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In a memo to Meta staff, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the company’s new “Meta Superintelligence Labs” group that will head up its AI work, Bloomberg reports . Former Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang, who joined Meta as part of a multibillion dollar deal earlier this month , will head up the group as the company’s chief AI officer. Former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman will “partner with” Wang to help lead the division, according to Bloomberg . Meta has also made 11 new AI-focused hires, including former Anthropic, Google DeepMind, and OpenAI employees.  Zuckerberg has been making huge offers to potential hires – The Verge’s Alex Heath has reported that they’re “well into the eight-figure range” – to bolster its AI efforts, which have fallen behind other big AI companies. Meta has also held talks to buy companies like Mira Murati’s Thinking Machines Lab, Perplexity, and Ilya Sutskever’s Safe Superintelligence, though “none of these talks progressed to the formal offer stage for various r...

Microsoft will soon no longer let you use its Authenticator app to store or autofill passwords. Starting in July , you won’t be able to autofill saved passwords using Authenticator, and you’ll have to use Microsoft Edge or another password management solution instead. Microsoft also plans on deleting your saved payment information in Authenticator this July before erasing passwords in August. Last month, Microsoft Authenticator stopped accepting new passwords as part of plans to consolidate its password autofilling feature within Edge. Microsoft will automatically sync saved passwords to your account, allowing you to access them in Edge. You can set Edge as your device’s default autofill provider by finding the option in your device’s settings and selecting Edge instead of Authenticator. If you don’t want to use Edge, make sure to export your passwords to another service by August. Microsoft Authenticator launched as a multifactor authentication solution in 2016, and it added supp...

When Ela Darling began performing in porn at the tail end of the 2000s, tube sites like Pornhub were relatively new, and major studios like Vivid and Digital Playground still dominated the market. For performers, the job was straightforward: show up to set, turn in a good performance, and collect a check. Everything else - from scripting the scene to editing and marketing to makeup - was generally handled by the studio's team of professionals. Fast forward to 2025. Vivid and Digital Playground are distant memories. Sites like OnlyFans - and competitors like JustForFans, Clips4Sale, and ManyVids - now rule the roost. And while that shift has empowered many performers to create careers that would have been unimaginable in earlier eras, it's also come with a cost. While some jobs, like broadcasting and distribution, are now handled by third-party platforms like OnlyFans, a great deal of the work that used to be handled by a studio is now the performers' responsibility. In ad...

Joby Aviation is getting ready to take flight. The electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) company has delivered its first production aircraft to Dubai, where it plans to launch a commercial air taxi service in early 2026. Joby, which has successfully completed multiple flight tests with a pilot onboard, says it has begun in-market testing ahead of the anticipated launch of commercial operations. It’s a significant milestone for Joby, which has been developing the technology to power its multi-rotor aircraft since 2009. And its a significant milestone for the fledgling air taxi sector, which has been leaning on hype and promises for the future of air travel to attract investors and potential clients while its aircraft trudge through years of safety testing and certification. Dubai is aiming to become a launchpad for advanced air mobility, granting Joby a six-year exclusive operating agreement last year. The agreement, signed at the World Governments Summit, provides Joby wit...

Serious security flaws have been found in hundreds of Brother printer models that could allow attackers to remotely access devices that are still using default passwords. Eight new vulnerabilities, one of which cannot be fixed by patching the firmware, were discovered in 689 kinds of Brother home and enterprise printers by security company Rapid7 .  The flaws also impact 59 printer models from Fujifilm, Toshiba, Ricoh, and Konica Minolta, but not every vulnerability is found on every printer model. If you own a Brother printer, you can check to see if your model is affected here . The most serious security flaw, tracked under CVE-2024-51978 in the National Vulnerability Database , has a 9.8 “Critical” CVSS rating and allows attackers to generate the device’s default admin password if they know the serial number of the printer they’re targeting. This allows attackers to exploit the other seven vulnerabilities discovered by Rapid7, which include retrieving sensitive information, ...

Spotify is adding new personalization features to Discover Weekly, the popular and influential playlist streamed by millions of users. The regularly updated playlist will now have buttons for genres like pop, R&B, and funk at the top, allowing users to tell Spotify what they want more of. The Discover Weekly playlist is one of the more noteworthy things Spotify has introduced: the company says songs on the playlist have been streamed more than 100 billion times. The weekly mixtape — generated via Spotify algorithms — promised to introduce users to new music that they might enjoy, pulling from listener data. But more recently, there have been complaints that Discover Weekly playlists, meant for finding new music, were spitting out the same songs, and that the platform’s systems weren’t accurately classifying genres. (Spotify told Business Insider in May that it had updated genre accuracy and the Discover Weekly recommendation algorithm.) In addition to the genre options, the D...

The insights are more repackaging data you already know with common sense advice than deductive analysis. After nearly a decade of wearables testing, I've amassed a truly terrifying amount of health and fitness data. And while I enjoy poring over my daily data, there's one part I've come to loathe: AI summaries. Over the last two years, a deluge of AI-generated summaries has been sprinkled into every fitness, wellness, and wearable app. Strava introduced a feature called Athlete Intelligence , pitched as AI taking your raw workout data and relaying it to you in "plain English." Whoop has Whoop Coach , an AI chatbot that gives you a "Daily Outlook" report summarizing the weather, your recent activity and recovery metrics, and workout suggestions. Oura added Oura Advisor , another chatbot that summarizes data and pulls out long-term trends. Even my bed greets me with summaries every morning of how its AI helped keep me asleep every night. Each platfo...

Over the years, Tesla has built part of its reputation on hosting big, bold events to generate authentic hype for upcoming releases. The robotaxi launch in Austin, Texas , last week wasn't one of them. Coverage of the rollout was dominated by a close-knit cohort of Tesla influencers and Elon Musk superfans, many of whom are openly supportive of the CEO's vision. Journalists and tech bloggers who might have been more critical of the technology were not only excluded but also actively ridiculed and mocked by Tesla fans and some of their followers for attempting to ask basic questions about the service. In Austin and online, Tesla fans were taking a cue from Musk, who has spent years fomenting a culture of resentment toward critical media. One of the more prominent influencers, who goes by Zack on X, claimed he was approached multiple times by a Reuters journalist , whom he promptly ignored. That post, which has over 2,000 likes, received supportive responses from other users -...

Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 88, your guide to the best and Verge -iest stuff in the world. (If you're new here, welcome, happy heat dome , and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage .) This week, I've been reading about crypto crimes and egg thieves and Gap , watching Last Breath and Tires and The Four Seasons , testing the super simple Min browser, learning a ton from The Magic of Code , playing too much Ridiculous Fishing , vibe-coding a tracker for baby feedings, finally winning a Knockout Tour in Mario Kart World , lusting after the new Teenage Engineering scooter , taking photos with Project Indigo , and listening to Star Wars Lofi all day every day. This is the last Installer for me this summer! It's baby time. Starting next week, you'll be in the very good hands of Jay Peters , who has some awesome stuff lined up for you. He'll be in the Installer inbox, so please, send him emails, hit him up with questio...

After a long week, the last thing I want to do is clean my floors (they’re seriously overdue for a cleaning). Busting out the vacuum and mopping can be tiring. That’s why I’m a big fan of robot vacuums, especially ones with built-in mops that can handle all the cleaning on their own. Speaking of, you can pick up the Eufy Robot Vacuum Omni C20 at Amazon and Eufy for $399.98 ($300 off), matching its all-time low. This deal may be around for just a matter of hours. Eufy Robot Vacuum Omni C20 Where to Buy: $699.99 $399.98 at Amazon $699.99 $399.98 at Eufy The Omni C20 is one of Eufy’s newer vacuum and mopping combo units that offers several automated cleaning features to make your life easier. The all-in-one station can empty, wash, dry, and refill the C20 between cleanings. It can also wash then dry the mop, so the robovac doesn’t wind up smelling like a gym locker while it roams your house. A transparent water tank allows you to easily monitor water levels without having...

