This week on The Vergecast, Nilay, Lauren, Dieter, and Paul begin by discussing the controversy over the Google engineer who was fired over writing a 10-page viral memo about diversity. The story illustrates a deeper problem in Silicon Valley, which Lauren has discussed in her podcast recently, so the cast talks about the science of the claims, the responsibly of Google, and what it means in the larger tech industry. In the second half of the show, the crew runs through the latest leaks, releases, and controversies in the gadget world, including Paul’s segment he does every week, “FROYO PODS.” 01:46 - Google engineer fired over memo files labor complaint 33:09 - Consumer Reports stops recommending Microsoft Surface PCs over reliability concerns 37:41 - The new iPhone could have a resizable home button and face recognition for payments 46:22 - 4K Apple TV with HDR spotted in HomePod firmware 48:54 - Essential promises a new phone release date 'in a week' 56:19 - Another Pixel 2 leak shows the phone’s large front bezels 58:14 - Paul’s weekly segment “FROYO PODS” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ask this episode

“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.