Gas Stations in Space and Carried Interest on the Chopping Block | 2082
E2082 • Feb 8, 2025 • 63 minsToday’s show: Jason and Alex discuss the carried interest tax loophole being in Trump’s crosshairs, a great interview with Orbit Fab and their plans for the industrialization of space, Deel’s $300M secondary and much more!
Is Palantir's Surge Just Hype | E2081
E2081 • Feb 6, 2025 • 58 minsToday’s show: Jason and Alex cover Palantir’s surge (is it all hype?), Temo and Shein and the de minimise loop hole, Uber’s earnings and the future of self-driving technology and much more!
Lovable's Anton Osika on Revolutionizing Software Development and OpenAI Drops Deep Research | E2080
E2080 • Feb 4, 2025 • 67 minsOpenAI dropped *Deep Research*—hilariously, the exact same name as Google’s existing tool. Jason and Alex dive into the AI arms race, break down Lovable.dev’s *insane* growth to $10M ARR in weeks, and test whether AI can really replace software engineers. Plus, they analyze Trump’s latest *tariff chaos* and what it means for startups, global trade, and the economy.
Is OpenAI Really Worth $300B? ElevenLabs’ Series C & YC’s Funding Focus | E2079
E2079 • Feb 1, 2025 • 73 minsToday’s show: The AI revolution is about to hit your household—Jason and Alex break down how general-purpose robots, AI-powered chicken coops, and voice clones are redefining daily life and work. They dig into OpenAI’s sky-high valuation, the surprising rise of DeepSeek’s R1 model, and why the AI cost curve is dropping at an insane pace. Plus, the latest on AI hardware, antitrust battles, and why the “No Buy 2025” trend could change how we think about consumer tech.
Boom Supersonic's Milestones, OpenAI Ethics, and Startup Tools | E2078
E2078 • Jan 29, 2025 • 63 minsToday’s show: Jason and Alex cover Jason’s unique sauna experience which leads them to discuss the value of niche communities and supporting small startups, spotlighting Boom Supersonic's achievements and Starlink's aviation collaborations. Financial updates include the Federal Reserve's actions and Trump's public opinion. They analyze the impact of CapEx on tech giants and Meta's AR/VR success. The DeepSeek controversy and OpenAI's intellectual property issues are explored, along with AI race risks and opportunities. Jason and Alex conclude with insights on building startups and modern tools for entrepreneurs.
DeepSeek Rattles Markets + SailPoint's Going Public… again? | E2077
E2077 • Jan 28, 2025 • 60 minsToday’s show: A $6M open-source AI model from China, DeepSeek, sends shockwaves through Wall Street, wiping billions off NVIDIA’s market cap and forcing a rethink on AI infrastructure spending. We explore the 25% surge in startup shutdowns, the lessons from leaner teams, and why some companies just couldn’t make the runway. Plus, SailPoint returns to the public markets saddled with $1.6B in debt—what does this say about private equity’s “buy, fix, and flip” strategy? Don’t miss this deep dive into the latest tech and startup news!
Twilio Bets Small, DeepSeek Scares & the GameOn Fraud | E2076
E2076 • Jan 25, 2025 • 58 minsToday’s show: Jason and Alex cover Twilio’s team size compression, DeepSeek’s scary good AI for only $6M and the GameOn fraud saga that sounds too crazy to be true.
Created By Humans | Sila’s Battery Evolution | E2075
E2075 • Jan 23, 2025 • 59 minsToday’s show: Alex covers The Stargate Project, other hot news items, and two great interviews. Created By Humans’ Co-founder Trip Adler talks about the future of copyrights and AI. Gene Berdichevsky, Co-founder and CEO of Sila, discusses the future of batteries and our clean energy future.
Trump, Memecoins, and What to Expect from the New Administration | E2074
E2074 • Jan 21, 2025 • 72 minsIn this episode, Jason Calacanis and Alex Wilhelm dive into America's admiration for billionaires, tech's political role, and recent events in DC. They discuss the growing influence of Gen X in politics, particularly tech CEOs' presence at the inauguration, while critiquing Democrats' stance on technology. Economic factors like inflation and abortion rights surface as pivotal election issues. The episode also covers COVID origins, executive orders impacting tech, and immigration policy debates. AI regulation, Trump's economic strategies, and crypto regulations are dissected, highlighting their impact on personal freedoms and investment risks. Entrepreneur wellness, M&A influence, and upcoming tech IPOs round out the discussion.
TikTok Ban, Data Centers in Space… and What's a Vector? | E2073
E2073 • Jan 18, 2025 • 63 minsToday’s show: Alex sits down with two CEOs from companies freshly added to the TWIST500. We get a masterclass from Bob van Luijt of Weaviate, on vector databases helping AI and LLMs do what they do. An then Philip Johnston from Lumen Orbit explains his vision of building data centers in space!
What’s Going On With Google Gemini Deep Research? | E2072
E2072 • Jan 16, 2025 • 68 minsIn this episode, Jason Calacanis, Alex Wilhelm, and Arush Selvan delve into the role of deep research as a personal AI research agent. Jason shares insights from his skiing trip in Japan, while Arush discusses his background with Google's Gemini team. The trio explores how deep research aids their work, demonstrating server resource use and examining Google's business model for AI-generated research reports. They address challenges like content differentiation and hallucinations in AI tools, and discuss business models for AI search engines. The conversation extends to privacy in biometric payments, investments in AI, potential TikTok bans, and the influence of Chinese government in tech.
