Science & Technology

How to handle layoffs with compassion with Ayal Yogev, Anjuna

This week’s guest is Ayal Yogev, co-founder and CEO of Anjuna Security, who has experienced both sides of the startup journey: scaling quickly during the boom years and then making the incredibly difficult decision to lay off a significant portion of his team when the market shifted. From growing to 75 employees to scaling back…

Published

3 months ago

April 9, 2026

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From growing to 75 employees to scaling back and rebuilding, Yogev learned firsthand that the hardest part of leadership isn’t hiring fast, it’s making tough decisions with care, transparency, and integrity.

In this episode, Isabelle Johannessen and Yogev unpack what it really means to lead through layoffs with compassion and how founders can support their teams even in the most challenging moments. They also explore the lessons learned from scaling too quickly and how to build a more resilient company the second time around.

Apply to Startup Battlefield: We are looking for early-stage companies that have an MVP. So nominate a founder (or yourself): techcrunch.com/apply. Be sure to say you heard about Startup Battlefield from the Build Mode podcast.
TechCrunch Disrupt: If you’re thinking about applying to Startup Battlefield, then October 13 to 15 in San Francisco, we’re back for TechCrunch Disrupt, where the Startup Battlefield 200 takes the stage. So if you want to cheer them on, or just network with 1000s of founders, VCs, and tech enthusiasts, then grab your tickets.

Use code buildmode15 for 15% off any ticket type.

New episodes of Build Mode drop every Thursday. Hosted by Isabelle Johannessen. Produced and edited by Maggie Nye. Audience development led by Morgan Little. Special thanks to the Foundry and Cheddar video teams.

Chapters:
00:00 We grew too fast
02:30 What Anjuna actually does
04:45 Scaling the team quickly
06:10 The market crash hits
09:40 Handling layoffs with empathy
12:10 Supporting employees the right way
15:30 Why culture matters in crisis
20:50 The hiring mistake founders make
27:40 When to scale your sales team
34:40 Rebuilding after layoffs

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1 Comment

@eatmanyzoos

April 10, 2026 at 12:10 pm

why not be smart enough to create something that can survive in any market? unless you have no creativity and make decisions based on trends and data and not the human spirit.

Reply

Science & Technology

Autonomous vehicle hype is back, and Humble Robotics is bringing it to freights | Equity Podcast

The autonomous vehicle space is starting to feel like a repeat of the 2016 hype cycle. Travis Kalanick is back building a robotics company, and the talent wars and capital are heating up the same way they did the first time around. The money’s flowing back, and it’s the people who lived through that first…

Published

1 day ago

July 1, 2026

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Humble Robotics founder and CEO Eyal Cohen is one of them. Cohen was at Otto when Uber came calling, later followed Anthony Levandowski to Pronto, and after two decades bouncing between deep tech bets in the Bay Area, his new company came out of stealth in April with $24 million to build a fully autonomous, cabless electric hauler for freight.

Cohen joins Kirsten Korosec on this episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast to talk about AV déjà vu and what he’s learned from 15 years of building startups across electrification, solar, and robotics.

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
00:31 Eyal’s AV background and “2016 all over again”
02:02 Why hype cycles hit every new industry
07:28 Building Humble: the cabless freight platform idea
12:37 Why Humble couldn’t have worked 10 years ago
17:07 Ditching lidar for cameras and vision models
19:12 Talent wars and building the Humble team
22:41 Advice for founders: choose culture over compensation
26:03 Outro

CNET

Ditch the Cash: The Safest Way to Give Your Kids an Allowance

This video was made possible by Cash App in support of CNET’s independent editorial journalism. Giving your kids an allowance doesn’t have to mean keeping a wad of cash on hand. In this video, CNET’s Kara Tsuboi breaks down how mobile banking tools help parents manage allowances safely and seamlessly. #cashapp #cash #money #mobilebanking ________________________…

Published

2 days ago

June 30, 2026

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This video was made possible by Cash App in support of CNET’s independent editorial journalism.

Giving your kids an allowance doesn’t have to mean keeping a wad of cash on hand. In this video, CNET’s Kara Tsuboi breaks down how mobile banking tools help parents manage allowances safely and seamlessly.

#cashapp #cash #money #mobilebanking

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CNET

I Tested the Beatbot Sora 70 Robotic Pool Cleaner: How Well Does It Clean? | Prove It

This video was made possible by Beatbot in support of CNET’s independent editorial journalism. Beatbot’s Sora 70 robot pool cleaner is a high-tech way to clean your swimming pool. CNET Video Producer, Stephen Beacham, tested it out for a week and shares his thoughts on what it’s like to use the app-connected cleaning device. You…

Published

2 days ago

June 30, 2026

CYBER TECH TV

This video was made possible by Beatbot in support of CNET’s independent editorial journalism.

Beatbot’s Sora 70 robot pool cleaner is a high-tech way to clean your swimming pool. CNET Video Producer, Stephen Beacham, tested it out for a week and shares his thoughts on what it’s like to use the app-connected cleaning device.

You can find the products mentioned in this video linked below
Beatbot Sora 70 Pool Vacuum Robot
Beatbot Sora 30 Pool Vacuum Robot
*CNET may get a commission on these offers

Read more about the Beatbot Robot Pool Cleaner on CNET.com
Beatbot’s AquaSense Series Gives You a Premium Pool Cleaning Experience

#beatbot #pool #poolcleaning #poolcleaner #robot #swimingpool