Command Line is a weekly newsletter about the tech industry’s inside conversation. Each week, The Verge’s Alex Heath peels back the curtain on tech’s most influential players, delivering scoops, interviews, and analysis you won’t find elsewhere. All new monthly and annual subscriptions come with a 30-day free trial. See our FAQ for more.
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X was supposed to be a bank by now
Elon Musk said he wanted to turn Twitter into the “town square” and “everything app.” He has failed at both. Also: some observations from this week of tech earnings.
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Evan Spiegel on why Snap is betting on Spectacles
In an interview, Snap’s CEO explains why he’s determined to build AR glasses, his view of the state of social media, and more.
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Your CEO’s favorite podcast
How Acquired is bucking the trend. Plus: Anthropic’s view on the state of AI, Apple’s iPhone stasis, and more.
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Roblox’s CEO on getting to 1 billion users
Roblox may already be bigger than the entire AAA game industry. What’s next? Plus: Telegram’s mea culpa and Amazon’s latest sneaky AI deal.
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The AI race’s biggest shift yet
With open source driving the cost of AI models down, attention is turning to the products they power.
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Google is trying to steal the Ray-Ban partnership from Meta
The smart glasses market is heating up. Also: layoffs and a strategy shift hit Magic Leap.
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Meta forms new Wearables group and lays off some employees
Meta’s Reality Labs is undergoing its biggest restructuring in years by separating into two orgs: Wearables and Metaverse. A small number of employees have been laid off as a result.
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What went wrong at BeReal and what comes next
BeReal wanted to be the next Instagram. What happens now that it has been acquired?
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Silicon Valley warms up to Donald Trump
Vocal tech and crypto leaders are increasingly coming out in support of another Trump presidency — felonies be damned.
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Google and OpenAI are racing to rewire the internet
Both companies are competing to build a combination of ChatGPT and Search. Now, it’s a matter of who can outmaneuver the other.
Meta is quietly winning the AI wearable race
It’s a low bar so far, but Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses are proving to be the best implementation of wearable AI out there.
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What happens to TikTok?
With the app facing another potential ban from the US, what would divesting it from ByteDance look like? And just how important is the algorithm?
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Amazon scrambles for its place in the AI race
With its multibillion-dollar bet on Anthropic and its forthcoming Olympus model, Amazon is pushing hard to be a leader in AI.
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Google’s morale crisis is about to get worse
The layoffs keep rolling, Gemini is in trouble, and now Google employees are bracing for lower raises.
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Reddit’s biggest risk factor is Google
As Reddit gets ready for its IPO, has it grown too dependent on Google for traffic and money?
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It’s Snap versus the world
Snapchat’s parent company is looking increasingly outgunned in a league of bigger players. Also: notes on Google’s Gemini, Disney tying up with Epic Games, and more.
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Inside Google’s morale crisis
At this week’s all-hands meeting, Sundar Pichai faced the music. Plus: ByteDance’s ‘urgency’ push and a big week for Meta.
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Apple won’t give up control of the iPhone
The EU wants to weaken Apple’s gatekeeper power, and the company is on the wrong side of history by fighting it.
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