eBay will lay off 1,000 employees — 9 percent of the company

The Verge

eBay is following in the footsteps of Google, Discord, Twitch, Unity, and more — by laying off loads of workers this January instead of right before the holidays. The company writes it’s laying off around 1,000 workers, or 9 percent of the company’s full-time employees, and that’s just the start: eBay will also lay off an unspecified number of contractors “over the coming months.”

Despite reporting profit of $1.3 billion last quarter, which it described as “another quarter of solid results,” eBay today suggests that there is a “Need for Change.” Company president and CEO Jamie Iannone writes that “there is more we can do to ensure our success,” and argues that eBay should be a “more nimble” company that “makes decisions more quickly” to...

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Google cancels contract with an AI data firm that’s helped train Bard

Image: Google

Google ended its contract with Appen, an Australian data company involved in training its large language model AI tools used in Bard, Search, and other products, even as the competition to develop generative AI tools increases. “Our decision to end the contract was made as part of our ongoing effort to evaluate and adjust many of our supplier partnerships across Alphabet to ensure our vendor operations are as efficient as possible,” Google spokesperson Courtenay Mencini said in a statement sent to The Verge.

Appen notified the Australian Securities Exchange in a filing, saying it “had no prior knowledge of Google’s decision to terminate the contract.”

Human workers at companies like Appen often handle many of the more distasteful parts...

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Netflix is turning into cable TV

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

This last weekend I was sitting in a hotel room in Memphis, staring out at the parking lot turned ice skating rink, wanting to just have a couple of hours with my brain turned off. I opened Netflix hoping to find a movie that would give me an evening’s respite. Scrolling down to the top 10, I was met with a who’s who of the 2010s and 2020s. Cowboy & Aliens, the 2011 flop with a great cast, was on the list. Queenpins, the 2021 flop with a great cast, was also there. At the top of the list was The Legend of Tarzan, a 2016 flop with a great cast. Rounding out the top 10 was a Sylvester Stallone flick from 2019 and a handful of new releases I’d heard nothing about until I saw them in the top 10 list.

In a highly competitive streaming market...

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Here’s more proof ADT is about to launch a new smart home security system

ADT has a new smart home security on the works that looks like it will launch next month. | Screenshot: Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

All signs are pointing to an imminent launch of ADT’s new Smart Home Security System, a DIY security system born of a collaboration between Google and ADT. This could be a better home security option for those of us who loved and lost the excellent but expensive Google Nest Secure system, which Google is sunsetting for good on April 8th, 2024.

AsThe Verge reported in October 2023, hidden support pages on ADT’s website indicated the company — which Google invested $450 million into in 2020 — was getting ready to launch a new DIY security system called ADT Smart Home Security.

From the leaks, it appeared that the new product had better features and a nicer industrial design than the ADT Self Setup option Google was offering its Nest...

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Netflix is going to take away its cheapest ad-free plan

Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge

Although Netflix no longer allows new or returning members to sign up for the ad-free Basic subscription that costs $11.99 per month, company executives told investors while reporting its earnings results today that it’s retiring the plan in some countries where ad-supported plans are available. It’s starting with Canada and the UK in the second quarter of this year.

That leaves subscribers with Netflix’s $15.49 per month option as Netflix’s cheapest ad-free plan. Going from $11.99 to $15.49 per month is a pretty big jump, and means there’s really no middle ground for ad-free plans. Otherwise, subscribers will have to pay $6.99 per month for its ad-supported basic plan or $22.99 per month for the Premium tier. Netflix stopped letting new...

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The best smartwatches for Android

Photo illustration by William Joel / The Verge

Wear OS is much better than it used to be, so there’s never been a better time to consider a smartwatch.

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The Pixel 9 leaks are already here

Image: OnLeaks via MySmartPrice

The Pixel 8 has only been out for a few months, but that isn’t stopping leakers from getting early images of the forthcoming Pixel 9. Reliable leaker OnLeaks shared a set of renders with MySmartPrice, showing what appears to be Google’s Pixel 9 Pro flagship with completely flat edges framing the phone and giving off iPhone vibes.

That’s not the only major design change on this phone — it looks like Google may have also redesigned the rear camera bar. Instead of stretching the camera bar across the entire width of the phone, the renders show the three-camera setup inside of a bulging, oval-shaped island, similar to the Pixel Fold. It also appears to come with a slightly smaller 6.5-inch display (down from 6.7 inches on the Pixel 8 Pro),...

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Nintendo goes after the Palworld Pokémon modder

Image: ToastedShoes

Nintendo has finally come for Palworld... in the form of issuing a takedown for a video of a mod that swapped all the Palworld pals for pokémon. Lol.

If you’re not one of the now 6 million players who’ve bought a copy of the game, here’s a quick explainer. Palworld is a multiplayer survival crafting game in which you use cute monsters called pals to harvest resources and build structures. Oh, and there are guns — you can shoot the pals with guns.

Days after Palworld’s early access launch and cosmic-level popularity explosion, YouTube creator ToastedShoes posted a short video on X (formerly Twitter) teasing his Pokémon Palworld mod.

“Palworld already has a Pokémon mod,” ToastedShoes wrote on X. His claim was a bit misleading: according...

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France fines Amazon $35 million over ‘excessive’ worker surveillance

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

France’s National Commission on Informatics and Liberty (CNIL) has fined Amazon €32 million, or about $35 million USD, for “excessively intrusive” worker surveillance that the commission says puts “continuous pressure” on employees in Amazon’s warehouses. Amazon called its conclusions, which put the company in violation of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), “factually incorrect.”

Following an investigation prompted by press reports, CNIL said that Amazon’s systems measuring and restricting scanning speed (including a “stow machine gun” indicator that activates when workers are scanning too fast), along with the company’s data collection and retention practices, were “excessive” and violated several GDPR articles. So did...

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Microsoft Teams is making it easier to control your webcam and audio during meetings

Image: Microsoft

Microsoft is finally giving Teams users an easier way to control audio and video features during meetings. The software giant has started testing easily accessible tools for switching cameras, audio sources, speaker output, and much more. These new features are part of an update available for Microsoft Teams Public Preview today.

In the current version of Teams, you have to dig through multiple layers of settings to switch which camera you’re using, adjust your background, or move from a built-in speaker to a wired one. The new features allow Teams users to access a downward arrow next to the camera or mic button on the meeting toolbar, which includes simplified audio and video options.

Image: Microsoft

No more...

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The best fitness trackers to buy right now

Photo illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

From simple fitness bands and rugged sports watches to rings, these are the best trackers you can get.

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Overwatch esports will live on as the Overwatch Champions Series

Image: Blizzard

We are, as the kids say, so friggin’ back.

In November, the Overwatch League announced its end after six seasons. At the time, Overwatch League associate PR manager John Nomis said, “We are transitioning from the Overwatch League and evolving competitive Overwatch in a new direction,” confirming that while the League itself was dead, Overwatch esports would return. Today, we know what shape competitive Overwatch will take in 2024 with the announcement of the Overwatch Champions Series or the OWCS.

“The OWCS is our new premiere international competitive circuit open to players across North America (NA), Europe, Middle East, and North Africa (EMEA), and Asia,” read the announcement post.

The Overwatch Champions Series will have an open...

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Here are the best AirPods deals you can get right now

The third-gen AirPods currently start at $159 ($10 off) when you buy them with a Lightning-only charging case. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

If you know where to look, there are often some great discounts available on Apple’s ever-popular AirPods. Since Apple launched the third-gen AirPods toward the end of 2021, we’ve seen the starting price of the second-gen, entry-level model slowly dip to around $100. And now that the second-gen AirPods Pro has been on the market for over a year, we’re also seeing their price fall more often, too. We’re even seeing great deals land on the newer updated AirPods Pro with USB-C.

Here, we’ve curated the best deals currently available on each model, including the entry-level AirPods, the AirPods Pro, the third-gen AirPods, and the AirPods Max.

The best AirPods (second-gen) deals

In 2021, Apple lowered the list price of the...

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What NPR’s new podcast chief learned from the mess at Gimlet

Image: The Verge

This is Hot Pod_,_ The Verge’s newsletter about podcasting and the audio industry. Sign up here for more.

On Friday, Insiders got part one of a Q&A with NPR’s new podcasting chief, Collin Campbell, who led new show development at Gimlet before the studio was dismantled by Spotify. We discussed how his strategy for NPR differs from his predecessor and how the network is moving forward after last year’s layoffs and cancellations. Today, I have the second part of the interview, in which we got into how NPR is operating in the new, competitive podcasting landscape, and what (if anything) he learned from the tumult at Gimlet.

But first, some more Hot Pod Summit news!

Throughline and Israel Story are coming to Hot Pod Summit

It’s shaping up...

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This baby is covered in old flip phones and chips — and you cannot afford it

Image: Schiaparelli

When normal people think of couture garments — the extravagant custom designs using all but extinct techniques, materials, and craftsmanship — they probably dream of pieces made with luxurious silks, supple leathers, crystals, and tulle. Daniel Roseberry thinks of your old flip phone.

