This week, the humanoid robotics startup Figure caused a stir when it declared that it will be abandoning its collaboration with OpenAI in favor of developing its own internal AI models. In the upcoming month, Figure CEO Brett Adcock intends to reveal “something no one has ever seen on a humanoid,” hinting to a “major breakthrough” in their own technique.
There are other businesses exploring with non-OpenAI solutions than Figure. In sharp contrast to the prices frequently linked to OpenAI’s models, researchers from Stanford and the University of Washington showed last week that a highly competent “reasoning” model could be trained for less than $50 in cloud compute credits.
In today’s episode of Equity, TechCrunch’s Kirsten Korosec, Margaux MacColl, and Max Zeff explore the most important news, including how OpenAI may be about to undergo a sea change.
To learn more, listen to the entire episode.
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- Notable new hires in startups and venture, from Stripe’s new lead for ‘startup and VC partnerships’ to Andreessen Horowitz’s controversial pick for its American Dynamism team lead.
- Two space startups teaming up to build the next generation of telescopes.
- Elon Musk’s latest play, and how Silicon Valley is reacting to the tech bros taking over the federal government.
Equity will be back next week, so don’t miss it!
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Produced by Theresa Loconsolo, TechCrunch’s main podcast, Equity, publishes on Wednesdays and Fridays.
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SOURCE: TECH CRUNCH
