Every Friday, The Verge publishes our flagship podcast The Vergecast, our chat show to discuss this week in tech news featuring our reporters and editors.

This week, Nilay Patel and Dieter Bohn start off the show with Billboard’s Micah Singleton to discuss the news of Jack Dorsey’s Square, Inc. buying a majority stake in Jay-Z’s streaming service Tidal. Micah analyzes why this deal took place, what this means for Tidal, and how this may change the way artists are paid for their music.

Verge senior editor Tom Warren also joins the show to expand on the announcement of Microsoft’s Mesh mixed reality platform and how it may be the “virtual future” of Microsoft Team meetings. Tom also details the long list of Microsoft announcements from this week, including various updates to Microsoft Teams, Outlook, and more.

You can listen to the full Vergecast discussion here or in your preferred podcast player.

Stories discussed in this episode:

• Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine backed by independent FDA committee
• Long COVID patients say they feel better after getting vaccinated 
• Vaccine centers embrace stickers and selfie stations 
• Countries are polluting like it’s 2019 again: Global CO2 emissions came roaring back as pandemic-induced restrictions loosened
• Jack Dorsey’s Square, Inc. is buying a majority stake in Jay-Z’s streaming service Tidal
• Square Is Acquiring a Majority Stake in Tidal for $297M
• NFTs, explained
• Microsoft Mesh feels like the virtual future of Microsoft Teams meetings 
• Microsoft Teams will soon let you pretend to be a news reporter during meetings
• Microsoft’s new Intelligent Speakers deliver its promised meeting room of the future
• Microsoft Teams is getting end-to-end encryption support
• Microsoft’s new Outlook calendar board view looks a lot like Trello
• Microsoft Edge gets a speedy startup feature and vertical tabs
• Microsoft’s Windows 10 UI overhaul continues with new system icons
• Google Workspace picks up new features designed for remote work
• Microsoft Surface Pro 7 Plus review: built for business
• A folding iPhone could be coming in 2023
• Apple not switching to USB-C iPhones in the near future, according to Ming-Chi Kuo
• iPhone 13 might finally bring a smaller notch and faster screens
• Arizona advances bill forcing Apple and Google to allow Fortnite-style alternative payment options
• Epic Games is buying Fall Guys creator Mediatonic
• OpenHaystack is a new open-source tool that lets you create DIY AirTags on Apple’s Find My network
• Exclusive: this is the Sonos Roam, coming in April for $169