Meta is eliminating its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs because of the “legal and policy landscape surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion efforts” in the US, according to a memo to employees seen by Axios. Meta will also roll back representation goals and end its “diverse slate approach” to hiring.

The memo, which was written by Janelle Gale, Meta’s vice president of human resources, said the company would replace DEI programs with ones “that focus on how to apply fair and consistent practices that mitigate bias for all, no matter your background,” as reported by Axios. The company will also “end efforts to source business suppliers from diverse-owned businesses.”

“The Supreme Court of the United States has recently made decisions signaling a shift in how courts will approach DEI,” Gale wrote. “The term ‘DEI’ has also become charged, in part because it is understood by some as a practice that suggests preferential treatment of some groups over others.”

Meta spokesperson Tracy Clayton confirmed to The Verge that Axios’ reporting is accurate.

The news follows Meta’s appointment of the Trump-friendly policy chief Joel Kaplan. Meta also recently announced its plans to replace third-party fact-checking with a Community Notes system similar to Elon Musk’s X.

Meta also overhauled its Hateful Conduct Policy, making changes that now “allow allegations of mental illness or abnormality when based on gender or sexual orientation,” among other horrible things, and announced plans to move its moderation teams from California to Texas due to concerns about “bias.”

Update, January 10th: Added confirmation from Meta.

Automattic, the company that runs WordPress.com, is scaling back its contributions to the WordPress open-source project, according to an announcement on Thursday. The company says it’s decreasing contributions to “match” the amount of time companies like WP Engine spend on the ecosystem, further escalating the tension between Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg and the community.

Now, instead of spending 3,988 hours per week developing the WordPress project, Automattic says it will now contribute around 45 hours as part of Five for the Future — a program that encourages companies to give back five percent of their resources to WordPress.org. “These hours will likely go towards security and critical updates,” Automattic says.

Mullenweg, who also co-founded WordPress, criticized the third-party host WP Engine for contributing 40 hours a week to the ecosystem and called it a “cancer” to the community. On the Five for the Future page that tracks contributions, the number of hours contributed by Automattic is already dwindling.

Automattic blames the cutback on the “significant time and money” related to the ongoing legal battle with WP Engine. It also points to the “intense criticism” it has faced “from members of the ‘community’ who want Matt and others to step away” from the WordPress project:

We’ve made the decision to reallocate resources due to the lawsuits from WP Engine. This legal action diverts significant time and energy that could otherwise be directed toward supporting WordPress’s growth and health. We remain hopeful that WP Engine will reconsider this legal attack, allowing us to refocus our efforts on contributions that benefit the broader WordPress ecosystem.

WP Engine sued Automattic and Mullenweg last year after the co-founder waged a public campaign against the company and took over its ACF plugin. A judge later granted a preliminary injunction in favor of WP Engine, saying Mullenweg’s “conduct is designed to induce breach or disruption.”

A number of employees also left Automattic last year after the company offered to buy out staff who didn’t agree with its fight against WP Engine. Mullenweg also shuttered the WordPress project’s sustainability team this week, with a screenshotted Slack message from Mullenweg saying, “it’s probably a good time to officially dissolve the team entirely,” adding that “it doesn’t seem like creating a team around this was able to further any of its goals.” The move has sparked criticism from the community, including journalist Kara Swisher.

Correction, January 10th: A previous version of the article stated that Automattic shut down its sustainability team. The sustainability team shut down by Mullenweg was in the WordPress.org open source project, not Automattic.

As wildfires continue to devastate parts of Los Angeles County, hundreds of thousands of residents are without power as utility crews work to restore connectivity. Mobile carriers are also taking action to keep their services online and provide relief to affected residents.

Here’s how major carriers are responding.

Verizon

In an update on Thursday, Verizon said it will waive call, text, and data usage incurred by prepaid and postpaid customers in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, and Ventura counties from January 9th to the 18th. Verizon will automatically credit customers if they were billed for overages during this time.

Additionally, the company is extending service end dates for customers using prepaid services, including Straight Talk, Tracfone, Total Wireless, Simple Mobile, Walmart Family Mobile, Net10, GoSmart, and Page Plus, until January 18th, 2025. It’s also working with LA County officials to “aggressively deploy portable generators and mitigate impacts for those customers affected across the area.”

