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From Roombas to e-bikes, why are hardware startups going bankrupt? | Equity Podcast

The hardware world had a brutal week, with iRobot, Luminar, and Rad Power Bikes all filing for bankruptcy. Today on TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, hosts Anthony Ha, Rebecca Bellan, and Sean O’Kane discuss what went wrong for three once-promising hardware companies, plus Amazon’s massive OpenAI bet and Trump’s new approach to AI regulation. Chapters: 00:00 –…

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4 months ago

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The hardware world had a brutal week, with iRobot, Luminar, and Rad Power Bikes all filing for bankruptcy.

Today on TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, hosts Anthony Ha, Rebecca Bellan, and Sean O’Kane discuss what went wrong for three once-promising hardware companies, plus Amazon’s massive OpenAI bet and Trump’s new approach to AI regulation.

Chapters:

00:00 – Introduction

00:24 – AI slop is Merriam-Webster’s word of the year

06:07 – Amazon’s $10 billion OpenAI investment

10:43 – Databricks raises $10 billion in a Series L

14:14 – Coursera acquires Udemy

19:17 – Hardware bankruptcies: iRobot, Luminar, and Rad Power Bikes

26:21 – Trump’s AI executive order targets state regulation

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3 Comments

  1. @GNARGNARHEAD

    December 20, 2025 at 5:13 am

    ahh, some good old fashion authentic human slop…

    Reply

  2. @SandeepChauhan-u8k

    December 21, 2025 at 1:49 am

    Hi

    Reply

  3. @CindyBober-g6x

    December 22, 2025 at 8:15 pm

    what do I do if my YouTube beta is full

    Reply

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