Meta dropped three new models over the weekend: Scout, Maverick, and the still-training Behemoth, billed as the next evolution of “open-ish” AI. But instead of excitement, the response was mostly shrugs. Critics called the release underwhelming, saying it lacked the edge expected in today’s breakneck AI race. Meta’s clear attempt to claw back some attention quickly turned messy. Accusations began circulating on X and Reddit around benchmark tampering, a mystery ex-employee, and large gaps between the models’ public and private performance.

Today, on TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, hosts Kirsten Korosec, Max Zeff and Anthony Ha are unpacking Meta’s rocky rollout, the AI industry’s obsession with looking smart on paper, and why, as Kirsten put it, “creating something to do well on a test doesn't always translate to good business.”

Listen to the full episode to for:

A breakdown of Trump’s latest tariff push, what you missed and how companies are bracing for impact
The secretive EV startup backed by Jeff Bezos, and whether it was Bezos’s Plan B
Colossal Biosciences’ Dire Wolf discovery, and whether or not the breakthrough justifies the startup’s $10B+ valuation

Equity will be back next week, so stay tuned!

Equity is TechCrunch’s flagship podcast, produced by Theresa Loconsolo, and posts every Wednesday and Friday.

Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod. For the full episode transcript, for those who prefer reading over listening, check out our full archive of episodes here.

Credits: Equity is produced by Theresa Loconsolo with editing by Kell. We’d also like to thank TechCrunch’s audience development team. Thank you so much for listening, and we'll talk to you next time.

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