T-Mobile

T-Mobile is similarly offering unlimited talk, text, and data for T-Mobile and Assurance Wireless customers across Altadena, La Cañada Flintridge, Los Angeles, Palisades, Pasadena, and Sierra Madre from January 8th to January 15th.

Meanwhile, the T-Mobile-owned Mint Mobile will increase the available data for users on 5GB, 15GB, and 20GB plans to 50GB through their current billing cycle, while Mint Unlimited customers in the area can use up to 2TB of high-speed data with no hotspot restrictions.

T-Mobile is also teaming up with SpaceX’s Starlink to temporarily deploy an “early test version” of its direct-to-cell satellite service, allowing people in affected areas to receive wireless emergency alerts and send SMS texts. At the same time, T-Mobile is working to deploy and refuel portable generators to keep its network online.

AT&T

AT&T will waive overage charges for prepaid and postpaid customers affected by the wildfires through February 6th. The company notes that customers in parts of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, and Ventura counties may experience home phone and internet disruptions due to power outages in the area.

Along with continuously deploying and refueling generators, AT&T has dispatched its disaster response team to help keep its wireless and wireline communications up and running. Its FirstNet Response Operations Group — a team led by former first responders who help during emergencies — “have been deployed to support firefighters and other first responders on the front lines where they need connectivity the most,” according to AT&T.

Starlink

Image: Starlink

Though Starlink isn’t a mobile carrier, it’s still working to provide LA County residents with satellite internet connectivity. Residents impacted by the wildfires can access Starlink for free through February 10th by placing an order through starlink.com/residential and choosing the “Disaster Relief” service plan. However, users still need to purchase a Starlink kit to access the free service.

Customers who already use Starlink will receive a one-month service credit.

Venu, the live sports streaming service from ESPN, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery, isn’t happening. In a joint statement on Friday, the three companies announced the decision “not to move forward with the contemplated joint venture:”

After careful consideration, we have collectively agreed to discontinue the Venu Sports joint venture and not launch the streaming service. In an ever-changing marketplace, we determined that it was best to meet the evolving demands of sports fans by focusing on existing products and distribution channels. We are proud of the work that has been done on Venu to date and grateful to the Venu staff, whom we will support through this transition period.

ESPN, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery first announced Venu last year, and it was supposed to launch in the fall of 2024. The service would’ve given viewers access to a swath of live games from the NFL, NBA, NHL, NCAA, and more from several linear channels, including ESPN, ABC, Fox, Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports 2, TNT, and others.

But then Venu hit a legal roadblock: an antitrust lawsuit from the live TV streaming service Fubo, accusing the trio of engaging in “a years-long campaign to block Fubo’s innovative sports-first streaming business” due to restrictive sports licensing agreements. Lawmakers also asked regulators to investigate Venu and its potential to become a monopoly in televised sports.

Last August, a federal judge sided with Fubo and temporarily blocked Venu’s launch. Things seemed to settle when Disney agreed to merge Hulu + Live TV with Fubo, leading Fubo to drop its lawsuit. However, DirecTV and EchoStar, both of which raised concerns about the launch of Venu, weren’t happy about Fubo’s decision to settle. When asked about what will become of the Fubo and Hulu + Live TV deal, Fubo spokesperson Jennifer Press said the companies have a “definitive agreement” to merge.

Google is partnering with The Linux Foundation to launch an initiative meant to “fund open development and enhance projects” in the Chromium ecosystem, according to an announcement on Thursday. The fund, called Supporters of Chromium-Based Browsers, is billed as a “neutral” space to support Chromium projects.

Google launched Chromium alongside its Chrome web browser in 2008. It’s the open-source infrastructure that powers Chrome and many other browsers built on it, including Microsoft Edge, Opera, and Brave.

In addition to Google, there are already several notable companies on board with the initiative, including Meta, Microsoft, and Opera. Microsoft said joining will help “provide clear and open governance that directs funds towards community-driven needs.”

Image: Google

Google also highlighted the more than 100,000 commits it made to Chromium last year, as well as its efforts to “invest heavily” into the open-source project:

Google also continues to invest heavily in the shared infrastructure of the Open Source project to ‘keep the lights on’, including having thousands of servers endlessly running millions of tests, responding to hundreds of incoming bugs per day, ensuring the important ones get fixed, and constantly investing in code health to keep the whole project maintainable.

