Meta’s ‘open’ AI, and a $250M deal gone very wrong 

<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/equity/id1215439780" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="podcast-badge podcast-badge--apple"> Listen on Apple Podcasts </a>
<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/5IEYLip3eDppcOmy5DmphC?si=rZDFHv2sQUul_g94iCRgpQ&amp;nd=1&amp;dlsi=467965469f3e484e" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="podcast-badge podcast-badge--spotify"> Listen on Spotify </a>
<p id="speakable-summary" class="has-text-align-left wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/10/metas-new-glimmer-ai-model-offers-a-hint-at-zuckerbergs-personal-intelligence-vision/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Meta released Glimmer this week</a>, an open-weight AI model anyone can download and run on their own hardware — a contrast to Muse Spark, the company’s more powerful model that stays locked behind its own APIs. The release landed alongside <a href="https://www.meta.com/thefutureisforeveryone/?im_ref=XUsSSBwtJxyZWKNUNs1271dQUkr0SryZI2V03U0&amp;sharedid=techcrunch.com&amp;irpid=10078&amp;adid=3865253&amp;ircid=51596&amp;utm_source=impact&amp;prodsku=&amp;irgwc=1&amp;afsrc=1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">a letter from Mark Zuckerberg</a> arguing AI should be “for everyone” rather than controlled by a handful of labs, but as Equity’s hosts point out, the vision comes with <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/10/mark-zuckerbergs-ai-manifesto-is-exactly-why-people-dont-like-ai/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">some asterisks</a>. </p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">On this episode of TechCrunch’s<a href="https://techcrunch.com/podcasts/equity/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> Equity</a> podcast, Kirsten Korosec, Anthony Ha, and Rebecca Bellan take a look at Glimmer, Zuckerberg’s 6,500-word manifesto, and more of the week’s headlines, from the true cost of the AI industry’s energy needs to a $250M acquisition gone very wrong. </p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Listen to the full episode to hear more about: </p>
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li class="wp-block-list-item">Who’s on the market for <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/13/bartesian-duet-cocktail-maker-review/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">a $300 cocktail robot</a>? </li>
</ul>
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li class="wp-block-list-item">Why Anthropic is <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/11/anthropic-says-it-will-watermark-text-generated-by-its-ai-models/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">adding watermarks</a> to its generated text, and users are not happy. </li>
</ul>
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li class="wp-block-list-item">The potential cost <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/08/planned-amazon-data-center-could-become-the-biggest-climate-polluter-in-the-u-s/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Amazon’s planned data center</a> in Texas and the startups racing to fix the grid, including <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/12/form-energy-raises-750m-to-build-more-100-hour-batteries-for-the-grid/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Form Energy’s $750M raise</a> for 100-hour batteries, <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/12/reservoir-raises-8m-to-make-water-heaters-that-people-and-the-grid-will-actually-want/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Reservoir’s $8M bet</a> on smarter water heaters, and <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/10/discovered-materials-is-playing-ai-whack-a-mole-to-hunt-cooler-chips/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Discovered Materials’</a> hunt for cooler chips. </li>
</ul>
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li class="wp-block-list-item">Why <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/11/joby-aviation-builds-out-defense-business-with-500m-acquisition/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Joby Aviation’s $500M acquisition</a> of a defense contractor reminds Kirsten of its Blade deal last year — and what the 2028 LA Olympics have to do with it. </li>
</ul>
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li class="wp-block-list-item">How a $250M deal between video-clipping startup VideoVerse and sports publisher Minute Media <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/12/how-a-250-million-acquisition-collapsed-into-allegations-of-fraud-and-forged-signatures/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">collapsed amidst allegedly forged documents</a>, multiple lawsuits, and a CEO nobody can reach. </li>
</ul>
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