Technology

Apple’s chip chief might be the next exec to leave

Published

13 hours ago

December 6, 2025

Apple’s chip chief might be the next exec to leave

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman is reporting that Johny Srouji, senior vice president of hardware technologies, told Tim Cook he is “seriously considering” leaving Apple for another company in the near future. It was reported in October that Srouji was “evaluating his future at the tech giant.” While nothing is confirmed, it seems the executive is leaning towards not having a future at Cupertino.

If Srouji leaves, he would be just the latest in a string of high-profile shakeups in the company’s C-suite. COO Jeff Williams announced his retirement in July, which led to some shifting of roles. But things have only accelerated in December, with AI chief John Giannandrea stepping down, policy lead Lisa Jackson and general counsel Kate Adams announcing plans to retire, and UI design lead Alan Dye departing for Meta, all in the last few days.

Apple has struggled somewhat to find its footing as the industry further embraces AI. Now Tim Cook is tasked with trying to stem the bleeding, while being subject to rumors of his own departure. Gurman, who is usually reliable, has said those rumors are premature, but it still adds to the uncertainty surrounding what is typically one of the more stable companies in Silicon Valley.

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Technology

Red Dead Redemption is so back

Published

32 minutes ago

December 7, 2025

Press Room

Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 108, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, welcome, hope your holiday shopping is going well, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.)

This week, I’ve been reading about Ariana Grande and pelvic floors and Josh Shapiro and Las Vegas, finishing and then immediately rewatching The Chair Company, working by the light of this extremely rad MoMA lamp, installing a bunch of Hue Dimmer Switches around my house, trying desperately to hide the giant box that came with my new Frame TV, wondering if my 12,983 minutes of Spotify time this year is a lot or a little, and getting my Christmas tree out of storage. Which took some work.

I also have for you a 15-year-old game that feels as good as new, a great new entrant in the Wrapped Wars, a couple of fun productivity tools, and much more. Year’s almost over, but the new stuff keeps coming! Let’s dig in.

(As always, the best part of Installer is your ideas and tips. What are you watching / reading / listening to / playing / wrapping with a bow this week? 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.)

Red Dead Redemption. If you just off-handedly asked me my favorite modern video games, without thinking about it I’d probably say Red Dead and the Arkham Batman series. Cool to see the 2010 game come to mobile (though for Netflix subscribers only), even cooler to see it updated for modern consoles, including my beloved Switch 2. I haven’t checked in with John Martson in a while, but I’m confident this one has held up.
Fizzy. From the folks behind Hey and Basecamp, a really nifty new kanban tool that reminds me of Trello, only both more chaotic and much cleaner. It’s really fast, and my brain loves a good project-management board… plus, it’s open-source, so it might spawn some other really fun stuff.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. I know at least a few folks who have been waiting for this game to see if it completes the appeal of the Switch 2. By all accounts, it seems to be handily worth the price of admission, even if there’s some “modern games!” cruft in the mix.
It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley. I keep hearing things about this doc, about Buckley’s life and the remarkable album he made, Grace. This will not be a joyful watch, I suspect, but for anyone who loves even just his version of “Hallelujah,” it’s worth the watch.
YouTube Recap. This is Wrapped Week, so everybody from Spotify to Google Photos is rolling out years in review. I love YouTube’s already, since it just feels the most revealing about my actual personality. It also made it clear that I watch, uh, too much YouTube.
Mirumi. This furry little robot was one of the delights of last CES, and is now finally becoming real. (Real-ish, anyway — it’s still a Kickstarter project.) It’s pretty expensive, given that it does, you know, nothing! But I mean, look at it.
Halo. The team at Matter continues to have the best-looking reading app on the planet, and their new habit tracker for iOS looks just as good. Some potentially interesting, potentially annoying AI stuff in here, but even the basic tracker stuff is just lovely to look at and use.
Routine. After more than a decade of start-and-stop development, this game turned into an unusual, engrossing, deeply fun and deeply stressful sci-fi title for PC and Xbox. One of those games I can tell I’m going to enjoy just from the vibe of the trailer.
Notion Calendar. This is such a dumb, small thing: Notion finally updated this app so you can hide the right sidebar! Now it’s all calendar and no nonsense. This was already my daily driver calendar app, but for some reason that tiny change makes me like it even more.

