The VergeCast 举办了一个名为“熊巢”的特别环节，这是一个对投资推介节目的趣味演绎。主持人 David Pierce 和 Hayden Field（即“熊们”）每人手持十亿美元虚拟资金，用于投资听众提交的“氛围编码”项目。
在推介环节之前，Travis Larchuk 播报了 2026 年 10 月 5 日星期一的“The Verge 90 秒快讯”。新闻重点包括“Google Books”的发布；来自五家不同制造商（都不是谷歌）的安卓笔记本电脑，起售价从 8.99 美元到 12.99 美元不等。其中一些使用了高通 ARM 处理器，另一些则使用了英特尔 x86 处理器，谷歌警告称安卓应用在英特尔平台上可能存在兼容性问题。其他新闻包括 Pixel 10a 提价 100 美元（现建议零售价为 599 美元），三星和华为手机、树莓派以及 NVIDIA Shield TV Pro 也出现了类似的价格上涨。最后，一款名为“星球大战银河赛车”（Star Wars Galactic Racer）的新星球大战赛车视频游戏广受好评。
“熊巢”随后正式开始，共有来自全球听众的六个项目推介：
1. **来自华盛顿特区的 John** 展示了他改造后的“Skylight”平板电脑。它原本是一款基础的安卓平板，John 利用 AI 将其改造为一个可定制的智能家居仪表盘。它能控制灯光，生成可与 TickTick/Trello 集成（并发送 Telegram 消息）的购物清单，还能托管自定义的基于网络的应用程序，用于显示地铁信息、计时器或汽车空调控制。该项目使用 Claude 构建，运行在一个无头（headless）MacBook Air 服务器上，给 Hayden 留下了深刻印象。Hayden 以 1 亿美元将其拿下，理由是它在家庭集成和减轻认知负荷方面的实用性。
2. **来自伊利诺伊州芝加哥的 Sarah** 是一位两岁孩子的家长，她推介了一款“儿童餐食追踪器”应用。这款移动优先的应用旨在减轻育儿的“认知负荷”，它可以追踪 pantry 库存、记录孩子吃了什么，并备注他们的食物偏好。它会为低库存物品生成购物清单，并提供每周视图以确保饮食多样性。Sarah 提议集成 Claude 或 ChatGPT 等 AI，以推荐新食物或解决营养缺口。Hayden 看到其广泛吸引力后，在一场竞价战中以 1.15 亿美元进行了投资。
3. **来自新泽西州的 Eddie** 介绍了一个用于播客和媒体档案管理的后端工具。它主要是一个使用 Gemini 进行氛围编码的 Python 脚本，通过 Whisper 转录 MP3 文件，然后使用免费的云模型总结片段，创建 Markdown 文件。这些文件随后在 Gemini 笔记本中进行索引，允许用户聊天和搜索多年存档音频中的特定内容，例如教堂布道或播客中的“彩蛋”（Easter eggs）。David 认识到其对其报道工作的巨大专业实用性，以 1 亿美元中标。
4. **来自英国的 Simon** 展示了“Gather In”，一个简单的照片收集应用。它使用 Claude 和 Firebase 构建，允许用户轻松分享链接或二维码，让亲朋好友将照片上传到一个中心位置。最初设想用于收集葬礼照片，但其用途很快扩展到婚礼和派对等活动。照片可以标记为公开或私密，所有照片都可以作为 zip 文件下载。David 看到其广阔的市场潜力，出价超过 Hayden，以 2.5 亿美元将其收购。
5. **来自伊利诺伊州的 Meals** 展示了“Pain Frame”，一款极简主义的疼痛追踪应用。这款基于 HTML、用 Claude 开发的应用允许用户快速记录疼痛强度及其对日常生活的影响。它包含一个 3D 解剖模型，用于精确标记疼痛位置，并将数据导出为 CSV 和 JSON 格式，以便于与医生共享或进行进一步的 AI 分析。Hayden 欣赏其专注的实用性和简洁的设计，投资了 9000 万美元。
6. 最后，**来自佐治亚州的 Spencer** 推介了一款“骑行计算器”（Ride Calculator）。这款使用 Gemini 进行氛围编码的简单渐进式网络应用（Progressive Web App）和 Garmin 手表数据字段，可以帮助骑行者（或跑步者）计算精确的折返点，以达到精确的目标距离（或时间）。Spencer 本人就是一名骑行者，他强调了该应用在即时路线调整方面的价值。Hayden 注意到其对目标导向型锻炼者的广泛吸引力，以 1.5 亿美元获得了该项目。
节目环节结束时，David Pierce 已投资 5.75 亿美元，剩余 4.25 亿美元；而 Hayden Field 则投资了 4.55 亿美元，剩余 5.45 亿美元。主持人对这些“氛围编码”项目的质量印象深刻，他们开玩笑地谈论了自己激进的竞价，并建议未来再举办一轮“熊巢”环节。
The VergeCast hosted a special segment called "Bear Lair," a playful take on investment pitch shows, where hosts David Pierce and Hayden Field (the "bears") each started with a billion dollars in fake money to invest in "vibe coded" projects by listeners.
