- Media Briefing: Publishers reassess Privacy Sandbox plans following Google’s cookie deprecation reversal Back in the sandbox Just last week, publishers told Digiday that allocating resources to testing Google’s Privacy Sandbox in-house was not worth the effort. But Google’s announcement on Monday to reverse its plans to fully ... read more
- Amazon is discontinuing my favorite Echo — the one with a dot-matrix clockPhoto by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge I have six Amazon Echo smart speakers in my house, and I’ve tested more, but my favorite is the Echo Dot with Clock. I ... read more
- Microsoft Retrains AI-Based Search, Accommodates PublishersMicrosoft has made important changes as it transitions to AI-supported search by combining the power of large and small language models with Bing's search results. It has also taken publishers into consideration as it makes ... read more
- Microsoft Retrains, Releases AI-Based Search With Consideration To PublishersMicrosoft has made important changes as it transitions to AI-supported search by combining the power of large and small language models with Bing's search results. It has also taken publishers into consideration as it makes ... read more
- FBI director discusses the Trump rally shooter’s search history and drone detailsImage: Kristen Radtke / The Verge; Getty Images FBI director Christopher Wray said on Wednesday that the person who attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump searched the web for “How far ... read more
- The NBA’s new TV deals put a lot of games on Amazon’s Prime Video starting in 2025Photo by Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe via Getty Images Amazon’s Prime Video has inked an 11-year deal that will bring NBA and WNBA games to the streaming service starting with the 2025-2026 ... read more
- A new Nest Learning Thermostat might be on the wayA new Nest Learning Thermostat appears to be imminent. | Image: MysteryLupin via X Leaked images posted on X by @MysteryLupin show a 4th-generation Nest Learning Thermostat and new temperature sensors, as ... read more
- Cameo Settles Charges Over Paid EndorsementsCameo, valued at $1 billion in 2021, will pay $100,000 to settle allegations that it failed to ensure celebrity endorsements included ad disclosures. ... read more
- NASA fired its space lasers to communicate with the ISSNASA researchers have successfully tested laser communications in space by streaming 4K video footage originating from an airplane in the sky to the International Space Station and back. The feat demonstrates that ... read more
- Spotify Invests In Ad Business Through Rebranded Ads ManagerWith a new look and feel, the rebranded Spotify Ads Manager has a redesign aimed at simplifying the navigation process for advertisers, as well as advanced audience-targeting capabilities. ... read more
- Generative AI Transitions from Potential to Practical Use in AdvertisingCANNES — Just 18 months since its inception, generative AI has rapidly evolved from a topic of excitement and possibility to a tool being actively experimented with and implemented by the advertising community. “Last year at ... read more
- Colin Kaepernick Launches AI-Driven Creator-Publishing PlatformColin Kaepernick is launching Lumi, a startup that will guide creators through the process of publishing original stories in the form of comic books, graphic novels and manga with the help of creative AI tools. ... read more
- Bing’s AI redesign shoves the usual list of search results to the sideIllustration: The Verge Bing’s new search experience puts AI-generated answers front and center while pushing traditional search results to the side. The new layout, which is rolling out for a small number ... read more
- FTC Tells Businesses: Identifiers Are Not Anonymous"Companies should not act or claim as if hashing personal information renders it anonymized," the FTC said Wednesday ... read more
- AMD is slightly delaying its Ryzen 9000 desktop CPUs ‘out of an abundance of caution’An image representing AMD’s new Ryzen 9000 desktop parts. | Image: AMD AMD was set to launch its new Zen 5 processors on July 31st, including the 16-core, 32-thread Ryzen 9 9950X, ... read more
- World of Warcraft developers form Blizzard’s largest and most inclusive unionIllustration by Alex Castro / The Verge More than 500 developers at Blizzard Entertainment who work on World of Warcraft have voted to form a union. The World of Warcraft GameMakers Guild, ... read more