Here are two of the fun things about working with The Verge’s Jess Weatherbed: she has a deep knowledge of creative tools and always writes fascinating stuff about how people make art in the future, and it seems every single time we’re in a meeting together she has completely reorganized and redesigned her home office. Every time the Meet loads, Jess has some new treasure in the background.

Jess is as much an artist and designer as she is a tech reporter, and I’m also told she’s a very accomplished D&D player. I asked her to share her homescreen with us to see how all those interests smash together into a single device. I was not disappointed.

Here’s Jess’s homescreen, plus some info on the apps she uses and why:

The phone: I currently have an iPhone 14 Pro Max, but not for much longer; I’m literally waiting on my new iPhone 17 Pro Max to arrive. I was mostly enticed by the iPhone 17 Pro in a glorious orange, which, after begging Apple to remember that color exists for the past few years, felt too personal to ignore.

The wallpaper: The wallpaper itself is nothing special, just some unwatermarked stock imagery I found a while back. I like how it’s a photograph that shows some texture instead of a flat digital image, but I mostly just wanted something colorful to complement the image widgets I have.

The shots on my main screen were taken from a tokusatsu-inspired photoshoot for W Magazine’s 2023 feature “Jennifer Coolidge Will Destroy You.” I absolutely adore Coolidge and kaiju- / mecha-related media, so when I saw the shoot I became kinda obsessed?? I’m planning to get a few images blown up into hi-res posters that I can frame in my hallway. I just feel so much joy every time I look at them.

The photo on my second homescreen page is my cat, Trevor. He’s a silly 12-month-old Maine Coon who’s totally mastered the art of rage-baiting me. We have the same birthday. It was fate.

The apps: Settings, Calendar, Clock, App Store, Camera, Slack, WhatsApp, Messenger, Phone, Chrome, Discord, TikTok.

I don’t think my apps are anything special. I keep the most-used selection loose on my main homescreen, and everything is tinted yellow because it matches the overall vibe and also feels easier on my eyes. I have a Spotify widget because I like having the album art of whatever I’m listening to on my screen. I’m also stuck with Facebook Messenger because my family exclusively uses it to chat; otherwise I only message friends using WhatsApp or Discord. I can’t remember the last time I actually texted someone.

The mess on my second homescreen page is actually incredibly organized for me. I have folders for all my apps, like “games and entertainment,” “shopping,” and “useful crap” for anything that doesn’t fit into other categories.

Some of my current favorite apps include Focus Friend, which is a fun gamified focus timer that helps me keep my ADHD in check, and Next Spaceflight, which tells you about upcoming rocket launches and space missions. I also love learning about what’s around me, so I use apps like Merlin Bird ID and Seek by iNaturalist to identify birds and plants, and because I live on the coast, MarineTraffic to ID passing ships. It’s like a flight tracker, but for boats!

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

I’ve been trying to cut down on my TikTok consumption, but I’ve really been enjoying two accounts lately. The first is @drinksonmemusic, who posts “Beat Battle” challenges with @southbymusic where both lads will make electronic remix tunes based on randomized, often ridiculous prompts. It’s fun, silly, and makes me feel energized.
The second account is @shef_phoenix, which is a cooking channel that mostly experiments with making small food big and big food small (though it’s nice to see that he’s been branching out into other cooking projects). The guy has been hounded into trying to make a “giant grape,” and watching that madness unfold has entertained me greatly.
Outside of TikTok, I’ve most enjoyed watching Dropout these last few months. The cast and shows are fantastically funny, and it’s something that I can reliably throw on in the background when friends come over, which eventually catches all of our attention. Worth every penny.
Comics have also recaptured my attention lately as I’ve attempted to walk back my screen time. I’ve been re-reading Cerebus the Aardvark, which I first found decades ago in my family’s attic, the Hellboy omnibus, and DC’s Absolute Universe. I’ve especially enjoyed Absolute Batman, which feels like something the old edgy teenage me would have been obsessed with.

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 and this post on Bluesky.

