How a prize-winning cartoonist brings hand-drawn comics to the web
How a prize-winning cartoonist brings hand-drawn comics to the web Jailed during the 2021 coup in Myanmar, American journalist Danny Fenster spent six months as a political prisoner. For much of his incarceration he battled boredom and fear, subsisting on meditation and podcasts on an SD card smuggled in by mail, sent by his girlfriend, […]
Another Oracle outage is messing up US TikTok
Another Oracle outage is messing up US TikTok The US version of TikTok is once again experiencing issues due to an Oracle outage, just a month after coming back online from a similar outage in February. The service disruption, impacting Oracle’s Ashburn, Virginia data center, began early Tuesday afternoon, with Downdetector reports spiking around 1PM […]
You could be an influencer without even realizing it
You could be an influencer without even realizing it A similar AI shopping feature on TikTok. | The Verge In late February, Puck reported on a strange case: An influencer with more than a million followers was inadvertently promoting products on Instagram. On some of Julia Berolzheimer’s posts, a “Shop the look” button hovered in […]
How MLB can make baseball relevant on a fast-changing internet
How MLB can make baseball relevant on a fast-changing internet This is The Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on the contemporary attention economy, follow Mia Sato. The Stepback arrives in our subscribers’ inboxes at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here. How it started […]
DHS reportedly detained a Columbia University student and content creator
DHS reportedly detained a Columbia University student and content creator Students are seen on the campus of Columbia University on April 14, 2025, in New York City. An immigration judge ruled on April 11 that Mahmoud Khalil, a pro-Palestinian student protester from Columbia University and a US permanent resident detained by the Trump administration, can […]
Google’s Nano Banana 2 brings advanced AI image tools to free users
Google's Nano Banana 2 brings advanced AI image tools to free users The image generational capabilities of Nano Banana 2 seem comparable to the Pro model. | Image: Google / The Verge Google is bringing a more powerful version of its Nano Banana AI image model to free users. Nano Banana 2 (also known as […]
More Shohei Ohtani content is coming to TikTok
More Shohei Ohtani content is coming to TikTok TORONTO, ONTARIO – NOVEMBER 01: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts after hitting a single against the Toronto Blue Jays during the fifth inning in game seven of the 2025 World Series at Rogers Center on November 01, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by […]
If Big Tech cared about fighting AI slop, it wouldn’t be drowning us in it
If Big Tech cared about fighting AI slop, it wouldn't be drowning us in it Progress towards reliable deepfake labelling tech is sluggish, despite all the “help” from AI providers. | Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images As 2025 drew to a close, Instagram head Adam Mosseri ended the year by doom-posting about […]
Social media on trial: tech giants face lawsuits over addiction, safety, and mental health
Social media on trial: tech giants face lawsuits over addiction, safety, and mental health A set of bellwether cases alleging that social media platforms harmed teens’ safety and mental health is going to trial this year, putting executives like Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on the stand to answer questions about what they’ve done or not […]
Samsung is slopping AI ads all over its social channels
Samsung is slopping AI ads all over its social channels Even if the AI wasn’t being disclosed, its usage in these videos isn’t exactly subtle. | Image: Samsung / The Verge After cramming AI into every inch of its smartphones, appliances, and other devices, Samsung is now increasingly slapping it across social media. Several videos […]