Technology

A social network where everyone’s a bot

Published

9 months ago

September 22, 2024

Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 53, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, welcome, so psyched you found us, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.)

This week, I’ve been reading about Beyoncé and Rosanna Pansino and Bowen Yang, pouring my life back into Todoist, watching the end of The Grand Tour, catching up on some My Brother, My Brother and Me episodes, seeing if the Pixel Recorder app can replace my trusty voice recorder, and moving Headspace to my homescreen to see if it helps me meditate more. (So far… no.)

I also have for you a truly wild new pair of AR glasses, a Batman-adjacent show on HBO, a great new book about the end of Twitter, a funny twist on social networks, and much more. Lotta good new TV this week! Let’s do it.

(As always, the best part of Installer is your ideas and tips. What are you super into right now? What should everyone else be reading / playing / watching / buying / downloading / building out of Legos right now? Tell me everything: installer@theverge.com. And if you know someone else who might enjoy Installer, forward it to them and tell them to subscribe here.)

The Drop

SocialAI. The reaction to this “social network” for iOS, where you post and a thousand AI bots immediately reply, was so funny. Some people loved it, some hated it, half seemed to think it was a joke. It’s not a joke, and it’s actually a really thoughtful take on how to interact with LLMs. It also feels alarmingly similar to being on actual social networks these days. Maybe even better.
Character Limit: How Elon Musk Destroyed Twitter. An excellent addition to the canon of books about Musk’s takeover and overhaul of the social network we once knew. There’s a lot of great new detail in here about the chaos of becoming X, too — a really good read.
Simple Snapchat. I’d love to tell you to buy Snap’s new Spectacles, but they’re ridiculous and also not available for regular people to buy. But you will be able to get Snapchat’s new design, which is so much cleaner and more approachable than the app has been in recent years. I’m not sure it’ll win many new users, but Snapchat is still one of the best messaging apps out there.
The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds. The AirPods 4 got all the shine this week, but I’ve been a fan of Bose’s earbuds for a while — they sound great, they have great battery, and I love the new “Hey headphones” wake word on the new model. And at $179, these are a solid Apple alternative.
Omni Loop. The read on this time-travel movie starring Ayo Edebiri and Mary-Louise Parker seems to be that sticklers for continuity will be frustrated but there’s some good and thoughtful stuff and a lot of fun to be had. I will be having that fun ASAP.
The Penguin. “Gritty Batman show on HBO” is all you need to tell me for me to be fully in on The Penguin. The reviews so far are a bit mixed — I’ve seen “best show in forever” and “kinda meh,” and a lot of people are comparing it unfavorably to The Sopranos. Personally, I can’t wait.
Tripsy 3.0. I’m traveling a lot this fall, so I’m back on the hunt for a good place to put all my confirmation numbers, flight details, and expenses. Tripit is fine, but Tripsy looks way better. I’m also into the map view, which is a surprisingly helpful way to plot out a day.
Agatha All Along. WandaVision is the only Marvel show I recommend to people who don’t care about Marvel because the whole thing was so unusually structured and smart. This spinoff sounds just as inventive and just as cool. More Kathryn Hahn is always a good thing.
UFO 50. A bunch of developers in 2024 decided to make a bunch of games that look like they’re from the 1980s. Taken together, what they made is kind of a historical document about gaming but also just, like, a bunch of really fun retro-style games. Such a cool concept.
“The Mark Zuckerberg Interview.” You probably saw the pictures from last week of the Acquired podcast hosts interviewing Zuck at the Chase Center in San Francisco. The resulting 90-minute episode is… kind of awkward in spots but also really revealing in spots. I don’t think I’ve heard Zuckerberg talk through his own history as a CEO like this before.

Screen share

Alex Goldman, the excellent podcaster and former cohost of best-tech-pod-ever Reply All, has a new show! It’s called Hyperfixed, and basically, Alex’s job is to fix people’s problems of all kinds. The first two episodes are silly and deep, and this show is going to be great.

I asked Alex to share his homescreen with us as his new show launches because if there’s one thing I know about Alex, it’s that he’s a person of many interests and obsessions. (I always enjoyed him posting about songs he made in his attic, just to name one example.) I was curious what his phone would say about what he’s up to right now.

Here’s Alex’s homescreen, plus some info on the apps he uses and why:

The wallpaper: A picture of my kids being cool on the beach.

The apps: Camera, Weather, Settings, Notes, App Store, FaceTime, Amazon, Proton Mail, Find My, Overcast, Patreon, Koala, Messages, Google Voice, Gmail, Safari.