Roseberry, the creative director of French fashion house Schiaparelli, showed the brand’s 2024 couture show in Paris on Monday. Under Roseberry, Schiaparelli shows have become a buzzy event among fashion fans — not just for the A-list front row filled with celebrity clients but also for the unforgettable wearable sculptures that are reposted endlessly in each show’s wake. (Even those less tapped into high fashion might recognize last year’s lion dress or...

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LG’s discounted C3 OLED TVs come with up to $200 in gift cards

LG’s C3 OLED TVs offer bright, vivid displays along with several gamer-friendly features. | Image: LG

Super Bowl season traditionally brings with it steep discounts on last year’s TVs, and while it’s still some time away, the deals are starting to trickle in. If you want to upgrade your TV ahead of the event, BuyDig is throwing in up to $200 in gift cards when you buy the last-gen LG C3 OLED TV in various configurations. You can, for instance, buy the 77-inch model at its all-time low price of $2,296.99 ($200 off) with a $200 gift card, while the 65-inch is $1,596.99 ($1,000 off) with a $100 gift card included. If you prefer a different retailer, Amazon and Best Buy are also discounting the TVs but without a gift card.

The forthcoming LG C4 is brighter and has more processing power, but the last-gen TV is still an impressive...

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Death Stranding comes to life on iPhone and Mac next week

You can tell it’s a future bike because of the LEDs. | Image: 505 Games / Kojima Productions

Some Mac, iPhone, and iPad gamers will finally be able to play as postapocalyptic Norman Reedus in Death Stranding Director’s Cut on January 30th. Only iPhone 15 Pro models and Macs or iPads equipped with Apple’s M-series chips can run the $39.99 game, though. At the moment, preorders are 50 percent off at $19.99, and pleasantly, it’s a universal purchase, so you only have to buy it once to play it on multiple platforms.

Hideo Kojima announced the release of this director’s cut for Macs at WWDC 2023 as part of a new push from Apple to highlight the potential of gaming on Apple Silicon devices, while Apple announced the iPhone 15 Pro port during its Wonderlust iPhone launch event in September. Like other versions of the game released in...

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This is the cheapest floodlight security cam you can buy... but should you?

Wyze has announced the second generation of its inexpensive floodlight camera, and it’s even cheaper. | Image: Wyze

Budget smart home company Wyze announced its second generation wired floodlight camera this week, and it brings some significant upgrades over the first gen. These include bumping up the video resolution to 2K HD from 1080p, increasing the camera’s field of view to 160 degrees, and delivering up to 2800 lumens of light with the two floodlights, plus the option for using them as ambient lighting and not just security lighting.

The Wyze Cam Floodlight V2 is available to buy now for $83.99 plus shipping ($10 less than the V1 is currently listed for but the same price it launched at). But a launch special of $53.99 plus shipping makes it one of the cheapest floodlight cameras you can buy. Blink has a wired floodlight camera for $100, but...

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Google is using AI to organize and customize your Chrome browser

Chrome’s AI features are simple for now — but bigger things are coming. | Image: Google

Google’s Chrome browser is leaning into AI in a big way. Rather than just shove a Bard sidebar into the browser, Google is rolling out a couple of features that tap into its models in order to hopefully make your browser a little more pleasant to use. They’re launching today in an experimental mode (you can go to settings and turn on “Experimental AI” to get them), and Google says they’re just the beginning of the AI browser takeover.

Chrome’s new Tab Organizer feature is the most compelling: you can right-click on a Chrome tab and select “organize similar tabs,” and Chrome will attempt to create a tab group filled with similar stuff. If you’re shopping for something, deep diving some esoteric subject, or just opening all your news...

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Netflix’s new Avatar: The Last Airbender trailer has cute critters and dramatic battles

Image: Netflix

We’re about a month away from the live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender on Netflix, which can only mean one thing: it’s time for a trailer.

This clip is focused almost entirely on setting up Aang (played by Gordon Cormier) — the titular Avatar — as a young hero preparing to, well, save the world. It’s full of dramatic lines, some cool special effects, and at least one very cute critter. If nothing else, the trailer makes it seem like the live-action series will be a good entry point for newcomers who haven’t seen the animated series.

It’s been a long road to this new take on the franchise. The adaptation was first announced in 2018, and in 2020, the show’s original creators stepped away from the project citing creative...

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Surprisingly, scientists decline to move the Doomsday Clock closer to midnight

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists decided to keep its Doomsday Clock at 90 seconds to midnight. | Image: Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

Despite a horrific war in Gaza and growing conflict in the region, the hottest year on record, and the hype surrounding artificial intelligence — the Doomsday Clock will stay put this year at 90 seconds to midnight.

