6 industry conversations that don’t scream ‘OMG there’s a tech downturn’

Journalists care a lot about tension, drama and signal. Oftentimes that looks like good news, like when small scrappy startups get starter capital to take on the public giant, or well-capitalized late-stage giant, or that moment when you realize healthcare’s disruption is just at its infancy. As of recently, though, we’ve seen startups face a massive correction across all stages, from double rounds of layoffs to valuation cuts to complete shutdowns. It’s been a lot of doom and gloom, but that isn’t where the story stops.

On Equity, a podcast that I co-host alongside Alex Wilhelm and Mary Ann Azevedo, we spend lots of time talking through both the highs and the lows. Today, I want to highlight six conversations that talk about tense, dramatic and noise-cancelling issues — but have nothing to do with tech’s downturn (or tech layoffs). Enjoy!

1. Building the future of robotics

   This episode between Alex and TC’s Brian Heater is about all things robots. Recorded right before our ever-successful TC Sessions: Robotics event, the pod gets into the 8 million problems that robots want to solve, lidar and the boundaries of hardware technology, and what Heater thinks is the only successful household robot out there.

2. Why build a tech mafia when you can just build each other?

   Before we recorded this as a podcast, I asked this question in the form of a tongue in cheek headline: “YC makes a Product Hunt, Product Hunt makes an a16z, a16z makes a YC.” As you can tell by that headline and this episode title, we’re talking about how tech is full of copycats and what that means for the bar of innovation. This is one of those episodes that makes me love how full circle this industry is — and scratch my head on how a rising tide can both confuse and complement the founder fundraising journey.

3. Stripe is playing checkers with Plaid

   Must we explain more? In this memorable Equity Friday, the whole crew is on to talk about a host of news — but mostly, the fact that Stripe and Plaid went from friends to competitors in one swift product move. Well, more like multiple swift moves and maybe even some subtweets. This is the perfect show for anyone interested in fintech, competition and the art of patterns.

4. Demo days definitely amplify a brand, but not the one you’d think

    

5. F*ck creator funds, we need a creator index fund

    

6. You can’t buy a community, so make it worth it

    

Equity drops every Monday at 7 a.m. PDT and Wednesday and Friday at 6 a.m. PDT, so subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts.