Welcome to The Stepback, a weekly breakdown of one essential story from across the tech world

I’m excited to announce The Stepback, a weekly subscriber-only newsletter that I’ll be editing for The Verge.

We’ll be bringing you a new story each Sunday from a rotating cast of writers from every corner of the Verge extended universe. If you’re a regular reader, you know we cover a broad range of topics across technology, business, and science. We’re synthesizing the biggest stories for readers each week — whether it’s explaining the chaos at Tesla or a confounding meme — delivered to you by The Verge’s beat experts, with a few surprises along the way.

The Stepback is a chance to slow down from the daily surge of news and let us peel back the layers of one hand-picked story for your leisurely Sunday consumption. What’s at the front of mind for our writer of the week might just be your new shared obsession.

In the first few issues, expect to hear from transportation editor Andrew J. Hawkins on the foulest auto trend, senior reviewer Allison Johnson on the Achilles’ heel of the foldable phone, and TV / film critic Charles Pulliam-Moore on the specter haunting the entertainment industry. Each week, we’ll dive into the week’s most essential themes — and it’s available exclusively to Verge subscribers.

You can sign up for a Verge subscription here, with the option to pay $7 per month or $50 per year. If you’re already a subscriber, opt in for The Stepback here. The first issue will go out August 10th.