Diggnation (Rebooted) – Episode Summary

Title: OnlyFans on Digg, Foldable iPhones in 2026, and Why the Metaverse Is Officially Over
Hosts: Kevin Rose & Alex Albrecht
Release Date: January 21, 2026

Episode Overview

After a 15-year hiatus, Diggnation is back, digging into the quirkiest, most fascinating stories from around the Internet. Kevin and Alex, with their signature banter and blend of insight and irreverence, cover the resurgence of Digg communities (including a not-that OnlyFans group), debate the need for foldable iPhones, and announce the (not-so-shocking) death of the Metaverse. They also dive deep into AI’s impact on coding, laugh at billion-dollar AI startups, and puzzle over the future of self-driving car subscriptions—all while riffing on everything from drinking habits to the meaning of life.

Key Topics & Insights

1. Digg’s Relaunch: Communities, OnlyFans & Moderation

Timestamps: 07:09 – 11:02

• Digg’s new open public beta now allows users to create and moderate their own communities. There’s a two-community creation limit to keep quality up.
• Alex is excited about his own /cooking and /Dodgers communities; Kevin mentions /Japan and /Meditation.
• Notable laugh: The "OnlyFans" community is literally for fan enthusiasts (spinning, hand, cooling fans—not what you’d expect).
  • “OnlyFans is only... it’s only fans. Literally all types of fans. Like fans you can buy at Costco, hand fans, fans that blow at different capacities.” — Kevin (08:25)
• Moderation is intentionally transparent. Future plans include AI support for moderators, but the hosts debate the pros and cons of AI in community management.

Notable quote:

• "Moderation is transparent. Unlike other big social platforms, you get to see what's happening. In a perfect world... you have these principles that a community should be run by." — Kevin (09:21)

2. The Death of the Metaverse

Timestamps: 11:02 – 26:43

• Meta’s Metaverse efforts have officially fizzled, with hosts agreeing they “called it years ago.”
  • “I called this shit years ago, dude. So stupid.” — Kevin (11:17)
• Meta’s push was an effort to recapture young users spending time on Roblox, Minecraft, Fortnite, not Instagram.
• VR/AR’s mainstream failure attributed to friction (hardware setup, not “10x better”) and the public’s short attention span.
• They contrast AI’s natural integration into everyday life with the forced, clunky promise of VR.
• Extended philosophical tangent: Are we too obsessed with digital experiences? Alex and Kevin reflect on Zen mindfulness and the miracle of “enjoying the passage of time,” invoking Thich Nhat Hanh and a viral video:
  • "The miracle is to walk on the earth. The miracle is, are my feet on the ground and am I even aware of that moment?” — Kevin (20:04)
  • "Enjoying the passage of time is about all I got. And it's enough.” — Clip (22:48)

3. AI's Leap Forward: Compound Engineering & Coding

Timestamps: 26:59 – 33:50

• Kevin explains his “vibecoding” workflow has dramatically improved with “compound engineering,” a new plugin for Claude Code AI.
  • “It has changed just everything. Now I can have multiple projects being developed with a high level of confidence…” — Kevin (27:28)
• This plugin divides projects into subtasks, preserving context and improving code quality to 95%.
• Encouragement for newcomers: “If you have yet to dip into coding, now is the time. Just... dream up anything.”
• Career advice: The best products solve personal pains because “when times are tough, you’ll have enough passion.”
  • “Failure is just bullshit. The only thing it is, is admitting that you've learned something new.” — Kevin (24:35)

4. Foldable iPhones: Hype or Gimmick?

Timestamps: 39:57 – 44:11

• Rumors suggest a foldable iPhone could arrive in 2026, but most listeners (and hosts) aren’t convinced it’s necessary.
  • “When I first heard about this, I went, I don’t need this.” — Alex (41:03)
• Possible upside: It could replace the need to carry both a phone and an iPad Mini.
• Foldables are neat for screen real estate, but hosts are skeptical about practicality (heaviness, dual-use, expense).
• Praise for the new iPad’s thinness and multi-window interface, speculating Apple may one day merge iPadOS and macOS.

