The Vergecast: Ad-Free Edition

Anna Wiener talks to Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel about her book Uncanny Valley, a memoir about her time in Silicon Valley working for startups when they were new and flashy. Wiener also discusses the shift in tone to the reality of what technology and connection do to us and our culture. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

At CES 2020, The Verge's Nilay Patel and Dieter Bohn sat down with OnePlus CEO Pete Lau in his first podcast appearance to talk about the OnePlus concept phone with a disappearing camera as well as his thoughts on newer technologies in the smartphone world, like 5G and folding phones. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nilay Patel, Dieter Bohn, Ashley Carman, and Sean O'Kane highlight the most important, weird, and surprising things The Verge saw at CES 2020.Stories from this episode: Sonos said what every smaller tech company was thinking: working with big tech sucks Amazon’s hardware boss responds to Sonos accusations of stolen technology Sony’s electric car is the best surprise of CES Byton’s 48-inch screen might not be as distracting as it looks Mercedes-Ben’s Avatar-themed concept car with scales Sony surprises with an electric concept car called the Vision-S Segway S-Pod Quibi versus the world Spotify will use everything it knows about you to target podcast ads 2020 might be the year of reasonably okay foldable PCs, maybe Foldable and dual-screen laptops desperately need Windows 10X Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Fold is a $2,499 PC with a folding OLED screen PS5 logo Intel NUC Extreme platform Neon CEO explains the tech behind his overhyped ‘artificial humans’ Samsung’s ‘artificial humans’ are just digital avatars This is Intel’s first discrete graphics card in 20 years, but you can’t buy one Samsung’s Ballie The most promising AirPower alternative isn’t ready yet Royole’s new smart speaker has a wraparound touch display Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Recorded live in Las Vegas, The Verge's Nilay Patel, Dieter Bohn, and Ashley Carman discuss what has already been announced at the start of CES 2020 as well as what to expect throughout the week.Stories discussed in this episode: Amazon’s Fire TV soundbars will get Dolby Atmos, HDMI switching, and more later this year Samsung details its stunning bezel-less 8K TV Samsung’s new Sero TV can rotate vertically for your TikTok and Instagram videos LG unveils eight ‘Real 8K’ OLED and LCD TVs ahead of CES LG’s smart TVs are the latest to add Apple TV, and you won’t have to buy a 2020 model to get it Sony’s first TVs of 2020 include its smallest 4K OLED ever TCL will enable variable refresh rates for some TVs later this year Vizio’s 2020 lineup includes its biggest TV yet and first-ever OLED TCL’s new soundbar uses reflectors for more immersive Dolby Atmos audio Roku launches program to let third-party soundbars integrate with Roku TV Amazon’s Fire TV soundbars will get Dolby Atmos, HDMI switching, and more later this year Vizio’s new soundbar rotates its speakers for better Dolby Atmos surround sound Ring adds lightbulbs, solar power to its smart lighting lineup The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook is beautiful, fast, and expensive Segway’s newest self-balancing vehicle is an egg-shaped wheelchair My favorite thing so far at CES Dell’s Concept Ori and Concept Duet laptops imagine a foldable and dual-screen future Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Fold is a $2,499 PC with a folding OLED screen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Stories discussed this week: Google and YouTube moderators speak out on the work that’s … Big tech is finally working together to fix the smart home Z-Wave is making a huge change so it doesn’t get left behind in the smart home wars Ikea 2.0: inside the furniture giant’s big bet on the smart home ... This Apple Watch charger plugs directly into a USB-C port so you can carry fewer cords Xbox Series X: all the news about Microsoft’s next-gen game console Microsoft’s next Xbox is Xbox Series X, coming holiday 2020 The Xbox Series X is basically a PC The Xbox One Series X: bad name, good design  Google Stadia should have stayed in beta Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel talks Verge news reporter Zoe Schiffer about the concerning work conditions at luggage startup Away and the details from the Verge investigation.Further reading:Former Away employees describe a toxic work environmentAway replaces CEO Steph Korey after Verge investigationThe Away scandal is a moment of reckoning for SlackHere’s the leaked memo in which Away tells employees not to fave The Verge’s investigationAway’s new CEO was going to be second in command — until a toxic workplace story blew up Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Stories this week: Apple’s most expensive Mac Pro costs $52,599 Apple’s most expensive Pro Display XDR requires a special, Apple-made cloth to clean it You can now buy Apple's new Mac Pro and Pro Display XDR … The Mac Pro's optional wheels cost $400 Logitech made a bespoke $200 magnetic 4K webcam for … Apple will reportedly release an iPhone without any ports in 2021 Lightroom finally adds direct photo import on iOS The Apple TV remote is so bad that a Swiss TV company developed a normal replacement Rewound is a new app that turns your iPhone into an iPod The Verge’s gadgets of the decade Twitter is funding research into a decentralized version of its ... A decentralized Twitter would bring the company back to its past Twitter will now let you post iOS Live Photos as GIFs Twitter is bringing back labels for US election candidates Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Editor-in-chief of The Verge Nilay Patel and Verge reporter Julia Alexander sit down with CEO/Co-Owner of FaZe Clan Lee Trink. Lee talks how he runs a multifaceted company from working with talent to the dependence on platforms to selling apparel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2:00- Tesla Cybertruck first ride: inside Elon Musk’s electric pickup truck23:55 - Ford’s Mustang Mach-E is an electric SUV with up to 300 miles of range30:30 - No, e-bikes aren’t cheating37:03 - Elon Musk tries to explain Twitter in ‘pedo guy’ defamation case1:00:55 - Paul’s weekly segment “In the apocalypse, we don’t need space bars” 1:03:23 - Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin relinquish control of Alphabet to CEO Sundar Pichai1:19:05 - Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 865 flagship is here — without integrated 5GOther links: Tesla Cybertruck will get up to 500 miles of range and start at $39,900 Elon Musk explains why Tesla’s Cybertruck windows smashed during presentation Elon Musk promises Cybertruck vs. Ford F-150 rematch after controversy Google’s third era Larry Page is the tech world’s Dr. Manhattan The rise, disappearance, and retirement of Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 865 promises 5G, camera, and gaming improvements In 2020, Qualcomm’s slower chips may be more important than its best ones Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 765 chip could usher in the first affordable 5G phones Emotonal Baggage: Inside the toxic work environment at Away The dark side of electronic waste recycling Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Verge reporter Adi Robertson talks to Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel about how to spot lies, false information, and trolling online and how to handle it as a user on the internet. Adi just published a guide on The Verge that details a system for slowing down and thinking about information — whether that information is true, false, or something in between. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices