This is Lowpass by Janko Roettgers, a newsletter on the ever-evolving intersection of tech and entertainment, syndicated just for The Verge subscribers once a week. When news broke last week that Meta may cut the budget of its Meta Reality Labs unit by as much as 30 percent, followed by reports that the company is … Read more
State attorneys general from across the US are demanding more accountability from AI companies, warning them that their chatbots may be violating state laws. As reported by Reuters, the AGs have given Meta, Google, OpenAI, and others a deadline of January 16th, 2026 to respond to demands for more safety measures for generative AI, saying … Read more
Four years ago, Ford and South Korean battery maker SK On struck a deal to form a joint venture and spend $11.4 billion to build factories in Tennessee and Kentucky that would produce batteries for the next generation of electric F-Series trucks. The factories live on; the joint venture will not. SK On, a subsidiary … Read more
The Nintendo Switch 2 comes with a pair of Joy-Con 2 controllers, but it’s always good to have a second set around in case more people come over for a few rounds of Mario Kart World. BJ’s Wholesale Club is offering a set of Joy-Con 2 controllers for $79.99 ($20 off), a new all-time low. … Read more
Smart home products are all about making everyday life a little easier, which is why they’re some of the best and most thoughtful gifts you can give. Some people go all out building a multi-gadget IoT kingdom (like our resident smart home expert, Jen Pattison Tuohy), but a smart home is whatever your recipient wants … Read more
Today, I’m talking with Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts, and you’ll hear me start with the only question I think anyone should be asking any politician in the federal government right now: What the hell is going on here? Sen. Markey didn’t mince words with his answer. You’ll hear him compare the Trump administration to … Read more
The Walt Disney Company announced on Thursday that it has signed a three-year partnership with OpenAI that will bring its iconic characters to the company’s Sora AI video generator. Disney is also making a $1 billion equity investment in OpenAI. Launched in September, Sora allows users to create short videos using simple prompts. With this … Read more
A company called INIU has issued a recall for its BI-B41 10,000mAh power banks because the lithium-ion batteries they use “can overheat and ignite, posing fire and burn hazards to consumers.” The company has received 15 reports of the power banks overheating resulting in 11 fires causing over $380,000 in property damage and three minor … Read more
On Me, a digital gift card startup founded by former Google employees, is aiming to redefine the gift card industry with its mobile-first gifting platform that lets users purchase digital gift cards categorized by interests rather than being restricted to specific retailers. The company on Thursday said it had raised $6 million in a seed … Read more
AT&T is launching Connected Life, a new smart home security offering built around Google Home that keeps working during power or internet outages. Connected Life can be self-installed and features smart home cameras from Google Nest and security hardware from Abode, as well as professional monitoring. This follows Google launching APIs for its smart home … Read more