logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2021
43m 26s

Land of the Giants: The Google Empire

The Verge
About this episode
Vergecast is on vacation this week, so instead we'll share an episode of Land of the Giants from our friends at Recode. Land of the Giants is a podcast that explores the five biggest tech companies and their impact on our world, and this season is all about Google. The episode we're sharing tells the story of how two grad school students with a unique way to ... Show More
Up next
Oct 16
Apple's HomeView has an app problem
Well, it's been a couple of days, and David and Nilay have some more information — and a bunch of new questions — about the Apple HomeView. They also talk about the latest Gemini model, and whether building the best model matters if you can't build the best products around them. ... Show More
1h 36m
Oct 15
Everything's recording everybody. What now?
Meta just shipped a pair of smart glasses with no camera — a change that both David and The Verge's Victoria Song are excited about. But these glasses, like the new product from Amazon Bee and seemingly everything else now, are still ready and willing to record the world around y ... Show More
39m 3s
Oct 14
The $8 million AI music scam
A man named Mike Smith was recently sentenced to 18 months in prison, and a fine in excess of $8 million, for creating an AI system that faked billions of streams and earned him millions in royalties. Wired's Kate Knibbs explains how Smith pulled it off, how he got caught, and wh ... Show More
38 m
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2021
The Google Empire
In Land of the Giants: The Google Empire, Recode’s Shirin Ghaffary and Big Technology's Alex Kantrowitz explore how a company that began with idealistic goals of creative experimentation and making useful products has turned into a worldwide power with enormous impact on the way ... Show More
3 m
Feb 2021
Googliath
Australia just reined in Google. Dozens of other countries want in on the action. The latest season of Land of the Giants explains how two grad students turned a search engine into what might be the most powerful company in history. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Learn mor ... Show More
43m 40s
Feb 2021
The Search Begins
Some of the core values that built Google's runaway success — innovative technology to the max, an intellectually playful and open culture, and a corporate aspiration to do good ("Don’t be evil") — set it up for the existential questions it faces today. We examine how two grad st ... Show More
41m 20s
Apr 2025
Is Google Breaking Up? + Seasteading Is Back + Tool Time
<p>This week, with big developments in two antitrust cases against Google, we discuss how the company may be forced to change its business. Then we’re joined by the journalist Mark Yarm to discuss his recent visit to an underwater home for his article about techno-utopians who wa ... Show More
1h 7m
Aug 2024
Meta & Snap's New AR Glasses, Perplexity's Ads, Google's Work Ethic
Ranjan Roy from Margins is back for our weekly discussion of the latest tech news. We cover 1) Alex's trip to the Balkans 2) China's influence in the region 3) Meta and Snap AR glasses battle 4) Are smart glasses stylish enough 5) Perplexity's plan to run ads 6) Eric Schmidt's di ... Show More
50m 27s
Jun 2018
Google, the Pentagon and AI
<p>Google -- or, more properly, Alphabet -- is a huge company, and is at the bleeding edge of numerous technological innovations. So, while it wasn't necessarily a surprise that Uncle Sam wanted Google's help building AI, it certainly disturbed a great many people, some of whom w ... Show More
1h 1m
Aug 2024
Why Google search isn’t going anywhere anytime soon (from The Next Wave)
Is Google's dominance in search engines at risk with the rise of generative AI models? In this episode from The Next Wave, a podcast we think you'll like, hosts Matt Wolfe and Nathan Lands dive in to the conversation with Bilawal. They explore the potential challenges facing Goog ... Show More
50m 24s
Mar 2024
Media Houses vs. Google, Sam Altman's Ethics, Brave's Leo AI, Antarctica's Secrets
We're experimenting and would love to hear from you!In this episode, we’ll dig into a legal showdown with Google involving media houses, the scrutiny surrounding tech visionary Sam Altman, and the innovative strides of Brave's Leo AI. Plus, we take a detour to the icy expanse of ... Show More
7m 11s