The Vergecast co-hosts Nilay Patel and David Pierce questioned whether AI products provide enough value to justify their costs, pointing to business spending, public impacts and political ties.
In a Nov. 6 episode titled “Big Tech Lost Big in the 2026 Election,” Patel said the products have not given people a compelling reason to accept the expense. “The products aren't good enough to sell people on the costs,” he said.
Patel also asserted that companies are spending more on AI products than they earn from them. He said AI agents “aren't real” and may not yet be used in ways people want.
Pierce described data center noise and deepfake content as burdens associated with AI, and argued that the industry needs products whose practical benefits are clear in everyday life. He also linked those costs to what he characterized as technology executives’ political ties, citing CEOs’ interactions with Trump at the White House, the Gulf of America renaming and money for a ballroom. Pierce called the combination “crypto-corruption.”
