The hardware world had a brutal week, with iRobot, Luminar, and Rad Power Bikes all filing for bankruptcy.
Each company faces its own mix of tariff pressures, supply chain issues, and shifting markets, but together they tell a larger story about the challenges of building physical products in an era of global trade tensions and cheap overseas competition. From the Roomba maker that almost got acquired by Amazon to the e-bike company that couldn't escape its Chinese supply chain, this week's bankruptcies are a warning sign for hardware startups everywhere.
Today on TechCrunch's Equity podcast, hosts Anthony Ha, Rebecca Bellan, and Sean O'Kane discuss what went wrong for three once-promising hardware companies, plus Amazon's massive OpenAI bet and Trump's new approach to AI regulation.
Listen to the full episode to hear more news from the week, including:
Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction
00:24 - AI slop is Merriam-Webster's word of the year
06:07 - Amazon's $10 billion OpenAI investment
10:43 - Databricks raises $10 billion in a Series L
14:14 - Coursera acquires Udemy
19:17 - Hardware bankruptcies: iRobot, Luminar, and Rad Power Bikes
26:21 - Trump's AI executive order targets state regulation
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