The creation of the Supporters of Chromium-Based Browsers initiative comes months after the US Department of Justice demanded that Google sell Chrome as part of its proposed remedies following the ruling that Google is a monopolist. In response, Google proposed eliminating exclusive deals that make Google the default search engine on web browsers like Safari and Mozilla for three years.

Even if Google is attempting to show the DOJ how much it contributes to Chromium, the creation of the Supporters of Chromium-Based Browsers suggests the open-source project would still have backing without the company’s involvement.

xAI has released an iOS app in the US for its Grok chatbot, as spotted earlier by TechCrunch. The standalone app version of the chatbot, which xAI calls a beta, can perform the same functions as the one built into X, as it can field real-time information, answer questions, and generate images.

xAI started testing Grok’s standalone iOS app in December in a handful of countries. There’s no word on when it may come to Android.

Though Grok was initially only available to X Premium subscribers, the platform started letting all users access the chatbot last month, bringing it in line with other free-to-use chatbots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Anthropic’s Claude, Google Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot.

As pointed out by TechCrunch, it seems xAI is also working on a dedicated Grok.com website that currently has a “coming soon” message on it. After raising $6 billion in June, xAI reported another $6 billion funding round, including from “strategic investors” like Nvidia and AMD.

The Last of Us Part 2 remaster is joining the PlayStation Network club. That means you’ll need to link a PSN account if you want to play the game after buying it on Steam, Epic Games, and other PC platforms when it launches in April, as spotted earlier by Video Games Chronicle.

The requirement has proven very unpopular with other Sony titles released on PC, including Ghost of Tsushima, God of War Ragnarök, and the Horizon Zero Dawn remaster. Last year, Helldiver players review-bombed the game after it suddenly introduced PSN account linking, leading Sony to walk back on the requirement completely.

Screenshot: Steam

It’s still not clear why Sony requires a PSN account to play The Last of Us Part 2, as it doesn’t have any multiplayer features, and the requirement may also prevent people across dozens of countries where PSN isn’t supported from playing the game.

The Last of Us Part 2 remaster launches on PC on April 3rd for $49.99.

Amazon’s massive advertising business, which is only surpassed in the US by Google and Meta, is about to get bigger. In addition to selling ads on its sprawling marketplace, it will now let other retailers use the technology powering its $50 billion business on their own websites, as reported earlier by Adweek.

The company’s new Retail Ad Service beta will let other online stores “Deliver contextually relevant ads by leveraging Amazon’s two decades of ad tech expertise, driven by machine learning models trained on trillions of shopping signals” across their product, search, and browsing pages.

It also plugs the retailers into Amazon’s existing advertising customers, as brands already using Amazon’s ad system can choose to place their ads on third-party sites. The setup also allows Amazon to pull more profit from “retail media” (ads you see in stores or while shopping online) even when the shopping isn’t happening on its site, and could give it access to more data — which is something the FTC may have questions about.

The path of this business is similar to the launch of Amazon Web Services, which the company built to keep its online marketplace running and loading quickly 24/7 before selling access to the servers as a backbone for other companies’ operations, as noted by CNBC.

The AI search engine Perplexity is launching an integration with Tripadvisor that will add more information about hotels. Now, when you search for places to stay, Perplexity will present you with a neatly organized list of hotels, alongside summaries of why it chose them using information sourced from Tripadvisor.

In an example shared by Perplexity, a search for “hotels in Madrid for a business trip” yields a result for Hotel Regina, which the search engine says you should choose “if you want a centrally located hotel in Madrid with exceptional service and a rich breakfast offering.” It also displays its ratings and images from Tripadvisor as well as a list of perks, like “location,” “service,” and “cleanliness.”

Previously, Perplexity only displayed a numbered list of hotels with their address, user rating, and features, while showing images gathered from each hotel’s website in its sidebar.

“From the Tripadvisor side, they provide an up-to-date trustworthy source of information that we sync regularly,” Perplexity cofounder Johnny Ho said during an interview with The Verge. “On the fly, we’ll index and retrieve the right results depending on the user intent of the query.”

Perplexity, which bills itself as an “answer engine” rather than a search engine, plans to expand the Tripadvisor integration to include information about restaurants and experiences in the future. The AI search engine also added data from Yelp last year as part of its goal to include accurate information you can use.

