Science & Technology

Is your startup’s check engine light on? Google Cloud’s VP explains what to do | Equity Podcast

Startup founders are being pushed to move faster than ever, using AI while facing tighter funding, rising infrastructure costs, and more pressure to show real traction early. Cloud credits, access to GPUs, and foundation models have made it easier to get started, but those early infrastructure choices can have unforeseen consequences once startups move beyond…

Published

5 months ago

February 18, 2026

CYBER TECH TV

On this episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Rebecca Bellan caught up with Darren Mowry, Google Cloud’s vice president of global startups who is right at the center of those tradeoffs. Together, they discuss what Mowry’s seeing across the startup ecosystem, how Google Cloud is competing for AI startups, and what founders should be thinking about as they scale.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro
03:21 How startups can join the Google Cloud ecosystem
05:00 Beyond credits: Engineering resources & technical support
07:30 TPUs vs. GPUs: Building with choice
09:15 When cloud costs spike after credits run out
11:46 The shift from chips to models and agents
13:40 Trends in AI adoption among early stage companies
16:30 Are agents generating real revenue yet?
18:05 Competing with AWS and Microsoft
20:52 Startup usage vs. durable paying demand
23:30 Check engine lights: LLM wrappers and aggregators
25:45 Green lights: Biotech, climate tech, and world models
30:00 Outro

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1 Comment

@pratmad

February 18, 2026 at 9:04 pm

GCP is underrated

Reply

Science & Technology

Is the $1.7B a Bet on Atoms Itself, or Just on Travis Kalanick’s Name?

A startup hitting unicorn status used to be a sign of its legitimacy as an actual business. But with $1.7B raised for Travis Kalanick’s nascent Atoms, the Equity podcast crew asks whether this is proof of a great idea or just proof that his name sells:

Published

18 hours ago

July 24, 2026

CYBER TECH TV

A startup hitting unicorn status used to be a sign of its legitimacy as an actual business.

But with $1.7B raised for Travis Kalanick’s nascent Atoms, the Equity podcast crew asks whether this is proof of a great idea or just proof that his name sells:

CNET

Upload vs Download Speed: What Actually Makes Home Internet Fast

This video is a paid partnership with GFiber. Upload vs download speed: which one is actually making your home internet feel slow? If your video calls freeze, your files take forever to sync, or your livestream stutters, the problem is usually your upload speed — and most providers don’t advertise it. In this video, we…

Published

18 hours ago

July 24, 2026

CYBER TECH TV

This video is a paid partnership with GFiber.

Upload vs download speed: which one is actually making your home internet feel slow? If your video calls freeze, your files take forever to sync, or your livestream stutters, the problem is usually your upload speed — and most providers don’t advertise it. In this video, we break down the difference between upload and download speed, what symmetrical internet speed means, and how GFiber (formerly Google Fiber) delivers 100% fiber internet with upload speeds that match your download speeds on every plan.
GFiber has kept the same monthly price for gigabit internet since 2012 — no annual contracts, no forced bundles, free installation, and month-to-month flexibility. See what real customers say on the GFiber channel: youtube.com/@GFiber

#UploadSpeed #FiberInternet #GFiber

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Science & Technology

Did Investors Pay a $1.7B Pemium to Declare “Travis Is Back?”

Travis Kalanick’s robotics startup just raised $1.7B with Uber, and Andreessen Horowitz among its big investors. Equity digs into whether all this excitement is actually about the business…or about its backers paying a premium to be first to declare “Travis is back.”

Published

19 hours ago

July 24, 2026

CYBER TECH TV

Travis Kalanick’s robotics startup just raised $1.7B with Uber, and Andreessen Horowitz among its big investors.

Equity digs into whether all this excitement is actually about the business…or about its backers paying a premium to be first to declare “Travis is back.”