Authors: David Pierce
The future of code is exciting and terrifyingOn The Vergecast: how to love and hate AI at the same time, and what US phone buyers are missing.On The Vergecast: how to love and hate AI at the same time, and what US phone buyers are missing.by David PierceMar 17, 2026, 3:16 PM UTCDavid Pierce is editor-at-large and Vergecast co-host with over a decade of experience covering consumer tech. Previously, at Protocol, The Wall Street Journal, and Wired.Suddenly it seems like everyone’s a coder. Or, at the very least, like they play one in the Claude Code app. But even for the seasoned pros, the act of software development is changing fast — many people are writing less code themselves and instead spending their time managing agents and projects. So what does all that change mean, both for the code and the people who make it?Verge subscribers, don’t forget you get exclusive access to ad-free Vergecast wherever you get your podcasts. Head here. Not a subscriber? You can sign up here.On this episode of The Vergecast, Paul Ford, a writer and entrepreneur and longtime tech thinker, explains his journey into vibe coding. He’s building more than ever, solving lots of problems, taking on interesting projects, and feeling a surprising amount of emotional conflict in the process. Ford explains why he’s excited about the Claude Code-y future of things and also worried about what it all might mean. Is it possible to love and hate AI at the same time? It might have to be.After that, The Verge’s Dominic Preston helps answer a question from the Vergecast Hotline (call 866-VERGE11 or email vergecast@theverge.com!) about the differences between the US phone market and the global phone market, and whether US buyers are missing anything important. If you want a really great camera in your phone, it turns out you’re going to need to go international. And get used to having a really ugly phone.
If you want to know more about everything we discuss in this episode, here are some links to get you started:From The New York Times: The A.I. Disruption Has Arrived, and It Sure Is FunClaude has been having a moment — can it keep it up?How the creator of Claude Code sees the future of AIFtrainFrom Bloomberg: What Is Code?Xiaomi, unlike Google and Samsung, thinks camera hardware comes firstOppo’s new foldable isn’t quite creaseless, but it’s pretty damn closeHonor’s Robot Phone is a bad robot, interesting camera, maybe a friendVivo and Oppo’s telephoto extender comes to iPhoneFollow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.David PierceThe Verge DailyA free daily digest of the news that matters most.Email (required)By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.Advertiser