The change comes just weeks after ChatGPT widely rolled out its AI search engine, which now displays results from the web for certain queries. Perplexity’s Tripadvisor integration is rolling out now to Perplexity on the web, but it will be available on its mobile app “soon.”

Meta is testing eBay listings on Facebook Marketplace in the US, Germany, and France. The company said in a post on Wednesday that it’s making the change to comply with last year’s antitrust order by the European Union, though it continues to appeal the decision.

With the test, Facebook Marketplace users can browse eBay listings on Facebook Marketplace and then check out on eBay. Meta said it could “benefit” both platforms, as it exposes eBay sellers to Facebook’s audience, while giving Marketplace users access to “a broader array of listings from the eBay community.” The news was reported earlier by Bloomberg.

Image: Meta

“It’s a small test for now, so not all people will see it, but we hope to expand soon,” Meta spokesperson Jocelyn Jones said in an emailed statement to The Verge. Facebook Marketplace users will see both local eBay listings and items that can be shipped, according to eBay’s FAQ.

Last year, the EU fined Meta $840 million over claims it forcibly exposed Facebook users to Marketplace by linking its selling and social platforms. It also accused Meta of imposing “unfair trading conditions” on rival classified ads services to benefit Marketplace, and ordered Meta to stop engaging in this allegedly illegal behavior. At the time, Meta said it would work on a solution while appealing the fine, saying that the EU’s decision relies “on a hypothetical potential to harm competition.”

Update, January 8th: Added a statement and more information from Meta.

CES is home to some of the coolest, cutting-edge, and most innovative technology around. But within this sea of tech are always some pretty strange gadgets. This year’s conference was no different, packed with a whole bunch of wacky devices, some of which might have a chance of taking off, and others... maybe not so much.

Here’s a roundup of all the weird tech we spotted on the CES show floor and beyond.

1. Mirumi, the shy sloth-like robot

Image: Yukai Engineering

Mirumi is a furry little robot that latches onto your purse or backpack strap. It turns its head to look curiously around the room using built-in sensors. But much like an infant, Mirumi is designed to be a bit shy, so it might bury its face if it’s touched or approached by strangers. The company behind Mirumi, Yukai Engineering, plans to launch the bot through a crowdfunding campaign this year with an expected price of $70.

2. A phone battery charger that resembles a toaster

Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge

No, my colleague Allison Johnson isn’t sticking her phone in a toaster — that white box is actually a charging hub made by Swippitt. It’s designed to power up a series of external batteries that go into Swippitt’s Link phone case, giving your device a little extra charge. When your battery is on the verge of dying, insert your phone into the hub, and it will automatically swap out the external battery for one that’s fully charged, no cords or wireless charging stations needed.

3. This retractable keyboard

I never even thought I needed a keyboard that retracts to reveal a trackpad and number pad, and after seeing my colleague Sean Hollister use it... I still don’t think I need it. The AutoKeybo uses a built-in camera to detect the position of your hands and will automatically switch between setups when you raise them slightly. It’s supposed to help you “boost productivity” by saving you from moving your hands between your mouse and keyboard, and it comes with a pretty hefty $700 price tag.

4. An even more portable LG StanbyME display

LG is back with a second version of its portable StanbyME monitor. But this time, you can add a shoulder strap to the 27-inch monitor, letting you haul it around while on the go (or hang it up in a room). There’s even a new folio case that makes it look like an absurdly large tablet. Aside from the new accessories, the StanbyME comes with other upgrades over its predecessor, including a higher 1440p resolution, a longer four-hour battery life, and two USB-C ports.

5. SwitchBot’s modular, multitasking robot

SwitchBot made a modular robot capable of completing many different types of chores. Built on a version of SwitchBot’s mini robot vacuum, the Multitasking Household Robot K20 Plus Pro comes with a wheeled “FusionPlatform” that you can equip with various devices, like the company’s air purifier, fan, security camera, and more, allowing it to roll around your house while completing all kinds of tasks. It will be able to do even more in the future with the in-development robotic arms you can see in the video above.

6. An 18-karat gold smart ring

Image: Ultrahuman

Forget your traditional engagement ring. What about presenting your partner with an 18-karat gold smart ring? Well, Ultrahuman made just that, with its “artisanal” Rare ring, costing $1,900 in gold (or $2,200 in platinum). Aside from full access to all of Ultrahuman’s features and lifetime membership to its warranty program, this device has the same specs as the far cheaper $349 Ultrahuman Ring Air — just in a far more expensive package.

