When it comes to achieving artificial general intelligence (AGI), large language models just don’t have what it takes.

Models like ChatGPT and Claude are great at text, but they’re less skilled at understanding how things actually move through space and time — an essential skill for producing intelligence that generalizes. That gap, it turns out, might be filled by gaming data. That’s the bet behind General Intuition, a Bezos-backed, New York-based startup valued at $2.3 billion that just closed a $320 million round with Coatue, Eric Schmidt, and researchers at MIT and Google DeepMind joining its list of investors.

On this episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, General Intuition CEO Pim de Witte joins Rebecca Bellan to dig into why world models trained on gaming data might be the next big leap in physical AI, how the company spun out of gaming platform Medal TV, and where the ethical red lines are when your models could end up being used for defense applications.

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
1:04 General Intuition’s $320M round and its star-studded backers
2:23 Pre-training on games instead of text
6:02 Medal TV’s proprietary data and real-world robotics demo
9:38 Turning down an OpenAI acquisition offer to build a generational company
11:05 The co-founders behind the DIAMOND world model paper
14:11 Finding data gold beyond gaming, and why YouTube video falls short
19:44 Defense red lines, ethics, and building jobs through Nerve
25:46 Outro

What does it take to stay in control of your life online? AI ethicist Jen Golbeck and TED Fellow Shalini Kantayya discuss how algorithms, data collection and AI shape the choices you make every day. They explore whether it’s possible to use the internet without giving up your privacy, how to push back against big tech and what AI should never be allowed to decide. (This episode is part of “Idea Knock Down,” a series featuring experts with different perspectives taking on big questions — one block at a time.) (Recorded on June 12, 2026)

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Startup fundraising is harder than ever, and Season 3 of Build Mode is here to help. Whether you’re raising a seed round, preparing for Series A, pitching venture capital firms, negotiating a term sheet, or exploring alternatives to VC funding, this season is packed with practical advice from founders and investors who have successfully navigated the fundraising journey.

Hosted by TechCrunch Startup Battlefield Editor Isabelle Johannessen, Build Mode is the TechCrunch podcast where founders, investors, and startup operators share honest conversations about what it really takes to build and finance a company. This season features Charles Hudson (Precursor Ventures), Andrew Dai (Elorian), Ashley Tyrner-Dolce (FarmboxRx), Kristina Subbotina (Lexsy AI), Sydney Sykes (NVIDIA), Xavier Chi (Mbodi), Jack Groetzinger (SeatGeek), Sasha Orloff (Puzzle), Everette Taylor (Kickstarter), Manan Mehta (Unshackled Ventures), Julia Hartz (Eventbrite), and more. Together, they cover topics including avoiding down rounds, raising capital in today’s venture market, working with corporate venture capital, crowdfunding, startup financial readiness, fundraising as an immigrant founder, IPO lessons, and how to deliver a winning startup pitch.

If you’re an entrepreneur, startup founder, investor, or operator looking for actionable fundraising advice, this season is your playbook. New episodes begin July 9 and release every week on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you listen to podcasts. Subscribe now and learn how to raise capital, grow your startup, and build with confidence.