Don’t buy one unless you can see the “EX” label on the card and package. | Image: Cameron Faulkner / The Verge The Nintendo Switch 2 is here, and so you might be in the market for a microSD card to store more games. While all microSD cards look the same, only microSD Express cards will work on the Switch 2 for storing and playing games. The card you used in your original Switch or Switch Lite will only offer very limited functionality if installed into Nintendo’s new handheld, letting you view screenshots or video clips you captured previously — that’s it. That’s because Nintendo opted for a significantly faster spec in its new handheld console, which boasts an advertised 4.4x improvement in terms of transfer speeds over the microSD cards you might already have lying around. That improvement is signified by a small, easy-to-miss “EX” emblem etched onto the front of the card. What’s harder to miss is how much more expensive Express cards are, with some costing more than $50 for j...

We’ve rounded up deals on all sorts of TVs, from affordable yet feature-packed models to high-end OLED panels that will really wow you. | Image: Sony Things are looking bright for those who want to nab a great TV in 2025 at a substantial discount. There’s usually a great deal happening on a mid- or high-end TV from LG, TCL, Hisense, or Amazon’s own Fire TV brand — even if the biggest discounts remain reserved for Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Amazon Prime Day, and during the lead-up to the Super Bowl. Right now, there are a number of discounted 4K TVs to choose from, spanning a wide variety of prices, sizes, and feature sets. Whether you want a secondary screen for the bedroom, or a high-end OLED that’s built to provide the ultimate gaming or cinematic experience, we’ve picked out the best TV deals.   The best 4K TV deals for most people The best 4K TV deals for those on a budget The best deals on 4K TVs for gamers and cinephiles The best 4K TV deals for most people S...

Apple has introduced new App Store changes in the EU in an attempt to avoid being further penalized under the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA). On Thursday, the company announced a new tier system for its Store Services fee that’s applied to purchases made outside apps, and it will only give developers access to the full set of App Store features if they give Apple a larger commission. Tier 1 of the Store Services fee will provide developers with only basic App Store features for a cheaper, 5 percent commission on in-app purchases, including app reviews, privacy nutrition labels, and access to Apple Support. This tier lacks many of the features developers benefit from on the App Store today, including automatic app updates, automatic app downloads, and other tools that could help developers promote their app.  Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney, whose lawsuit against Apple resulted in a court order preventing Apple from taking a commission on purchases made outside the App ...

Ever been racing to meet a deadline only to realize your coffee’s gone cold again? The Ember Mug 2 self-heating smart mug keeps your drink hot so you can stay focused without making constant trips to the microwave. And right now, Amazon , Best Buy , and Walmart are selling the 14-ounce smart mug in select colors starting at an all-time low of $89.99 ($60 off). A Verge favorite , the self-heating smart mug keeps your coffee, tea, or cocoa at the perfect temperature from the first sip to the last. With the Ember app (available on Android and iOS), you can dial in your ideal temp between 125°F and 145°F and even save presets for your go-to drinks. The built-in battery keeps your beverage warm for up to 80 minutes on a single charge, or you can use the included charging coaster to keep it hot all day.  Its smart sleep mode also helps conserve battery by automatically turning off the heat when the mug is empty or hasn’t been moved for a while. As a bonus, an LED light lets you qui...

Microsoft announced earlier this week that it would start testing its new aggregated gaming library on the Xbox app for Windows, and it's now starting to show up for testers today. This new library experience lists Steam, Battle.net, Ubisoft, Epic Games Store, and Riot Games titles that are all installed on a PC from various other launchers - much like GOG Galaxy. I've been trying out the experience today and found that Microsoft automatically detects installed games and lists them in your library in the Xbox app, along with a relevant thumbnail or icon, and the name of the launcher where the game was installed from. While the thumbnails could do with some work in this beta app, you'll get an option to play the game or see it in the relevant launcher. You can also hide games from these different PC stores if you don't want to see them listed in the Xbox app. This integration simply lists the games and you won't get Xbox achievements or any additional functiona...