7. LG’s air purifier your cat can sit on

The LG AeroCatTower is exactly what it sounds like: an air purifier that doubles as a cat tree. In addition to providing a heated spot for your feline friend, it filters out pet dander and even weighs your cat, too. The AeroCatTower connects to the LG ThinQ app, where you can see information about your cat’s weight and track how long your cat was asleep.

8. The “world’s first wearable solar panel”

Photo by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge

This jacket from Anker is still just a concept for now, but it gives off real Cyberpunk 2077 vibes with its LED light strips and perovskite solar cells wrapped around the outside of the cloak. It offers a 30W maximum input, along with a USB-C output you can use to charge your phone.

9. LG’s indoor gardening side table

Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

Like LG’s AeroCatTower, the company’s latest take on indoor gardening combines multiple functions in a single package. The device looks similar to your typical side table, but it features a lamp you can grow plants beneath. It also automatically waters your plants using its built-in tank and has a built-in speaker. LG made a taller, lamp-style garden as well.

10. Encapsulated anime girls that talk to you

Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge

This is exactly what it looks like: a pod containing 3D models of dancing anime girls. But it doesn’t have to house anime girls; you can upload any character to Character Livehouse’s 1200p display, and it will use AI to interact with you. The capsule comes equipped with cameras and microphones with sound recognition, allowing the character to detect your presence. Code 27, the company behind Character Livehouse, says the model can cheer you on in games and even “gently” wake you up. It’s headed to Kickstarter soon with a price range of $400 to $500.

LG has revealed a new UltraFine monitor at CES, and it features a thin display mounted on an equally slim base. It’s also the first 6K monitor to support Thunderbolt 5, as spotted earlier by MacRumors.

That means it should have a data throughput of up to 80Gbps (or up to 120Gbps if it supports Intel’s Bandwidth Boost mode). It also has a “Nano IPS Black” panel that LG says “delivers exceptional color accuracy and a high contrast,” with 99.5 percent Adobe RGB and 98 percent DCI-P3 color gamut coverage.

Many details about the display are still missing, as there’s no word on its refresh rate or availability. The 32-inch 6K Dell UltraSharp monitor, which also uses an IPS Black display from LG, might give us an idea about price, as it costs $2,479.99. The Verge reached out to LG with a request for more information but didn’t immediately hear back.

More devices have added support for Thunderbolt 5 in recent months, with the first Thunderbolt 5 cables and docks arriving last year. Apple’s newest MacBook Pro models and the Mac Mini support Thunderbolt 5 as well.

Discovery Plus is going up in price, with its ad-supported plan going from $4.99 to $5.99 per month, and its ad-free plan increasing from $8.99 to $9.99 per month. The price hike will go into effect immediately for new subscribers, while existing subscribers will see the change during their next billing cycle or after February 7th.

Discovery Plus raised the price of its ad-free plan for the first time in October 2023. Following the launch of Max, Discovery Plus remained a standalone subscription despite most of its content appearing in Warner Bros. Discovery’s flagship streaming service. Discovery Plus has a mix of shows — ranging from ultra binge-worthy to ultra cringe-worthy — from channels like HGTV, TLC, the Discovery Channel, Investigation Discovery, Magnolia Network, and others.

Streaming service price hikes have become frustratingly common over the past few years, with Max, Paramount Plus, and Peacock all raising their prices in 2024, while Amazon Prime Video introduced ads. Max and Disney Plus are also following Netflix’s initiative to crack down on password sharing.

Getty Images and Shutterstock are joining forces in a merger valued at around $3.7 billion, the companies announced on Tuesday. The merger will allow the companies to expand their stock photo libraries as they face increasing competition from AI-powered image creation tools.

Getty Images CEO Craig Peters will remain the head of the combined companies when the merger closes, while a reworked board of directors will consist of members from both Getty Images and Shutterstock, including Shutterstock CEO Paul Hennessy. In the press release, Peters said the merger will bolster the companies by “enhancing our content offerings, expanding event coverage, and delivering new technologies to better serve our customers.”

Shutterstock will remain a separate website following the merger, Getty Images spokesperson Anne Flanagan confirmed to The Verge.

The merger comes amid the rise of text-to-image AI tools from companies like OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, and Adobe. In 2023, Getty Images responded to the trend by launching an image generator trained on its vast library of licensed photos. It rolled out a similar tool on iStock, which Getty also owns, and partnered with online image editor Picsart to create a “responsible, commercially-safe” AI image generator.

Meanwhile, Shutterstock struck an AI training deal with OpenAI, and has agreements with Meta, Google, and Amazon, according to Reuters.

The decision to combine two stock photo powerhouses may also spur antitrust scrutiny, but it’s unclear how a more merger-friendly Trump administration will respond.

Narwal, the company behind our favorite mopping robot, just announced a new flagship robovac called the Flow that’s capable of cleaning closer to walls and corners. The Flow comes with a track-driven mop pad that extends to reach the edge of walls, while also using dual water tanks to keep the mop clean and remove dirty water.

It sounds similar to the extending, self-cleaning roller mop we saw on Ecovacs’ Deebot X8 Omni Pro robovac. The Flow comes with an anti-tangle side brush that extends to reach corners and a brush cover that sits closer to the ground and automatically increases suction up to 20,000Pa on surfaces like carpet.

The Narwal Flow has dual RGB cameras with an AI chip that helps it detect and avoid more than 200 different types of objects. It can also automatically adjust its height to move over barriers up to 40mm (about 1.6 inches) high. The included docking station offers eight different functions, allowing it to empty the robovac’s dust bin, wash and dry the mop, and refill its water tank.

Narwal also announced a trio of other robovacs, including a Freo Z10 robovac with mopping pads that revolve 180 times per minute, an all-in-one Narwal S30 mopping robovac with self-cleaning features, and a more affordable Freo Pro robovac-mop hybrid.

The Narwal Flow will launch in June 2025, but the company hasn’t said how much it will cost. The Freo Z10 and Freo Pro will arrive in the spring, while the Narwal S30 will launch in the second quarter of 2025.

Sony is launching the Xyn (pronounced zin), an “extended reality” headset for creating 3D objects for films, animation, and games. The device, which Sony first teased at CES last year, will come with 4K OLED displays, video passthrough, and support for third-party design, modeling, and production software.

Based on the video shared by Sony, it looks like wearers will be able to flip up the headset when they’re not using it. It doesn’t appear to come with the ring and pointer that Sony showed off last year, though.

Alongside the headset, Sony revealed Xyn Motion Studio, an accompanying Windows app that supports up to 12 Mocopi sensors, its wireless motion-tracking system that V-Tubers and other creators often use to control virtual avatars. The software comes with motion-editing features, allowing creators to trim and merge motions, as well as adjust time and position.

There’s also a prototype of a “spatial capture solution,” which is supposed to transform images of real objects and spaces into “photorealistic” 3D computer-generated assets using Sony’s algorithm. One year out from Sony’s initial teaser, and details are still pretty slim on what exactly this headset will be capable of, aside from viewing and interacting with 3D objects.

Sony is planning to release its Xyn Motion Studio software in late March 2025, but there still isn’t any word on the availability or pricing of its headset.

The US Department of Defense has added tech giant Tencent and lithium-ion battery maker CATL to its list of Chinese military companies, as reported earlier by Bloomberg. The designation doesn’t impose sanctions or a ban, but it could make it more difficult for the companies to do business in the US.

Along with owning the popular messaging app WeChat, Tencent is a major name in the gaming industry, as it owns League of Legends developer Riot Games and has invested in many others, including Epic Games, Larian Studios, Ubisoft, and FromSoftware. Meanwhile, CATL is the world’s biggest electric vehicle battery maker, with its products appearing across EVs from Tesla, Ford, Volkswagen, BMW, and more.

The designations originate from President-elect Donald Trump’s executive order in 2020, which prevented US companies from investing in entities with ties to the Chinese military. DJI, which was put on the list in 2022, says US Customs is blocking its drone imports and eventually filed a lawsuit claiming the designation has resulted in “lost business deals” and a stigma “as a national security threat.”

These companies don’t always stay on the Department of Defense’s list, as the US removed Chinese phone maker Xiaomi just months after adding it in 2021. Both Tencent and CATL plan to push back on the designations. “We are not a military company or supplier,” Tencent spokesperson Danny Marti said in a statement to The Verge. “Unlike sanctions or export controls, this listing has no impact on our business. We will nonetheless work with the Department of Defense to address any misunderstanding.” CATL spokesperson Fred Zhang similarly told The Verge that its inclusion was “a mistake,” adding that “CATL is not engaged in any military related activities.”

