Amazon to Stop Using NDAs in Data Center Deals as AI Agent Startups Seek Trust
Amazon says it will stop using NDAs when negotiating data center deals with local governments, following Microsoft. TechCrunch reports the move comes amid local moratoriums over AI infrastructure and as personal AI startups seek consumer access.
TechCrunch reported the change on Oct. 9, 2026. It also said a wave of startups is betting that consumers will hand AI agents access to their inboxes, files and credit cards, if those companies can get websites to let the agents in.
The opposition to data center projects has produced local policy fights across the country. The report said secrecy has contributed to backlash against AI infrastructure, and that the backlash has led to hundreds of proposed and enacted moratoriums from New York to San Francisco. Amazon's decision to drop NDAs follows Microsoft's similar move earlier this year.
On TechCrunch's Equity podcast, Anthony Ha, Sean O'Kane and Rebecca Bellan discussed whether ditching NDAs will change how data center deals get done. They also examined why trust may be the real product for personal AI startups, along with a couple of deals of the week.
The episode covered the White House's plans to make plans with its new Super Intelligence Force. It also looked at Ghost's $3,499 computer built to run AI agents around the clock, and why the Equity crew does not see it going mass market.
Other topics included Tab, Underdog and Hark pitching privacy as their product, plus a business model that could turn a user's agent into a salesperson. The podcast also discussed United, Apple and Amazon putting up walls against outside agents.
In deal news, the episode covered Lambda's reported $4 billion raise and the single customer behind $35 billion of its backlog. It also discussed Uber's $2.3 billion all-cash deal to get into the office catering space with ezCater.