The Vergecast
Trump's confusing crusade against Big Tech
· Summarized
Key takeaways
- Apple is undergoing a significant leadership change to improve Siri in response to ongoing criticisms.
- The regulatory landscape is shifting with Trump's firings at the FTC and renewed scrutiny on TikTok and AI training methods.
- Siri and Apple TV Plus are under scrutiny as competition in these sectors heats up, prompting critical comments from industry leaders.
- The growing integration of ActivityPub in platforms like Ghost signifies a shift toward a more interconnected web.
- Publications and narratives around major tech companies are evolving, demonstrating how backlash and legal issues can quickly shift consumer perceptions.
Summary
Big Gadget News
The episode opens with a discussion about significant gadget news. Key highlights include a shakeup at Apple regarding Siri, with a notable executive change aimed at addressing ongoing issues with Siri's functionality. The hosts also touch on the new Google Pixel 9A, praising its enhanced features such as a bigger screen and better water resistance, though mentioning delays due to component quality issues.
Tech Regulation Updates
Lauren Feiner joins the conversation to provide insights into the latest developments in tech regulation. They discuss Trump's controversial firings at the FTC, examining the legal implications and potential fallout. The conversation also covers the ambiguous state of the TikTok ban, with hints of potential resolutions involving Oracle. OpenAI and Google's recent advocacy for broader AI training rights are also analyzed amid pushback from the entertainment industry.
The Lightning Round
In the lightning round, David and Nilay tackle various topics, including Tesla's massive recall of over 46,000 Cybertrucks due to trim issues. The discussion shifts to a notable book about Meta that has gained publicity amidst legal battles, and there’s excitement over new ActivityPub integrations and features in Ghost. The hosts also critique Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos' lighthearted remarks regarding Apple TV Plus, illustrating the competitive landscape in streaming.
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Show notes
Starlink is in the White House, Siri is still bad, Pebble is back, up is down, everything is chaos. In this episode, Nilay and David start the show by running through some big gadget news, from a Siri-related shakeup at Apple to the new Google Pixel 9A. After that, The Verge's Lauren Feiner talks us through some of the latest in tech regulation: Trump's illegal firings at the FTC, the confusing state of the TikTok ban, OpenAI and Google arguing their case for free-for-all AI, and more. Finally, in the lightning round, Nilay and David talk about the latest Tesla recall, the hugely popular book about Meta, some exciting ActivityPub news, and Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos gently zinging Apple TV Plus.
Further reading:
From Bloomberg: Apple Shuffles AI Executive Ranks in Bid to Turn Around Siri
The first new Pebble smartwatches are coming later this year
Europe is trying to get non-Apple smartwatches to work better with iPhones
Google’s Pixel 9A gets a bigger screen and beefier water resistance
Google briefly delays Pixel 9A release to investigate ‘component quality issue’
Huawei’s new flip phone is weirdly wide
Nvidia says ‘the age of generalist robotics is here’
Nvidia’s cute ‘Digits’ AI desktop is coming this summer with a new name and a big brother
Nvidia announces Blackwell Ultra GB300 and Vera Rubin, its next AI ‘superchips’
Musk’s Starlink gets deployed at the White House
Federal rural broadband program loses head
Oracle is reportedly in the lead to save TikTok from US ban
A”high-level” deal to save TikTok can probably happen by the April 5th deadline, Vance says.
Democratic FTC commissioners say they were ‘illegally fired’ by Trump
Fired FTC commissioner warns of the ‘corrupting influence of billionaires’
Democratic FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks will resign this spring
WBEZ, 12 other public media stations under investigation
CTIA Announces Ajit Pai as New CEO and President
OpenAI and Google ask the government to let them train AI on content they don’t own
Hundreds of celebrities warn against letting OpenAI and Google ‘freely exploit’ Hollywood
Google Search charged with breaking EU antitrust rules
DHS’s airport panopticon is getting people deported and detained
Space science is under threat from the anti-DEI purge
DOGE stranded USAID workers with laptops full of sensitive data
They’re removing webpages about Black soldiers by adding ‘DEI’ to the URL.
‘Tesla Takedown’ protesters planning ‘biggest day of action’
Tesla recalls more than 46,000 Cybertrucks after trim starts falling off
From NYMag: Elon Musk Has Become Too Toxic for YouTube
‘Careless People’ debuts at the top of the NYT best sellers list.
Threads finally lets you set the following feed as default
Ghost connects its newsletters to the open web
Netflix’s CEO talks Apple TV, Amazon, and the NFL
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