Hardware’s brutal week: iRobot, Luminar, and Rad Power go bankrupt

The {hardware} world had a brutal week, with iRobot, Luminar, and Rad Energy Bikes all submitting for chapter. 

Every firm faces its personal mixture of tariff pressures, provide chain points, and shifting markets, however collectively they inform a bigger story concerning the challenges of constructing bodily merchandise in an period of worldwide commerce tensions and low cost abroad competitors. From the Roomba maker that nearly received acquired by Amazon to the e-bike firm that couldn’t escape its Chinese language provide chain, this week’s bankruptcies are a warning signal for {hardware} startups all over the place. 

At this time on Trendster’s Fairness podcast, hosts Anthony Ha, Rebecca Bellan, and Sean O’Kane focus on what went incorrect for 3 once-promising {hardware} corporations, plus Amazon’s large OpenAI guess and Trump’s new method to AI regulation. 

Take heed to the total episode to listen to extra information from the week, together with: 

• How “slop” turned Merriam-Webster’s phrase of the yr — and why it’s grow to be larger than simply AI-generated content material 

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