Anthropic and OpenAI take their beef to the midterm elections
Hello and welcome to Regulator, a newsletter for Verge subscribers about the car crashes piling up on a daily basis at the Washington-based intersection of technology and politics. If you're not a subscriber, sign up for our fine editorial enterprise today, especially as we process the end of Musk v. Altman. And if you have any tips about impending or hidden Washington car crashes, send 'em over to tina.nguyen+tips@theverge.com.
A quick note: Regulator will be on hiatus for the next two weeks while I take a much-needed vacation. Unfortunately, this means I'll be missing the public release of Pope Leo XIV's encyclical on humanity in the age …
Vibe coding is coming to your phone
"There's an app for that" was the promise of the App Store from the very beginning. The app that will get your phone to do the thing you want it to? It's just a few taps away. The tagline wasn't strictly true - I'm still waiting for that one perfect grocery list app. Still, apps shaped the modern smartphone into what it is today. We spend all day, every day inside of apps - scrolling, listening, and tapping until we find what we want. But your next favorite app might just be one that you made yourself.
If you weren't familiar with the concept of "vibe coding" at the beginning of 2026, you probably are now. As AI coding tools have become bet …
Volvo is trying to put its EV stumbles in the rearview
Volvo once had ambitions to fully exit the gas car business. Now it's trying to keep its tenuous foothold in the EV market.
It's not an understatement to say that Volvo's EV journey has been a bumpy one. The compact EX40 has been a consistent winner, but the Swedish brand's other EVs have been plagued with problems. The EX90 was supposed to be a bold statement for the future, but persistent software bugs have forced Volvo into an expensive hardware replacement. The tiny EX30 faired no better, with tariffs upending the rollout of the brand's first mass-market affordable EV, eventually leading to its discontinuation in the US.
But now with …
You can now remix other people’s YouTube Shorts with AI
Google announced a new YouTube Shorts Remix feature that lets users restyle clips or even insert themselves into other people's videos using Gemini Omni. Now, at the bottom of a YouTube Short, when you click the remix icon, you'll see an option to "reimagine" it. Here, you can prompt Gemini to turn a video into pixel art, an anime, or a found-footage horror film. But, beyond that, you can also alter the contents by, say, inflating heads, inserting background actors, dressing people in pirate costumes, or even putting yourself in the clip.
Creators can enable or disable the ability to reimagine videos. So, if you upload a short of your kids …
Samsung has a tentative deal with workers to avoid a memory chip strike
More than 47,000 Samsung Electronics workers were gearing up for an 18-day strike after bonus payment negotiations between the company and its union collapsed. The strike was set to start on Thursday at Samsung's domestic chipmaking plants, raising concerns around the already constrained production of memory chips amid the ongoing shortage.
Later on Wednesday, both parties announced that labor and management had reached a tentative agreement. On its website, the union confirmed strike plans have been suspended until further notice, pending a vote on the deal.
While the union had agreed to mediation proposed by South Korea's National Labor …
Xbox hires game industry analyst Matthew Ball to lead strategy
Microsoft has recruited game industry analyst Matthew Ball as Xbox chief strategy officer. Ball publishes an annual state of video gaming report, which is a popular read across the game industry, and he's "widely respected across gaming, media, and technology," according to Xbox CEO Asha Sharma.
Sharma announced Ball is joining Microsoft in a memo to Xbox employees this morning, seen by The Verge. She described Ball as a "longtime gamer," who has held strategy and leadership roles at Illumination, Amazon Studios, Otter Media, and Accenture Strategy. "Matthew has been partnering with us on strategy since day 10 and will officially start this …
Google Search’s AI evolution includes more ads
Google's AI-powered Search era apparently also extends to its ads. Now, when you look for a product in Search, Google's Gemini AI model will surface relevant items and generate a "custom explainer" about why you should purchase a specific one.
The update comes just one day after Google revealed a new Search box for larger, more conversational queries, along with a focus on AI-generated results. In an example shared by Google, someone searching for a "compact espresso pod machine" might see a Nespresso Vertuo Up under a "Sponsored Product" label, alongside an AI-generated description saying:
For a quality machine, look for capsule compati …
Anker’s travel-friendly Laptop Power Bank has returned to its best price of the year
Whether you’re heading out for a quick Memorial Day getaway or preparing for summer travel, a reliable power bank can come in handy when there’s no outlet in sight. Fortunately, Anker’s Laptop Power Bank can keep all your essential gadgets charged, and it’s currently on sale at Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart for $95.99 ($24 off), which is the best price we’ve seen this year and the lowest since Black Friday.
