Amazon says it willstop using NDAswhen negotiating data center deals with local governments, followingasimilar move from Microsoftearlier this year. Secrecy has fueled community backlash against AI infrastructure, with opposition leading tohundreds ofproposed and enacted moratoriums from New York to San Francisco. Meanwhile, a wave of startups is betting that consumers will hand AI agents access to their inboxes, files, and credit cards —if they can get websites to let them in.
On this episode of TechCrunch’sEquitypodcast, Anthony Ha, Sean O’Kane, and Rebecca Bellan dig into whether ditching NDAs will change how data center deals get done, why trust may be the real product for personal AI startups, plus a couple of deals of the week.
Listen to the full episode to hear more about:
- The White House’s plans to make plans with its newSuper Intelligence Force
- Ghost’s$3,499 computerbuilt to run AI agents around the clock, and why the Equity crewdoesn’tsee it going mass market
- Tab,Underdog, andHarkpitching privacy as their product, plus the business model that could turn your agent into a salesperson
- United, Apple, and Amazonputting up walls against outside agents
- Lambda’s reported$4 billionraise, and the single customer behind$35 billionof its backlog
- Uber’s$2.3 billionall-cash deal to get into the office catering space withezCater
We’llsee you next week atTechCrunch Disrupt 2026! Get 25% off your tickets with code Equity25, andwe’llsee you on the Builders Stage Tuesday at 9 am.
Subscribe to Equity onYouTube,Apple Podcasts,Overcast,Spotifyand all the casts. You can also follow Equity onXandThreads, at @EquityPod.
Theresa Loconsolo is an audio producer at TechCrunch focusing on Equity, the network’s flagship podcast. Before joining TechCrunch in 2022, she was one of 2 producers at a four-station conglomerate where she wrote, recorded, voiced and edited content, and engineered live performances and interviews from guests like lovelytheband. Theresa is based in New Jersey and holds a bachelors degree in Communication from Monmouth University.
You can contact or verify outreach from Theresa by emailing [emailprotected].
Anthony Ha is TechCrunch’s weekend editor. Previously, he worked as a tech reporter at Adweek, a senior editor at VentureBeat, a local government reporter at the Hollister Free Lance, and vice president of content at a VC firm. He lives in New York City.
You can contact or verify outreach from Anthony by emailing [emailprotected].
Rebecca Bellan is a senior reporter at TechCrunch where she covers the business, policy, and emerging trends shaping artificial intelligence. Her work has also appeared in Forbes, Bloomberg, The Atlantic, The Daily Beast, and other publications.
You can contact or verify outreach from Rebecca by emailing [emailprotected] or via encrypted message at rebeccabellan.491 on Signal.
Sean O’Kane is a reporter who has spent a decade covering the rapidly-evolving business and technology of the transportation industry, including Tesla and the many startups chasing Elon Musk. Most recently, he was a reporter at Bloomberg News where he helped break stories about some of the most notorious EV SPAC flops. He previously worked at The Verge, where he also covered consumer technology, hosted many short- and long-form videos, performed product and editorial photography, and once nearly passed out in a Red Bull Air Race plane.
You can contact or verify outreach from Sean by emailing [emailprotected] or via encrypted message at okane.01 on Signal.