From Roombas to e-bikes, why are hardware startups going bankrupt?

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The hardware world had a brutal week, with  iRobot ,  Luminar , and  Rad Power Bikes  all filing for bankruptcy. 

Each company faces its own mix of tariff pressures, supply chain issues, and shifting markets, but together they tell a larger story about the challenges of building physical products in an era of global trade tensions and cheap overseas competition. From the Roomba maker that almost got acquired by Amazon to the e-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 massive OpenAI bet  and  Trump's new approach  to AI regulation. 

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