropic⁠

⁠Google capitulates in Trump’s attempt to rename Lake Ontario.⁠

⁠MapQuest downloads surge after refusing to rename Lake Ontario.⁠

⁠MapQuest knows this whole thing is ridiculous.⁠

⁠Fairphone’s latest repairable phone is going on sale in the US⁠

⁠The new Fairphone 6 Plus gets a perfect repairability score.⁠

⁠The Fairphone 6 no longer feels like a compromise (except in the US)⁠

⁠This environmentally conscious smartphone is finally coming to the US⁠

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.
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