The Vergecast

Is it time to fire the neighbor kid and hire a robot lawnmower instead? Last year I wrote that “in all but a few scenarios, robot lawnmowers still aren’t worth your money,” but there’s a new class of Roombas with razor blades ready to tackle bumpy terrain and dodge crazy chickens. Realtor and smart home reviewer Brandon Doyle joins me to talk about our experiences with 2026’s newest robotic mowers and to let you know if they're finally worth all that money.

Further reading:

It looks like Apple’s iPhone 18 really will skip the fall launch this year

Flock CEO: ‘We got this one wrong’

Cats and dogs are missing meals after a popular smart feeder went down

I finally found a robot lawnmower I’d trust with my yard

I put four robot lawnmowers through a brutal backyard battle — and only one person got injured

A hacker ran me over with a robot lawn mower

The US government just banned Roombas

5 Robot Mowers, 90 Days, 1 Winner — My 2026 Picks (and One to Avoid)

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Google just showed off its next generation of hardware, including the Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro XL, and Pixel11 Pro Fold. (Whew, those names.) There's also the new Pixel Watch 5, the Pixel Tag, and a bunch of really interesting new ideas about smartphone cameras, GPS, and wellness. David Pierce, Nilay Patel, and Victoria Song went live to talk about the state of Google's hardware, and whether there's anything worth upgrading for this year.

Further reading:

The 7 biggest announcements of Google’s Pixel 11 launch

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Before Alexa and Siri, there was ELIZA. The first chatbot ever was the creation of a man named Joseph Weizenbaum, who built the bot almost as a magic trick — and then couldn't believe how many people fell for it. David Berry and Mark Marino, two members of a team dedicated to restoring and understanding ELIZA, explain how Weizenbaum created the virtual conversant, why he came to regret it, and what ELIZA can teach us about life in the AI age.

Further reading:

Why your Amazon order confirmation emails have become so unhelpful

David Ellison’s ready to pull Paramount out of California

What to expect from Google’s 2026 Pixel hardware launch event

The ELIZA Archaeology Project

Inventing ELIZA: How the First Chatbot Shaped the Future of AI

From Eliza to ChatGPT: the 60-year history of chatbots

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We've spent the last month vibe coding our own corners of the internet. The Verge's Jake Kastrenakes and Hayden Field join David to talk about their use of Gemini, Codex, and Claude Code to build 90s-themed personal websites, vegetable-sharing systems, and photo boards. It wasn't always easy, and we didn't get everything done, but with a little AI and a lot of prompting, we made it work.

Further reading:

Four takeaways from Mark Zuckerberg’s massive AI manifesto | The Verge

The first rival Android app store just arrived in the US Play Store | The Verge

Space mirrors could ruin astronomy — and your eyes | The Verge

Claude has been having a moment — can it keep it up? | The Verge

The vibe-coding AI future is both exciting and terrifying | The Verge

Welcome to the personal software revolution | The Verge

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Google underwent a big AI shakeup this week, leaving a lot of people wondering whether there are big problems on team Gemini. David and Nilay start the show by discussing what's next for Jeff Dean and Demis Hassabis, before diving into the ways in which Google and Reddit have become existentially, problematically dependent on one another. After that, we talk through Disney's plan to turn Disney Plus into an everything app, and all the reasons we think that's a terrible idea and a sign of big problems in the streaming biz. Finally, in the lightning round, Brendan Carr is still a dummy, Snapchat wants AI out of your feed, and BMW has a Spider-Man to sell you.

Further reading:

The messy politics behind Google’s big AI shakeup | The Verge

Google just announced a major shakeup of its top AI leadership

Google Assistant will disappear from your phone next month

Can Reddit fend off a new wave of AI SEO spam?

Reddit is introducing a new moderator: AI

Reddit says it plans to “make changes” to old Reddit

Bluesky CEO Toni Schneider wants to grow the platform and the protocol

Disney says it’s ‘exploring’ adding a free tier to Disney Plus

Disney gives TikTok creators official access to Marvel, Star Wars, and Pixar characters

Despite Spider-Man: Brand New Day’s success, the MCU is on shaky ground

Disney Plus is about to go beyond streaming

Paramount and WBD’s antitrust trial is set for March 2027

David Ellison promises he’s not going to ruin CNN.

Almost half of HBO Max subscribers watch with ads. | The Verge

Federal Communications Commission scraps limit on broadcast TV ownership

SpaceX is barely Space and mostly X

SpaceX is coming for T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon

BMW’s in-car Spider-Man ad is villain behavior

X product chief Nikita Bier is leaving after one year | The Verge

Snapchat will no longer recommend ‘wholly AI-generated videos’ in its vertical video feed

Snap reports 971 million monthly active users ahead of its Specs launch event on September 16th

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0:00 Cold Open01:05 Google AI Shakeup Explained03:24 Gemini Product Mess05:29 Demis Hassabis and the AGI Split14:06 Is Google Actually Behind?15:29 AI Overviews Fail Parade18:12 Gemini Users and Distribution20:55 Google Plus Warning Signs24:14 Reddit as Search Lifeline27:35 AI Slop and Dead Internet29:32 Google Buys Reddit Theory33:51 Reddit Earnings Reality Check35:40 Smoking Community Vibes38:20 Disney Everything App44:25 Time Spent Arms Race47:39 Free Tier and Ads52:08 Paramount Warner Deal Drama01:00:23 Brendan Carr is a Dummy01:11:51 Nikita Bier Leaves X01:13:53 SpaceX Telecom Dreams01:20:15 Snapchat Versus AI Slop01:25:26 BMW In Car Ads01:31:19 Wrap And Subscribe
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