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The consumer AI products OpenAI “won’t want to kill” | Equity Podcast

Vanessa Larco⁠, partner at ⁠Premise⁠ and former partner at NEA, thinks 2026 will finally be the year of consumer AI.  Larco, who’s been investing in consumer and prosumer for years, thinks we’re about to see a shift in how consumers spend time online, with AI powering “concierge-like” services. The question is, will legacy consumer products like WebMD and TripAdvisor continue to exist as standalone apps, or…

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Vanessa Larco⁠, partner at ⁠Premise⁠ and former partner at NEA, thinks 2026 will finally be the year of consumer AI. 
Larco, who’s been investing in consumer and prosumer for years, thinks we’re about to see a shift in how consumers spend time online, with AI powering “concierge-like” services. The question is, will legacy consumer products like WebMD and TripAdvisor continue to exist as standalone apps, or will they just get absorbed into ChatGPT or Meta AI? And where can startups carve out an AI-powered niche for themselves? 
Today on TechCrunch’s ⁠Equity⁠ podcast, Rebecca Bellan sat down with Larco to talk about why consumer is back, what OpenAI won’t kill, and where the real opportunities are hiding. 

Chapters:
00:00 – Introduction  
00:53 – Why founders are excited about consumer again  
04:40 – The moat against OpenAI: Managing real humans  
09:22 – Apps as disposable as Word docs  
12:48 – Social media in the AI era 
18:48 – Meta Ray-Bans and why wearables are actually good  
23:35 – Stablecoins and consumer fintech opportunities  
26:54 – M&A predictions for 2026 

Subscribe to Equity on ⁠YouTube⁠,⁠ Apple Podcasts⁠,⁠ Overcast⁠,⁠ Spotify⁠ and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on⁠ X⁠ and⁠ Threads⁠, at @EquityPod.

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5 Comments

5 Comments

  1. @KLBL-dp8mc

    January 7, 2026 at 1:08 pm

    OpenAI will be bankrupt by EOY. Burning obscene amounts of cash with no ideas how they’re going to create enough revenue to even pay the interest on the spending commitments they’ve made.

  2. @أحمدعلي-ط5ه3ش

    January 7, 2026 at 2:45 pm

    ❤❤❤

  3. @SoyYoErick

    January 8, 2026 at 2:09 am

    It does seem like the B2C market is wide open for Agentic disruption but more so from a workflow perspective. What do you do on the daily, “which apps do you reference before choosing a place to eat and then navigate with directions”? It feels like we may see the 2.0 version form of smart assistants coming around.

  4. @shivakhatri3271

    January 8, 2026 at 12:43 pm

    When did Sam Altman start Podcast?

  5. @TUNC2-k1e

    January 16, 2026 at 11:24 am

    Hmmm 🤔

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Science & Technology

How to Stand Out in the Ocean of AI Slop | Mick Mahler | TED

AI artist Mick Mahler has a counterintuitive take: the more powerful the machines get, the less the technology actually matters. Showing delightful examples of his own art, from jazz-playing spiders to a Kafka-inspired beetle film, he explains how you can use new technology to serve your vision (not replace it). (Recorded at TEDNext 2025 on…

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AI artist Mick Mahler has a counterintuitive take: the more powerful the machines get, the less the technology actually matters. Showing delightful examples of his own art, from jazz-playing spiders to a Kafka-inspired beetle film, he explains how you can use new technology to serve your vision (not replace it). (Recorded at TEDNext 2025 on November 10, 2025)

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CNET

Oura Ring 5 Had Me Cheating on My Wedding Ring | All Things Mobile

I tested the Oura Ring 5 for two months to see if its smaller design lives up to the hype and whether it’s worth the higher price. You can find the products mentioned in this video linked below Oura Ring 5 – Gold World’s Smallest Smart Ring OURA Ring 4 Silver Smart Ring *Cnet may…

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I tested the Oura Ring 5 for two months to see if its smaller design lives up to the hype and whether it’s worth the higher price.

You can find the products mentioned in this video linked below
Oura Ring 5 – Gold World’s Smallest Smart Ring
OURA Ring 4 Silver Smart Ring
*Cnet may get commission on this offer.

Read more about it on CNET.com
Oura Ring 5 Review: I Wore It for a Month and My Wedding Band Is Jealous
Oura Ring 5 vs. Oura Ring 4: New Features Explained and if You Should Upgrade

0:00 Introduction & Why Wearables Fail
0:27 Price, Subscription & Is It Worth It?
0:52 Key Upgrade: Design & Scratch Resistance
1:49 Battery Life Improvements
2:20 App Features & Symptom Radar
2:58 Cycle Tracking for Women
3:15 Accuracy & Sensor Upgrades
3:31 Improved Workout Detection Test
3:57 Heart Rate Accuracy vs. Chest Strap
4:19 Smart Ring vs. Smartwatch
4:50 Should You Buy the Oura Ring 5?

Video Credits
Host: Vanessa Hand Orellana
Videographer: Celso Bulgatti
Editor: Jonathan Gomez

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#ouraring #smartring #wearabletech #fitnesstracker #techreview #cnet

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Science & Technology

How Nvidia Sees The New Entrepreneurship Wave

A tsunami of entrepreneurship is coming and VCs who don’t expand their networks are going to miss out. NVIDIA’s global venture capital alliances and partnerships lead Sydney Sykes joins Isabelle Johannessen on this week’s Build Mode:

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A tsunami of entrepreneurship is coming and VCs who don’t expand their networks are going to miss out. NVIDIA’s global venture capital alliances and partnerships lead Sydney Sykes joins Isabelle Johannessen on this week’s Build Mode:

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