This digest compiles the latest from The Verge.
Today’s The Verge Roundup
Why your Whoop might tell you to up your testosterone
10 Apr 2026, 2:00 pm by Victoria Song
This is Optimizer, a weekly newsletter sent every Friday from Verge senior reviewer Victoria Song that dissects and discusses the latest gizmos and potions that swear they’re going to change your life. Opt in for Optimizer here.
Last week, our editor-in-chief Nilay Patel messaged me about his new Whoop band, which he’d gotten thanks to a generous yearlong offer from Chase. A few days later, he sent a cursed screenshot. The Whoop AI coach had recommended several ways in which he could dramatically improve his testosterone levels. Not because he was deficient, but because they were at “not sick” levels. Whoop optimizes for performance levels. …
Cloudflare made a WordPress for AI agents
10 Apr 2026, 1:30 pm by Emma Roth
Cloudflare, the cloud provider that connects millions of sites to the internet, wants to “fix” another digital giant: WordPress. It announced a new open-source system, called EmDash, that’s supposed to address the “core problems that WordPress cannot solve” – and they want to do it by allowing AI agents to take control of your website.
Though it’s still in early access, EmDash is already causing a stir in the WordPress community, and not just because its interface looks like WordPress with a facelift. Cloudflare is calling EmDash the “spiritual successor” of WordPress – something WordPress founder Matt Mullenweg has already refuted in a bl …
Interior design at 25,000 mph
10 Apr 2026, 1:01 pm by Georgina Torbet
As the Artemis II astronauts prepare for the most dramatic and potentially dangerous part of their mission – reentry into Earth’s atmosphere – the eyes of the world will be on the Orion capsule and the people inside it. Getting glimpses into the capsule during the mission, the public has been able to observe the features of the astronaut’s lives, from the screens where they receive messages from Earth to the bathroom they use and how it was fixed when it broke.
Every single piece of technology in the Orion capsule has been designed not just to withstand the epic G-forces of launch and landing, but also to optimize for human interfacing. And …
Fear and loathing at OpenAI
10 Apr 2026, 12:23 pm by David Pierce
Sam Altman’s tenure at OpenAI has been… messy. Messy to the point where Altman was briefly fired from his role as CEO, only to be reinstated days later, at which point he began reshaping the organization permanently. This week, The New Yorker published a deep look at Altman, his time at OpenAI, and the questions about whether he’s the right person to be in charge of a technology as important and transformative as artificial intelligence.
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On this episode of The Vergecast, David …
Snap is sticking with Qualcomm for its next AR glasses
10 Apr 2026, 12:00 pm by Jay Peters
Snap’s upcoming consumer AR glasses are still set to launch sometime this year, and they’ll be powered by a Snapdragon XR chip from Qualcomm, according to an announcement of a “multi-year strategic agreement” between the companies.
Snap has been working on smart glasses for a decade, with the first model of its camera-equipped Spectacles glasses launching in 2016. But the past couple generations, which have been AR glasses capable of layering digital experiences over the real world, haven’t been available to general consumers. The consumer Specs won’t be the first time Qualcomm and Snap have worked together, as Snapdragon chips have powered …
Gen Z’s love-hate relationship with AI
10 Apr 2026, 11:23 am by Robert Hart
Gen Z is increasingly disillusioned with AI – just not enough to stop using it.
A new Gallup report released this week, based on responses from nearly 1,600 people ages 14 to 29 across the US, suggests the hype is wearing off for the digital-native generation as AI becomes more embedded in school and work. Enthusiasm is falling and resentment is growing, even as many young people feel they still need to use the technology.
Gallup’s poll, conducted in February and March this year, found Gen Z’s feelings on AI have cooled significantly since last year. Only 18 percent said they were hopeful about the technology and 22 percent said they wer …
YouTube Premium is getting pricier
10 Apr 2026, 11:23 am by Dominic Preston
YouTube Premium is getting more expensive in the US, with prices rising by $2 on standard individual accounts and as much as $4 for the family plan. The price hike is already in effect for new accounts, and is rolling out now for existing customers.
Premium’s Individual plan now costs $15.99 per month, up from $13.99, while the five-person Family plan is $26.99, previously $22.99. Premium Lite, which removes “most” ads but doesn’t include YouTube Music, is now $8.99 monthly, up from $7.99.
The new prices are live now for new signups, and 9to5Google reports that existing subscribers are beginning to be notified about the price hike via the …
Microsoft starts removing Copilot buttons from Windows 11 apps
10 Apr 2026, 9:22 am by Tom Warren
Microsoft is starting to remove “unnecessary” Copilot buttons from its Windows 11 apps. In the latest version of the Notepad app for Windows Insiders, Microsoft has removed the Copilot button in favor of a “writing tools” menu. The Copilot button in the Snipping Tool app also no longer appears when you select an area to capture.
The change is part of “reducing unnecessary Copilot entry points, starting with apps like Snipping Tool, Photos, Widgets and Notepad,” that Microsoft promised to complete as part of its broader plan to fix Windows 11. While Copilot buttons are being removed, it looks like the underlying AI features are here to stay, …
End of today’s The Verge roundup.
