The Vergecast

Markdown is a system for writing that makes it readable to both humans and computers. It's all about the symbols. You use - to make a list, * for emphasis, ** for even more emphasis. Brackets and parentheses turn into links. Once you know Markdown, you might begin to think in Markdown. Right now it is absolutely everywhere: people are maintaining their Claude.MD files for conversing with AI bots, and writing their notes in Markdown editors like Obsidian. So where did Markdown come from? It came from John Gruber. John joins the show, along with Anil Dash, to tell the story of where Markdown came from and how it took over the world.

Further reading:

⁠The Markdown spec⁠

⁠How Markdown took over the world⁠

⁠Gruber on Apple Notes Markdown support⁠

 ⁠9to5mac: iOS 26 to bring new features for Messages, CarPlay, and more

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We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to ⁠vergecast@theverge.com⁠ or call us at 866-VERGE11.
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We're all starting to test Apple's newest software post-WWDC, and the most surprising thing has happened: Siri actually seems to be pretty good now. Nilay and David discuss how that happened, and what it means for the AI industry, and all of us, that Apple's voice assistant is finally useful. Then, we have some news about Bluesky, Threads, and YouTube that adds up to a big change in social networks, plus the Hype Desk, Brendan Carr, the Trump Phone, and a really great deal for iPad users

Further reading:

Apple announces Siri AI and its next generation of Apple Intelligence 

I tried Siri AI, and so far it actually works 


Apple’s new Siri AI knows when to shut up 

I’m relieved Siri AI isn’t trying to be a health coach 

You can just tell the Instagram algorithm what you want now 

YouTube is introducing DMs (again) 

Bluesky is getting ‘communities’ 

Anthropic releases its first Mythos-class model Claude Fable  

Claude Fable won’t answer basic biology questions 

Anthropic apologizes for invisible Claude Fable guardrails 

Microsoft restricts Claude Fable for employees over data retention concerns 

YouTube is introducing DMs (again) 

Bluesky is getting ‘communities’ 

iFixit Trump phone teardown confirms it’s an HTC dupe

Solar has overtaken coal in the US for the first time

AT&T is launching $3 ‘unlimited’ day passes for iPads

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.

(Timestamps are approximate.)

00:00:00 Intro

00:03:00 New Siri is good

00:04:00 Search Index Breakthrough

00:08:00 Cloud vs On Device

00:11:00 Siri Upends AI Apps

00:20:00 Where Is The Computer

00:24:00 EU Interoperability Fight

00:31:00 Social News Lightning Trio

00:33:00 Mosseri Algorithm Control

00:35:00 Bluesky Communities

00:37:00 YouTube DMs Social Push

00:41:00 Bluesky Bets on Communities

00:50:00 Talking to Your Algorithm

00:51:00 AI Made-to-Order Instagram

00:54:00 Bespoke Apps Break Reality

01:01:00 Hype Desk

01:02:00 Social Reckoning Trailer Breakdown and Casting

01:14:00 CBS News Meltdown

01:17:00 Carr vs Newsrooms

01:20:00 SpaceX IPO Favors

01:24:00 Claude Fable Guardrails

01:30:00 Trump Phone Teardown

01:34:00 AT&T iPad Day Pass

01:36:00 Solar Beats Coal

01:38:00 Signoff
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Movies directed by YouTubers are suddenly blowing up at the box office. Backrooms and Obsession are both smash hits, and The Amazing Digital Circus had a big debut last week. Is this the moment YouTube truly takes over Hollywood? Julia Alexander, media correspondent at Puck, walks us through the much longer history of YouTube on the big screen, and helps us figure out where this all goes next. Is the future just really, really big YouTube videos?

Further reading:

⁠Backrooms is at the forefront of horror’s YouTube wave⁠

⁠Iron Lung’s path to theaters was unique, even if the movie isn’t⁠

⁠YouTube is everything and everything is YouTube⁠

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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Now that we've had a couple of days to digest all the Siri AI updates, the new corner radii, and everything else Apple announced at its developer conference, we spend the episode answering all your most burning questions. What non-AI stuff are we excited about? How much catching up did Siri really do this week? And wait: what about the HomePod?

Further reading:

⁠WWDC 2026: All the news from Apple’s developers conference⁠

⁠5 things I already love from the iOS 27 beta⁠

⁠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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Long before Steve Jobs was the unstoppable force of nature atop Apple, shipping hit product after hit product, he was practically run out of the company after a series of bad product and management decisions. But as Geoffrey Cain argues in his new book, Steve Jobs in Exile: The Untold Story of NeXT and the Remaking of an American Visionary, the 12 years Jobs spent outside of Apple turned him into the leader the world came to know. Cain joins the show to talk about Jobs' experiences at NeXT and Pixar, how Jobs learned to be a successful leader, and the true power — and danger — of the reality distortion field.

Further reading:

Steve Jobs in Exile

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.

(Timestamps are approximate.)

00:01:30 Intro

00:01:56 90 Seconds on The Verge

00:03:46 Interview with Geoffrey Cain
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