“Haven’t played online multiplayer shooters since Halo 3 and COD 4 days, but Arc Raiders has turned that all around. Solo or with some friends, this game has been an obsession. Almost at 40 hours of play time and I only got it a few weeks ago. Been playing this on the Steam Deck and it runs like a dream.” — Mike

“I just got my Nomad! Super excited for a rugged portable speaker — and the promise of CarPlay in my Tesla.” — Zebulon

“Switching over more light switches to Tapo Matter switches. Have had some installed for the past six months, and appreciate that they just work when disconnected from Wi-Fi or when we have guests over.” — Tim

“The Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cake LED. Amazing, and hard to get.” — Chris

“My Retroid Pocket G2 showed up today. Sean already had an article about Valve funding Fex for Android / PC emulation, and with Winlator and Gamehub, there are some amazing options for emulating steam games on handhelds. Some of them get better performance than a Steam Deck!” — Cameron

“The new Enterprise model from Lego might take the win for IP blend of the year. My geek gauge broke.” — David

“Buying a BenQ ScreenBar Pro LED light bar for my monitor was the best home office upgrade I’ve done in a long time. It just mounts on top of your monitor and your webcam mounts on top of the light bar. Very nice light for your workspace and perfect when you’re working late with kids sleeping nearby.” — Shady

“I’ve been obsessed with Vampires SMP as of late, a narrative roleplay series set within Minecraft with an insanely fun and dramatic cast. I can’t stop thinking about this show and its characters to a degree that few TV shows have managed.” — Eris

“Spreading managed democracy in Helldivers 2 is awesome.” — Ani

I’ve written a bunch here in the last few weeks about Raycast, the launcher / note-taker / AI chat / many other things app that has become a key part of my computing life. (I also had Thomas Paul Mann, the company’s CEO, on The Vergecast last weekend.) I’ve heard from a bunch of you that you want to know more about how to use Raycast. This is a good idea! Especially now that it’s on Windows, a Raycast deep dive is a good idea, and I’m on it. But in the meantime, you should check out Raycast’s YouTube channel, which is as good a set of product videos as you’ll find — some deep dives on features, some user interviews, lots of good stuff. The “101 Things You Can Do With Raycast” video is also a fabulous place to start. I find new things every time I watch it.

More to come, though. I love Raycast, I know a lot of you do too, and we’ll get in the weeds on how to make the most of it. If you have tips / favorite features, send them my way!

Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.

David Pierce

Technology

Solar water platforms may solve a major air taxi hurdle

Published

1 hour ago

December 7, 2025

Press Room

Solar water platforms may solve a major air taxi hurdle

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Air taxis keep gaining momentum, yet one challenge keeps resurfacing: many cities have few places for them to land. AutoFlight believes it has an answer. The company introduced a zero-carbon water vertiport that moves across rivers, lakes or coastal zones. This solar-powered platform works as a mobile hub for electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft and aims to remove one of the biggest barriers to growth.

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THE WORLD’S FIRST FLYING CAR IS READY FOR TAKEOFF

AutoFlight’s solar-powered water vertiport shows how air taxis could finally gain flexible landing spots. (AutoFlight)

The landing bottleneck that held air taxis back

eVTOL air taxis promise quick trips that jump over traffic and turn long drives into short flights. That idea first appeared in the 1940s and 50s when helicopter passenger services launched in the US and Britain. Those early attempts faded because they could land in only a handful of places. Rooftops and scattered piers created new congestion points. Without enough landing pads, the entire system stalled.

AutoFlight’s new floating vertiport flips the model. Instead of forcing cities to build fixed sites that take years to complete, the vertiport travels to the aircraft.

PENNSYLVANIA BILL SEEKS TO LEGALIZE FLYING CARS

The mobile platform supports fast charging and takeoffs for several eVTOL aircraft in real-world conditions. (AutoFlight)

Inside the zero-carbon water vertiport

The vertiport sits on a self-propelled barge with a deck lined with solar panels. It uses clean energy to charge eVTOLs without relying on grid power. A small cabin serves as a departure lounge and technical room. Operators can reposition the platform wherever demand rises, which gives cities far more flexibility.

It works with several AutoFlight aircraft. That includes the six-seat Prosperity passenger craft and the White Shark and CarryAll vehicles used for cargo and industrial tasks. All can land, recharge, and take off from the same floating hub.

