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Who knew you could get a $500 million valuation without launching a product? | Equity Podcast

AI agent startup /dev/agents announced a massive $56M seed round, putting the company’s valuation at a whopping $500 million. The amount is impressive given the company won’t have a first version of its product available until at least early next year. The reason behind investors’ trust, however, becomes a bit clearer when you consider the…

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AI agent startup /dev/agents announced a massive $56M seed round, putting the company’s valuation at a whopping $500 million. The amount is impressive given the company won’t have a first version of its product available until at least early next year. The reason behind investors’ trust, however, becomes a bit clearer when you consider the founders’ pedigree:  /dev/agents’ co-founders were both on Google’s Android team during the early days of the smartphone era.

The round, as well as whether or not to include “slash” when pronouncing the company’s name, was the first of many deals discussed on today’s episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast. 

Listen to the full episode to hear hosts Margaux MacColl, Devin Coldewey and Anthony Ha dig into:

• How Yurts plans to become the DoD’s go-to AI integration platform and compete with AI chatbot the Pentagon is developing itself.
• Why ServiceTitan’s IPO keeps getting weirder and if it’s a sign of IPOs to come. 
• The latest wave of VC turnover, including Brian Singerman’s choice to step back from Founders Fund and Sriram Krishnan’s departure from a16z, and where they’re going next. The crew was left wondering if we’ll see other investors following in Krishnan’s footsteps. 
• Strange AI. Who is David Mayer? And why does ChatGPT hate him so much?

Equity will be back next week, so stay tuned!

Equity is TechCrunch’s flagship podcast, produced by Theresa Loconsolo, and posts every Wednesday and Friday. 

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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People & Blogs

The Rising Cost of Dissent in America | Miles Taylor | TED

Former senior US national security official Miles Taylor shares a personal account that raises a broader civic concern: the growing cost of dissent in American public life. Drawing on his experience inside government and living the consequences of speaking openly, he says that the real threat to US democracy isn’t the politicians or hard-liners —…

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June 14, 2026

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Former senior US national security official Miles Taylor shares a personal account that raises a broader civic concern: the growing cost of dissent in American public life. Drawing on his experience inside government and living the consequences of speaking openly, he says that the real threat to US democracy isn’t the politicians or hard-liners — it’s the two-thirds of Americans who don’t speak up. (This talk contains mature language.) (Recorded at TEDxMidAtlantic on November 1, 2025)

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#TED #TEDTalks #Politics

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CNET

The US Government Doesn’t Want You to Buy This Car

Xpeng brought Mashable reporter Amanda Yeo to China to experience the new VLA 2.0 autonomous driving model inside its P7 electric vehicle. 0:00 The Car the US Government Doesn’t Want You to Buy 0:18 Meet XPENG: China’s High-Tech Tesla Rival 0:39 How VLA 2.0 Autonomous Driving Works 1:43 Stress Testing Self-Driving in Hectic Traffic 2:21…

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June 14, 2026

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Xpeng brought Mashable reporter Amanda Yeo to China to experience the new VLA 2.0 autonomous driving model inside its P7 electric vehicle.

0:00 The Car the US Government Doesn’t Want You to Buy
0:18 Meet XPENG: China’s High-Tech Tesla Rival
0:39 How VLA 2.0 Autonomous Driving Works
1:43 Stress Testing Self-Driving in Hectic Traffic
2:21 The Challenge of “Corner Cases” in Autonomy
2:43 Hands-Free Self-Parking Demo
3:00 Heads-Up Display and Interior Tech
3:24 XPENG’s Personal Flying Machines
4:22 Why Chinese EVs are Banned in the US

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#xpeng #electricvehicle #automobile #car #electricvehicle #china

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Bloomberg Technology

When Will the UK Have Its First £100 Billion Tech Firm?

James Wise, general partner at Balderton Capital, says the UK could soon have its first £100 billion tech company. Wise, who also serves as chair of the UK Government’s Sovereign AI fund, says policymakers must work with investors to help British firms scale globally. He speaks to Bloomberg’s Tom Mackenzie at London Tech Week. Watch…

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James Wise, general partner at Balderton Capital, says the UK could soon have its first £100 billion tech company. Wise, who also serves as chair of the UK Government’s Sovereign AI fund, says policymakers must work with investors to help British firms scale globally. He speaks to Bloomberg’s Tom Mackenzie at London Tech Week.

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