The Vergecast

• Online shopping is full of copycats

  This week on The Vergecast, guest host Mia Sato talks to YouTube fitness pioneer Cassey Ho (better known as Blogilates) about the well-oiled machine that is the dupe economy. Ho shares her experience creating her own line of athletic wear that sooner or later gets ripped off by countless copycats — and how she tries to fight back. Then, Mia brings an audio diary from a visit to Fabscrap, a textile recycling facility in Brooklyn, that is working to save fabric and other materials from the landfill. Fashion is a wasteful industry, not unlike tech — luckily, there are people like Fabscrap staff and volunteers who are working towards solutions. Finally, Victoria Song swings by to help answer a hotline question about how to make the high-tech Clueless closet a reality. If you have a question for us, call 866-VERGE11 or email [email protected]. Further reading How dupes turned online shopping upside down Lululemon sues Costco over viral alleged “dupes” The US finally acknowledges textile waste in new report Your stuff is actually worse now Ghana becomes dumping ground for the world’s unwanted used clothes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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• Diving into Apple’s Liquid Glass

  It’s time. The public betas for iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26, and more are finally out for everyone to try. Jake Kastrenakes, Vee Song, and Antonio G. Di Benedetto give their takes on Apple’s Liquid Glass design language after two months of living with it. Antonio shares his experiences with macOS and the upgraded Spotlight, and Vee dives into the ups and downs of watchOS’s AI fitness coach. Then, Andy Hawkins and Eater's Matthew Kang talk about Tesla’s rough quarter, the new Tesla Diner, and what Epic Bacon has to do with it all. Finally, the Thunder Round returns, and we all learn what Labubus are. Further reading: ⁠Apple releases public betas of its new software updates with Liquid Glass⁠ How to install the iOS 26 public beta The biggest changes coming to your iPhone with iOS 26 ⁠Liquid Glass is fine, I guess⁠ ⁠Apple’s Liquid Glass redesign is shaping up to be a snoozer on Macs⁠ You can actually multitask on an iPad now and it’s the best new feature in 15 years watchOS 26 preview: a subtler take on AI ⁠Apple launches $20 subscription service to protect your gadgets⁠ Tesla’s earnings hit a new low, with largest revenue drop in years Elon Musk finally admits the new, more affordable Tesla is just a stripped down Model Y Undeterred by limits, Elon Musk plots a big robotaxi expansion Everything Eater Editors Ate at the Tesla Diner in Los Angeles The Full Tesla Diner Menu, Revealed The Tesla Diner Will Track When Guests Are Nearby to Prepare Their Orders Inside the New Tesla Diner in Los Angeles Anti-Elon Musk protesters are coming for Tesla’s new diner Faraday Future is back with another wild EV that probably will never get made Amazon buys Bee AI Jake: AppleCare One is a good deal, but not for everyone Uber’s making it easier for women riders and drivers to find each other The frenzied, gamified chase for Labubus 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

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• A-lister antics and Schedule A shenanigans

  Summer blockbusters like the new Superman and Jurassic World movies may be doing great at the box office, but promoting them is more complicated than ever. The old celebrity playbook of magazine profiles, TV chat shows and press junkets isn’t enough in an era of audience fragmentation. Publicists now have to strategize which podcasts to make time for, and whether their clients will eat chicken on YouTube with Amelia Dimoldenberg or Sean Evans. This week on The Vergecast, guest host Mia Sato talks to Vulture’s Fran Hoepfner to break down the ever-changing new media circuit, whether you’re a beloved A-lister, a formerly-beloved A-lister, or an aspiring A-lister. Then, we take a deep dive with Sarah Fackrell into a controversial legal tactic brands are using to go after online sellers hawking everything from grumpy cat T-shirts to closet hooks. Finally, Victoria Song joins Mia to answer a Vergecast hotline from a listener wondering whether an AI translator will be able to keep up with his partner’s Colombian mother. If you’ve got a question for us, call 866-VERGE11 or e-mail [email protected]. Further reading: Box Office: ‘Superman’ Surpasses $400 Million Globally, ‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ Nears $650 Million Milestone The Celebrity Press-Tour Road Map Fame and Frustration On the New Media Circuit Sydney woman who sold a cartoon cat T-shirt told to pay US$100,000 in Grumpy Cat copyright case How Does a Mom Get Slapped With a $250,000 Judgment Over $380 of Homemade Luke Combs Merch? Experts Cite ‘Cottage Industry’ of Mass Counterfeit Suits in Illinois A SAD Scheme of Abusive Intellectual Property Litigation Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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• The creepy AI era is here

  Would you like Siri more if it had a face? This week on The Vergecast, we’re talking about AI assistants getting smarter… and uncomfortably personal. The Verge’s Jennifer Pattison Tuohy joins the show to talk about her early tests of Alexa Plus, which is finally AI-powered and a lot more capable. Jake shares his uncomfortable first interaction with Grok’s anime girlfriend. And Waveform cohost David Imel is here to talk about Sony’s RX1R III and other premium “compact” cameras. Finally, the THUNDER ROUND is back. New, improved, and still loud. Further reading: 24 hours with Alexa Plus: we cooked, we chatted, and it kinda lied to me Alexa Plus launches to “small number” of people More than a million people now have Alexa Plus Elon Musk’s AI bot adds a ridiculous anime companion with ‘NSFW’ mode I spent 24 hours flirting with Elon Musk’s AI girlfriend System prompt dump of xAI / Grok’s new AI anime girlfriend Elon Musk teases AI anime boyfriend based on Edward Cullen “We will, of course, have another character inspired by Mr. Darcy” xAI has open roles for building AI “waifus.” US government announces $200 million Grok contract a week after ‘MechaHitler’ incident Grok will no longer call itself Hitler or base its opinions on Elon Musk’s, promises xAI Sony’s pocket-sized RX1R camera returns with its first update in 10 years Original RX1R  RX1R II Google exec: ‘We’re going to be combining ChromeOS and Android’ Our biggest questions about ChromeOS and Android merging  Ikea goes all in on Matter/Thread Eric Migicovsky  Texts.com Google Nest subscription The next batch of emoji includes Bigfoot 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

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• How the low-vision community embraced AI smart glasses

  On this episode of The Vergecast, we’re going to dive deep into why accessible design is universal design. First, guest host Victoria Song will chat with Jason Valley, a visually impaired Verge reader. Jason initially reached out to Victoria after her Live AI hands-on, challenging the notion that the feature was a “solution looking for a problem to solve.” Jason shares how the tech has helped him live a more independent life, what he’s hoping to see improve, and how the blind and low-vision community has enthusiastically embraced the technology. After that, Victoria sits down with Be My Eyes CEO Mike Buckley. Be My Eyes is an app that pairs blind and low-vision users with sighted volunteers to help them go about their day. Buckley gives his thoughts about how accessible tech design benefits everyone, why smart glasses and AI are a natural combo, and what challenges and opportunities in this space remain. And finally, we have features reporter Mia Sato on to answer a spicy question about smart glasses from the Vergecast Hotline (call 866-VERGE11 or email [email protected]). Specifically, do smart glasses belong in the bedroom? Further reading: Live AI on Meta’s smart glasses is a solution looking for a problem Meta’s smart glasses can now describe what you’re seeing in more detail The Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses actually make the future look cool Be My Eyes AI offers GPT-4-powered support for blind Microsoft customers The principles of wearable etiquette Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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