OpenAI, Thinking Machines Lab, and the built-in chaos of a $2B seed round
Today, on TechCrunch's Equity podcast, hosts Kirsten Korosec, Rebecca Bellan and Anthony Ha break down what's fueling the OpenAI talent shuffle, investor enthusiasm, and a former employee's behind-the-scenes peek inside the company. Either way, the team agrees: seed rounds really have changed.
Listen to the full episode to hear more news from the week, including:
The drama around xAI's safety practices keeps coming, with researchers from OpenAI and Anthropic publicly criticizing Musk's AI startup over Grok's latest scandals and what they reveal about broader AI safety gaps
Uber investing hundreds of millions into premium robotaxis with Lucid and Nuro. Kirsten and Rebecca have some thoughts on whether this is a smart move or more AV déjà vu
The AI coding assistant sector is heating up with major acquisitions. Devin-maker Cognition acquired Windsurf just days after Google poached the latter's leadership in what's becoming a pattern of reverse acquihires
And Jack Dorsey's latest string of vibe-coding projects and nonprofit hacker collective, all pointing back to his long-standing push for decentralized tech
Equity will be back for you next week, so don't miss it!
Equity is TechCrunch's flagship podcast, produced by Theresa Loconsolo, and posts every 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.
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18 minutes ago
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Trump signs new stablecoin regulations into law, a major milestone for crypto industry
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Friday signed into law new regulations for a type of cryptocurrency, a major milestone for an industry that has spent heavily to strengthen its legitimacy and political might. The GENIUS Act sets initial guardrails and consumer protections for stablecoins, which are tied to assets like the U.S. dollar to reduce price volatility compared with other forms of cryptocurrency. It passed both the House and Senate with wide bipartisan margins. The new law is meant to bolster consumer confidence in the crypto industry, which has quickly become a major power player in Washington thanks to massive campaign donations and spending on lobbying. Its passage comes as Trump had repeatedly pledged to make the U.S. the 'crypto capital of the world.' 'For years you were mocked and dismissed and counted out," Trump told crypto industry executives at a White House bill signing attended by about 200 people, including several top GOP lawmakers. 'This signing is a massive validation of your hard work and your pioneering spirit.' The crypto industry has long complained it was unfairly targeted by former President Joe Biden's administration and spent heavily to help Trump win last year's election. The president lavished praise on crypto leaders during his speech Friday, saying 'nobody has gained the respect in such a short period of time.' Trump said helping the cryptocurrency industry was 'good for the dollar and it's good for the country.' 'That's why I backed you at an early stage,' said Trump, who had previously been a skeptic of cryptocurrency before embracing it. His administration has taken several early steps to boost the crypto industry, including the Securities and Exchange Commission dropping several enforcement actions against large crypto companies. Trump then added a candid admission about the political calculus of his support for the crypto industry: 'And I also did it for the votes,' he said, drawing laughter from the audience. The president also joked that lawmakers had named the GENIUS Act after him. The acronym stands for 'Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins.' The use of stablecoins has grown dramatically in recent years. Circle, the U.S.-based issuer of one of the most popular cryptocurrencies, made its debut on the New York Stock Exchange earlier this year and quickly saw its value soar amid heavy interest from crypto enthusiasts and investors. Stablecoin issuers make profits by collecting the interest on the assets they hold in reserve to back their stablecoins. A provision in the GENIUS Act bans members of Congress and their families from profiting off stablecoins. But that prohibition does not extend to the president and his family, even as Trump builds a crypto empire from the White House. His family holds a significant stake in World Liberty Financial, a crypto project that launched its own stablecoin earlier this year and received an early boost from an investment fund in the United Arab Emirates. The House also passed two other bills Thursday that are meant to help the crypto industry. One creates a new market structure for cryptocurrency, and the other bans the Federal Reserve from issuing a new digital currency. Both measures now go to the Senate. Seung Min Kim And Alan Suderman, The Associated Press Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
18 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump signs stablecoin bill into law, capping string of 'Crypto Week' victories
President Trump on Friday signed into law a bill that establishes the first federal framework for dollar-backed stablecoins, one of the biggest victories yet for a crypto industry that has pushed for more favorable oversight in Washington, D.C. "I pledged that we would bring back American liberty and leadership and make the United States the crypto capital of the world, and that's what we've done," said Trump said during a signing ceremony for the GENIUS Act at the White House. Two other crypto bills also passed through the House this week, the CBDC Anti-Surveillance State Act and the CLARITY Act, that served as additional wins for the crypto industry. They prohibit the creation of central bank digital currencies and assign oversight over all digital assets except stablecoins to either the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) or the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Both will now go to the Senate, where their ultimate fates are still unknown. The passage of all three bills came after a series of roadblocks and delays as GOP leaders struggled to bring some Republican holdouts in line during a week dubbed "Crypto Week' by backers of the legislation. Trump is also deepening his own financial involvement in cryptocurrencies with several separate ventures. They include World Liberty Financial, a new crypto startup backed by Trump and his sons that has already launched its own US-dollar-pegged stablecoin (USD1) in partnership with BitGo. Stocks with crypto ties have been surging recently as investors anticipated the moves in the nation's capital, notably Coinbase (COIN), Robinhood (HOOD), and newly