Jay Peters, News editor at The Verge, shares insights on Google's monopoly ruling and raves about 'Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.' Jake Kastrenakes discusses the burgeoning AI landscape and the Weim Ultra amp. Justine Calma highlights the US election's impact on nuclear energy and the inspiring 'Nurse Unseen' documentary. Vjeran Pavic dives into the Apple Vision Pro headset and the sleek Fujifilm X100VI camera. Meanwhile, Ash Parrish examines the much-anticipated Nintendo Switch 2 and GTA VI, alongside industry challenges. A lively blend of tech and personal favorites in 2024!

Jake Kastrenakes, Verge's executive editor, joins the team to delve into transformative tech news. They dissect OpenAI's innovative SearchGPT, exploring how it challenges traditional search engines like Google. The conversation shifts to Amazon's plans for a paid Alexa, probing the future of smart home tech. Kastrenakes also highlights Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 6 and its creative stagnation, along with the quirks of Apple Maps entering the web arena. The tech landscape is rapidly changing, and they discuss what it means for the future of our tech experience.

This special episode dives deep on Taylor Swift, Ticketmaster, and how a handful of policy changes in the 1980s led to one firm so thoroughly dominating the live events business in the United States that Congress held a hearing in 2023, because Taylor Swift fans were so upset about antitrust law. That sentence is wild. We’re going to unpack all of this with the help of some experts. Here we go.Transcript:https://www.theverge.com/e/23409098Credits:Thanks so much to everyone who talked to us and shared their valuable insights for this episode including Dean Budnik, Florian Ederer, Russ Tannen, and Sandeep Vaheesan. And special thanks to Makena Kelly and Jake Kastrenakes. This episode was written and reported by Jackie McDermott and Owen Grove. It was produced by Jackie McDermott, Owen Grove, and Creighton DeSimone with help from Jasmine Lewis. It was edited by Callie Wright.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices