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- Elon Musk is directing harassment toward individual federal workers

- The Supreme Court will decide the fate of America’s low-income broadband fund

- DirecTV and Dish’s on-and-off merger saga switches back to off

- You can easily disassemble this repairable smartwatch using just a Phillips screwdriver

- Sling TV’s streaming TV price goes up by $5.99 next month

- Strava’s API debacle highlights the messiness of fitness data

- Google is prepping Gemini to take action inside of apps

- Judge rules SiriusXM’s annoying cancellation process is illegal

- Hyundai recalls more than 145,000 Ioniq and Genesis EVs that can lose power while driving

- Baidu’s supercheap robotaxis should scare the hell out of the US

Elon Musk is directing harassment toward individual federal workers - The Verge

Elon Musk is, in addition to many other things, now the co-lead of the currently nonexistent Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) advisory group. Now, before it even gets rolling, he has begun singling out individual government employees he says are emblematic of the government’s bloat and posting about them to his hundreds of millions of followers on X.

Earlier this week, as first reported by The Wall Street Journal, the X user “datahazard” shared a screenshot on X highlighting the role of Ashley Thomas, the Director of Climate Diversification at the US International Development Finance Corporation, saying, “I don’t think the US Taxpayer should pay for the employment” of that role. Musk reposted it, adding the comment “so many fake jobs” in a post with more than 33 million views.

As the WSJ notes, Musk’s followers have responded in exactly the way you’d expect: with a flood of memes and harassment targeting Thomas, whose LinkedIn and Facebook pages are now private. Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, told the WSJ that the posts “are aimed at sowing terror and fear at federal employees.”

Flooding targets with harassment is a tactic Musk has done in the past, including calling caver Vernon Unsworth a “pedo guy,” criticizing a former Twitter exec following his offer to buy the company, and suggesting that head of trust and safety Yoel Roth was sympathetic to pedophilia. All, of course, under the guise of “free speech.”

The ensuing harassment, of course, is precisely the point: Musk has systematically turned X into a megaphone for his views and has wielded that megaphone to whatever end he finds funny or useful. Musk and DOGE co-lead Vivek Ramaswamy have promised to do much of their work in public (and sometimes by X poll), too, which means this kind of pointed attention is likely headed toward many other civil servants in the near future.

The Supreme Court will decide the fate of America’s low-income broadband fund - The Verge

The Supreme Court agreed to hear arguments on a case involving funding for a major broadband subsidy program, the Universal Service Fund (USF).

SCOTUS granted cert in a pair of cases called Federal Communications Commission v. Consumers’ Research, and Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition v. Consumers’ Research, which were consolidated for oral arguments. They center around whether Congress inappropriately delegated lawmaking function to the FCC by letting it set contribution rates for telecommunications companies to pay into the nonprofit Universal Service Administration Company, which manages the USF. It also asks whether the FCC delegated too much authority to a private entity by letting USAC manage the subsidy program.

The case could deal another blow to the regulator’s authority, after SCOTUS dismantled the Chevron doctrine earlier this year, which diminishes courts’ reliance on agency expertise. It could also jeopardize the USF, which helps provide funding for people who are low-income or in rural areas access telecommunications and broadband services, and also helps school get internet access and equipment.

The case reaches the Supreme Court after the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the funding arrangement around the USF violates the Constitution. The Supreme Court asked the parties to also file briefs about whether the case is moot since the challengers didn’t seek preliminary relief before the appeals court.

Three industry groups — NTCA, Competitive Carriers Association, and USTelecom —applauded the court’s decision to hear the case, and said the Fifth Circuit’s ruling in the case defies Supreme Court precedent and other circuit court decisions. The Fifth Circuit decision “threatens to undermine universal service programs that, for many decades, have served to promote the availability and affordability of critical communications services for millions of rural and low-income consumers, rural health care facilities, and schools and libraries across the nation,” they said in a joint statement.

DirecTV and Dish’s on-and-off merger saga switches back to off - The Verge

By Emma Roth, a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO.

You can easily disassemble this repairable smartwatch using just a Phillips screwdriver - The Verge

The Spectra is a new smartwatch designed from the ground up to be hackable and easy to repair. It was created by Pocuter, a company that has spent the last few years honing an expertise in building small electronics like its tiny Pocuter One computer. What makes the Spectra unique is that it’s repairable, yet with a design that mirrors the Apple Watch which is much harder to get into.

The wearable is now available for preorder through a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign with delivery expected as early as July 2025. Early backers can preorder one discounted to around $209, while full pricing is closer to around $272. The Spectra is the company’s seventh Kickstarter campaign, but also appears to be one of its most ambitious. Three years into developing the prototype it still hasn’t fully finalized the hardware, so while there may be less risk with backing this one, there’s still some.

The Spectra will be available in different colorways, and use a standard 22mm watch band.

Image: Pocuter

Powered by an Espressif ESP32-S3 processor “maxed out with 8MB RAM and 32MB executable flash memory,” the Spectra has a 368x448 AMOLED display, a digital crown, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, fitness tracking and environmental sensors, and a microSD slot inside allowing storage to theoretically be boosted to half a terabyte with a memory card. That’s all stuffed inside a CNC milled aluminum frame that the company plans to sell upgrades for, including a stainless steel alternative.

The Spectra’s internal design also prioritizes access to the battery, iFixit discovered, with a mainboard that swings out of the way and the use of spring contacts instead of a cable that needs to be detached. Small devices like wearables and earbuds typically have batteries that are notoriously difficult to swap, but like Fairphone’s Fairbuds, maybe the Spectra will encourage other companies to change that.

iFixit was sent a disassembled Spectra smartwatch, but it’s not known if that’s how the final product will be delivered to all backers.

Image: iFixit

The Pocuter team “plans to provide replacement options for every single part,” it told iFixit, which shared just how easy an unassembled prototype of the smartwatch is to build and later disassemble. (Pocuter hasn’t specified if the final watch will be shipped pre-assembled.) Seven Phillips head screws hold it all together, instead of glues and epoxies that often make repairs overly complicated or entirely impossible.

The wearable will also run a custom operating system called SpectraOS based on JavaScript. Promised features include an interactive debugger streamlining app development, secure application sandboxing, and support for Linux, macOS, and Windows. It won’t have access to Apple or Google’s robust app stores, so taking full advantage of the Spectra may benefit from some coding experience, not just basic screwdriver skills.

Sling TV’s streaming TV price goes up by $5.99 next month - The Verge

Sling TV is increasing its monthly subscription prices by $5.99 for all of its plans starting in December. The streaming TV provider said “rising costs” are to blame for the price hikes without specifying why — presumably, not all six of those bucks are intended to pay for its “arcade” library of interactive games that just added Pac-Man and Trivia Crack.

There are two packages: Sling Orange, which includes Disney and ESPN networks, and Sling Blue, which includes Fox and NBC programming that previously cost $40 per month, individually. Now, they will cost $45.99 per month. There’s also the combo Sling Orange plus Blue, which offers a mix of both packages for $55 per month — but will go up to $61. Current subscribers will see the price change with their billing date on or after December 20th.

The company last increased its price by $5 per plan in 2022, the fourth time in five years.

Sling TV argues it still has the best pricing compared to competitors:

These increases are industry wide — other leading streaming providers have had increases throughout 2024. Despite this, Sling continues to be the most affordable option with offerings more than twenty dollars less per month versus other providers.

Sling continues to provide choice, by offering some of the lowest prices in paid live TV. Flexible add on packs are available for even further customization.

YouTube TV, likely Sling TV’s biggest competitor, offers its streaming TV service for $72.99 per month. Sling TV’s full $61 package is still cheaper and includes 4K, but it’s looking like less of a deal with the price increase considering spotty local channel support compared to Google’s offering.

Strava’s API debacle highlights the messiness of fitness data - The Verge

A few days ago, Strava upset its users over some restrictive API changes. It might seem odd for one app’s users to fume over an API, but at the heart of the matter is the inherent messiness of fitness data.

Here’s a typical scenario. Say you’re all in on Garmin’s platform. You use their watches for running and strength training. Then, you pick up a Peloton bike for indoor cycling. Well, Garmin devices aren’t compatible with Peloton bikes because the two companies haven’t struck a direct deal with one another for data sharing. So, to get your heart rate on the Peloton bike, you buy a chest strap. And then you decide to train for a race, so you sign up for one of those digital coaching platforms — the kind where a personal trainer reviews your workouts and builds you a customized plan.

The dilemma is now you have three separate apps where your workout history is stored, with three separate interfaces — and none of them with the whole picture of your training.

There are a number of ways you could consolidate that data, but in this scenario, the simplest is to upload all your workouts into Strava and then import all that Strava data into the coaching app.

This kind of scenario has come up dozens of times throughout my wearables testing. Most recently, it came up when I reviewed a Mobvoi connected desk treadmill. I didn’t like its native app, but trying to get the data into my preferred apps was a nightmare. At the end of the day, it was easiest for me to go through Strava.

The reality is many smaller fitness apps and wearable makers don’t have the resources to strike up direct data integrations with the thousands of other fitness apps and devices on the market. It’s much easier for everyone to use Strava’s API and call it a day. And unlike Apple’s HealthKit API or Google’s Health Connect, Strava is platform-agnostic.

Where things get really murky is third-party fitness platforms that extrapolate their own insights from Strava data — a no-no under the new API terms.

Take a third-party platform like VeloViewer. The whole idea behind VeloViewer is to give more in-depth insights into Strava data, including 3D maps, charts, yearly activity recaps, and leaderboards. This is a great option for folks who want more info than what’s natively available in Strava, but the new API changes break many of the aforementioned features. As you might imagine, VeloViewer users — many of whom say they only pay a Strava subscription to use VeloViewer — are pissed. VeloViewer has since released a statement saying it’s working with Strava to resolve the issue, but it doesn’t change the fact that Strava holds all the cards.

Admittedly, this is a niche problem. Most people use one or maybe two fitness apps with their smartwatch, and this isn’t really an issue. But for those of us who want the freedom of using multiple devices and apps across various platforms? It’s a sobering reminder that it only takes Strava changing the rules to break a carefully crafted system.

Google is prepping Gemini to take action inside of apps - The Verge

Google released the first Android 16 developer preview earlier this week and keen-eyed observers are already uncovering interesting tidbits, including one that hints about a much more useful future for Google’s AI assistant. In Android Authority, Mishaal Rahman writes about a mysterious new API in Android 16 called “app functions,” which appears to give Gemini Assistant agentic-like abilities to take action in apps. It sounds awfully similar to the upgraded “app intents” Apple supports in iOS 18, and it’s exactly the kind of thing that could make AI assistants much more useful than they are in their current state.

A page on Google’s developer site describes an app function as “a specific piece of functionality that an app offers to the system. These functionalities can be integrated into various system features.” Really clears things up. But Rahman points to a specific example buried in the documentation that sheds some more light. It details how an app developer could use app functions to expose certain actions to the system — in this case, ordering food. With this function available to Gemini, you might be able to place an order with your neighborhood Thai restaurant without having to open the DoorDash app. Kinda neat.

Apple’s working on a similar approach to a smarter assistant. One of its promises for the smarter Siri we’ll supposedly get in iOS 18 is that it will be able to take action in apps for you. By updating its app intents framework, Apple has created a way for developers to expose “order food”-type functions to Siri. According to rumors, we probably won’t see that update until spring of 2025, though.

