Meta this week released Glimmer, an open-weight AI model that anyone can download and run on their own hardware—a stark contrast to Muse Spark, the company's more powerful model that remains locked behind its proprietary APIs. The release was accompanied by a letter from Mark Zuckerberg arguing that AI should be "for everyone," rather than controlled by a handful of labs. However, as the hosts of TechCrunch's Equity podcast point out, this vision comes with several asterisks.
In this episode, Kirsten Korosec, Anthony Ha, and Rebecca Bellan delve into Glimmer, Zuckerberg's 6,500-word manifesto, and other major headlines of the week. They explore the true cost of the AI industry's escalating energy demands, the fallout from a $250 million acquisition that went disastrously wrong, and more.
Tune in to the full episode for insights on:
- Who might actually want a $300 cocktail robot?
- Why Anthropic is adding watermarks to its AI-generated text—and why users are less than thrilled.
- The potential environmental impact of Amazon's planned Texas data center, and the startups racing to fix the grid, including Form Energy's $750 million raise for 100-hour batteries, Reservoir's $8 million bet on smarter water heaters, and Discovered Materials' quest for cooler chips.
- Why Joby Aviation's $500 million acquisition of a defense contractor reminds Kirsten of its Blade deal last year—and what the 2028 LA Olympics have to do with it.
- How a $250 million deal between video-clipping startup VideoVerse and sports publisher Minute Media collapsed amid allegedly forged documents, multiple lawsuits, and a CEO who remains unreachable.
Equity is TechCrunch's flagship podcast, unpacking the business of tech every week. New episodes drop every Wednesday and Friday, so subscribe wherever you get your podcasts to stay ahead of the latest in tech and startup news.