Last year, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, which sets the time each year, moved the clock forward to 90 seconds from midnight — AKA doom. That was the closest the clock has ever been set to annihilation, and it will stay there this year.

“Ninety seconds to midnight is profoundly unstable and must not engender complacency.”

“There are two key messages in our statement and they are one: that 90 seconds to midnight is profoundly unstable and must not engender complacency and two: the advancement of technology is...

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Oscars 2024: Oppenheimer, Poor Things, and Killers of the Flower Moon are the ones to watch

The Golden Globes made it pretty clear that unexpected upsets weren’t out of the question during this year’s entertainment awards season, and the 2024 Oscars are going to be packed with opportunities for the Academy to surprise us with its votes.

During a brief livestream this morning, actors Zazie Beetz and Jack Quaid announced the nominees for this year’s Academy Awards, and while the presentation began with an unexpected Best Supporting Actor nomination for Sterling K. Brown’s performance in American Fiction, this year’s crop of buzzy frontrunners still loomed large in the overall pool of potential winners. The nomination for Brown, Jeffrey Wright’s Best Actor nod, and nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay, Original Score, and Best...

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How to enable Stolen Device Protection on your iOS device

Image: Samar Haddad / The Verge

Our phones have become so intrinsic to our lives that a stolen phone can be a disaster rather than simply an inconvenience. To help prevent that, Apple has added Stolen Device Protection to its iPhones as additional protection, especially when you’re away from your familiar haunts.

The new feature, which was included in the iOS 17.3 upgrade, requires Face ID or Touch ID authentication for some actions, such as accessing passwords or credit card info — a passcode won’t do it. In addition, if you want to change your password or adjust some other security-based feature when you’re away from a familiar place, you’ll have to wait an hour to do it — and then do another biometric check. According to Apple’s info page, this is so you have time...

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Rep. Ro Khanna on what it will take for Congress to regulate AI, privacy, and social media

A portrait of Rep. Ro Khanna. | Photo illustration: The Verge | Photo Tom Williams / CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

The Democratic representative from California, whose district includes Apple and Nvidia, discusses the future of tech regulation and the 2024 election.

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OnePlus 12 review: refreshingly basic

While Samsung and Google were busy shipping AI features as fast as possible, OnePlus doubled down on the essentials.

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OnePlus prices latest flagship phone for the US alongside more affordable 12R

The OnePlus 12 in green. | Image: OnePlus

A little over a month and a half after its Chinese launch, OnePlus has officially announced pricing and a release date for its latest flagship in global markets. The OnePlus 12 will ship in the US on February 6th, starting at $799.99 (€949 / £849) for its most affordable model with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. It’s one of a trio of devices OnePlus is launching today, with the other two being the lower-end OnePlus 12R and the OnePlus Buds 3 true wireless earbuds.

You can check out my colleague Allison Johnson’s full review of the OnePlus 12 right here, but the TL;DR is that this is a phone with flagship specs that does a good job of nailing the basics. It offers great battery life, a big screen with an impressively high claimed peak...

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Framework Laptop 16 review: two weeks with the ultimate modular laptop

How much will you forgive for a one-of-a-kind notebook?

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TurboTax isn’t allowed to say it’s ‘free’ anymore

The TurboTax website on a laptop in an arranged photograph in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, on Friday, September 3rd, 2021. | Image: Tiffany Hagler-Geard / Bloomberg via Getty Images

The Federal Trade Commission cracked down on TurboTax, issuing a final order that prohibits the company from calling its services “free” when most customers end up having to upgrade to paid services.

Parent company Intuit had advertised TurboTax as “Free, free free free,” even though a majority of customers were in fact ineligible for free services. The Federal Trade Commission sued TurboTax in 2022 over misleading advertising, and the FTC’s chief administrative law judge announced an initial decision in September saying Intuit “engaged in deceptive advertising in violation of Section 5 of the FTC Act.”

“The character of the past violations is egregious.”

“The character of the past violations is egregious. For at least six years, Intuit...

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Can private companies carry NASA back to the Moon?

ULA’s rocket carrying Astrobotic’s Peregrine Lunar Lander lifts off on January 8th. The lander didn’t make it to the Moon. | Photo by Chandan Khanna / AFP via Getty Images

The failure of recent missions highlights the challenges of relying on private entities to spearhead the US’s lunar ambitions.

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Nvidia RTX 4070 Ti Super review: not very super

Nvidia’s second RTX 40-series Super card isn’t as impressive as its first.

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