Kirsten Korosec, Devin Coldewey, and Margaux MacColl are unpacking another busy week in the tech world, kicking things off with Governor Newsom’s veto of SB 1047, the controversial AI bill aimed at stopping real-world disasters caused by AI systems before they happen. This may not be the last we’ll see of the bill, however, as its author has plans to return with a revamped SB 1047 next year.
What else went down this week, you ask? Kirsten had us looking to the skies with Joby Aviation’s $500 million investment from Toyota. While Toyota seems to believe that the air taxi dream is worth betting on, the Equity crew is skeptical. Margaux argued that aeronautics startup Salient Motion is taking off, despite attempts from Palmer Luckey to shut it down. The startup is still in motion, but its founding team took quite a hit. If the Anduril founder’s goal was to ruin friendships, good job.
On the AI front, Devin wanted to discuss Poolside’s massive round as well as the latest drama surrounding Y Combinator-backed PearAI and why it’s making waves in the open source community. Speaking of community, Paris-based Motier Ventures had the team feeling optimistic about the French tech scene with its announcement of its new startup hub, La Maison.
Hit play to join the conversation, and Equity will be back next week!
Equity is TechCrunch’s flagship podcast, produced by Theresa Loconsolo, and posts every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts.You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod. For the full episode transcript, for those who prefer reading over listening, check out our full archive of episodes over at Simplecast.