The hardware world had a brutal week, with iRobot, Luminar, and Rad Power Bikes filing for bankruptcy.
Each company faces its own combination of tariff pressures, supply chain issues and changing markets, but together they tell a larger story about the challenges of making physical products in an era of global trade tensions and cheap foreign competition. From the Roomba maker that was almost acquired by Amazon to the electric bike company that couldn’t escape its Chinese supply chain, this week’s bankruptcies are a warning sign for hardware startups everywhere.
Today on TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, hosts Anthony Ha, Rebecca Bellan, and Sean O’Kane discuss what went wrong for three once-promising hardware companies, plus Amazon’s huge bet on OpenAI and Trump’s new approach to AI regulation.
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