Because the platform runs on solar power and needs no major construction, it can be deployed much faster than any land-based site.

First public demo on the water

AutoFlight showed the full system on November 22 at Dianshan Lake near Shanghai. A 2-ton-class eVTOL took off from the floating vertiport during a public test. The company also flew three aircraft in formation and completed live airdrop missions with supplies and life rafts. The event highlighted how the system supports emergency work and low-altitude logistics.

THE WORLD’S FIRST FLYING CAR IS READY FOR TAKEOFF

The system highlights how floating hubs may expand air mobility across commuting, emergency work and tourism. (AutoFlight)

Five sectors this system could reshape

This new platform supports a wide range of real-world uses that reach far beyond simple city travel.

Marine energy maintenance

Offshore wind sites and oil rigs often wait hours for parts or personnel. AutoFlight says the system could improve transport efficiency more than tenfold.

Emergency response

Teams can pair wide-area searches with fast aerial response. This cuts reaction time by over half and boosts survival odds.

High-frequency commuting

Cities along rivers and bays could build quick air routes without touching roads.

Marine-aerial tourism

Tour operators could add a “flight plus water” experience to premium trips.

Mobile vertiport clusters

Multiple floating hubs can link into a network during peak travel or disaster relief missions.

How AutoFlight pushes clean air mobility

Sustainable aviation keeps gaining importance. AutoFlight partnered with CATL to integrate high-safety batteries into both its aircraft and vertiports. The system uses clean energy and low-impact infrastructure. It taps underused water surfaces and avoids major construction. Cities can deploy these pads quickly, which helps air mobility grow sooner.

What this means for you

Air taxis may feel far off, yet this solution tackles a real problem. Landing and charging sites remain the missing link. Floating vertiports open the door to fast routes between airports and city centers. They also set the stage for quick regional hops that cut travel times and reduce stress. Tourism operators may even use them to launch new water-to-air experiences.

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Kurt’s key takeaways

Air taxis cannot expand without more places to land. AutoFlight’s solar water platform offers a practical option that uses clean energy and fast deployment. If cities embrace this model, air mobility could shift from concept to daily use faster than expected.

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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

Scammers target wireless customers in new phone scheme

Published

13 hours ago

December 6, 2025

Press Room

Scammers target wireless customers in new phone scheme

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

A troubling message landed in our inbox, and it reveals a scam that many people have never seen. Before we break it down, here is an email Gary from Palmetto, Florida, sent us:

“This just happened to a friend of mine. It’s the first time I’ve heard of this scam. She bought a new phone from Spectrum. 2 days later, she got a call saying they were from Spectrum and told her that they’d accidentally given her a refurbished phone rather than a new one and asked her to send it back, which he did.

“However, that night she got the feeling that something wasn’t right. She contacted UPS the next day and Spectrum, and verified that it was a scam and fortunately was able to get her phone back. But UPS told her that they actually changed the return address and the address it was going to as soon as it was shipped. She was just darn lucky she got her phone back. But like I say, this is something new. Nobody I’ve talked to has heard of it yet,” it wrote.

This experience shows how quickly scammers evolve. It also highlights how important fast action can be when something feels off.

HOW 3.5B WHATSAPP NUMBERS WERE SCRAPED AND EXPOSED

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Scammers time their calls right after a new phone delivery to make the story feel real. (Cyberguy.com)

How this new phone return scam works

You may avoid this scam when you know the steps criminals use to pull it off. Here is how they operate.

1) Scammers track recent purchases

They start by watching recent phone or carrier purchases through leaked data, phishing or stolen shipment information. Because they know when a phone was delivered, they can time the call with precision.

2) They call with a convincing story

Next, they pretend to represent Spectrum or another carrier. They claim a mix-up happened and say the customer received a refurbished device. Since the call ties directly to a real purchase, the story feels believable.

3) They pressure the victim to ship the phone

After that, they send a prepaid label that looks official. Once the victim ships the phone, they alter the destination through UPS or FedEx tools or hacked accounts. As a result, the device gets rerouted fast.

4) They follow up to reduce doubt

Sometimes they even send a second message or call to confirm receipt. This extra touch delays the moment the victim realizes the package went to a different address.

