OpenAI wants to power your browser, and that could be a security nightmare

Equity

TechCrunch

Founders, Silicon Valley, Finance, Ipo, Vc, Technology, Business News, Startups, Business, Venture Capital, News, Stock Market, Entrepreneurship, Techcrunch

4.2 • 365 Ratings

🗓️ 24 October 2025

⏱️ 30 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The browser wars are heating up again, this time with AI in the driver’s seat. OpenAI just launched Atlas, a ChatGPT-powered browser that lets users surf the web using natural language and even includes an “agent mode” that can complete tasks autonomously. It’s one of the biggest browser launches in recent memory, but it's debuting with an unsolved security flaw that could expose passwords, emails, and sensitive data. On TechCrunch's Equity podcast, Max Zeff, Anthony Ha and Sean O’Kane break down Atlas’s debut, the broader wave of alternative browsers, and more of the week’s startup and tech news. Listen to the full episode to hear about: Why Rivian spinoff Also just landed a massive deal with Amazon for thousands of pedal-assist cargo vehicles (and why the name is a nightmare to say in conversation) How Sesame, the conversational AI startup from Oculus founders, raised $250M for a product that doesn't really exist yet The AWS outage that broke much of the web, turned Eight Sleep mattresses into temperature nightmares, and exposed just how fragile the internet really is The alternative browsers that either embrace or push back against AI-everything, from privacy-focused options like DuckDuckGo and Brave to "mindful" browsers like Opera Air Subscribe to Equity on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is a paid ad by Fidelity Private Shares.
0:03.2	A messy or missing cap table might not just slow you down.
0:05.8	It could cost you your next fundraising round.
0:08.1	Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch's flagship podcast about the business of
0:12.6	startups.
0:13.4	Today is Friday, October 24th.
0:15.6	I'm Max Zep, senior AI reporter with TechCrunch.
0:18.2	And I'm joined by TechCrunch's weekend editor, Anthony Ha, as well as senior transportation
0:22.7	reporter, Sean O'Kane.
0:24.4	Are you guys ready for Disrupt?
0:26.3	How are we feeling?
0:27.0	I'm excited and it's also way too soon.
0:29.8	Actually, the funny thing is the very first thing that at least Max and I will be doing at
0:34.1	Disrupt is we will be recording an episode of equity on the builder stage
0:39.4	Monday at 9 a.m. I believe. Yeah, if you're not doing anything on Monday at 9 a.m. Like, I don't know,
0:45.3	like getting out of bed, like having coffee. Feel free to come on down to the Moscone Center. You can
0:49.8	podcast with us, listen to it live. If you shout our names from the audience, I,
0:55.7	I will do my darndest to make sure that gets included in the final episode. What are you guys
1:01.2	going to be up to with disrupt? This is my second one. So I'm just looking forward to navigating
1:05.5	the entire show with a bit of, uh, with bearings for once. Whereas last year I was, uh, you know, sort of finding my way.
1:15.3	But I'm really excited to see a lot of the the Battlefield 200 companies that we have,
1:20.2	getting ready to sort of compete, especially the top 20. That was just an exciting thing to see
	...

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