Anker Laptop Power Bank
Where to Buy:
Despite weighing as much as a water bottle, the 25,000mAh / 90Wh power bank can charge up to four devices at once via three USB-C ports and a lone USB-A port, so you won’t need to pack multiple chargers. It also meets airline carry-on requirements and features a retractable 2.3-foot USB-C cable, along with a second USB-C cable that conveniently doubles as a carrying strap, so you have fewer accessories to worry about when packing.
What really makes it stand out, though, is its power. It delivers up to 100W from a single USB-C port, meaning it can quickly charge beefy laptops, including Apple’s M5-powered MacBook Pro. It can also deliver up to 165W when charging two USB-C devices simultaneously, or 130W when using all four ports, allowing you to quickly top off your electronics when you’re short on time. As a nice extra, it also features a real-time display, which makes it easy to see how much battery remains and whether your devices are actually charging at full speed.
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- Now through May 22nd, you can pick up PowerA’s Advantage Wired Controller at Woot for $14.99 ($35 off) with a 90-day warranty when you use promo code CONTROL. The Xbox / PC gamepad features four-zone RGB lighting, a pair of mappable rear buttons, adjustable trigger locks, and a 3.5mm headset jack. It also comes with a detachable 10-foot USB-C cable, making it a surprisingly solid value for just $15.
- Divoom is selling its quirky Ditoo-Pro for $64.99 ($15 off) with code DIVOOM20, which is the best price we’ve seen this year (Amazon is also selling it for $3 more). The retro-inspired Bluetooth speaker delivers decent sound for its size and looks like a tiny desktop computer, complete with a customizable pixel-art display you can set up with your own designs and animations. It also offers a 12-sound alarm, a variety of white noises, and other handy features.
- Soundcore’s Sleep A20 are available from Amazon, Best Buy, and eBay (via Anker) for $129.99 ($50 off) when you use code LONGWEEKEND, which is one of the best prices we’ve seen since the holidays. Despite lacking some of the more advanced features found on the newer Sleep A30 — including active noise cancellation — Anker’s last-gen sleep buds still do a solid job of tuning out snoring and remain comfortable enough for side sleepers to wear overnight. You can use them to play a host of soothing sounds, too, including nature clips and white noise, or use them as a regular pair of Bluetooth earbuds. Read our review.
The Verge’s 2026 high school graduation gift guide
High school graduation is a time of change that might be felt more deeply by family members than by the grads themselves. While some grads may immediately embark on a career path, many continue their education and delve deeper into their studies at college. Either way, they'll be taking on more responsibility, meaning it's up to friends and relatives to figure out how to support them.
Support comes in many forms, but a gift or two certainly won't hurt. Luckily, we've compiled a host of Verge-approved gift ideas spanning a wide array of interests and price points. They'll think of you when they grab their AirPods 4 to tune out distractions w …
A feature-packed MagSafe power bank is 20 percent off for Memorial Day
Having personally recently tested a bunch of MagSafe power banks for an upcoming piece, let me tell you that it’s tough to find a low-cost model that offers a bunch of features. Anker’s 10,000mAh Zolo power bank is an exception to the rule, with its built-in, braided USB-C cable, MagSafe magnets to stay attached to your iPhone, plus a kickstand to hold your phone upright as it charges. The black and white versions are currently $39.99 ($10 off) at Amazon, which is their biggest — and only — discount since late 2025. The black version is $44.99 at Newegg with offer code EDF25447 used at checkout.
Anker Zolo MagSafe power bank (10,000mAh, Qi 7.5W)
Where to Buy:
While the charger only offers Qi 7.5W speeds to iPhones (well below the 25W peak wireless charging speeds of most newer iPhones), it’s fast enough to keep your device topped up while you work, or as you’re watching videos. It’s plenty speedy with wired charging, though, delivering up to 30W of power via USB-C. It can charge three devices at once — one via wireless charging, one with its built-in cable, and another with its spare USB-C port — but the total speed will drop to 15W. Again, not bad at all if you just want to keep your devices afloat.