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Rebecca Bellan @rebeccabellan.bsky.social · 10d

On yesterday's episode of @equity.bsky.social, I chatted to @adambillen.bsky.social of Encode AI about why California’s new AI safety law shows regulation and innovation don’t have to clash

techcrunch.com/2025/10/01/c... via @techcrunch.com

California’s new AI safety law shows regulation and innovation don’t have to clash | TechCrunch

“Are bills like SB 53 the thing that will stop us from beating China? No,” said Adam Billen, vice president of public policy at youth-led advocacy group Encode AI. “I think it is just genuinely intell...

techcrunch.com

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Rebecca Bellan @rebeccabellan.bsky.social · 12d

Wiz's CTO Ami Luttwak explains how the cybersecurity landscape is shifting, how startups can be secure from day one, and what opportunities exist for startups trying to get into the cybersecurity industry.

Luttwak says the playing field is open for disruption. (2/2)

Rebecca Bellan @rebeccabellan.bsky.social · 12d

As enterprises rush to embed AI into their workflows — whether through vibe coding, AI agent integration, or new tooling — the attack surface is expanding. (1/2)

techcrunch.com/2025/09/28/w... via
@techcrunch.com

Wiz chief technologist Ami Luttwak on how AI is transforming cyberattacks | TechCrunch

Ami Luttwak, CTO of Wiz, breaks down how AI is changing cybersecurity, why startups shouldn't write a single line of code before thinking about security, and opportunities for upstarts in the industry...

techcrunch.com

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Rebecca Bellan @rebeccabellan.bsky.social · 12d

Yesterday was a huge day for AI policy after California Governor Newsom signed a landmark safety bill SB 53 that will require large AI firms to be transparent about safety protocols.
techcrunch.com/2025/09/29/c... via @techcrunch.com

California Governor Newsom signs landmark AI safety bill SB 53 | TechCrunch

SB 53 requires large AI labs – including OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta, and Google DeepMind – to be transparent about safety protocols. It also ensures whistleblower protections for employees at those compa...

techcrunch.com

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Rebecca Bellan @rebeccabellan.bsky.social · 13d

It’s also setting the stage for new power brokers in e-commerce. Google & Amazon have long been the gatekeepers for retail discovery. If more buys start inside AI chatbots, the firms behind them will have more control over what products are surfaced and what fees they charge.

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Rebecca Bellan @rebeccabellan.bsky.social · 13d

techcrunch.com/2025/09/29/openai-takes-on-google-amazon-with-new-agentic-shopping-system/

This frictionless experience may change how people shop online. Instead of search engines and e-commerce platforms like Google and Amazon, buyers can interact with conversational agents with curated recos.

OpenAI takes on Google, Amazon with new agentic shopping system | TechCrunch

This type of frictionless experience has the potential to spark a new movement in how people shop online – one that moves away from search engines like Google and e-commerce platforms like Amazon towa...

techcrunch.com

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Rebecca Bellan @rebeccabellan.bsky.social · 13d

OpenAI rolls out safety routing system, parental controls on ChatGPT -- and the results have been mixed techcrunch.com/2025/09/29/o... via @techcrunch.com

OpenAI rolls out safety routing system, parental controls on ChatGPT | TechCrunch

The new safety features come after numerous incidents of ChatGPT validating users' delusional thinking instead of redirecting harmful conversations -- including the death of a teenage boy by suicide.

techcrunch.com

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Rebecca Bellan @rebeccabellan.bsky.social · 17d

Do we think the 42 cents is referencing Hitchhiker's guide or 😙🍁💨? techcrunch.com/2025/09/25/e... via
@techcrunch.com

Elon Musk's xAI offers Grok to federal government for 42 cents | TechCrunch

xAI has reached a deal with the U.S. GSA to sell Grok to federal agencies for 42 cents over 18 months, undercutting OpenAI and Anthropic.

techcrunch.com

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Rebecca Bellan @rebeccabellan.bsky.social · 17d

Databricks will bake OpenAI models into its products in $100M wager to spur enterprise adoption

This is interesting bc Databricks has to pay even if OAI doesn't secure $100m in rev. It's a bet, but one DB hedged with customer interest.
techcrunch.com/2025/09/25/d... via @techcrunch.com

Databricks will bake OpenAI models into its products in $100M bet to spur enterprise adoption | TechCrunch

Databricks is on the hook to pay at least $100 million to OpenAI in this deal, even if customer usage falls short. It's a bet, but one that Databricks has already hedged.

techcrunch.com

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Rebecca Bellan @rebeccabellan.bsky.social · 18d

youtube.com/watch?v=b06AqrRPgMg&t=8s

And for those who like to watch their podcasts...

Chipiron’s big idea: rethinking MRI access, not replacing old machines | Equity Podcast

YouTube video by TechCrunch

youtube.com

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Rebecca Bellan @rebeccabellan.bsky.social · 18d

🎣 💪 🧬 Longevity bait alert!
On today's episode of @equity.bsky.social
I chatted with the CEO of Chipiron, a startup that's figuring out how to make MRIs suck less and scale more. techcrunch.com/podcast/how-... via
@techcrunch.com

How Chipiron's rethinking the future of MRI

Chipiron CEO joins Equity to discuss how his startup is tackling one of the most expensive hospital-bound technologies, MRI machines, and aims to make them available anywhere.

techcrunch.com

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Rebecca Bellan @rebeccabellan.bsky.social · 18d

I didn't know this is what I needed to start my morning. Blesssss

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Rebecca Bellan @rebeccabellan.bsky.social · 19d

At the heart of every empire is an ideology. For AI, it’s AGI “for all humanity.”

