Version History

For years, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos knew the computer he wanted to build. He wanted it to be cheap, accessible everywhere, and controlled entirely by voice. It took Amazon a number of years, a lot of false starts, and some deeply strange focus groups, but the company eventually turned the Amazon Echo into something like the voice computer Bezos wanted, powered by an assistant called Alexa. (Even though Bezos kind of hated the thing along the way.) In this episode, we tell the story of the development of Alexa and the Echo, and try to figure out what Amazon got right and wrong about the voice-based future — and whether AI could make it come true for real.

Further reading: The Secret Origins of Amazon's Alexa

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The Macintosh wasn't a hit, at least not in its first incarnation. But it was still unquestionably one of the most iconic computers ever made — and it came with one of the most iconic ads ever made, too. In this episode, David Pierce, Nilay Patel, and Daring Fireball's John Gruber tell the story of the Macintosh, from its beginnings as a lark inside Apple to its dramatic unveiling to its somewhat middling reception. Not long after the Macintosh came out, Steve Jobs was run out of Apple, but the ideas in this computer eventually took over the company. And the world.

Help us decide where Macintosh ranks among Apple's 50 best products ever.

Version History is also on video! Check us out on YouTube. Subscribe to The Verge for unlimited access to theverge.com, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ad-free podcast feed. We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to [email protected] or call us at 866-VERGE11.
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The vocoder was never meant to change the music business – it wasn’t meant for music at all. But the research that started a century ago as a way to cheaply move voices over telephone wires took on a life of its own: It turned into a crucial bit of secret military technology, and then inspired generations of musicians to play their own voices like an instrument. On this episode, with the help of Switched on Pop’s Charlie Harding and the electro-funk duo Chromeo, we tell the full story of the vocoder and all that it made possible.

Check out this episode's companion playlist on Spotify!

We’re also on video! Check us out on YouTube.

Subscribe to The Verge for unlimited access to theverge.com, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ad-free podcast feed.

We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to [email protected] or call us at 866-VERGE11.
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If you were launching a new app in 2020, it was either the worst timing (see: Quibi) or the best timing (see: Clubhouse). Clubhouse was an initially invite-only, audio-based social network that worked like an old-timey party line or radio call-in show… and it was exactly what people needed who suddenly found themselves stuck at home. Casey Newton (Hard Fork, Platformer) and Ashley Carman (Bloomberg) join host David Pierce to talk about the app where celebrities, venture capitalists and normies hobnobbed during lockdown.
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In 1997, David Hampton and Caleb Chung took one look at a Tamagotchi and decided they could bring the virtual pet craze into the real world. Their robotic companion, Furby, packed a bunch of advanced technology into a small, adorable, often annoying package. But for all the irritation it caused (Furby famously had no on-off switch) there was a surprising amount of thoughtful philosophy in its design. The Verge’s Vee Song, Sean Hollister and host David Pierce are joined by Coco the Furby to discuss the lore behind the hottest toy of 1998.

Geocities chat with Furby co-inventor David Hampton

We’re also on video! Check us out on YouTube.Subscribe to The Verge for unlimited access to theverge.com, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ad-free podcast feed.We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to [email protected] or call us at 866-VERGE11.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices