Science & Technology

Forget ‘Founder Mode,’ what about Customer Mode? | Equity Podcast

You might have noticed in your time online that a lot of the services and the websites that you’re using are kind of getting…worse. The good news, though, is that this means that there are different sectors that are ripe for disruption. On today’s episode of Equity () , Rebecca’s joined by Ed Zitron ()…

Published

2 years ago

January 29, 2025

CYBER TECH TV

On today’s episode of Equity () , Rebecca’s joined by Ed Zitron () —CEO of EZPR, host of the Better Offline podcast, and author of Why Everything Stopped Working—to dig into why this shift is happening and what it means for startups.

Listen to the full episode to hear the pair discuss:

• Why it’s time to ditch ‘founder mode’ for what Ed calls ‘customer mode’ – a more sustainable, customer-first approach that beats the growth-at-all-costs mentality.

• The opportunities Ed sees for startups in what he sees as a declining market

• The long-term outlook for generative AI companies like OpenAI. (Note: this interview was recorded before the DeepSeek () news broke, but don’t worry – Equity will have that update for you later in the week.)

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 here () .

Credits: Equity is produced by Theresa Loconsolo with editing by Kell. We’d also like to thank TechCrunch’s audience development team. Thank you so much for listening, and we’ll talk to you next time.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices ()

Up Next

DeepSeek AI Is Sending Your Data to China

Don't Miss

Shocked By the Cost of Eggs? Here’s What’s Going On

1 Comment

@pushon-paint

January 29, 2025 at 1:30 pm

hello Rebecca

Reply

CNET

Getting Bridget’s REAL age?!

Bridget brings us along to test Apple’s updated Health app tools in iOS 27.2, which includes a series of tests to measure your health against your actual age. Watch the full ep on our channel. #onemorething #applehealth #applewatch #healthtech #smartwatch Host: Bridget Carey Editor: Carly Marsh

Published

23 hours ago

October 5, 2026

CYBER TECH TV

Host: Bridget Carey
Editor: Carly Marsh

CNET

I Rode in a Self-Driving Semi. Is Kodiak the Future of Trucking?

Kodiak is gearing up to deploy its fully driverless semi trucks on highways later this year, starting with Ikea. I took a ride to see the autonomous tech in action. Read more about Kodiak on CNET.com Ready for Driverless Trucks? I Took a Ride in Kodiak’s Autonomous Semi Timecode Chapters: 0:00 Intro 0:33 Kodiak AI…

Published

1 day ago

October 5, 2026

CYBER TECH TV

Kodiak is gearing up to deploy its fully driverless semi trucks on highways later this year, starting with Ikea. I took a ride to see the autonomous tech in action.

Read more about Kodiak on CNET.com
Ready for Driverless Trucks? I Took a Ride in Kodiak’s Autonomous Semi

Timecode Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:33 Kodiak AI
1:22 Ride along
3:00 Interview Kodiak COO
3:30 Sensor pod
3:45 GigaFusionNet
5:18 Conclusion

Video Credits:
Host: Abrar Al-Heeti
Scripted by: Abrar Al-Heeti
Producer: Celso Bulgatti
Camera: Celso Bulgatti
Video Editor: Celso Bulgatti
Thumbnail Designer: Zooey Liao

Add CNET as a trusted news source
Never miss a deal again! See CNET’s browser extension 👉
Check out CNET’s Amazon Storefront:
Subscribe to CNET on YouTube:
Follow us on TikTok:
Follow us on Instagram:
Follow us on Bluesky:
Like us on Facebook:
CNET’s AI Atlas:
Follow us on X:
Visit CNET.com:

#selfdriving #kodiak #semi #semitruck #autonomousdriving #autonomousvehicles

CNET

Humanoid Robots Are Performing Surgery Now

We visited UCSD’s Center for the Future of Surgery to learn about the first ever live surgery using humanoid robots. Read more about robotic surgery on CNET.com Hands-On With First Humanoid Robot Surgeon Timecode Chapters: 0:00 Introduction: Humanoid Robots in Surgery 0:35 The Need for Remote & Robotic Surgery 0:59 Challenges of Adapting Humanoid Robots…

Published

2 days ago

October 4, 2026

CYBER TECH TV

We visited UCSD’s Center for the Future of Surgery to learn about the first ever live surgery using humanoid robots.

Read more about robotic surgery on CNET.com
Hands-On With First Humanoid Robot Surgeon

Timecode Chapters:
0:00 Introduction: Humanoid Robots in Surgery
0:35 The Need for Remote & Robotic Surgery
0:59 Challenges of Adapting Humanoid Robots
1:21 Testing the Teleoperation Setup
2:18 Why Live Animal Surgeries Are Necessary
3:00 Performance & Thermal Management Issues
3:32 Potential for AI Autonomy in Surgery
3:59 Key Challenges & Future Outlook

Video Credits:
Host: Jesse Orrall
Scripted by: Jesse Orrall
Producer: Jesse Orrall, Jon Gomez, Owen Poole
Camera: Owen Poole
Video Editor: Jon Gomez, Owen Poole
Thumbnail Designer: Zooey Liao