I know my homescreen is a mess, but I have long since given up on trying to organize it. It has reached an uneasy stasis in which I know where everything is, and it’s been a while since I’ve downloaded an absolutely essential new app.

Everything I need is on the front page: from games to exercise stuff, apps for watching TV and playing music, social media platforms, and so on. My go-to apps are Notes (every morning, I make a bulleted list of things I need to get done), Voice Memos (it’s super convenient if you’re thinking of an idea or a good melody pops into your head to just go ahead and record it before it’s long gone) and Threes. Threes is a game where you try and combine blocks of the same number on a playing field without running out of space, and I have truly not gotten further in the past three or four years, but I still play it like four times a day. Just out of nervous habit. And then Overcast is the podcast app. Everything else is lame in comparison.

I also asked Alex to share a few things he’s into right now. Here’s what he sent back:

Pinball Map. I love pinball. But loving pinball means you’re a pinball snob and you like certain games better than others. For me, the mid-’90s Midway/Williams pinball games were a renaissance, so I’m constantly trying to find copies of Attack From Mars, Medieval Madness, Twilight Zone, Monster Bash, Creature from the Black Lagoon, and Bride of Pinbot. Fortunately, the Pinball Map helps me locate them.
Koala. Koala is an incredibly powerful sampler app. You can record sounds directly off your phone or load sounds in, or rip sound directly from a video. It has nearly all the functionality of the classic Roland SP-404 Samplers, except those are $500, but Koala is around $5.
Erica Synths’ LXR-02. A cheap handheld drum machine that you can load sounds on to or make sounds with. I am very much a dude making little beats on public transit.
WFMU’s Beware of the Blog. A blog for a nonprofit radio station in New York City that was shut down almost a decade ago but is full of fantastic obscure recordings, comics, and bizarre culture stories. Probably most famous for being the only place you can find the story of how Paul Simon allegedly stole a bunch of songs on Graceland from Los Lobos.

Crowdsourced

Here’s what the Installer community is into this week. I want to know what you’re into right now as well! Email installer@theverge.com or message me on Signal — @davidpierce.11 — with your recommendations for anything and everything, and we’ll feature some of our favorites here every week. For even more great recommendations, check out the replies to this post on Threads.

“Funny timing that you’d mention Short Film YouTube three days after I discovered a channel that’s a horror treasure trove. The channel is called Vintage Eight, which is by a film professor from the University of New Orleans by the name of Paul Catalanotto. His most popular videos are The Tangi Virus, The Oracle Project, and The Human Trial, which are also conveniently more interconnected than other videos on the channel.” — Drake

“Hild is the best historical fiction I’ve ever read in my whole life. Anyone jonesing for Game of Thrones but IRL (ish) who is also a fan of Tolkien’s references to ancient languages of Britain / Anglos / Saxons / old Norse will love it.” — Christopher

“Caravan SandWitch is a wonderful cozy game. It’s on everything and is just lovely.” — Iain

“Played around with NotebookLM from Google. One fun but helpful use case is to take research papers and generate podcasts. I’ve been reading a bunch of complex ML papers as an engineering student, so I convert them into podcasts and listen on my commute. Certainly interesting TTS application.” — Kruti

“In the most recent newsletters, someone recommended the No Rolls Barred YouTube channel but neglected to mention their best content: Blood on the Clocktower. It’s a social deduction game by The Pandemonium Institute for 7–20 (!!) players. Think like Werewolf or Mafia, but more fun. There’s endless content on YouTube that I can’t stop watching, and I love hosting big parties for it.” — Greg

“With Today in Tabs on hiatus, Caitlin Dewey’s newsletter Links I Would Gchat You If We Were Friends has become the most dependable curated reading list around. (Also don’t miss her excellent 10-year retrospective of G*mergate.)” — Kevin

“After years of loyalty to Things 3, I bit the bullet and moved over to Todoist. Natural language input is a big factor, but also fed up with long lists in Things — kanban in Todoist breaks things up nicely. I do miss the UI of Things though.” — Scott

“It’s been great following along with RocketJump on their Patreon as they write, plan, and produce their independent action-comedy film! They go really in-depth on everything from location planning to studio pitch decks.” — Josh

“I can’t stop playing Astro Bot. It feels like a love letter to 30 years of PlayStation, and having been a PlayStation fan my entire life, every level just puts a smile on my face.” — Nick

Signing off

On Wednesday, I was at the Made on YouTube event in New York City (the crowd was made up of me and like 200 extremely cool and fun creators), where CEO Neal Mohan and a bunch of other executives rolled out some new features. But forget the new features — the absolute highlight of the event was the singer / songwriter / creator D4vd, who talked about an AI project and then did a live performance of his mega-popular song, “Here With Me.” It was awesome, and I’ve been reading about and watching his videos ever since. Here’s a great GQ interview with lots of details on his story, here’s his TikTok, and here’s his YouTube channel.

