Episode
Ben McKenzie vs. crypto
- Podcast
- The Vergecast
- Published
- Apr 14, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 4810
- Processing state
failed
Actions
POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-vergecast/episodes/ben-mckenzie-vs-crypto/transcription-requests
Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-vergecast/ben-mckenzie-vs-crypto.md
Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.
Summary
During the height of the cryptocurrency craze a few years ago, the actor Ben McKenzie found himself wondering why no one else was seeing what he was seeing. He joins the show to explain his yearslong attempt to understand Bitcoin and the crypto world, all of which is in his new documentary Everyone Is Lying to You For Money. (You can probably guess how he feels.) After that, The Verge's Victoria Song tells us about her testing of continuous glucose monitors, which have gone from medical device to influencer trend in some worrying ways. Finally, we answer a question from the Vergecast Hotline (call 866-VERGE11 or email [email protected]!) about why all our gadgets seem the same these days. Vote for The Vergecast in the Webby Awards! A vote for The Vergecast is a vote that Brendan Carr is a dummy, that buttons are good, and that party speakers rule the world. Voting is open until April 16. https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2026/podcasts/shows/technology Further reading: Everyone is Lying to You for Money Low interest rates and loneliness: the origins of the pandemic crypto boom Continuous glucose monitoring made me continuously crazy Subscribe to The Verge for unlimited access to theverge.com, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ad-free podcast feed.We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to [email protected] or call us at 866-VERGE11. (Timestamps are approximate.) 00:00:00 Sprinkler Duty Intro 00:03:00 Ben McKenzie Crypto Journey 00:04:00 Is Crypto Really Money 00:09:00 El Salvador Reality Check 00:11:00 Could Crypto Ever Work 00:14:00 Crypto Culture 00:19:00 Casino Capitalism And Crime 00:23:00 Why Bitcoin Keeps Rising 00:30:00 CGMs Explained 00:32:00 FDA OTC And Wellness Boom 00:33:00 Government Push For Wearables 00:39:00…