Trump's election throws tech regulation a curveball
Nov 8, 2024
A seismic shift in tech regulation is expected with Trump's upcoming presidency, as he aims to dismantle existing AI policies. OpenAI's acquisition of Chat.com raises questions about branding and user experience. Meanwhile, DeepRoute secures $100 million to fast-track its automated systems in the face of Tesla's advancements in China. A new collaboration between Google and Saudi Arabia for an AI hub sparks discussions about climate commitments. Lastly, the rise of predictive betting markets like Polymarket offers a thrilling glimpse into tech and politics intertwining.
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OpenAI Buys Chat.com
OpenAI acquired Chat.com from HubSpot co-founder Dharmesh Shah.
Shah bought the domain for $15.5 million and sold it for OpenAI shares.
insights INSIGHT
DeepRoute's Funding and the Race in China
DeepRoute, a Shenzhen-based autonomous driving company, raised $100 million from Great Wall Motor.
This investment fuels DeepRoute's race against Tesla to deploy automated driving systems in China.
insights INSIGHT
Google's Saudi AI Hub
Google partnered with Saudi Arabia's PIF to open an AI hub, focusing on Arabic language models and Saudi-specific applications.
This move raises questions about Google's climate commitments, given Saudi Arabia's reliance on oil and gas and use of AI in its production.
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A tech regulation shakeup is on the way with President-elect Donald Trump set to take office in January. Trump has made it clear that he plans to dismantle Biden’s AI policies on "day one," aligning himself with those who’ve pushed back against regulation. Today on TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, hosts Kirsten Korosec, Devin Coldewey and Margaux MacColl dove into what Trump’s win could mean for AI policy and innovation moving forward.
While AI is always on the mind these days, there was so much more startup and venture news for the Equity crew to get into this week. Listen to the full episode to hear about:
OpenAI’s acquisition of Chat.com, the domain previously acquired by HubSpot co-founder and CTO Dharmesh Shah for a whopping $15.5 million. We’re not sure if this signals a brand change for the AI startup, but users’ trips to ChatGPT just got three letters shorter.
DeepRoute’s $100 million raise and the startup’s race to get its automated systems out before Tesla FSD is available in China.
Biotech startup Archon’s $20 million effort to power up drug development with its ‘antibody cages’. Of course, we couldn’t talk about the news without a biochemistry lesson from Devin where we learned a new scientific term: thingies.
Google’s new AI-focused data center and collaboration with the Saudi Public Investment fund. The move had the team thinking more about tech’s climate commitments at large, and who is walking back their pledges in favor of AI.
Equity will be back next week with a special interview between TechCrunch senior editor Julie Bort and Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, so stay tuned.
Equity is TechCrunch’s flagship podcast, produced by Theresa Loconsolo, and posts every Wednesday and Friday.
Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod. For the full episode transcript, for those who prefer reading over listening, check out our full archive of episodes over at Simplecast.
Credits: Equity is produced by Theresa Loconsolo with editing by Kell. Bryce Durbin is our Illustrator. We'd also like to thank the audience development team and Henry Pickavet, who manages TechCrunch audio products.
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