Update, January 6th: Added a statement from CATL.

Acer is putting AMD chips in its ultra-thin Swift Go 16 AI and Swift Go 14 AI Copilot Plus laptops, both of which come with up to an AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 processor. Until now, Acer only offered its Swift Go 14 Copilot Plus laptop with a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processor.

The AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 processor has eight cores, 16 threads, and an up to 5.0GHz boost clock. The Swift Go AI laptops feature a neural processing unit (NPU) running AMD’s XDNA 2 architecture with up to 50 TOPS, as well as AMD Radeon 800M graphics.

Both the 16- and 14-inch Swift Go AI come with the option for either an OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate or an IPS touch panel. There’s also up to 32GB of low-power DDR5X SDRAM, a 1440p HDR webcam, and up to 24.9 hours of video playback on the Swift Go 14 AI (or up to 18 hours of video playback on the Swift Go 16 AI).

The Swift Go 14 AI will launch in May with a starting price of $899.99, while the Swift Go 16 AI will arrive in April starting at $949.99. Over the past few months, Microsoft has been gradually expanding AI features, such as Recall and live translation, to Copilot Plus PCs running AMD and Intel chips, as these features were previously only available on Qualcomm-equipped devices.

Along with these laptops, Acer also revealed a pair of non-AI Swift Go laptops powered by Intel’s Core Ultra 9 285H processor and Intel Arc graphics, with the 14- and 16-inch options starting at the same prices as their Copilot Plus counterparts.

Image: Acer

There’s a new Aspire Vero 16 laptop as well, which Acer says has an “easy-to-repair” design with a chassis made of more than 70 percent “post-consumer recycled plastic and bio-based oyster shell material.” The Aspire Vero features up to an Intel Core Ultra 7 255H processor and Intel Arc graphics. It will start at $799.99 when it launches in April.

Dell’s new monitor can beam audio directly toward your ears. The Dell 32 Plus 4K QD-OLED uses a camera beneath its display for AI-powered head tracking, allowing it to adjust the sound coming out of its five 5W speakers based on your position.

As it directs audio toward each of your ears, the monitor also blocks sound at the opposite ear using destructive interference, which occurs when sound waves in different phases interact and cancel each other out. It’s the same type of technology used in active noise-canceling headphones.

Dell isn’t the only company to use head tracking to deliver audio; Razer’s Leviathan soundbar has a similar feature, and so does the 3D monitor Acer revealed in 2023.

Image: Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge

But it seems like Dell’s new monitor might be an ideal choice for gaming, as it comes with a 32-inch 4K OLED display, along with up to 120Hz refresh rate, a speedy 0.03ms response time, and support for AMD FreeSync Premium.

At $799.99, the Dell 32 Plus 4K QD-OLED is a little cheaper than similar monitors like the $899.99 MSI Mag 321UPX and the $1,399.99 LG Ultragear ‎32GS95UE (though these two monitors have higher refresh rates). The Dell 32 Plus 4K QD-OLED launches in the US on May 22nd, 2025.

Google TV is getting a Gemini integration that’s supposed to make interacting with your TV “more intuitive and helpful,” the company announced at CES on Monday. With the update, which is set to arrive later this year, you’ll be able to search for content and ask questions without starting with “Hey Google,” as reported by Bloomberg and Android Police.

As pointed out by Android Police, the integration will allow you to search for media by saying “What are the latest movies from Disney?” You can also ask more general questions such as, “What are the best places to visit in Asia in the summer?” and Google TV will show results from YouTube. The integration lets you interact with smart home devices as well, allowing you to view your video doorbell feed and more.

Google brought similar Gemini-powered features to the Google TV Streamer it released last year.

In addition to bringing Gemini to Google TV, the company is outfitting the TVs using its operating system with far-field microphones, according to Bloomberg and Android Police. This will let you use voice commands with your TV without speaking into your remote. Google TVs will also have proximity sensors that will detect when you’re close to the TV and show “personalized and informative widgets,” Android Police reports.

Google isn’t alone in bringing AI to TVs. LG and Samsung announced that they’re getting in on the AI hype by bringing Microsoft’s Copilot assistant to their TVs, too.