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9to5Mac's daily podcast episode for September 28, 2026 rounds up the day's top Apple news, including leaks about upcoming HomePod and Apple TV hardware. The episode is available through Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play, and 9to5Mac's RSS feed, with a paid subscription tier offering ad-free episodes and bonus content.
NPR staff discovered that middle schoolers were using the Spotify comment section under an episode of its Wild Card podcast to chat with friends, initially mistaking the flurry of cryptic, emoji-laden posts for bot spam. This American Life host Ira Glass investigated the phenomenon, learning that kids sought out podcasts with few existing comments specifically to use as a private-feeling space. NPR says a similar pattern occurred previously on an episode of Ted Radio Hour.
WIRED's Uncanny Valley podcast, hosted by Zoë Schiffer with senior writer Ej Dickson, examines a loosely organized network of anonymous X accounts dubbed the 'burnerverse' that circulate explicit, nonconsensual videos of young women. The episode centers on University of Florida student Maddie Kowalski, who discovered burner accounts had spread sexually explicit videos of her that were filmed and shared without her consent, after she was targeted on platforms including Yik Yak.
Following Meta's Connect conference, where the new Muse AI agent debuted to strong early reception, Mark Zuckerberg gave interviews defending Meta's Ray-Ban glasses, including one with Alex Heath on the Sources podcast. Zuckerberg argued phone cameras and glasses cameras raise similar privacy concerns, noting people already record each other constantly with phones. The Verge's Nilay Patel says Meta declined his own interview request and instead highlights gaps in Zuckerberg's comparison from the Heath interview.
YouTube Music is rolling out two updates: a new AI-audio feature called 'your podcast lineup' that gives spoken previews and reasons for recommended podcasts, and expanded capabilities for its Ask Music assistant, letting users customize their listening queue and get more details about artists. Both features will roll out worldwide soon and are available to regular app users and YouTube Premium subscribers.
YouTube unveiled two AI features for YouTube Music at its Made On YouTube event: Ask Music, a conversational search tool covering over 300 million songs including remixes and live versions, and Your Podcast Lineup, a personalized weekly audio guide highlighting recommended podcasts and episodes. Ask Music lets users type natural-language requests, like building a mix based on a song's influences or asking who played on a track, instead of searching by title or artist.
In a Decoder podcast interview, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman discussed Apple's recent iPhone hardware event, which marked John Ternus's debut as CEO following Tim Cook's departure less than two weeks earlier. The event also introduced the iPhone Duo, Apple's first foldable smartphone, a launch Gurman says was deliberately timed to coincide with the leadership transition.
A podcast network operator built an AI pipeline linking Claude Code and NotebookLM to automate social media production for over 25 shows, turning a full day of manual work into a background process. Rather than reducing overall workload, the time saved has been redirected into taking on additional projects and responsibilities.
Chiptune band Anamanaguchi answered The Verge's weekly tool questionnaire, with all four members detailing their favorite gadgets and software, from Ableton's Operator plugin to the Logitech MX Master 3S mouse. The piece coincides with the release of their new single 'Yeah I Guess,' which continues the sound established on their album Anyway.
Shopify CEO Tobias Lütke, who last year told employees that using AI was a 'baseline expectation,' now says the push has flooded the company with low-quality AI output he calls 'slop grenades.' He described workers generating unreviewed AI content that colleagues then have to catch and fix, undermining the productivity gains he originally sought.
In a New York Times podcast appearance, Sundar Pichai said the current speed of technological change exceeds anything humans are biologically equipped to handle. The remarks have sparked broader discussion about how executives should manage teams facing constant cognitive strain from rapid tech shifts.
Spotify is broadening its podcast partner program this fall to 35 additional regions, including Italy, Spain, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Poland, Chile, the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas. Podcasters in these markets will be able to earn revenue from both ad and Premium subscriber activity across video and audio formats, while retaining sponsorship income and freedom to distribute elsewhere.