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The Vergecast · June 26, 2026 · 1h 23m

Of course Meta thinks gambling is the future

David Pierce, Nilay Patel

The Vergecast hosts Nilay Patel and David Pierce break down a chaotic week in tech. They discuss Meta's plan to clone Polymarket as a prediction-market app, the company's messy AI reorganization and internal surveillance, Valve's $1,049 Steam Machine and the brutal RAM supply dynamics that are driving up device costs, and Apple’s own aggressive price increases. The show also touches on the brewing AI data-scraping war between publishers and Google, and a bizarre mid-year hardware roundup that includes everything from the Slate electric truck to Kaleidescape's wallet-destroying home theater player.

This summary was generated from show notes and public descriptions, not from a full transcript review. Details may contain inaccuracies.

Highlights

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Meta's Prediction Market Clone
Meta plans to release an AI-powered prediction market app, essentially cloning Polymarket but without using real money.
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Apple's RAM Price Squeeze and the Gadget Market
Apple's huge price increases and the dynamic of RAM becoming a major cost component could permanently reshape gadget pricing.
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Valve's Steam Machine and Brutal RAM Negotiations
Valve's Steam Machine, priced at $1,049, highlights how brutal RAM supply negotiations are driving up next-gen console costs.
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Meta's Internal Surveillance and AI Reorganization Mess
Meta faced backlash after tracking employee computer usage to train AI agents, while its AI reorganization was called 'atrocious' by its own CTO.
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The Looming AI Data Crawling Fight
People Inc.'s CEO warns of a potential confrontation with Google over AI data crawling, signaling an emerging battle over the open web.
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Misc

✧Segment titled 'Brendan Carr is a dummy' covers the FCC commissioner's recent actions.
✧The hosts share the latest on the movie 'Artificial,' about Sam Altman.
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