“Doing things for you” was kind of the whole promise of smart assistants from the beginning, but that hasn’t started materializing until very recently. Gemini can access information in certain apps with your permission, but currently it’s mostly limited to searching things like Gmail and Google Maps. And Siri’s biggest update in iOS 18 so far added a ChatGPT extension so you can ask more complicated questions, but it still falls short on “taking action.” Now, both platforms appear to be laying the groundwork for better assistants — and 2025 could be a very interesting year for AI on smartphones.

Judge rules SiriusXM’s annoying cancellation process is illegal - The Verge

A New York judge has determined that SiriusXM’s “long and burdensome” cancellation process is illegal. In a ruling on Thursday, Judge Lyle Frank found SiriusXM violates a federal law that requires companies to make it easy to cancel a subscription.

The decision comes nearly one year after New York Attorney General Leticia James sued SiriusXM over claims the company makes subscriptions difficult to cancel. Following an investigation, the Office of the Attorney General found that the company attempts to delay cancellations by having customers call an agent, who then keeps them on the phone for several minutes while “pitching the subscriber as many as five retention offers.”

As outlined in the ruling, Judge Frank found that SiriusXM broke the Restore Online Shoppers Confidence Act (ROSCA), which requires companies to implement “simple mechanisms” to cancel a subscription. “Their cancellation procedure is clearly not as easy to use as the initiation method,” Judge Frank writes, citing the “inevitable wait times” that come along with talking to a live agent and the subscription offers they promote.

The Federal Trade Commission has started cracking down on hard-to-cancel subscriptions as well, with a new “click to cancel” rule going into effect next year. Under the law, companies must make canceling a subscription as easy as it is to sign up. “This decision found SiriusXM illegally created a complicated cancellation process for its New York customers, forcing them to spend significant amounts of time speaking with agents who refused to take ‘no’ for an answer,” Attorney General James said in a statement.

As a result of the ruling, SiriusXM must change its cancellation process — but only for customers located in New York. SiriusXM plans to appeal the decision. “Yesterday, the Court dismissed almost all of the charges against SiriusXM, and found that SiriusXM’s policies were neither misleading nor deceptive,” SiriusXM spokesperson Maggie Mitchell said in a statement to The Verge. “While the Court found some technical violations of a Federal statute, it did not find that SiriusXM ever deceived anyone or committed any fraud.”

Mitchell said SiriusXM will also follow the FTC’s incoming click-to-cancel rule.

Update, November 22nd: Added SiriusXM’s statement.

Hyundai recalls more than 145,000 Ioniq and Genesis EVs that can lose power while driving - The Verge

Hyundai is recalling over 145,000 Ioniq and Genesis vehicles due to a 12-volt battery charging issue that could cause the EVs to lose drive power and increase the risk of a crash.

NHTSA says the cause is the vehicles' Integrated Charging Control Unit (ICCU), which is likely to get damaged due to an internal electrical fault.

Upon failure of the ICCU, a series of driver warnings appear, and the vehicle activates a “fail-safe” driving mode that slowly reduces drive power over the course of 20 to 40 minutes.

Hyundai will instruct owners to take affected vehicles to dealerships to replace the ICCU and its associated fuse and install new software to prevent overvoltage that could damage the part again. Hyundai told NHTSA that as of November 2nd, “the improved ICCU software was implemented as a production running change” for the vehicles.

Affected models include 2022-2024 Ioniq 5, 2023-2025 Ioniq 6, 2023-2025 Genesis GV60, 2023-2025 Genesis GV70 (Electrified), and 2023-2024 Genesis G80. Hyundai will notify owners of affected vehicles via mail starting in January and will provide reimbursements for out-of-pocket expenses related to this recall.

These aren’t the first Hyundai EVs to get a widespread recall. In 2021, over 80,000 Kona EVs were recalled due to a fire risk caused by an LG battery defect after reports of a dozen battery fires.