Microsoft is still updating the Xbox 360, nearly 20 years later. Earlier this week some devoted Xbox 360 users booted up their aging consoles to find that Microsoft had updated the home screen to finally resolve an issue with box art . But in addition to that fix, several users on Reddit , as well as Kotaku , have confirmed the update also adds some sizable ads for the Xbox Series X / S consoles to the 360’s dashboard, as spotted by TrueAchievements . Microsoft’s last major update to the Xbox 360’s dashboard came shortly after Microsoft shut down the Xbox 360 online store in July 2024 , when it removed menus and tiles no longer needed. That update introduced a bug causing game thumbnails and box art to appear stretched and distorted on the home screen, but the bug has now been fixed. What’s less welcome are Microsoft’s not-so-subtle hints that it might be time for Xbox 360 owners to upgrade. The two different ads that now appear on the 360’s dashboard include one featuring an ima...

Dbrand will send replacement Killswitch Joy-Con Grips for the Switch 2 to buyers after admitting it had a “spectacularly terrible response” to complaints that the controllers could detach from the console if held a certain way while the grips were on. The company is currently working on tweaks to the grips as well. A few days ago, some owners of the case noticed that the Switch 2 Joy-Con controllers could pop off if you had the case and grips on and held the console primarily by a Joy-Con. This short video helps illustrate the issue. View Link On Sunday, Dbrand posted a more than 4,000-word response on Reddit titled “Killswitch Joy-Con Detachment Update” where it said that “nobody routinely holds their Switch 2 like this.” Dbrand argued that the detachment only happened when all three of the following conditions were met: You are specifically holding onto the console from only the Joy-Cons, in such a way that your fingers are making no supportive contact with the main console,...

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and a nonprofit privacy rights group have called on several states to investigate why “hundreds” of data brokers haven’t registered with state consumer protection agencies in accordance with local laws. An analysis done in collaboration with Privacy Rights Clearinghouse (PRC) found that many data brokers have failed to register in all of the four states with laws that require it, preventing consumers in some states from learning what kinds of information these brokers collect and how to opt out. These findings could be explained by variations in the definition of a data broker, but they may indicate some brokers are breaking the law. Data brokers are companies that collect and sell troves of personal information about people, including their names, addresses, phone numbers, financial information, and more. Consumers have little control over this information, posing serious privacy concerns, and attempts to address these concerns at a federa...

You might find it kind of sad to put a hard-earned gadget into a protective case. To me, it's freeing. Using a case relieves me of the worry that it will accumulate tons of little scratches. So, I wasted no time testing cases on the new Nintendo Switch 2 , and it didn't take long for me to find one that I think is the best. I tried several types of cases on the Switch 2. I tested flimsy shells that snap or slide onto the Switch 2 to provide a simple, aesthetically pleasing barrier from scratches to the console and its Joy-Cons. I also tried slim cases that have one job: to protect the console when it isn't in use. I just listed my high standards for form-fitting cases made to fit the Switch 2 while it's in use. However, the bar for slim zip-up/clasp cases is lower. They just need to protect the console and, ideally, provide some extra value, like a pocket for cables or cartridge storage. As for my favorite case, I didn't want to make any major compromises; I wan...

With Amazon’s Prime Day just a few weeks away , we’re already starting to see deals on TVs ahead of the four-day event. If you want to get a head start on your shopping, TCL’s subbrand, iFFALCON, has dropped the price of its 55-inch QLED 4K Mural TV to a new low price at Amazon . It starts at $564.99 ($135 off) when you use an on-page coupon and promo code QU6HI8WP at checkout. Want to go bigger? The 65-inch model is $749 ($250 off) at Amazon once you clip the on-page coupon and enter code 2EZWGX84 , while the 75-inch model is $1,129.99 ($269 off) at Amazon after you clip the on-page coupon and enter code QCDO2K3D . iFFALCON is new to the US, though its TVs are available in other markets worldwide, including Japan, France, and Italy. The brand’s Mural TV takes a page out of Samsung’s book by focusing on what the TV looks like when it’s not in use. It boasts thin bezels, a slim 1.1-inch profile, and support for an art mode that showcases classic paintings, AI-generated artworks, a...