Better Offline – CES 2026: Part Nine (Friday)

Podcast: Better Offline (Cool Zone Media/iHeartPodcasts)
Date: January 10, 2026
Host: Ed Zitron
Notable Guests: Cory Doctorow, Edwin Nguesa, Garrison Davis, Robert Evans, Carl Chouinard, Gary

Overview: A Cynical Turn at CES 2026

This episode delivers a sharp, discursive, and often irreverent wrap-up to Better Offline’s marathon coverage of CES 2026. Host Ed Zitron and a varied panel of tech writers, local journalists, and returning guests analyze the world’s largest tech show, focusing not on the flashiest launches but the malaise, stagnation, and ideological weirdness suffusing both CES and its host city Las Vegas. The discussion weaves personal anecdotes with acerbic industry criticism, and regularly detours into local politics, labor issues, and the consequences of AI’s relentless marketing.

CES 2026: This Year's Overriding Themes

Stagnation and AI-Fueled Hype Cycles

• The team uniformly characterizes CES 2026 as a show suffering a “depression” of innovation and enthusiasm.
• AI “model-hacking,” repackaging of ChatGPT into every device, and a shortage of genuinely new ideas dominate the floors.
• The optimism and spectacle of earlier trends (IoT, Metaverse) feel replaced by tired demos and a sense of creative exhaustion.

Quote:

“It feels like we're in a depression at CES.” — Ed Zitron, [14:32]

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Vegas Tech “Ecosystem” Dilemma

(02:35–04:50)

• Edwin Nguesa describes efforts to build a real tech sector in Las Vegas—still nascent and stymied, despite the long-standing presence of CES.
• Previous attempts, such as Tony Hsieh’s “Old Vegas” project, are noted as “limp” by Ed.
• Aggressive wooing of California companies (e.g., Andreessen Horowitz) contrasts with Las Vegas’s persistent dependence on tourism and conventions.

Quote:

“Vegas needs more perverts and fried chicken.” — Ed Zitron, [05:00]

2. CES Show Floor: What's Actually on Display?

(05:04–21:12)

• Many booths just “repackage ChatGPT” into gadgets, children’s toys, or home assistants.
• Novelty products (hand massagers, smart picture frames) spark ridicule for poor usability and lack of purpose.
• “Virtue signaling” marketing—like a massager labeled, “the virtuous will feel delightful”—emblematizes the absurdity.

Quote:

“I want to be clear, though, the thing sucks, but ‘the virtuous will feel delightful,’ is something I'm going to be saying for the rest of my life.” — Ed Zitron, [11:51]

• True innovation is hard to spot; often only in obscure “wholesale only” booths (e.g., mechanical engineering marvels like compact UK chargers).
• Missing: real “consumer gadgets that make your life better.” The “GAN charger” segment highlights a rare positive example.

3. AI's Pervasive, Hollow Promise

(13:01–15:00; 65:00+)

• Repeated skepticism that AI “assistants” or “AI therapy” can solve real user problems—most products are just wrappers for LLMs (Large Language Models).
• AI products in mental health or healthcare: Panelists express alarm at the dubious claims of HIPAA compliance and likely dangerous advice.
• Most AI businesses lack rigor in data privacy or safety, and “the problem they solve is—how do I make money off this?”

Quote:

“The majority... I suspect, who come into these devices will not have made a choice... they will have been advised by a medical professional... and that's what worries me in terms of [AI] not being reliable.” — Robert Evans, [67:11]

4. Las Vegas: The Host City and Its Ongoing Transformation

(22:39–37:04)

• Las Vegas tourism shows a post-pandemic decline (7.4% drop in 2025 visitation vs 2024), but gaming revenue is up—a “K-shaped recovery” where only the rich are truly thriving.
• Resort/convention fees and monopolistic mergers contribute to rising costs, diminishing the “frictionless entertainment” Vegas sold itself on.
• Locals casinos thrive, but the “service culture” and labor-first attitude of old Vegas is at odds with the anti-human, job-automating spirit of much of tech.
• Panelists deride the “Trump slump” narrative as too simplistic; international tourism is dropping, especially from Canada due to policy changes and a less welcoming political climate.

Quote:

“Las Vegas is a service culture place... it's relatively accessible, affordable, and if you want to spend money, you can have a luxury experience that's not as expensive as other cities. I just don't think people who come to CES are grateful enough for how accessible the city is, in part because CES fucks it up.” — Ed Zitron, [49:21]

5. The Surreal, The Fun, and the Human

Exoskeletons: A Bright Spot

(80:06–86:10)

• Panelists test a “Hypershell” exoskeleton—one of the few products celebrated for genuine utility (“cool … future tech that actually rocks”).
• Real-world metrics: substantial drop in walking effort and joint pain.