5. Billion-Dollar AI Startups & Investment FOMO

Timestamps: 44:15 – 47:53

• Talk of Humans, a new startup by ex-Anthropic, XAI, & Google staff, raising a $480 million seed round for “collaborative AI.”
• The valuation ($4.48 billion) stuns both hosts, who marvel at the power of having top AI talent even without a clear product.
  • “That is ridiculous… The thing for me would be, what was the pitch?” — Alex (44:54, 46:31)

6. The Subscription Model: Tesla’s Self-Driving and the Electric Car Market

Timestamps: 54:03 – 61:05

• Tesla is shifting Full Self-Driving (FSD) to a subscription-only model; this prompts debate.
• Other automakers (like Sony-Honda’s Afila) are offering self-driving as a monthly add-on—hosts question whether that’s a logical feature to “subscribe” to.
• Monthly models (“$99/month or $1,000/year”) may broaden adoption, but paying for core vehicle functionality feels odd.
  • “If it is a monthly service, then I’m not buying the car. Well, two things, like make the car free and I'll pay a monthly service. That I would do.” — Alex (57:20)
• Affordability vs. recurring revenue for companies; reflecting on old Tesla perks (free supercharging) and the used EV market.

7. Modern Manners: Litter, Main Character Syndrome & The State of America

Timestamps: 61:07 – 61:52

• Rant about people littering in neighborhoods and Waymo rides—calls for object recognition to punish offenders.
  • “Kick those motherfuckers out of the platform. Warn them, but then politely kick them.” — Kevin (60:59)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the death of the Metaverse:
  • “I called this shit years ago, dude. So stupid.” — Kevin (11:17)
• On VR’s failure compared to AI:
  • “It has to be holy shit, everything has changed. I will never go back to ever playing a video game on any other thing… and that was never the case.” — Kevin (16:04)
• On the miracle of being present:
  • “The real miracle is to walk on the Earth... Where are my feet right now? Can I be here right now? That is the power.” — Kevin (20:04)
• On creative failure:
  • “Failure is just... admitting that you’ve learned something new.” — Kevin (24:40)
• On collaborative AI and crazy valuations:
  • “$480 million seed round with a valuation right out of the gate of $4.48 billion. That is ridiculous.” — Alex (44:54)
• On Tesla subscriptions:
  • “If it is a monthly service, then I’m not buying the car.” — Alex (57:20)

Episode Flow with Timestamps

| Time | Topic/Event | |---------|--------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:00 | Cold open, banter, greetings | | 07:09 | The new Digg, communities (OnlyFans gag), moderation, AI-involved? | | 11:02 | The Metaverse is dead — Meta’s VR dreams autopsied | | 19:15 | Philosophy detour (Zen, Thich Nhat Hanh, meaning of life) | | 26:59 | Kevin’s deep dive: Compound engineering, AI coding revolution | | 39:57 | Rumors of a foldable iPhone | | 44:15 | $480M “seed” for mysterious Humans AI startup | | 54:03 | Tesla’s FSD subscription debate, broader car tech changes | | 60:29 | Littering rant, object detection in Waymo & “main character syndrome”| | 62:05 | Outro (skipped for summary purposes) |

The Diggnation Tone

• Geeky, loose, and irreverent: Wandering tangents, inside jokes (“eat/suck a bag…”), and callback humor (“OnlyFans is just fans”).
• Depth amidst chaos: From high-level reflections on technology’s direction to deep, surprisingly moving philosophy about mindfulness and failure.
• Community-powered: Celebrating Digg’s rebirth and the possibilities for new subcultures.

For New Listeners

This episode is a rich, laughter-filled tour through today’s Internet obsessions and tomorrow’s tech—suitable for geeks, builders, and anyone nostalgic for old-school Diggnation. You’ll learn about community moderation, why no one wants VR headsets, the practicalities of folding iPhones, why billion-dollar AI valuations can happen overnight, and how self-driving cars (maybe soon) will charge you by the month for autopilot. Along the way, you’ll also get a (surprisingly) philosophical look at why simply enjoying the moment may be humanity’s best “killer app.”

Skip List: Ads and sponsorships (Whisperflow, Monarch Money, Zbiotics, Anthropic/Claude) omitted except where relevant to discussion.
Host Attribution: "A" = Alex Albrecht; "B" = Kevin Rose; "C" = Guest/Clip