Profound, Resistant AI & OpenAI’s Economic Pitch | E2071
E2071 • Jan 14, 2025 • 67 minsToday’s show: Alex covers Mark Zuckerberg’s Joe Rogan interview, OpenAI’s economic pitch, and the pending IPO of India’s Groww. Special guests include two companies freshly added to the TWIST500: James Cadwallader from Profound and Martin Rehak from Resistant AI.
The LA Fire's Cost and the U.S. Jobs Report | E2070
E2070 • Jan 11, 2025 • 56 minsThis episode explores Los Angeles' fire budget and its political implications, featuring insights from Jason Calacanis and Alex Wilhelm. The conversation touches on the ski industry's disputes, LA's fires, federal aid, and insurance challenges. It highlights Startup Stand Insurance's wildfire risk simulation and critiques California's governmental competence. Economic impacts like job reports, inflation, and Trump-era policies are analyzed, alongside inflation's psychological effects and tech industry responses. The episode also discusses labor market trends, the role of automation and AI in startups, and TikTok's Supreme Court case.
Meta's Moderation and Nvidia's Domination | E2069
E2069 • Jan 9, 2025 • 68 minsJason Calacanis and Alex Wilhelm dive into recent tech developments and startup opportunities. They explore the implications of the recent fires in Pacific Palisades and Malibu, discussing potential insurance and startup solutions. The episode covers Meta's revised content moderation strategy, analyzing Mark Zuckerberg's motivations. They also highlight NVIDIA's AI supercomputer chip and its impact on the tech industry, alongside innovations like Lenovo's rollable laptop and Slack's iOS integration. Additionally, they touch on BYD's supercar and Anthropic's valuation. Jason shares his experience with luxury Japanese minivans, and they wrap up with plans for the podcast and a call for listener feedback.
TWIST News: Fusion, Rural Investment, and Applied AI | E2068
E2068 • Jan 7, 2025 • 69 minsIn this episode, Jason Calacanis discusses his experience with doxxing and the importance of security for public figures. He and Alex Wilhelm explore the Vail Resorts Epic Pass controversy, analyzing the company's management and stock performance. They introduce Sam Altman's insights on fusion energy and the role of risk-taking in innovation. The duo debates government subsidies, focusing on Ro Khanna's views on rural business support, and examines government debt and austerity. The conversation covers cybersecurity, particularly Chinese hacking into US infrastructure, and China's economic challenges. The episode wraps up with a review of a SF Smashburger, online criticism, and applying Christian principles in business.
Venture Concentration, High-Skill Immigration, And Who Should Buy Lyft? | E2067
E2067 • Jan 4, 2025 • 68 minsTodays show: Jason and Alex discuss the over saturation of venture capital, how to fix the high-skill immigration issue, including an interview with Lisa Wehden of Plymouth, and the pressing question of who should buy Lyft?
Twisty Awards 2024: Celebrating the Best in Startups, Tech, and Innovation
E2066 • Dec 31, 2024 • 53 minsJason Calacanis and Alex Wilhelm dive into the Twisty Awards 2024, celebrating standout achievements in the startup world. They reveal winners for categories like Breakout Startup, Pre IPO Startup, and Main Character of the Year. The episode discusses the collapse of a bookkeeping company and features a debate on the News Topic of the Year. They explore the impact of AI on jobs, immigration policies affecting startups, and the significance of maintaining static team sizes. The episode highlights the best tech product, the funniest Twist moment, and the Twist Interview of the Year.
Palantir’s Valuation, VC’s Go To Washington and Much More | E2065
E2065 • Dec 24, 2024 • 76 minsJason Calacanis and Alex Wilhelm explore the ambitious idea of increasing America's population to 1 billion through immigration and opt-in empire building. The episode covers Jason's Twitter controversy about Palantir, analyzing its market position and financials. They discuss the cautionary tale of memestocks and delve into the defense tech sector with Palantir and Anduril's consortium. The conversation shifts to the geopolitical strategies of Ken Howery and Trump's take on international security. They explore the concept of "opt-in" empire building and the potential for megacity development. The episode also touches on AI policy, cryptocurrency regulation, and modernizing securities laws.
Codeium’s Vision for AI-Driven Development with Varun Mohan | E2064
E2064 • Dec 21, 2024 • 59 minsJason & Alex chat with Varun Mohan, founder & CEO of Codeium, the revolutionary AI-powered coding platform backed by Kleiner Perkins & Founders Fund. Varun shares insights on pivoting to greatness, scaling enterprise solutions, and launching Codeium's new IDE, Windsurf. How to pivot successfully: Lessons from ExaFunction to Codeium Building enterprise-grade AI tools for developers and enterprises The future of coding: AI agents, IDEs, and the rise of 80%+ AI-generated code
Databricks' Record Raise, TikTok goes to the Supreme Court, and all about the Grammarly-Coda Deal | E2063
E2063 • Dec 19, 2024 • 70 minsAlex and Jason discuss Databricks’ record raise, TikTok’s big day at the Supreme Court, Shishir Mehrotra on the Coda-Grammarly merger, and more.