The post-search Google era begins episode artwork

EPISODE · May 22, 2026 · 1H 35M

The post-search Google era begins

from The Vergecast · host The Verge

Before we get into this week's tech news, we have some corporate news to discuss, and some very exciting Vergecast news to share. (If you have questions about either one, hit us up: [email protected] or 866-VERGE11!) Then, Nilay and David get back into the weeds on all things Google I/O, and in particular the ways AI is changing the Google Search experience. When Gemini can find things for you, make things for you, even buy things for you, are you even searching anymore? Finally, in the lightning round, it's time for the Hype Desk, Brendan Carr is a Dummy, SpaceX, the Trump Phone, and some very confusing social networks. Further reading: The future of Google is a search box that does everything  Google is building a ‘universal’ AI shopping cart that tracks prices, offers suggestions, and finds discounts  Demis Hassabis said this might be the ‘foothills of the singularity.’ What?  Google is trying to make deepfake detection more accessible  Google Search’s AI evolution includes more ads  Google’s AI future demands trust — and your personal data  Why does the Googlebook exist? The FCC voted to ‘streamline’ tracking US broadband quality. In SpaceX’s IPO, Elon Musk is the risk factor Spotify is verifying podcasts made by real people too. NBC just got the Trump phone. 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. (Timestamps are approximate.) 00:00:00 Intro 00:02:00 Vox Media Sale 00:08:00 What Changes for The Verge 00:12:00 Vergecast Goes Daily 00:18:00 Feedback and Launch Details 00:23:00 Google I O Vibe Check 00:24:00 Agents Everywhere at Google 00:25:00 Search Becomes the Platform 00:26:00 Singularity Talk Whiplash 00:31:00 Monetizing AI and Google Zero 00:37:00 Shopping Web Takes Over 00:39:00 Agents Replace Browsing 00:43:00 Canvas Makes Apps 00:49:00 Google Book Devices Pitch 00:51:00 Agents Break App Economics 00:53:00 Traffic Deal Is Over 01:01:00 Hype Desk Forza Horizon 6 01:07:00 Subnautica 2 Surprise Hit 01:11:00 Brendan Carr is a Dummy 01:14:00 Broadband Map Complaints 01:21:00 Spotify AI Whiplash 01:25:00 Deepfake Detection Reality 01:30:00 SpaceX IPO Breakdown 01:34:00 Trump Phone In Wild 01:37:00 Wrap Up And Plugs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published May 22, 2026

Before we get into this week's tech news, we have some corporate news to discuss, and some very exciting Vergecast news to share. (If you have questions about either one, hit us up: [email protected] or 866-VERGE11!) Then, Nilay and David get back into the weeds on all things Google I/O, and in particular the ways AI is changing the Google Search experience. When Gemini can find things for you, make things for you, even buy things for you, are you even searching anymore? Finally, in the lightning round, it's time for the Hype Desk, Brendan Carr is a Dummy, SpaceX, the Trump Phone, and some very confusing social networks. Further reading: The future of Google is a search box that does everything  Google is building a ‘universal’ AI shopping cart that tracks prices, offers suggestions, and finds discounts  Demis Hassabis said this might be the ‘foothills of the singularity.’ What?  Google is trying to make deepfake detection more accessible  Google Search’s AI evolution includes more ads  Google’s AI future demands trust — and your personal data  Why does the Googlebook exist? The FCC voted to ‘streamline’ tracking US broadband quality. In SpaceX’s IPO, Elon Musk is the risk factor Spotify is verifying podcasts made by real people too. NBC just got the Trump phone. 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. (Timestamps are approximate.) 00:00:00 Intro 00:02:00 Vox Media Sale 00:08:00 What Changes for The Verge 00:12:00 Vergecast Goes Daily 00:18:00 Feedback and Launch Details 00:23:00 Google I O Vibe Check 00:24:00 Agents Everywhere at Google 00:25:00 Search Becomes the Platform 00:26:00 Singularity Talk Whiplash 00:31:00 Monetizing AI and Google Zero 00:37:00 Shopping Web Takes Over 00:39:00 Agents Replace Browsing 00:43:00 Canvas Makes Apps 00:49:00 Google Book Devices Pitch 00:51:00 Agents Break App Economics 00:53:00 Traffic Deal Is Over 01:01:00 Hype Desk Forza Horizon 6 01:07:00 Subnautica 2 Surprise Hit 01:11:00 Brendan Carr is a Dummy 01:14:00 Broadband Map Complaints 01:21:00 Spotify AI Whiplash 01:25:00 Deepfake Detection Reality 01:30:00 SpaceX IPO Breakdown 01:34:00 Trump Phone In Wild 01:37:00 Wrap Up And Plugs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

PodParley-generated summary based on available episode metadata and transcript content.

NOW PLAYING

The post-search Google era begins

0:00 1:35:31

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of The Vergecast?

This episode is 1 hour and 35 minutes long.

When was this The Vergecast episode published?

This episode was published on May 22, 2026.

What is this episode about?

Before we get into this week's tech news, we have some corporate news to discuss, and some very exciting Vergecast news to share. (If you have questions about either one, hit us up: [email protected] or 866-VERGE11!) Then, Nilay and David get...

Can I download this The Vergecast episode?

Yes, you can download this episode by clicking the download button on the episode player, or subscribe to the podcast in your preferred podcast app for automatic downloads.
URL copied to clipboard!