Equity
TechCrunch, Rebecca Bellan, Kirsten Korosec, Anthony Ha, Sean O'Kane, Theresa Loconsolo
The intersection of technology, startups, and venture capital touches everything now. That’s why Equity, TechCrunch's flagship podcast, digs into the business of startups for entrepreneurs and enthusiasts alike. Every Wednesday and Friday, TechCrunch reporters keep you up-to-date on the world of business, technology, and venture capital. Equity is ranked the No.2 podcast in the Top 100 Venture Capital All time leaderboard on Goodpods—As well as No.17 for the Top 100 Finance All time chart and No.32 for the Top 100 Business News All time chart.
Episodes
Mentioned books
13 snips
Sep 11, 2026 • 40min
An ex-Anthropic researcher’s doomsday warning comes at a very interesting time
An Anthropic researcher’s alarming resignation sparks a debate over AI safety, superintelligence, and the industry’s relentless race forward. Apple’s AI-first hardware push raises questions about always-on listening, privacy, and the foldable iPhone. Plus, Stoke Space’s billion-dollar rocket bet, Cognition’s huge coding valuation, and floating nuclear reactors built to power AI data centers.
24 snips
Sep 9, 2026 • 43min
ControlAI's Connor Leahy on why superintelligence is ‘not a weapon, it's an adversary’
Connor Leahy, AI researcher, EleutherAI co-founder, and ControlAI’s U.S. executive director, argues that superintelligence is “an adversary, not a weapon.” He discusses why alignment may fail, how agentic incidents expose loss of control, and whether recursive self-improvement marks a point of no return. Leahy also explores regulation, AI labs’ political power, and international agreements to prevent superintelligence.
45 snips
Sep 4, 2026 • 39min
Apple's Ternus era begins as Nvidia bets on the whole AI stack
Apple enters a new leadership era as John Ternus takes over from Tim Cook, with AI and software looming large. Nvidia is building beyond GPUs to control more of the AI stack. Robotaxis from Tesla, Waymo, Zoox, and Uber collide in shared markets, while a16z pours $1.1 billion into physical AI. GoPro’s acquisition signals a striking shift for the consumer tech pioneer.
37 snips
Sep 2, 2026 • 26min
We're ‘dangerously close’ to dead internet theory according to Pangram's CEO
Max Spero, co-founder and CEO of AI detection startup Pangram, explores the internet’s growing trust crisis. They discuss AI slop in job applications, reviews, and claims, the blurred line between assisted and generated writing, and the risks of false positives. Spero also examines AI image fraud, the threat of a “dead internet,” and why standout human writing may become more valuable.
Aug 28, 2026 • 34min
Will TikTok and YouTube follow Meta’s new rules for teens?
Discussion of Meta’s $18 billion teen-safety settlement and its push for industry-wide limits on kids’ social apps. Debate over age verification, privacy tradeoffs, and whether TikTok and YouTube will follow suit. A look at a robotics funding boom and the struggle to build robots that create real value. Coverage of autonomous-vehicle safety data, a big self-driving truck raise, and possible M&A around AI infrastructure.
31 snips
Aug 26, 2026 • 31min
From the Spotify Mafia to the Lovable Mafia: inside Stockholm's founder network
Sophia Bendz, partner at Cherry Ventures and former global marketing director at Spotify, reflects on Stockholm’s tight-knit founder network and its culture of mentorship. She discusses how Spotify alumni recycle talent and capital back into the city. Sophia explores Sweden’s social safety net encouraging bolder risk-taking and the influx of fast-moving U.S. investors reshaping local deal dynamics.
48 snips
Aug 21, 2026 • 41min
The DOJ is investigating a16z. What does this mean for venture capital?
A federal antitrust probe into a major VC's board seats and what that could mean for venture governance. Shifting conflicts as portfolio companies collide and how firms might handle moving market boundaries. Big AI moves like Stripe's multibillion-dollar acquisition and the scramble among mid-tier AI firms. Autonomous vehicle bets, drone delivery partnerships, and a crowded AI dictation funding landscape.
25 snips
Aug 19, 2026 • 33min
AI has a GPU pricing problem. Silicon Data wants to fix it.
Steve Hou, Head of Research at Silicon Data and former Bloomberg quant, explains how GPU rental prices can become a tradable market. He discusses compute futures, why older A100 chips still command demand, and how price transparency could help neo-clouds finance data centers. Short takes on hedging compute risk and what rising rental rates reveal about AI buildout.
31 snips
Aug 14, 2026 • 35min
Meta's 'open' AI, data centers' hidden costs, and a $250M deal gone very wrong
Meta’s new open-weight AI model and Zuckerberg’s big “AI for everyone” pitch spark debate about openness versus control. A $300 countertop cocktail robot provokes a lively discussion on who would actually buy it. Anthropic’s watermarking of AI text draws user backlash. The true energy and emissions costs of massive data centers get examined. A $250M acquisition collapses amid alleged forgeries and lawsuits.
10 snips
Aug 12, 2026 • 31min
Why Sandbar thinks it’s voice-enabled ring can avoid the AI hardware graveyard
Mina Fahmi, co-founder and CEO of Sandbar and former neural interfaces researcher, discusses the Stream voice ring. He talks about push-to-talk design, privacy-minded hardware choices, how neural-interface work shaped the product, and why rings might be the right form for fast thought capture. Short demos and tradeoffs around social acceptability and custom hardware are covered.
