Over the past several months, our team has been deeply immersed in bringing a brand-new show to life — a project we’ve called *Version History*. After countless hours of planning, recording, and refining, the very first episode has officially launched, marking the beginning of what we hope will be a long and engaging exploration of technology’s most memorable moments. This premiere episode, titled “Hoverboards: so hot right now,” offers a comprehensive, one-hour journey through the story of the most talked-about rideable gadget of the 2010s — the hoverboard. Far more than a fleeting fad, the hoverboard turned out to be a prism through which we can examine critical developments in modern technology. Within its story lie themes of industrial evolution in Chinese manufacturing, the catalytic influence of early social media personalities, a public reflection on the future of self-driving technology, and numerous other fascinating implications for both culture and commerce. The episode is hosted by David Pierce, Andy Hawkins, and Sean O’Kane, whose combined insight and enthusiasm make for a dynamic listening experience. Producing this piece was an exceptionally enjoyable process, and we’re confident that the excitement we felt creating it will come through to every listener and viewer who tunes in.
Now that *Version History* is publicly available, you can catch new episodes each Sunday through several different platforms. Although we’ve painstakingly designed the show to function equally well as both an audio and a visual experience, it’s worth noting that the video format offers something particularly special. In the visual version, we bring vintage tech devices straight into the studio, handling and interacting with them as we discuss their legacy. Watching these once-groundbreaking gadgets come to life again on screen adds a certain immediacy and nostalgia that’s difficult to capture in sound alone. Nevertheless, regardless of whether you prefer to listen during a commute or watch on a larger screen, every format of *Version History* has been crafted to deliver the same thoughtful storytelling and analytical richness.
At its heart, *Version History* can be understood as a kind of rewatch podcast, but for technology rather than television. Just as programs like *The Always Sunny Podcast* and *Office Ladies* revisit classic shows episode by episode to reveal behind-the-scenes anecdotes and creative decisions, our aim is to revisit the iconic technologies that have shaped modern life. Similarly, we draw inspiration from analytical pop-culture podcasts such as *What Went Wrong* and *The Rewatchables*, which dissect cultural artifacts and debate their legacies. We also take cues from historical programs like *The Rest Is History*, *Stuff You Missed in History Class*, and *Revolutions*, which reexamine the past to uncover how yesterday’s events inform today’s world. The essence of *Version History* emerges at the intersection of those influences — where nostalgia, critical analysis, and historical context converge under the editorial curiosity of *The Verge*.
Each episode strives to present as comprehensive an account of a product’s story as possible. Anyone who has followed the technology industry over time quickly learns that what ultimately appears on store shelves or in app marketplaces is merely the endpoint — a small surface reflection of a much larger and more turbulent process. Every piece of technology carries with it the invisible traces of corporate negotiations, technical compromises, cultural conditions, and political debates. Products are shaped by the ambitions and subjective tastes of a relatively small group of decision-makers whose choices determine whether a project soars or disappears. Contrary to what marketing might suggest, no technological development is ever a foregone conclusion. Through *Version History*, we seek to understand why technology evolves as it does — identifying the human, social, and economic forces that determine its final form and exploring what those forces mean for all of us who live with the outcomes.
Beyond the intellectual curiosity, though, the show is born out of genuine affection for technology in all its forms: the triumphs that define generations, the missteps that nearly succeed, and the forgotten innovations that never found their place. Technology’s history is punctuated by countless moments of possibility — points where a particular invention might have changed the world had circumstances been slightly different. Revisiting those junctures allows us not only to relive the excitement of discovery but also to recognize how specific decisions, trends, and failures collectively shape the tools and systems we now take for granted. From the devices we once covered as journalists to those we used as kids, and even to the inventions that predate our own experiences, retracing their paths helps illuminate the broader narrative of innovation.
We’ve already recorded eight complete episodes for this initial run, and over the next several weeks we’ll be diving into subjects ranging from BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) and Microsoft’s Zune to LimeWire and other emblematic technologies that defined distinct eras of digital culture. Production on the next wave of episodes has already commenced, but we want the conversation to be participatory — a living dialogue with our audience. We’d love to hear your thoughts: Which products do you believe deserve their own deep-dive episode? Which topics should we refine, expand, or even replace in future installments of *Version History*? And as an open challenge, can you help us determine the criteria for what qualifies a product for the *Version History Hall of Fame*? (We admit we haven’t quite cracked that one yet.) The show remains flexible and evolving, and your feedback will actively shape its future direction.
As for the current debut episode, there is an impressive breadth of material to explore surrounding hoverboards — from their mysterious origins to their rapid cultural ascendance and equally swift disappearance. For those eager to experience the story firsthand, we’ve compiled several resources and links to help guide your own exploration. We hope you’ll dive in, revisit this peculiar chapter of modern tech, and join us as we continue uncovering the intricate and often surprising history behind the gadgets that define our era.
Sourse: https://www.theverge.com/podcast/792339/version-history-podcast-hoverboards
