After the midterms, is the AI industry in for a rough two years?

TechCrunch's Equity podcast used its latest episode, published November 6, 2026, to ask whether the AI industry faces a difficult two years following this week's U.S. midterm elections. The publisher describes Democrats' wins as historic and suggests they could reshape the technology sector, with data centers emerging as a key flashpoint.

According to TechCrunch, voters decided 41 ballot measures related to data centers on Tuesday, and in every case but one, a majority favored tighter restrictions on development. The outlet adds that data centers were also a major campaign topic in races where they did not appear on the ballot, and it expects newly elected Democratic governors and members of Congress to be likely supporters of further regulation.

The 31-minute episode features Kirsten Korosec, Sean O'Kane and Anthony Ha discussing what the results mean for tech companies. Their conversation covers both the data center backlash, which TechCrunch notes OpenAI is already trying to counter with a rebranding effort, and the prospect of greater government scrutiny of Big Tech.

The results matter because AI companies depend on rapid data center expansion, and the vote tally points to broad local resistance. The published summary offers no details on individual measures or specific policy proposals.