- The incredible shrinking, stretching iPhoneLittle phone, how I miss you. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge We’ve already heard rumblings about an iPhone Slim model taking the place of the iPhone Plus in 2025, ... read more
- Here are the best iPad deals right nowDespite how recently it launched, Apple’s latest iPad Pro is already on sale for up to $100 off. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge While the best iPad deals ... read more
- Apple Maps launches on the web to take on GoogleIllustration: The Verge Apple Maps is finally available on the web. Through a beta that launched Wednesday afternoon, you can now get driving and walking directions, as well as view ratings and ... read more
- Kamala Harris hasn’t said a lot about tech policy, but here’s what we knowImage: Cath Virginia / The Verge; Getty Images The vice president and presumptive Democratic nominee is a cipher on many tech issues — here’s what we’ve been able to piece together. ... read more
- Herman Miller now offers plant-based leather on its iconic lounge chairThe Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman can now be ordered with plant-based upholstery made from bamboo. | Image: Herman Miller Can you finally feel guilt-free about buying an iconic piece of furniture that ... read more
- The Senate passed a bill cracking down on sexually explicit deepfakesPhoto by Samuel Corum / Getty Images The Senate unanimously passed a bill on Tuesday letting victims of nonconsensual intimate images created by AI — or “deepfakes” — sue their creators for ... read more
- Apple may use Samsung for iPhone cameras, ending longtime Sony runPhoto by Allison Johnson / The Verge Apple might start using Samsung camera sensors as soon as 2026, marking the end of Sony’s decade-plus run as the sole supplier of the phones’ ... read more
- ANA: Advertisers Struggling With Retail Media NetworksAdvertisers tapping into retail media networks are struggling with performance, data and metrics - mainly because methods are inconsistent, making comparisons across RMNs and other media platforms challenging. ... read more
- ANA: Advertisers Struggle With Performance, Data, Metrics Across Retail Media NetworksAdvertisers tapping into retail media networks are struggling with performance, data and metrics - mainly because methods are inconsistent, making comparisons across RMNs and other media platforms challenging. ... read more
- iPhone torrenting apps are now available in the EUYou won’t find (most) of these on Apple’s official iOS App Store. | Image: Riley Testut / AltStore PAL The first batch of third-party apps are making their way onto AltStore PAL, ... read more
- Alphabet Earnings Earn A Shrug From Investors, But Nobody Else Can Keep UpAlphabet is so big that, even when it’s growing slowly, it’s still outpacing competitors. On Tuesday, the company reported earnings for Q2 2024, which Wall Street considered a dud. Shares were slightly down by Wednesday ... read more
- Meta cracks down on ‘Yahoo Boys’ and thousands of sextortion accountsIllustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge Meta shut down 63,000 Instagram accounts based in Nigeria that it says were engaged in financial sextortion scams and connected to what Meta calls a ... read more
- iPhones will soon be able to stream live video on 911 callsImage: Apple / RapidSOS First responder networks are lining up to support a major new emergency feature in iOS 18: Live Video support. Now, 911 support platforms, including RapidSOS Unite and Prepared, ... read more
- Reddit is now blocking major search engines and AI bots — except the ones that payIllustration: The Verge Reddit is ramping up its crackdown on web crawlers. Over the past few weeks, Reddit has started blocking search engines from surfacing recent posts and comments unless the search ... read more
- Olympic drone spying scandal lands Canadian coach a red cardCanadian soccer coach Bev Priestman will miss the Olympic team’s opening match against New Zealand. | Photo by Vaughn Ridley / Getty Images A member of the Canadian Olympic women’s soccer team ... read more
- Chrome adds new warnings and cloud scanning for suspicious downloadsImage: Google Google has updated the suspicious file warnings Chrome displays for why it might have blocked a potentially suspicious or dangerous file download to hopefully give users clearer explanations. For people ... read more
- Ascential, Informa Agree To Pay Shareholders Cash Dividend On Hudson MX SaleThe agreement, part of Informa's $1.5 billion bid for Ascential, would pay Ascential shareholders the net proceeds of Hudson MX's sale if it closes before Ascential is acquired by Informa. ... read more
- Sony tests a new PS5 3D audio profile setup to personalize in-game effectsPhoto by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge The latest PlayStation beta lets you create personalized 3D audio profiles on your PS5 that could help you “better sense the positions of ... read more
- Google's Weather Ad-Choice SimulatorCould pulling apart data's black box to layer in information from a highly accurate weather simulator become an ad-targeting option? ... read more
- IPG Explores 'Strategic Alternatives' For Huge, R/GAIf the agencies are sold off, CEO Philippe Krakowsky explained, it would be part of a broader asset remix at the firm, which is also ramping up a new principle buying operation. ... read more
- What's On IPG's Mind: Media, Especially The Principal KindThat's based on remarks IPG chief Philippe Krakowsky made during the holdco's Q2 earnings call this morning. Other big topics: retail media, commerce, AI and health. Creative, not so much. ... read more
- The Sonos Ace headphones are seeing their first discount at $40 offThe Ace have an understated design that’s very sleek, especially in white. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge If you’re looking to be an early-ish adopter of some fancy headphones ... read more
- We experimented with macOS on the iPad and it was surprisingly good
- Apple’s Sunny imagines a cozy future where screens fade into the backgroundSunny the robot has a very expressive face. | Image: Apple The murder mystery was a chance for showrunner Katie Robbins to imagine a different kind of sci-fi vision. Continue reading… ... read more
- The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 is a great phone that’s out of ideasSamsung’s flagship foldable is as good as ever, but it feels anything but fresh. Continue reading… ... read more
- NBCU's Olympics To Have First Ad-Free Opening Ceremony With Sponsor LogosNBC says the Paris Summer Olympics will hit a record for national TV ad spending. ... read more
- Google has big new ideas about the Play StoreIllustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Google is bringing a handful of new features to its Google Play store on Android today. There are new categorized “collections” that highlight content from ... read more
- The wireless GameSir G8 Plus controller works with smartphones and the SwitchIn addition to iOS and Android mobile devices, the GameSir G8 Plus works with the Nintendo Switch. | Image: GameSir GameSir’s latest mobile controller has an added bonus — it also works ... read more
- Beyond Hyper-Personalization: Digitas’ Nadeau On Finding A Role For Cookies And IDsAMENIA, NY — The digital ad industry has been preparing for a cookieless future. While Google’s surprise decision not to deprecate cookies in its Chrome browser may reduce the urgency of the move, it won’t necessarily change ... read more
- Google’s Cookie Plans Have Key Opt-Out Choice for Consumers: InfoSum CEO Lauren WetzelAMENIA, N.Y. – Google this week ended a plan to remove tracking cookies from its popular Chrome browser after four years of delays and disagreements with marketers and advertising agencies. The search giant is giving ... read more
- IPG Reports Q2 Growth Of 1.7%, In Line With ExpectationsThe company expects to achieve 1% organic growth for the full year. Earlier it had stated a 1% to 2% growth range, but noted at the time the loss of a significant client that could ... read more
- TikTok’s Jorge Ruiz: Measurement Is About Growing Clients’ BusinessCANNES — Marketers today want to know that their ads work in delivering business outcomes, sales lifts and incremental results. But marketing measurement is not just about proving the impact of campaigns – it’s also ... read more
- Reaching Cookieless Audiences Brings 80% Boost: Intent IQ’s Beer-GabelThe advertising world is in a state of flux as the deprecation of third-party cookies progresses, leaving advertisers and publishers alike grappling with how to maximize reach, performance and monetization. With some audiences still reachable ... read more
- Best Buy's Adventures In Spokes-nessI was predicting cringe. But it was the opposite. I couldn't believe the retail giant could spend a whole 30-seconds embracing my exact neurotic spokes-pronunciation ramblings. I felt seen. ... read more
- To Up-Level 2024 Holiday Campaigns, Take A Phygital ApproachSure, it’s July. But as the 2024 holiday shopping season nears, using location intelligence allows businesses to integrate physical and digital experiences, creating a cohesive customer journey across both realms. By seamlessly bringing together data ... read more
- Harris Enters Race: Is Political Ad Spend Suddenly Accelerating?The campaign for Kamala Harris, the new Democrat Presidential candidate, raised an an eye-popping $140 million in just a few days from small - not billionaire - donors. ... read more
- Red, White And Blue Snoop Dogg Carries Torch For The USAThe incredible story of Snoop Dogg continues with the news that he will be carrying the Olympic torch on its journey to Paris. ... read more
- The moral bankruptcy of Marc Andreessen and Ben HorowitzIn venture capital, you are what you fund. | Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge Two of Silicon Valley’s famous venture capitalists made a case for backing Trump: that their ability to ... read more
- Twitch is cracking down on sexual harassment in chatsIllustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge Twitch has introduced new policy and moderation updates that aim to help curb sexual harassment. The streaming platform announced in a blog post that it ... read more
- Why is Google no longer deprecating cookies?As most of you probably already know, Google announced that they no longer plan to deprecate third-party cookies in Chrome. The brief blog post was scant in detail but did provide a couple of nuggets ... read more
- Three-Ply Vs. One-Ply ProgrammaticWhat does programmatic media have in common with toilet paper? A lot more than you might think. Consider the question of incentives, says Sherine Ebadi, managing director of forensic investigations at Kroll, on this week’s ... read more
- CrowdStrike blames test software for taking down 8.5 million Windows machinesImage: The Verge CrowdStrike has published a post incident review (PIR) of the buggy update it published that took down 8.5 million Windows machines last week. The detailed post blames a bug ... read more
- E-commerce is driving up pollution near warehousesTrucks near a warehouse in San Bernardino County, California | Image: Wes Reel / The Verge The data is in, and it shows a significant rise in air pollution where e-retailers build ... read more
- Google Backpedaling On Its Cookie Phaseout Isn’t An Excuse For ComplacencyGoogle has hit the brakes on its plan to eliminate third-party cookies. Instead of phasing out third-party cookies by default, Google now says it will offer Chrome users new privacy controls, allowing them to opt ... read more
- Spotify Is Starting To Sing; NBCU Needs To See Gold This OlympicsHere’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign up here. High Spot Spotify reported its second consecutive quarter of record-setting profit growth. The company’s Q2 profit margin of 29.2% was its highest to ... read more
- Why gaming venture capital funding is down in Q2 2024After a strong start to the year, venture capitalists’ interest in gaming and esports appears to have flagged in the second quarter of 2024. The past year has been a challenging period for the gaming ... read more
- Future of TV Briefing: A look at Netflix’s streaming bundle playbookThis week’s Future of TV Briefing looks at how Netflix is going about bundling subscriptions to its streaming service. The streaming bundle playbook Netflix moves up the TV watch time ranks Netflix loses Naylor, ... read more
- Kodiak’s climbing strategy points to niche Olympic entry points for smaller brands
- Google’s privacy shift on third-party cookies sparks concerns of Apple-like controlAmong the frustration and surprise over Google’s decision to sidestep directly eliminating third-party cookies in Chrome, one concern stands out for ad execs: Google’s evolving stance on privacy seems to be mirroring Apple’s, using it ... read more
- Why Google’s cookie deprecation reversal isn’t actually a reprieve for publishersPublishers’ cookiepocalypse preparedness plans are still intact, despite Google’s announcement on Monday that the tech behemoth would not be removing third-party cookies completely from its Chrome browser after all. In fact, 11 publishing execs told ... read more
