When we look back at 2025, especially in the tech world, it’s likely to be remembered as the year of AI. A fierce competition emerged among OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, and others to create the top models across various fields. Nvidia soared to become the most valuable company globally, data centers popped up everywhere, and nearly every app, device, company, and person was busy figuring out their AI strategy. While AI wasn’t the only thing on the agenda this year, it certainly dominated.
In this episode of The Vergecast, we reflect on the year as it wraps up. Nilay and David are joined by Joanna Stern, a senior tech columnist at The Wall Street Journal. They review some predictions from last year and dive into the highlights and lowlights of 2025.
Some categories we chose this year were pretty straightforward, like the surprising success story of the year and the worst new buzzword. Others were more open to interpretation, sparking plenty of discussion: What was the gadget of the year? And, more importantly, which Big Tech CEO would make the best podcast host? The team often has differing opinions, but they always bring plenty of insight.
We want to hear from you about the superlative categories we discussed. What would you choose for Best AI Thing? Which product that went away this year makes you the saddest? Share your thoughts: leave a comment, call the Vergecast Hotline at 866-VERGE11, or send us an email at [email protected]. Don’t miss out on next week when we reveal our bold predictions for 2026. Just overlook that we were off on most of our 2025 predictions—we’re confident we’ll get it right this time!