5) Quick action saved Gary’s friend

Gary’s friend sensed something felt wrong. She contacted UPS and Spectrum right away, which allowed them to intercept the shipment before final delivery.

FAKE AGENT PHONE SCAMS ARE SPREADING FAST ACROSS THE US

Steps to protect yourself from phone return fraud

These simple actions can stop this scam early and keep your new phone safe.

1) Confirm every return request

Always check with your carrier through its official phone number or website chat before you ship a device.

2) Ignore labels sent by callers

Treat any label that appears outside your verified online account as suspicious since scammers use these to reroute packages.

3) Ship only after confirming the address

Use your own shipping and send the phone only after you verify the correct return address with your carrier.

4) Watch for pressure

Scammers use phrases, like “We made a mistake” or “We will credit your account to push quick action.” Slow down and confirm before you do anything.

5) Add a carrier account PIN

Create a PIN and turn on two-factor authentication (2FA) to protect your account from unauthorized access.

Fake return labels look official, which makes victims believe they are sending the phone back to the carrier. (Reuters/Thomas Peter/File Photo)

6) Use a strong antivirus software

Strong antivirus software blocks phishing sites and dangerous links that scammers use to steal account data. It also warns you about scam calls and messages tied to known threats.

The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have strong antivirus software installed on all your devices. This protection can also alert you to phishing emails and ransomware scams, keeping your personal information and digital assets safe.

Get my picks for the best 2025 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices at Cyberguy.com.

7) Use a personal data removal service

A data removal service pulls your information off people search sites that expose your address, carrier details and phone number. Lowering that exposure reduces targeted scam calls.

While no service can guarantee the complete removal of your data from the internet, a data removal service is really a smart choice. They aren’t cheap, and neither is your privacy. These services do all the work for you by actively monitoring and systematically erasing your personal information from hundreds of websites. It’s what gives me peace of mind and has proven to be the most effective way to erase your personal data from the internet. By limiting the information available, you reduce the risk of scammers cross-referencing data from breaches with information they might find on the dark web, making it harder for them to target you.

THIS IS WHAT YOU ARE DOING WRONG WHEN SCAMMERS CALL

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8) Check your account for any new orders or changes

Scammers sometimes add fake orders or create return requests inside your carrier account. Reviewing your activity can reveal tampering quickly. Check your carrier account for new orders or changes. Look for return requests, shipping labels or edits you did not make.

9) Turn on shipping alerts for packages

Most carriers and shipping companies let you enable text or email alerts. This makes it harder for scammers to reroute a package without you knowing. Turn on delivery alerts with UPS, FedEx or USPS. Real-time updates help you catch reroutes before your device moves too far.

10) Protect your shipping login

Scammers often use stolen UPS or FedEx credentials to change addresses. Secure your UPS or FedEx accounts with strong passwords. This limits unauthorized access that scammers rely on. Consider using a password manager, which securely stores and generates complex passwords, reducing the risk of password reuse.

Next, see if your email has been exposed in past breaches. Our No. 1 password manager pick includes a built-in breach scanner that checks whether your email address or passwords have appeared in known leaks. If you discover a match, immediately change any reused passwords and secure those accounts with new, unique credentials.

Quick action with UPS or the carrier can stop the scam before the package reaches the wrong hands. (iStock)

Check out the best expert-reviewed password managers of 2025 at Cyberguy.com.

11) Avoid reading label numbers out loud over the phone

Some scammers ask victims to read tracking numbers or label details. They use these codes to hijack shipments. Never share tracking numbers or label details with anyone who calls you. Scammers use those numbers to redirect packages.

12) Report attempted fraud

Your report helps carriers investigate similar attempts. Report any suspicious calls to your carrier’s fraud department. Your story can help protect other customers from the same scheme.

Kurt’s key takeaways

Phone return scams keep spreading because scammers watch for any moment when people feel rushed or distracted. When a new device arrives, most of us feel excited and eager to get it set up, which gives criminals a narrow window to strike. Taking a few simple steps to verify every return request can shut down the entire scheme before it reaches your door. Slow down, check the details and trust your instincts if anything feels off. Your caution can save you from losing a brand-new phone to a convincing lie.

What scam attempts have you or someone you know run into lately that others should know about? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.

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