Tech
21/05/2026

The cost of the smart home is going up

Selling the smart home has been hard. Even Amazon has lost money in the space, despite putting hundreds of millions of Echo devices in people's homes. Google has also reportedly struggled to turn a profit from its substantial investment in Nest. But now Google is seeing dollar signs in the prospect of selling AI-driven subscriptions […]

Tech
21/05/2026

Meta and Google get data from the app your boss uses to track you

Hundreds of thousands of workplaces use software to monitor employees. Now, a new study has found that many of these tools share data not just with employers, but with digital advertising platforms and data brokers as well. The review was led by Stephanie Nguyen, senior fellow at Columbia Law School's Center for Law and the […]

Tech
21/05/2026

GitHub faces a fight for its survival at Microsoft

When Microsoft announced it was acquiring GitHub in a $7.5 billion deal in 2018, developers were nervous. Some were concerned about Microsoft controlling GitHub, and others were taking a wait-and-see approach. Nearly eight years later, GitHub is now fighting for its survival, amid a surge of outages, security issues, and pressure from competitors. In the […]

Tech
21/05/2026

Spotify is launching AI-generated remixes

Spotify and Universal Music Group (UMG) announced a licensing deal that will allow users to prompt the creation of AI-generated remixes and covers for streaming songs. The tool will be a paid add-on for Premium subscribers. Artists will be able to opt out of the program, but those who do participate will collect royalties on […]

Tech
21/05/2026

Spotify is going to reserve concert tickets for ‘real fans’

As part of a new "Reserved" program, Spotify is going to start offering concert tickets for "real fans" of participating bands that are going on tour. The idea with the Reserved program is to give people an option to buy tickets without the hassle and stress that often comes with securing a spot for a […]

Tech
21/05/2026

Spotify Studio’s AI agent creates a daily podcast just for you

Studio by Spotify Labs is a new standalone AI app that generates a daily briefing, podcasts, and playlists on your PC using chatbot prompts. The AI-generated content draws from your Spotify listening history, as well as info from apps you connect to it, like your email inbox, calendar, and notes. Spotify says its AI can […]

Tech
21/05/2026

AI video is moving beyond clip slop

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. Hollywood is cooked - or so a growing number of people on social media would like you to believe. Their purported proof: AI-generated clips of Daniel Craig riding a Vespa […]