- X replaced the water pistol emoji with a regular gun, for some reasonImage: The Verge Years after Twitter replaced the pistol emoji with a green-and-orange water gun, X has decided to change it back to a regular handgun. An X employee announced the change ... read more
- KOSA sponsors urge ‘quick and clean’ Senate vote with less than two weeks until recessPhoto by Samuel Corum/Getty Images The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) will finally get its moment on the Senate floor this week after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced he’d move ... read more
- Elon Musk is not answering the most important questions about the Tesla robotaxiPhoto by Gary Hershorn/Getty Images Will the Tesla robotaxi have a steering wheel or not? Elon Musk won’t say. The Tesla CEO dodged several questions during an earnings call Tuesday about ... read more
- Meta Launches New AI Model, Strengthens Partnership With NvidiaLlama 3.1, created in partnership with Nvidia, is available in three unique versions - including one that marks Meta's biggest open-source AI model yet - keeping Meta in direct competition with tech giants and startups ... read more
- The cheapest Wi-Fi 7 router is this $99 TP-Link oneImage: TP-Link TP-Link has debuted the Archer BE3600, a $99 Wi-Fi 7 router that is the cheapest one we’ve seen released in the US so far since the first routers supporting the ... read more
- Deadpool & Wolverine is a desperate Hail MaryImage: Jay Maidment / Marvel Studios Beneath the dick jokes and solid X-Men cameos, Deadpool & Wolverine feels like Marvel’s way of admitting how much of a mess its multiverse era has ... read more
- Alphabet Takes In $64.6B In Q2 Ad Revenue"We delivered revenues of $85 billion, up 14% year-on-year driven by Search as well as Cloud, which for the first time exceeded $10 billion in quarterly revenues and $1 billion in operating profit," said Ruth ... read more
- Alphabet Brings In $64.62B In Quarterly Ad Revenue"We delivered revenues of $85 billion, up 14% year-on-year driven by Search as well as Cloud, which for the first time exceeded $10 billion in quarterly revenues and $1 billion in operating profit," said Ruth ... read more
- Lawmaker Seeks Probe Of X Over @KamalaHQ ThrottlingRep. Jerry Nadler is calling for an investigation into reports that X prevented some users from following Kamala Harris's presidential campaign account, @KamalaHQ. ... read more
- Google had a massive quarter thanks to Search and AIIllustration: The Verge Google made nearly $85 billion over the past few months as revenue from its Search and cloud computing businesses soared. That’s according to the quarter two earnings report released ... read more
- Tesla’s profits sank sharply in the second quarter of 2024Photo by Osmancan Gurdogan/Anadolu via Getty Images Tesla published its second quarter earnings report in which the company said it earned $1.48 billion in net income on $25.5 billion in revenue. That ... read more
- Cannes Lions Operator Ascential Weighing $1.5B BidAscential plc, which also is in the process of selling agency tech startup Hudson MX, says its board is "minded" to accept the $1.5 billion offer from British publisher Informa plc. ... read more
- Stuff this trackable wallet with everything but an AirTagYou won’t need to stuff an AirTag inside ESR’s Geo Wallet to find it. | Image: ESR With its own integrated tracking module compatible with Apple’s Find My network and a traditional ... read more
- How K-pop might lead to the downfall of Korea’s richest self-made tech mogulEvery Korean, Korean-American, or K-pop fan you know probably has the KakaoTalk app. | Image: Getty Kakao Corp. founder Kim Beom-su was arrested Tuesday in Seoul, South Korea. That might not mean ... read more
- Kamala Harris wants you to know she’s having a ‘Brat’ summerImage: Kamala HQ On Sunday, President Joe Biden shocked the country with his announcement that he would not seek reelection in November. He threw his support behind vice president Kamala Harris. If ... read more
- Google's Tumultuous Two DaysRegulatory scrutiny of several planned decisions that Google had in the works could have been the reason for reversals announced this week by the Alphabet company. ... read more