As @karenhao.bsky.social argued on @equity.bsky.social, OpenAI has become its chief evangelist,
reshaping how the industry is built and justified.

Read more on @techcrunch.com
techcrunch.com/2025/09/14/k...

Karen Hao on the Empire of AI, AGI evangelists, and the cost of belief | TechCrunch

OpenAI’s rise isn’t just a business story — it’s an ideological one. On Equity, Karen Hao, author of Empire AI, explores how the cult of AGI has fueled a billion-dollar race, justified massive spendin...

techcrunch.com

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Reposted by Rebecca Bellan

Amanda Silberling @amanda.omg.lol · 20d

journalists spell "lead" like "lede" just to feel something

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Reposted by Rebecca Bellan

Ryan Mac 🙃 @rmac.bsky.social · 19d

This is horrific and feels like it should be a bigger deal. Business Insider reports that people who have worked at xAI have seen Grok create images and written material with child sex abuse material.

www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-gr...

Behind Grok's 'sexy' settings, workers review explicit and disturbing content

Workers say they've faced sexually explicit content while xAI has marketed Grok to be deliberately provocative. Experts say the company should be cautious.

www.businessinsider.com

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Rebecca Bellan @rebeccabellan.bsky.social · 19d

techcrunch.com/2025/09/23/m...

Meta launches super PAC to fight AI regulation as state policies mount | TechCrunch

Meta is investing 'tens of millions' into a new pro-AI super PAC called the American Technology Excellence Project to fight state-level tech policy that would regulate AI.

techcrunch.com

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Rebecca Bellan @rebeccabellan.bsky.social · 25d

rebeccabellan.substack.com/p/missives-f...

And just a throwback to my first post, which provides more of an insight into the ground my novel covers -- the immersive nature of technology, the powers that profit off of isolation, and the dystopias we normalize.

Missives from the near future – a novel about tech and humanity

Fictionalizing and satirizing the tech dystopias we’ve come to normalize

rebeccabellan.substack.com

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Rebecca Bellan @rebeccabellan.bsky.social · 25d

When I first tried virtual reality in 2017, I worried it could become the new opium of the masses. With AI reshaping our world today, that fear feels sharper than ever.

Here’s the feature I wrote then about my experience, which planted the seeds for my novel:

open.substack.com/pub/rebeccab...

The stars were fake, the awe was real

The day I lost myself in virtual reality, and found the seeds of my novel

open.substack.com

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Rebecca Bellan @rebeccabellan.bsky.social · Sep 11

UPDATE: A California bill that would regulate AI companion chatbots has now passed the Assembly and Senate, and is headed to @governor.ca.gov's desk.
techcrunch.com/2025/09/11/a... via @techcrunch.com

A California bill that would regulate AI companion chatbots is close to becoming law | TechCrunch

SB 243 passed the California Senate on Thursday and heads to Gov. Newsom's desk. If SB 243 is enacted, California would become the first state to require operators to implement safety protocols for AI...

techcrunch.com

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Rebecca Bellan @rebeccabellan.bsky.social · Sep 3

Listen to hear more on:
- How OpenAI’s three internal “clans” warred to shape its direction
- Hidden human costs of data labeling
- How the “China competition” narrative serves Silicon Valley’s interests
-Where founders can find diff opportunities beyond the pursuit of AGI (2/2)

Rebecca Bellan @rebeccabellan.bsky.social · Sep 3

techcrunch.com/podcast/kare...

Really great having @karenhao.bsky.social on @equity.bsky.social to discuss the making of OpenAI's AI empire, how that has shaped the trajectory of AI development, and whether it can be different. 👇 (1/2)

Karen Hao on the making of a $90B AI empire

Empire of AI author Karen Hao joins TechCrunch Equity to explore how OpenAI transformed from nonprofit to $90 billion powerhouse and the hidden costs of AI's boom.

techcrunch.com

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Rebecca Bellan @rebeccabellan.bsky.social · Sep 2

NEW: Google avoids break up, faces new oversight in search antitrust trial techcrunch.com/2025/09/02/g... via @techcrunch.com

Google avoids break up, faces new oversight in search antitrust trial | TechCrunch

Google will not be forced to break up its search business, but a federal judge has tentatively ordered other changes to the tech giant’s business

techcrunch.com

Rebecca Bellan @rebeccabellan.bsky.social · Sep 2

NEW: OpenAI plans to route sensitive conversations to reasoning models like GPT-5 and roll out parental controls within the next month — part of an ongoing response to recent safety incidents involving ChatGPT failing to detect mental distress.

techcrunch.com/2025/09/02/o...

OpenAI to route sensitive conversations to GPT-5, introduce parental controls | TechCrunch

OpenAI said Tuesday it plans to route sensitive conversations to reasoning models like GPT-5 and roll out parental controls within the next month – part of an ongoing response to recent safety inciden...

techcrunch.com

Rebecca Bellan @rebeccabellan.bsky.social · Sep 2

techcrunch.com/2025/09/02/a...

Anthropic raises $13B Series F at $183B valuation | TechCrunch

AI firm Anthropic's $13 billion Series F round will be use to grow its enterprise adoption, deepen safety research, and support international expansion.

techcrunch.com

Reposted by Rebecca Bellan

Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com · Aug 28

NEW: Credit reporting giant TransUnion has confirmed a data breach involving more than 4.4 million customers' personal information. TransUnion claims "no credit information was accessed" in the late-July breach, which it said involves its U.S. consumer support operations.

TransUnion says hackers stole 4.4 million customers' personal information | TechCrunch

The credit reporting giant confirmed unauthorized access to a third-party application storing the personal information of its customers.

techcrunch.com

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