Before the pitches, Travis Larchuk delivered "90 Seconds on The Verge" for Monday, October 5th, 2026. News highlights included the release of "Google Books," Android-based laptops from five different manufacturers (none Google), with starting prices from $8.99 to $12.99. Some used Qualcomm ARM processors, others Intel x86, with Google warning of potential Android app compatibility issues on Intel. Other news included a $100 price bump for the Pixel 10a (now $599 MSRP), similar price increases for Samsung and Huawei phones, Raspberry Pis, and the NVIDIA Shield TV Pro. Lastly, a new Star Wars racing video game, "Star Wars Galactic Racer," received critical acclaim.
The "Bear Lair" then commenced with six pitches from listeners across the globe:
1. **John from Washington, D.C.** presented his repurposed "Skylight" tablet. Originally a basic Android tablet, John used AI to transform it into a customizable smart home dashboard. It controls lights, generates grocery lists that integrate with TickTick/Trello (sending Telegram messages), and can host custom web-based apps for metro information, timers, or car climate control. Built with Claude and running on a headless MacBook Air server, it impressed Hayden, who secured it for $100 million, citing its utility in home integration and reducing cognitive load.
2. **Sarah from Chicago, Illinois**, a parent of a two-year-old, pitched a "Child Meal Tracker" app. Designed to alleviate the "cognitive load" of parenting, the mobile-first app tracks pantry inventory, logs what a child eats, and notes their food preferences. It compiles shopping lists for low-stock items and offers a weekly view to ensure dietary variety. Sarah proposed integrating AI like Claude or ChatGPT to suggest new foods or address nutritional gaps. Hayden, seeing its broad appeal, invested $115 million after a competitive bidding war.
3. **Eddie from New Jersey** introduced a backend tool for podcast and media archive management. Primarily a Python script vibe coded with Gemini, it transcribes MP3 files using Whisper, then summarizes sections using a free cloud model, creating markdown files. These files are then indexed in a Gemini notebook, allowing users to chat and search for specific content within years of archived audio, like church sermons or podcast "Easter eggs." David, recognizing its immense professional utility for his reporting, won the bid for $100 million.
4. **Simon from the United Kingdom** presented "Gather In," a simple photo collection app. Built with Claude and Firebase, it allows users to easily share a link or QR code, letting friends and family upload photos to a central place. Initially conceived for collecting photos for funerals, its utility quickly expanded to events like weddings and parties. Photos can be marked as public or private, and all can be downloaded as a zip file. David, seeing its broad market potential, outbid Hayden to acquire it for $250 million.
5. **Meals from Illinois** showcased "Pain Frame," a minimalist pain tracking app. Developed with Claude, this HTML-based app allows users to quickly log pain intensity and its impact on daily life. It includes a 3D anatomical model for precise pain location marking and exports data as CSV and JSON for easy sharing with doctors or further AI analysis. Hayden, appreciating its focused utility and clean design, invested $90 million.
6. Finally, **Spencer from Georgia** pitched a "Ride Calculator." Vibe coded with Gemini, this simple Progressive Web App and Garmin watch data field helps cyclists (or runners) calculate a precise turn-around point to achieve exact target distances (or times). Spencer, a cyclist himself, highlighted its value for on-the-fly route adjustments. Hayden, noting its broad appeal for goal-oriented exercisers, secured the project for $150 million.
At the segment's conclusion, David Pierce had invested $575 million, retaining $425 million, while Hayden Field invested $455 million, with $545 million remaining. The hosts were impressed by the quality of the "vibe coded" projects, joking about their aggressive bidding and suggesting a future "Bear Lair" round.