- 4A's CEO Kaplowitz Set To Leave In 2025 After 8 Years In The RoleKaplowitz is set to depart May 30 of next year. The Board of Directors and its Search Committee will now begin looking for her successor. ... read more
- Yes She Can!Kamala Harris has the super powers necessary to beat Trump: She's the underdog; people underestimate her; she's tenacious, and she's on the right side of a binary choice about our future. ... read more
- Spotify CEO confirms a ‘deluxe’ version with hi-fi audio is coming soonPhoto by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Spotify The saga of Spotify HiFi has many twists and turns. First announced over three years ago, the music service’s higher-quality streaming tier has ... read more
- Utah's Social Media Law Doesn't Conflict With Section 230, Judge RulesThe Utah Minor Protection in Social Media Act requires platforms to limit minors' ability to communicate with other users. ... read more
- Wooting joins Razer with a speedy new keyboard feature for PC gamingImage: Wooting Earlier this month, Razer beat Wooting to a speedy new keyboard feature that lets players counter-strafe more quickly in a variety of competitive PC games. Now, Wooting has implemented the ... read more
- Schumer plans to bring two major kids online safety bills to the Senate floor this weekPhoto by Alex Wong/Getty Images Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) plans to announce in a speech that he will bring the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and the Children’s and Teens ... read more
- Apple’s first foldable iPhone could arrive in 2026Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge Apple continues to work on a foldable iPhone, which could arrive as early as 2026, according to a report from The Information. The phone is ... read more
- Meta Automatically Suggests Offers In AdsMeta is introducing a new hands-off way for marketers to include all available offers listed on their site into their Meta ad campaigns across Facebook and Instagram. ... read more
- Netflix has a new gaming boss after hiring former Epic execIllustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge There’s a new name in charge of Netflix’s ongoing gaming efforts. As Variety reports, the streamer has hired Alain Tascan as the new president of ... read more
- NBCU Posts Mixed Q2 Results, Peacock Cuts LossesPeacock posted its smallest quarterly loss since its launch in 2019 - $348 million - while revenue rose 28% to $1.05 billion in Q2. ... read more
- Microsoft is bringing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III to Xbox Game Pass
- What Does Google’s Plan To Keep Cookies Mean For Its Relationship With Regulators?Google appears to have thrown regulators for a loop with its surprise announcement on Monday that it no longer plans to deprecate third-party cookies in Chrome. The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it ... read more
- Declutter your desk with Sharge’s new 100W charging stationYou can power up to six devices with Sharge’s new charging station. | Image: Sharge Sharge’s new 100W charging station falls somewhere between a compact multi-port USB charger and a plastic power ... read more
- The 78 minutes that took down millions of Windows machinesPhoto by Harun Ozalp / Anadolu via Getty Images On Friday morning, shortly after midnight in New York, disaster started to unfold around the world. In Australia, shoppers were met with Blue ... read more
- Helldivers 2 is getting its biggest update very soonImage: Arrowhead Studios The team at Arrowhead Game Studios is working on the biggest Helldivers 2 update yet. On August 6th, the Escalation of Freedom update will offer players new game modes, ... read more
- Amazon’s paid Alexa is coming to fill a $25 billion hole dug by Echo devicesIllustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Amazon’s plan to launch a paid version of Alexa is part of a strategy change to reverse the over $25 billion in losses that its ... read more
- Kinesso's Mission: Everything Shoppable Everywhere All At OnceThat's what Kinesso Commerce says its new "ShopNow" creative units will enable over time, beginning with digital video across the open web, social media, etc. ... read more
- Making Everything Shoppable, Everywhere, Even Jennifer Aniston's SweaterThat's what Kinesso Commerce says its new "ShopNow" creative units will enable over time, beginning with digital video across the open web, social media, etc. ... read more