Metaverse Nostalgia & Analog Weirdness

(92:27+)

• Fond reminiscences of the chaotic “Metaverse CES,” which, for all its flaws, created lasting friendships.
• Jokes abound about “model-hacking,” bad branding (e.g., “making it easier to edge with AI”), and the surreal spectacle of CES booths.

6. The Tech Industry, Labor, and Anti-Human Attitudes

(41:32–44:29)

• Vegas’ union-heavy, service-focused labor culture stands in stark contrast to tech’s rhetoric (“what if we didn’t have people?”).
• Tech is increasingly “anti-human”—products and ads hinting that “the human need not apply.”
• Discussion includes the injustice of concierge jobs being replaced not by better technology but by cost-cutting layoffs and appointment scalping.

Quote:

“Vegas, one of the best things here is go and fucking talk to the people working at the restaurants, at the door, in your cab... There’s a genuine everyman culture here.” — Ed Zitron, [43:05]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “The ultimate thing to staple shit to.” — On AI being the new “buzzword” to chase funding, [14:34]
• “All dreams in one dream.” — Company slogan at CES, unintentionally summing up the show’s listless ambition, [116:15]
• “This is why CES is the sexless goon cave. Just a bunch of activity.” — On the hollow spectacle and lack of true excitement, [117:54]
• “Have we replaced SEO with model engine optimization? ... That's MeOW!” — On companies optimizing products for AI ‘model hacking’ rather than users, [102:36]
• “There is an ocean of opportunity here for the CEA...” — On the disconnect and lack of cooperation between CES organizers and Vegas, [52:28]
• “The majority of people who come into these [AI healthcare] devices will not have made a choice... they'll have been advised by a medical professional... that's what worries me.” — Robert Evans, [67:11]
• “We need to start treating AI worse. You see a fucking AI thing wants me to anthropomorphize it, I'm going to show…” — Ed Zitron, [112:12]
• “Cyberpunk is a warning and not a suggestion.” — Gary, [108:41]
• “Gresham's Law: bad drives out good… the top results on Amazon are always going to be the worst products.” — Cory Doctorow/Gary, [105:02]

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Segment | Time (MM:SS) | |---------|--------------| | Las Vegas Tech Initiatives / CES “Depression” | 02:35–15:00 | | The Smart Picture Frame Rant | 07:03–09:46 | | AI Therapy & Healthcare Discussion | 65:05–70:50 | | Vegas Visitation Stats / Economy | 22:39–26:23 | | Concierge Culture / Appointment Scalping | 45:23–47:00 | | Genuine Product Praise—Exoskeletons | 80:29–86:10 | | Model-Hacking, “MeOW,” & Advertising | 101:17–104:06 | | CES as the “Sexless Goon Cave” | 117:54–118:02 | | Outtro & Final Reflections | 120:49–121:47 |

Tone, Style & Speaker Highlights

• Ed Zitron: Sardonic, energetic, British bone-dry wit, always ready for a tangent—drives the “real talk” about both CES and Vegas, swinging from jokes about perverts and fried chicken to sharp frustration at tech’s cynicism and anti-labor posture.
• Cory Doctorow: Polished, erudite, with a knack for historical context (Gresham’s Law, data privacy), and equal comfort with industry memes (referring to “in shittification” and anti-trust.)
• Robert Evans & Garrison Davis: Casual, deadpan, occasionally sarcastic—both provide excellent field reporting from the CES floor, never missing a chance for a moment of absurdist humor.
• Edwin Nguesa & Carl Chouinard: Supply local color and detailed knowledge of Vegas’s political and economic scene.

Flow & Structure

The conversation is sprawling and frequently nonlinear, in keeping with the “live, open bar” vibe Ed Zitron sets. Topics are revisited across the episode as guests come and go. The show is cynical yet affectionate—delighting in revealing the seams behind Vegas’s and CES’s glamour, and never shying from a bit of dark or scatological humor.

For Listeners: Key Takeaways

• CES 2026 is marked not by breakthroughs but by repetition, frustrating mediocrity, and endless AI “wrappers” promising far more than they deliver.
• Las Vegas is in the midst of a slow-burning crisis, where tourism is declining for many but high rollers keep the cash flowing, intensifying economic bifurcation.
• Tech Culture is clashing with the labor-first, service-centric values of the city—and replacing genuine solutions with gadgets only an accountant (or VC) could love.
• The true innovation at this year’s CES is not in “AI everything,” but in the few overlooked gadgets quietly making life easier.
• Underlying it all: The genuine human moments, irreverence, and solidarity at the taco-and-open-bar “off-CES” zone, where better ideas and truer critiques are found.

If you haven’t heard the episode: expect wry, rapid-fire commentary, honest tech criticism, social and economic context, and a healthy dose of weird, sidewinding humor.