Is X back?

Well, it's been a couple of days, and David and Nilay have some more information — and a bunch of new questions — about the Apple HomeView. They also talk about the latest Gemini model, and whether building the best model matters if you can't build the best products around them. They then debate the merits of returning to X, why none of the supposed Twitter replacements worked, the latest in Brendan Carr nonsense, and more. Further reading: - HomeView doesn’t natively support any video apps yet — not even Apple’s <!--THE END--> - Apple’s new Find My-compatible remote will also work with your old Apple TV <!--THE END--> - The AI race is back on <!--THE END--> - Google finally releases Gemini 4 Argon <!--THE END--> - Google brings its AI coding platform to its Gemini app on Mac. <!--THE END--> - Google makes it easier to launch your vibe-coded apps <!--THE END--> - OpenAI employee arrested for allegedly planting a bug in a conference room <!--THE END--> - OpenAI claims an ex-employee took its product plans and presented them to Apple <!--THE END--> - Now that Character.AI is going bankrupt, what happens to all of its users’ data? <!--THE END--> - Daring Fireball: X Once Again Marks the Spot <!--THE END--> - Platformer: Does intelligence need a hard cap? <!--THE END--> - SpaceX announces plan to become a ‘major mobile carrier’ <!--THE END--> - JPMorgan Chase is keeping AI agents out. <!--THE END--> - Xbox is officially embracing the chaos of AI-powered game ports <!--THE END--> - Global smartphone sales just hit a 14-year low. <!--THE END--> - Silicon Valley is falling in line with Trump’s attempt to rename AI <!--THE END--> - The US government launched a “Super Intelligence” website. 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. 0:00 CarPlay Banter 01:36 HomeView App Confusion 03:40 CarPlay as Home OS 08:31 Apple Hardware Software Bet 13:28 Should It Just Be an iPad? 14:31 Gemini 4 Returns 16:18 Meta Muse Strategy 19:54 Google Product Dilemma 26:28 OpenAI Bugging Scandal 29:49 Character AI Bankruptcy 32:31 Bankrupt Data Goldmine 33:00 Privacy After Shutdown 36:55 Why People Return to X 39:35 Threads Fumbled It 40:49 X Owns AI Talk 49:17 Who Should Use X 49:57 Reporters And Sources 53:00 Video Platforms Win 54:44 Gruber Gets It Wrong 01:01:29 Brendan Carr is a Dummy 01:02:40 Execution Livestream Fallout 01:07:21 Sprint Merger Fallout 01:08:48 Dish Spectrum to SpaceX 01:09:44 Can Starlink Compete 01:11:30 SpaceX Phone Rumors 01:13:55 Smartphone Sales Slump 01:18:37 Agents vs Websites 01:24:21 Why UI Still Matters 01:26:43 Super Intelligence Rebrand 01:30:37 AI Game Decompiling 01:36:35 Wrap Up and Plugs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices