VCs are betting billions on AI's next wave, so why is OpenAI killing Sora?

About this episode

The episode discusses the tension between AI infrastructure expansion and real-world pushback, highlighted by OpenAI's shutdown of the Sora app and recent court rulings against Meta.

When an 82-year-old Kentucky woman was offered $26 million from an AI company that wanted to build a data center on her land, she said no. Sure, that same company can try to rezone 2,000 acres nearby anyway, but as AI infrastructure stretches further into the real world, the real world is starting to push back. That tension is everywhere this week, from OpenAI shutting down its Sora app to courts finally starting to hold social platforms accountable. On this episode of TechCrunch's Equity podcast, Kirsten Korosec, Anthony Ha, and Sean O'Kane dig into what it looks like when the AI hype cycle meets reality. Listen to the full episode to hear about: Why rival prediction market CEOs of Kalshi and Polymarket are co-investing in a $35M VC fund How drone startups like Zipline, Lucid Bots, and Brinc are finding real traction where other robotics plays have stalled What Kleiner Perkins' $3.5B raise says about where the biggest VC firms think the next AI wave is going Why two separate court verdicts against Meta in the same week could be the “tobacco moment” for social media Subscribe to Equity on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on…

People in this episode

Hosts: Kirsten Korosec, Anthony Ha, Sean O'Kane

Topics covered

• AI
• OpenAI
• data centers
• VC funding
• drones
• social media accountability

Keywords

• AI hype cycle
• Kalshi
• Polymarket
• Kleiner Perkins
• Meta

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Sora, Zipline, Lucid Bots, Brinc

Places: Kentucky

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