Other electric vehicles have gone through similar recalls regarding power loss before, including the Porsche Taycan, Lucid Air, Ford Mustang Mach-E, and the now-defunct Fisker Ocean.

Baidu’s supercheap robotaxis should scare the hell out of the US - The Verge

Baidu’s robotaxi division, Apollo Go, just rolled out its latest robotaxi across multiple cities in China, and if stakeholders in the US aren’t nervous yet, they should be.

The RT6 is the sixth generation of Apollo Go’s driverless vehicle, which made its official debut in May 2024. It’s a purpose-built, Level 4 autonomous vehicle, meaning it’s built without the need for a human driver. And here’s the thing that should make US competitors nervous: adopting a battery-swapping solution, the price for one individual RT6 is “under $30,000,” Baidu CEO Robin Li said in an earnings call.

“All the strengths just mentioned above are driving us forward, paving the way to validate our business model,” Li added.

Adopting a battery-swapping solution, the price for one individual RT6 is “under $30,000”

With Alphabet’s Waymo operating in multiple cities in the US and Baidu deploying hundreds of vehicles in China, the world is now getting its first taste of an autonomous future. These vehicles are geofenced, meaning they can only operate in a select geographic area. And sure, they occasionally get confused or block traffic. But they’re real, and they’re growing in number.

But it’s Baidu’s achievements in cost-effectiveness that should have Waymo and other robotaxi operators a little uncomfortable. Because while the technology is growing more mature, the economics of a robotaxi business are still very much unproven.

We still don’t know the net effect of Baidu’s cost improvements. But bringing down the upfront cost of each individual vehicle to below $30,000 will go a long way toward improving the company’s unit economics, in which each vehicle brings in more money than it costs. There are still a lot of outstanding costs to consider, such as hardware depreciation and fleet maintenance, but from what Baidu is signaling, things are on the right track.

From the looks of it, the company is passing those savings along to its customers. Base fares start as low as 4 yuan (around 55 cents), compared with 18 yuan (around $2.48) for a taxi driven by a human, according to state media outlet Global Times. Apollo Go said it has provided 988,000 rides across all of China in Q3 2024 — a year-over-year growth of 20 percent. And cumulative public rides reached 8 million in October.

Photo by Smith Collection / Gado / Getty Images

With Waymo, we just don’t know. The company has spoken publicly about its efforts to reduce the costs of each vehicle by using fewer sensors. But its latest vehicle, Geely’s Zeekr, is likely going to be waylaid by tariffs on imports from China. A recent analysis from JMP found the company’s business in San Francisco to be profitable, while also estimating capital expenditures for the vehicle and sensor suite to be north of $150,000 per unit.

Lowering costs is going to be increasingly important for robotaxi companies as they look to expand to new cities. Alphabet doesn’t break out Waymo’s costs in its earnings report, but its “Other Bets” unit, which includes the robotaxi company, brought in $388 million in revenue in the third quarter of 2024, up from $297 million a year ago. But the unit’s losses held flat at $1.12 billion compared to $1.94 billion in the year-earlier period. Alphabet recently led a $5.6 billion funding round for Waymo to help it cover costs as it eyes its next phase of growth.

We know the technology works, but for driverless cars to have a real chance, we need to see evidence that it can make money, too.

Table of Contents

The Verge

All articles

Elon Musk is directing harassment toward individual federal workers

The Supreme Court will decide the fate of America’s low-income broadband fund

DirecTV and Dish’s on-and-off merger saga switches back to off

You can easily disassemble this repairable smartwatch using just a Phillips screwdriver

Sling TV’s streaming TV price goes up by $5.99 next month

Strava’s API debacle highlights the messiness of fitness data

Google is prepping Gemini to take action inside of apps

Judge rules SiriusXM’s annoying cancellation process is illegal

Hyundai recalls more than 145,000 Ioniq and Genesis EVs that can lose power while driving

Baidu’s supercheap robotaxis should scare the hell out of the US