public stablecoin issuer Circle (CRCL). Read more: Can you buy crypto with a credit card? See the pros and cons. The GENIUS Act signed into law by Trump Friday outlines how US companies can issue and manage dollar-backed stablecoins for payments, giving those digital assets a massive stamp of approval that is expected to encourage wider adoption. It bans members of Congress and their families from earning profits from stablecoins, but not Trump and his family, an omission that irked some Democrats and slowed progress on the legislation earlier this spring. Between Washington and Wall Street, the expectations are riding high for what this legislation ultimately brings. A senior Treasury official said growth in the $260 billion stablecoin market over the months and years ahead will have a significant impact on the dominance of the US dollar and demand for US debt. The legislation is also expected to unleash a wave of new stablecoin entrants as traditional companies ranging from banks to megaretailers consider whether to issue their own coins. "Banks and nonbanks have parity here, so I think the banks will be able to compete in this new payments regime," said Patrick McHenry, the former Republican congressman and House Financial Services chair who helped move forward an earlier iteration of the stablecoin bill in the last Congress. JPMorgan Chase (JPM) CEO Jamie Dimon and Citigroup (C) CEO Jane Fraser both said Tuesday they are planning to get involved in stablecoins, the latest evidence of how Wall Street is pivoting to embrace digital assets. Big banks have convened to explore prospects for launching a collaborative stablecoin network. Dimon, a longtime skeptic of cryptocurrencies, said the bank needs to embrace stablecoins as a way to keep pace with payment rivals. Last month, JPMorgan announced plans to launch a so-called deposit token called JPMD that is somewhat like a stablecoin but available only to JPMorgan's institutional clients. "We're going to be involved in both JPMorgan deposit coin and stablecoins to understand it, to be good at it," Dimon said. Other banks are also paying attention. "I think it's real. I think it's here to stay. I think it's a little overhyped at this point, but we'll figure out the best way that we can get involved," Bruce Van Saun, CEO of Citizens Financial Group (CFG), told Yahoo Finance. The Wall Street Journal has separately reported that Amazon (AMZN) and Walmart (WMT) are exploring stablecoin opportunities. The new wave of competition could upend the traditional payment system, especially if merchants seek to use stablecoins as a way to get around conventional card-based networks such as Visa (V) and Mastercard (MA). The legislation also would empower the Federal Reserve and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to oversee stablecoin issuers that hold $10 billion or more in assets. Smaller issuers would be under the purview of state regulators. All issuers would be required to hold reserves in cash or US Treasurys, undergo regular audits, and publicly disclose their holdings and redemption processes. Like money market funds, the tokens must aim to be redeemable at face value. But unlike money market funds, stablecoins under this bill cannot pay interest. There's an ongoing debate about how widespread the usage of these digital assets will ultimately be. Stablecoin proponents tout these assets as a haven from crypto's wild volatility and a safer place for traders to store their gains because they can be pegged to non-crypto assets like the dollar. Their near-instant settlement and programmability also carry advantages proponents believe could enhance cross-border transactions and wider access to the US dollar. But there are still concerns among detractors that there could be risks with stablecoins, including the possibility of panic runs among investors. 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Yahoo
18 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Crypto sector breaches $4 trillion in market value during pivotal week
By Manya Saini (Reuters) -The crypto sector's market value hit $4 trillion on Friday, according to CoinGecko, marking a milestone that reflects its shift from a nascent asset class to a central part of the global investment landscape. A wave of renewed optimism, regulatory clarity in key markets and rising institutional flows have catapulted the crypto sector to a new valuation peak. The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill on Thursday to create a regulatory framework for U.S.-dollar-pegged cryptocurrency tokens, known as stablecoins, sending the bill to President Donald Trump, who is expected to sign it into law. "The arrival of the Trump legislation signaled an about-turn in attitudes towards the crypto industry, but legislators are still exercising some caution," said Derren Nathan, head of equity research, Hargreaves Lansdown. House lawmakers also passed two other crypto bills, sending them next to the Senate for consideration. One lays out a regulatory framework for crypto, while the other seeks to ban the U.S. from issuing a central bank digital currency. The $4 trillion milestone underscores how far the crypto industry has come from its speculative, fringe origins. With growing interest from asset managers, new exchange-traded products and broader adoption among retail and corporate users, digital assets are increasingly shaping conversations in global finance. Stablecoins, a type of cryptocurrency designed to maintain a constant value, usually a 1:1 dollar peg, are commonly used by crypto traders to move funds between tokens. Their use has grown rapidly in recent years, and proponents say they could be used to send payments instantly. "The Genius Act will go down in history as a law that served as a foundational step in mainstreaming of crypto as an asset class," said Chris Perkins, president, CoinFund. Corporate treasury allocations to bitcoin are also gaining pace, with a growing number of public companies adding the token to their balance sheets as a long-term store of value. The sector was last trading at a combined market value of $3.92 trillion, as bitcoin — the world's largest cryptocurrency — fell 1.8%. Bitcoin crossed the $120,000 mark earlier this week, setting a record. Brokerage Bernstein forecast it could climb to $200,000 by end-2025. Ether, the second-biggest crypto token, was last up 4.5%. It has more than doubled over the past three months. The crypto rally also powered gains in linked equities, with Coinbase and Robinhood climbing to all-time highs on Friday. Shares of the crypto exchange were last up 1%, while the retail trading platform, which also supports crypto trades, gained 3%. Ether-focused stocks also saw broad gains.
