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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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.
What went wrong at BeReal and what comes next
BeReal wanted to be the next Instagram. What happens now that it has been acquired?
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
OpenAI wants to be the App Store of AI
The creator of ChatGPT is taking a big swing with its new store for AI bots. Are we witnessing the beginning of a new platform?
Inside X’s first all-hands meeting
Elon Musk and Linda Yaccarino addressed X employees together for the first time since renaming the company.
Google’s postpandemic ‘reckoning’
Why fresh layoffs inside Google this week signal that more could be on the horizon.
Linda Yaccarino was set up to fail
Will Elon let her be more than a ‘CEO in Name Only?’ Also: takeaways from my interview with Mark Zuckerberg, layoffs hit Snap and Epic Games, and more.
The chaos at Unity
One of the gaming industry’s most important players is feeling the heat after a controversial business change. Plus: layoff fears inside Epic Games, and US versus Google kicks off.