To be fair, D4vd is already very popular, so maybe I’m the last one to discover him. But I figured I’d share just in case. I’m a huge fan.

Technology

Inside Mark Zuckerberg’s AI hiring spree

Published

9 hours ago

June 14, 2025

Press Room

Inside Mark Zuckerberg’s AI hiring spree

AI researchers have recently been asking themselves a version of the question, “Is that really Zuck?”

As first reported by Bloomberg, the Meta CEO has been personally asking top AI talent to join his new “superintelligence” AI lab and reboot Llama. His recruiting process typically goes like this: a cold outreach via email or WhatsApp that cites the recruit’s work history and requests a 15-minute chat. Dozens of researchers have gotten these kinds of messages at Google alone.

For those who do agree to hear his pitch (amazingly, not all of them do), Zuckerberg highlights the latitude they’ll have to make risky bets, the scale of Meta’s products, and the money he’s prepared to invest in the infrastructure to support them. He makes clear that this new team will be empowered and sit with him at Meta’s headquarters, where I’m told the desks have already been rearranged for the incoming team.

Most of the headlines so far have focused on the eye-popping compensation packages Zuckerberg is offering, some of which are well into the eight-figure range. As I’ve covered before, hiring the best AI researcher is like hiring a star basketball player: there are very few of them, and you have to pay up. Case in point: Zuckerberg basically just paid 14 Instagrams to hire away Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang.

It’s easily the most expensive hire of all time, dwarfing the billions that Google spent to rehire Noam Shazeer and his core team from Character.AI (a deal Zuckerberg passed on). “Opportunities of this magnitude often come at a cost,” Wang wrote in his note to employees this week. “In this instance, that cost is my departure.”

Zuckerberg’s recruiting spree is already starting to rattle his competitors. The day before his offer deadline for some senior OpenAI employees, Sam Altman dropped an essay proclaiming that “before anything else, we are a superintelligence research company.” And after Zuckerberg tried to hire DeepMind CTO Koray Kavukcuoglu, he was given a larger SVP title and now reports directly to Google CEO Sundar Pichai.

I expect Wang to have the title of “chief AI officer” at Meta when the new lab is announced. Jack Rae, a principal researcher from DeepMind who has signed on, will lead pre-training. Meta certainly needs a reset. According to my sources, Llama has fallen so far behind that Meta’s product teams have recently discussed using AI models from other companies (although that is highly unlikely to happen). Meta’s internal coding tool for engineers, however, is already using Claude.

While Meta’s existing AI researchers have good reason to be looking over their shoulders, Zuckerberg’s $14.3 billion investment in Scale is making many longtime employees, or Scaliens, quite wealthy. They were popping champagne in the office this morning.

Then, Wang held his last all-hands meeting to say goodbye and cried. He didn’t mention what he would be doing at Meta. I expect his new team will be unveiled within the next few weeks after Zuckerberg gets a critical number of members to officially sign on.

Tim Cook.

Getty Images / The Verge

Apple is accustomed to being on top of the tech industry, and for good reason: the company has enjoyed a nearly unrivaled run of dominance.

After spending time at Apple HQ this week for WWDC, I’m not sure that its leaders appreciate the meteorite that is heading their way. The hubris they display suggests they don’t understand how AI is fundamentally changing how people use and build software.

Heading into the keynote on Monday, everyone knew not to expect the revamped Siri that had been promised the previous year. Apple, to its credit, acknowledged that it dropped the ball there, and it sounds like a large language model rebuild of Siri is very much underway and coming in 2026.

The AI industry moves much faster than Apple’s release schedule, though. By the time Siri is perhaps good enough to keep pace, it will have to contend with the lock-in that OpenAI and others are building through their memory features. Apple and OpenAI are currently partners, but both companies want to ultimately control the interface for interacting with AI, which puts them on a collision course.

Apple’s decision to let developers use its own, on-device foundational models for free in their apps sounds strategically smart, but unfortunately, the models look far from leading. Apple ran its own benchmarks, which aren’t impressive, and has confirmed a measly context window of 4,096 tokens. It’s also saying that the models will be updated alongside its operating systems — a snail’s pace compared to how quickly AI companies move.

I’d be surprised if any serious developers use these Apple models, although I can see them being helpful to indie devs who are just getting started and don’t want to spend on the leading cloud models. I don’t think most people care about the privacy angle that Apple is claiming as a differentiator; they are already sharing their darkest secrets with ChatGPT and other assistants.

Some of the new Apple Intelligence features I demoed this week were impressive, such as live language translation for calls. Mostly, I came away with the impression that the company is heavily leaning on its ChatGPT partnership as a stopgap until Apple Intelligence and Siri are both where they need to be.

AI probably isn’t a near-term risk to Apple’s business. No one has shipped anything close to the contextually aware Siri that was demoed at last year’s WWDC. People will continue to buy Apple hardware for a long time, even after Sam Altman and Jony Ive announce their first AI device for ChatGPT next year. AR glasses aren’t going mainstream anytime soon either, although we can expect to see more eyewear from Meta, Google, and Snap over the coming year.

In aggregate, these AI-powered devices could begin to siphon away engagement from the iPhone, but I don’t see people fully replacing their smartphones for a long time. The bigger question after this week is whether Apple has what it takes to rise to the occasion and culturally reset itself for the AI era.

I would have loved to hear Tim Cook address this issue directly, but the only interview he did for WWDC was a cover story in Variety about the company’s new F1 movie.

AI agents are coming. I recently caught up with Databricks CEO Ali Ghodsi ahead of his company’s annual developer conference this week in San Francisco. Given Databricks’ position, he has a unique, bird’s-eye view of where things are headed for AI. He doesn’t envision a near-term future where AI agents completely automate real-world tasks, but he does predict a wave of startups over the next year that will come close to completing actions in areas such as travel booking. He thinks humans will need (and want) to approve what an agent does before it goes off and completes a task. “We have most of the airplanes flying automated, and we still want pilots in there.”
Buyouts are the new normal at Google. That much is clear after this week’s rollout of the “voluntary exit program” in core engineering, the Search organization, and some other divisions. In his internal memo, Search SVP Nick Fox was clear that management thinks buyouts have been successful in other parts of the company that have tried them. In a separate memo I saw, engineering exec Jen Fitzpatrick called the buyouts an “opportunity to create internal mobility and fresh growth opportunities.” Google appears to be attempting a cultural reset, which will be a challenging task for a company of its size. We’ll see if it can pull it off.
Evan Spiegel wants help with AR glasses. I doubt that his announcement that consumer glasses are coming next year was solely aimed at AR developers. Telegraphing the plan and announcing that Snap has spent $3 billion on hardware to date feels more aimed at potential partners that want to make a bigger glasses play, such as Google. A strategic investment could help insulate Snap from the pain of the stock market. A full acquisition may not be off the table, either. When he was recently asked if he’d be open to a sale, Spiegel didn’t shut it down like he always has, but instead said he’d “consider anything” that helps the company “create the next computing platform.”

If you haven’t already, don’t forget to subscribe to The Verge, which includes unlimited access to Command Line and all of our reporting.

As always, I welcome your feedback, especially if you’re an AI researcher fielding a juicy job offer. You can respond here or ping me securely on Signal.

Technology

AI tennis robot coach brings professional training to players

Published

10 hours ago

June 14, 2025

Press Room

AI tennis robot coach brings professional training to players

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Finding a reliable tennis partner who matches your energy and skill level can be a challenge.

Now, with Tenniix, an artificial intelligence-powered tennis robot from T-Apex, players of all abilities have a new way to practice and improve.

Tenniix brings smart technology and adaptability to your training sessions, making it easier to get the most out of your time on the court.

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Tenniix, the AI-powered tennis robot (T-Apex)

What is Tenniix? Meet the AI tennis robot transforming practice sessions

Tenniix is an AI-powered tennis robot that is compact and weighs only 15 pounds, which is much lighter than traditional ball machines. Despite its small size, it serves balls at speeds of up to 75 mph, with spins reaching 5,000 RPM, and holds up to 100 balls at a time. The robot’s movable base allows it to deliver shots from different angles, keeping practice sessions dynamic and engaging.

TENNIS PRO ERIN ROUTLIFFE EXPLODES OVER LACK OF ‘ROBOTS’ AT AUSTRALIAN OPEN

A player lifting the Tenniix, an AI-powered tennis robot, out of the vehicle. (T-Apex)

NO TENNIS PARTNER? NO WORRIES WITH THIS AI ROBOT

AI tennis coaching: How Tenniix delivers realistic, pro-level practice

One of the standout features of Tenniix is its AI-driven coaching. The robot has been trained on over 8,000 hours of professional tennis data, allowing it to adjust its shots based on your position and playing style. This gives you a realistic and challenging experience every time you step on the court. Tenniix offers a wide variety of training modes, with more than 1,000 drills and three skill levels, so you can focus on everything from timing and footwork to shot accuracy.

