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Are orbital data centers all hype, or an actual AI infrastructure solution? l Equity Podcast

Tech companies are racing to build data centers in space, pitching orbital compute as the next frontier for AI infrastructure, even as the technical and economic realities remain far from clear. Add in OpenAI’s massive $122 billion round and Bluesky’s latest AI backlash, and the message is clear: The future of AI is being shaped…

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6 months ago

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Tech companies are racing to build data centers in space, pitching orbital compute as the next frontier for AI infrastructure, even as the technical and economic realities remain far from clear. Add in OpenAI’s massive $122 billion round and Bluesky’s latest AI backlash, and the message is clear: The future of AI is being shaped as much by ambition and hype as it is by real-world constraints.

On this episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Kirsten Korosec, Anthony Ha, and Sean O’Kane unpack these massive capital bets, user backlash, and off-world compute plans along with Whoop’s major valuation and the literal downfall of robot Olaf.

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

Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:20 A humanoid Olaf robot collapses at Disneyland Paris
03:30 OpenAI raises $122B at an $852B valuation
11:30 Whoop lands $575M and bets big on wearable data
18:50 The risks (and value) of personal health data
23:00 Bluesky’s AI feed builder sparks backlash
30:00 Can Bluesky keep growing — and compete with X?
36:30 The race to build data centers in space
44:30 SpaceX, Starlink, and the business of orbital compute
49:30 Outro

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5 Comments

5 Comments

  1. @عليموحان-س5ع

    April 3, 2026 at 12:42 pm

    علي موحان💞💛💞💛💖💛💛💖💛💖💛💖💛💖💛💚💛💚💛💚💛💚💛💚💛💚💛💛💖💛💖💛💖💛💖💛💖💛💖💛💖💛💖💛💛💖💖💖

    Reply

  2. @TheRoyL

    April 4, 2026 at 12:59 am

    OpenAI products dont seem like they are built for productivity, or accuracy.

    They’ll get people addicted to eco chambers without needing the other users. Like Facebook with better AI.

    I think they have the same machine as Anthropic but they don’t sell the same product.

    When you need the right answer and not just someone to support you through your mistakes or bias OpenAI is near useless.

    Reply

  3. @raydosson2025

    April 4, 2026 at 2:26 am

    The chapters and time stamps for the later topics are messed up btw

    Reply

  4. @eatmanyzoos

    April 4, 2026 at 3:06 am

    the solution is to jump ship on this giant scam before its too late

    Reply

  5. @fenrisgyra3750

    April 5, 2026 at 10:05 pm

    Bruh the orbital data center conversation is doing a lot of work to avoid the more boring question which is whether the terrestrial infrastructure we already have is even close to optimized. Across the operations we support from Southeast Asia to West Africa to Latin America the constraint is almost never compute location. It is power stability, latency management, and skilled people who can keep pipelines running when conditions get unpredictable. Putting servers in orbit does not solve any of that. It just moves the problem somewhere harder to reach.

    Reply

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Science & Technology

Amazon and others are done keeping their data center deals secret | Equity Podcast

Amazon says it will stop using NDAs when negotiating data center deals with local governments, following a similar move from Microsoft earlier this year. Secrecy has fueled community backlash against AI infrastructure, with opposition leading to hundreds of proposed and enacted moratoriums from New York to San Francisco. Meanwhile, a wave of startups is betting…

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2 days ago

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October 9, 2026

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Amazon says it will stop using NDAs when negotiating data center deals with local governments, following a similar move from Microsoft earlier this year. Secrecy has fueled community backlash against AI infrastructure, with opposition leading to hundreds of proposed and enacted moratoriums from New York to San Francisco. Meanwhile, a wave of startups is betting that consumers will hand AI agents access to their inboxes, files, and credit cards — if they can get websites to let them in.

On this episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Anthony Ha, Sean O’Kane, and Rebecca Bellan dig into whether ditching NDAs will change how data center deals get done, why trust may be the real product for personal AI startups, plus a couple of deals of the week.

We’ll see you next week at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026! Get 25% off your tickets with code Equity25, and we’ll see you on the Builders Stage Tuesday at 9 am.

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

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

0:55 Trump’s “superintelligence force” and the great AI rebranding

3:19 Amazon drops NDAs on data center deals

9:17 Why the AI industry has a communication problem

12:51 Personal AI agents: finding money in your inbox

15:27 Ghost’s $3,500 computer built for personal AI

19:16 Trust is the product: privacy-first agent startups

27:36 Lambda’s $4B raise and the neo cloud backlog problem

31:22 Uber’s $2.3B move into catering

35:10 Outro

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CNET

Apple’s Welcome Home Event: Everything Leaked! Apple TV 4K, HomePods and a New Hub | One More Thing

Apple has a ‘Welcome Home’ event on Tuesday, and we’re expecting big changes coming to smart home products, including a new countertop Hub, HomePod mini speakers and Apple TV 4K box. Bridget Carey breaks down the rumors and what has her excited. You can find the products mentioned in this video linked below Apple 2022…

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2 days ago

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October 9, 2026

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Apple has a ‘Welcome Home’ event on Tuesday, and we’re expecting big changes coming to smart home products, including a new countertop Hub, HomePod mini speakers and Apple TV 4K box. Bridget Carey breaks down the rumors and what has her excited.

You can find the products mentioned in this video linked below
Apple 2022 Apple TV 4K Wi‑Fi + Ethernet with 128GB Storage (3rd Generation)
Apple HomePod mini – Orange (Refurbished)
*CNET may get a commission on these offers

Read more about Apple’s Welcome Home event on CNET.com
I’m Way Too Excited for Apple’s Home Event and How It Will Level Up My Siri Experience
Apple Announces Next ‘Welcome Home’ Special Event on Oct. 13

Timecode Chapters:
0:00 A new HomePod is coming
1:05 Hidden Apple code shows new HomePod Mini 2 colors
1:36 HomePod Mini 2 chip upgrades
1:49 Living in a world with 2 Siris
2:02 Smarter Siri for new Apple HomePods
2:25 Apple brings HomePod Mini surround sound into the home theater
2:36 Could a new Apple TV 4K box be on the way?
2:48 New Apple TV 4K box details
2:54 Apple TV 4K hardware upgrades
3:26 Are we getting a new Apple TV remote?
3:42 Here comes the HomeHub speaker with a screen
3:53 Apple HomeHub details from Bloomberg’s reporting
4:11 HomeHub screen could minic iPhone Duo
4:24 How will a HomeHub contribute to the smart home?
4:36 Possible HomeHub versions
4:52 Countertop HomeHub design
5:05 More smart home devices expected from Apple
5:23 Snoopy and the HomeHub
5:54 Are you ready for Apple’s new smart home products?

Video Credits:
Host: Bridget Carey
Scripted by: Bridget Carey
Producer: Carly Marsh
Camera: Carly Marsh, Celso Bulgatti, Bridget Carey, CNET Archive
Video Editor: Carly Marsh
Thumbnail Designer: Zooey Liao

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Science & Technology

Build Mode Bonus: Inside the VC Decision-Making Process with True Ventures’ Puneet Agarwal

Venture capital is more concentrated than ever, making it increasingly difficult for early-stage founders to land their first check. So what does it actually take to stand out to investors? In this special bonus episode of Build Mode () , host Isabelle Johannesen sits down with Puneet Agarwal, managing partner at True Ventures () ,…

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3 days ago

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October 9, 2026

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Venture capital is more concentrated than ever, making it increasingly difficult for early-stage founders to land their first check. So what does it actually take to stand out to investors?

In this special bonus episode of Build Mode () , host Isabelle Johannesen sits down with Puneet Agarwal, managing partner at True Ventures () , to discuss what VCs are really looking for in 2026.

True Ventures has backed companies including Fitbit, Peloton, and Duo Security, and evaluates thousands of startups each year while writing roughly 20 checks. Puneet breaks down what makes founders stand out, how to get in front of investors without an established Silicon Valley network, and the biggest mistakes founders make during fundraising.

Recorded as part of TechCrunch’s Startup Battlefield masterclass series, the conversation also covers due diligence, term sheets, valuations, and why raising more money isn’t always better.

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