Connect with us

Science & Technology

Fusion power may not be sci-fi. Just ask the people who sunk $5B into it | Equity Podcast

Fusion energy has been “20 years away” for decades, but has the science finally caught up? Private investment in fusion companies surged from $10 billion to $15 billion in just months, and the money is coming from places you wouldn’t expect. On this episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Rebecca Bellan and guest host Tim De…

Published

on

Fusion energy has been “20 years away” for decades, but has the science finally caught up? Private investment in fusion companies surged from $10 billion to $15 billion in just months, and the money is coming from places you wouldn’t expect.

On this episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Rebecca Bellan and guest host Tim De Chant sit down with Rachel Slaybaugh, general partner at DCVC, to break down why serious investors are finally treating fusion as a real asset class, and what the return thesis actually looks like when no one expects a power plant in their fund lifetime.

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 & fusion fest check-in

01:52 Why fusion, why now?

05:04 Federal funding history

06:17 The IEA’s 2030 milestone

07:37 What’s actually new: AI & superconducting magnets

09:19 Near-term revenue vs. staying the course

12:03 The return thesis: betting on “fusion euphoria”

19:33 Portfolio strategy: betting on the whole stack

21:16 How much energy do we actually need?

25:39 Data centers & the regulatory window

29:06 Fusion vs. fission explained

30:15 Going public: SPACs & Trump Media

32:08 Outro

Continue Reading
Advertisement
2 Comments

2 Comments

  1. @jeffcraymore

    April 22, 2026 at 4:03 pm

    It is “sci-fi” if they had a brain. They would know it’s a scam. Over Unity. You can’t produce more power than what is required to produce that power.
    They are at 80% output verse the amount they need to run the test.
    They will never reach 110% output. because it is physically impossible.

    While, yeah for them to allow the scientists to keep playing with their toys (doing research) In no reality can they produce over unity.

  2. @SchweetOne

    April 22, 2026 at 6:03 pm

    The catch with fusion is that the time period that the fusion lasts at lawrence livermore is only trillionths of a second. Sure fusion has been sustained for many minutes in other cases, but reaching ignition and having it last is still very far away it seems. They need to go from ignition events one to two times per day, to having thousands per second. 5 billion is chump change if a miracle happens and there’s a massive breakthrough, but it’s not exactly ‘close’. Quantum is just as far away.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CNET

Meet the World’s Fastest Steam-Powered Rocketbike

Go behind the scenes with Force of Nature, the world’s fastest steam-powered rocketbike. 0:00 The World’s Fastest Steam-Powered Rocket Bike 0:20 The Dream & Inspiration 1:12 How the Steam Rocket Engine Works 2:24 Pre-Race Nerves & Safety Checks 3:15 The Launch: Pulling 6Gs of Force! 4:20 Post-Race Analysis & Chasing Records Add CNET as a…

Published

on

Go behind the scenes with Force of Nature, the world’s fastest steam-powered rocketbike.

0:00 The World’s Fastest Steam-Powered Rocket Bike
0:20 The Dream & Inspiration
1:12 How the Steam Rocket Engine Works
2:24 Pre-Race Nerves & Safety Checks
3:15 The Launch: Pulling 6Gs of Force!
4:20 Post-Race Analysis & Chasing Records

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:

#WTF#steam #rocket #dragrace #dragracing #racing #motorcycle #steamengine #rocketbike #steampower #forceofnature #motorcycleracing #worldrecord

Continue Reading

CNET

LG G6 vs Samsung S95H: One OLED Is Better!

Comparing the two biggest OLED TVs of 2026: the Samsung S95H and the LG G6. We break down the brightness, color accuracy, and gaming features to see which flagship OLED belongs in your living room. 00:00 – Introduction 00:12 – Design and Aesthetics: LG G6 vs. Samsung S95H 00:40 – Upgraded Anti-Reflective Coatings 01:07 –…

Published

on

Comparing the two biggest OLED TVs of 2026: the Samsung S95H and the LG G6. We break down the brightness, color accuracy, and gaming features to see which flagship OLED belongs in your living room.

00:00 – Introduction
00:12 – Design and Aesthetics: LG G6 vs. Samsung S95H
00:40 – Upgraded Anti-Reflective Coatings
01:07 – Brightness Innovations and Tandem OLED Technology
01:41 – Gaming Performance and Low Light Detail
02:02 – Samsung S95H Performance and Brightness Boosting
02:37 – Samsung’s Art Mode
03:01- Final Verdict and Buying Recommendations

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:

Continue Reading

Science & Technology

Is There an AI Bubble? Two Top VCs on Valuations and ARR Inflation | StrictlyVC LA 2026

Is AI venture capital in a bubble, or are we just in the steepest growth curve anyone’s ever seen? At StrictlyVC Los Angeles 2026, TechCrunch’s Editor-in-Chief Connie Loizos sat down with Chung Xu, Partner at Basis Set, and Carter Reum, co-founder of M13, to cut through the noise. They cover… – Why this cycle is…

Published

on

Is AI venture capital in a bubble, or are we just in the steepest growth curve anyone’s ever seen?

At StrictlyVC Los Angeles 2026, TechCrunch’s Editor-in-Chief Connie Loizos sat down with Chung Xu, Partner at Basis Set, and Carter Reum, co-founder of M13, to cut through the noise. They cover…

– Why this cycle is different from cloud and mobile, and why it isn’t
– The ARR inflation problem VCs helped create
– How to find defensible companies when OpenAI and Anthropic are coming for every vertical
– What the SpaceX liquidity wave means for LA’s tech ecosystem

Continue Reading

Trending