This is Jake Kastrenakes, executive editor at The Verge. I’m filling in for Nilay here while he settles back into full-time hosting duties. We’ve got a very good episode for you today. My guest is Verge transportation editor Andy Hawkins, and we’re talking about the federal EV tax credit.
The tax credit expired at the end of September, and there are a lot of questions about what happens to the auto industry after its demise. This is a really hard, complicated set of problems, with a lot of moving parts, so I was really excited to have Andy on the show to break down all of these components and give us a clearer picture about what’s coming next.
Links:
The EV tax credit is dead — here’s what happens next | The Verge
GM takes a $1.6 billion hit on EVs | The Verge
Ford CEO Jim Farley on China, tariffs, and affordable EV | The Verge
Ford lost $5 billion on EVs in 2024, teases new models | The Verge
EV makers fill tax-credit void with costly discounts | Automotive News
So much for Ford and GM’s scheme to extend the EV tax credit | The Verge
Stellantis replaces EV tax credit with its own discount | Automotive News
Tesla sales picking up thanks to expiring tax credit | The Verge
California Reverses Pledge To Revive EV Tax Credit | SF Chronicle
Global EV sales growth slows to 15% in August, research firm says | Reuters
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Credits:
Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.
Our producers are Kate Cox and Nick Statt. Our editor is Ursa Wright.
The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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39:43
Announcing an ad-free Decoder feed for Verge subscribers
If you're a paid subscriber to the Verge, there's great news: you can now listen to Decoder, Version History, and The Vergecast completely ad-free. Just head to your Account Settings page to opt-in and start listening without ads. Not a member of The Verge yet? No worries! You can sign up at theverge.com/subscribe to get ad-free podcasts, plus other perks like exclusive newsletters and unlimited access to everything we publish.
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The AI industry is at a major crossroads
This is Hayden Field, senior AI reporter at The Verge and your Thursday episode guest host. It’s been a very big news week in AI, and a lot of it had to do with OpenAI, its DevDay in San Francisco this week, and the viral explosion of AI-generated video thanks to the company’s new Sora app.
So I brought in Kanjun Qiu, CEO of AI startup Imbue and a close watcher of the industry, to break down what’s really happening, why it’s happening, and the societal implications of it all.
Links:
All of the updates from OpenAI DevDay 2025 | The Verge
OpenAI wasn’t expecting Sora’s copyright drama | The Verge
I’ve fallen into Sora’s slippery slop | The Verge
Sora 2 users are having fun with Sam Altman’s face | The Verge
OpenAI will let developers build apps that work inside ChatGPT | The Verge
OpenAI wants ChatGPT to be your future operating system | Wired
Sora 2 watermark removers flood the web | 404 Media
What the arrival of AI-fabricated video means for us | NYT
Recruiters use AI to scan résumés — applicants are trying to trick it | NYT
Employers are buried in AI-generated résumés | NYT
Credits:
Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.
Our producers are Kate Cox and Nick Statt. This episode was edited by Xander Adams.
The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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44:02
Rivian CEO on CarPlay, Lidar, and affordable EVs
I’m Joanna Stern, the senior personal tech columnist at The Wall Street Journal, and this is my final Decoder episode filling in for Nilay while he’s out on parental leave. My guest today: Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe. This is RJ’s third time on the show, and it felt like the perfect follow-up to my conversation last week with Ford CEO Jim Farley.
I loved the idea of going straight from Ford to Rivian. And if you listened to the Farley episode, this one flows nicely. RJ and I cover a lot of the same challenges: tariffs, China, EV pricing. Of course, I also asked about CarPlay.
Read the full transcript on The Verge.
Links:
A pretty fascinating look under the hood of the Rivan R2 | The Verge
Rivian CEO says CarPlay isn’t going to happen | The Verge
Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe says too many carmakers are copying Tesla | Decoder
Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe isn't scared of the Cybertruck | Decoder
Rivian breaks ground on $5 billion Georgia plant | AP
Rivian narrows 2025 delivery guidance Q3 as production slips | WSJ
Rivian R2 remains on track for $45,000 and 2026 production | Car and Driver
Credits:
Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.
Our producers are Kate Cox and Nick Statt. Our editor is Ursa Wright.
The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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50:38
The good, the bad, and the future of AI agents
This is Hayden Field, senior AI reporter at The Verge and your Thursday episode guest host. Today, I’m talking with David Hershey, who leads the applied AI team at Anthropic. I wanted to have David on because earlier this week, Anthropic released a brand-new AI model called Claude Sonnet 4.5 that’s been making waves.
So I wanted to sit down with David, who spends a lot of time testing out what modes like Claude Sonnet 4.5 can and can’t do, to ask him where we are on this promise of AI agents, and also what the path forward looks like as agentic technology progresses.
Links:
Anthropic releases Claude Sonnet 4.5 in latest bid for AI agents | The Verge
ChatGPT’s built-in Buy Now button has arrived | The Verge
OpenAI really wants you to start your day with ChatGPT Pulse | The Verge
Anthropic’s Claude AI is playing Pokémon | The Verge
AI agents are science fiction not yet ready for primetime | The Verge
Agents are the future AI companies promise and need | The Verge
Amazon is betting on agents to win the AI race | Decoder
Credits:
Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.
Our producers are Kate Cox and Nick Statt. Our editor is Ursa Wright.
The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Decoder is a show from The Verge about big ideas — and other problems. Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel talks to a diverse cast of innovators and policymakers at the frontiers of business and technology to reveal how they’re navigating an ever-changing landscape, what keeps them up at night, and what it all means for our shared future.
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