The Vergecast Meta's quest to own your face
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Sep 19, 2025 This week’s discussion kicks off with a look at FCC chair Brendan Carr’s controversial tactics, including the fallout from a Jimmy Kimmel joke. The hosts dive into Meta's latest smart glasses featuring a built-in display and impressive battery life. They also critique a cringeworthy AI demo from Meta. In the lightning round, they cover Reddit’s new AI collaboration with Google, intriguing tech partnerships, and the backlash against Samsung’s decision to embed ads in smart fridge displays.
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Regulatory Leverage Can Force Censorship
- Government threats to broadcasters can coerce content changes by exploiting licensing and merger leverage.
- Nilay Patel and David Pierce argue this creates direct censorship risks when regulators threaten business consequences.
Broadcast Consolidation Masks A Revenue Crisis
- Broadcast consolidation seeks scale because traditional TV revenue is collapsing under digital platforms.
- Nilay warns consolidation increases control over information flow while platforms still don't pay for news creation.
Jimmy Kimmel Pulled From Broadcasts
- Local affiliates and big conglomerates quickly preempted Jimmy Kimmel after regulatory pressure surfaced.
- David and Nilay say Kimmel may shift to YouTube and monetize differently after the broadcast pull.