Tenniix, the AI-powered tennis robot being carried (T-Apex)

WILL 3D TECH CHANGE SPORTS FOREVER?

Smart and simple: How to control Tenniix with voice, gestures or your phone

Controlling Tenniix is simple and intuitive. You can use voice commands or gestures to change spin, speed or shot type without interrupting your practice. Tenniix also features convenient app controls, letting you select training modes, adjust settings and review session data right from your smartphone for a fully customized and trackable experience. The robot’s modular design means you can start with the model that fits your needs and upgrade as your skills improve. With a built-in camera and AI chip, Tenniix analyzes your shots and provides instant feedback, helping you track your progress over time.

Tenniix, the AI-powered tennis robot (T-Apex)

SKYROCKET TO A HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE WITH THIS GEAR IN 2025

Advanced tracking and movement: How Tenniix adapts to your game in real time

Tenniix uses a combination of visual tracking and ultra-wideband sensors to know exactly where you and the ball are on the court. Its motorized base moves smoothly to deliver a wide range of shots, from high lobs to fast groundstrokes, at different speeds and spins. The battery lasts up to four hours, which is enough for a solid training session.

Tenniix, the AI-powered tennis robot (T-Apex)

BEST FATHER’S DAY GIFTS FOR EVERY DAD

Practice like the pros: Train against Nadal-style shots with Tenniix

Another feature that sets Tenniix apart is its ability to mimic the playing styles of tennis greats like Nadal and Federer. This helps you prepare for matches by practicing against shots and spins similar to those you’ll face in real competition. Coaches and players have noted how Tenniix creates realistic rallies and adapts to different skill levels, making training both efficient and enjoyable.

Tenniix, the AI-powered tennis robot (T-Apex)

Portable, smart and backed by support: Why tennis players love Tenniix

Tenniix is easy to carry and set up, making it convenient for players who want to practice anywhere. With thousands of shot combinations and drills, your workouts stay fresh and challenging. The smart technology, real-time tracking and instant feedback help make every session productive. Each robot comes with a one-year warranty and reliable customer service.

WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)?

Tenniix, the AI-powered tennis robot (T-Apex)

Tenniix models and pricing: Which AI tennis robot is right for you?

There are three Tenniix models to choose from. The Basic model is priced at $699, the Pro at $999 and the Ultra at $1,499. Each model offers a different set of features, with the Ultra version including advanced options like the movable base and enhanced vision system. Tenniix was launched through a Kickstarter campaign, giving early supporters a chance to back the project and receive the robot at a special price.

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Tenniix, the AI-powered tennis robot (T-Apex)

Kurt’s key takeaways

Tenniix feels less like a machine and more like a smart tennis partner who’s always ready to help you improve. Whether you want to polish your technique or get serious about your game, it offers a flexible and engaging way to train. If you’re looking for a training partner that adapts to you, Tenniix is worth checking out.

Would you rather challenge yourself playing against a robot like Tenniix, or do you prefer training with a human opponent? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.

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Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on “FOX & Friends.” Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

Technology

Google is shutting down Android Instant Apps over ‘low’ usage

Published

1 day ago

June 13, 2025

Press Room

Google is shutting down Android Instant Apps over ‘low’ usage

Google has confirmed that it plans to shut down Android’s Instant Apps later this year, attributing the decision to “low” usage of the functionality.

Instant Apps were introduced in 2017, and allow developers to create mini versions of Android apps that load, well, instantly. Users can try apps and demo games from the click of a link, without having to fully install them. That makes the experience easier for users to navigate and provides developers with more ways to find new audiences.

Android Authority first reported that Google is moving on from the feature, which came to light after developer Leon Omelan spotted a warning about the change in Android Studio:

“Instant Apps support will be removed by Google Play in December 2025. Publishing and all Google Play Instant APIs will no longer work. Tooling support will be removed in Android Studio Otter Feature Drop.”

Google spokesperson Nia Carter confirmed the decision to The Verge, explaining that Instant Apps simply haven’t been popular enough to continue supporting.

“Usage and engagement of Instant Apps have been low, and developers are leveraging other tools for app discovery such as AI-powered app highlights and simultaneous app installs,” Carter says. “This change allows us to invest more in the tools that are working well for developers, and help direct users to full app downloads to foster deeper engagement.”