The LA Fire's Cost and the U.S. Jobs Report | E2070

This 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

Jason 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

In 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

Todays 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

Jason 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

Jason 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

Jason & 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

Alex and Jason discuss Databricks’ record raise, TikTok’s big day at the Supreme Court, Shishir Mehrotra on the Coda-Grammarly merger, and more.

Sora Disappoints, ChatGPT Pro Tested, Inference Time Reasoning & More with Sunny Madra | E2062

Jason Calacanis is joined by Sundeep Madra to discuss the potential outcomes of the OpenAI lawsuit and explore Grok's recent developments alongside tech inspiration from the Middle East. They delve into the challenges global businesses face and Jason's announcements for 2025. The episode features a demo of the Gemini app, comparing it to ChatGPT 4, and evaluates the limitations of ChatGPT 4.0 Pro, especially regarding robo-taxi fleet costs. They discuss the importance of prompt engineering in AI tool adoption and address workplace AI challenges. The conversation extends to AI model performance, Meta's Llama 3.370b launch, and evolving infrastructure costs. Closing thoughts focus on trust, bias in language models, and startup ideas for news analysis.

Silicon Valley Clones and Jersey Drones: Decoding the Signals with Nicole Wischoff | E2061

Jason and Alex kick off the episode discussing recent government reactions to unexplained drone sightings, exploring theories and official statements. The conversation shifts to speculation about drones' potential radiation detection capabilities and insights from TikTok and the Swiss startup Arctis Radiation Detectors. They examine the geopolitical implications and startups focused on drone detection technology. The American Security Drone Act of 2023 is highlighted for its role in government coordination. Nicole Wischoff joins to delve into startup pitches, market dynamics, AI's impact, and investment strategies. The episode wraps up with discussions on venture capital performance and challenges facing large funds.

Cyera's Hypergrowth, Cake's Cap Table Push, and ServiceTitan's Stellar IPO | E2060

Alex Wilhelm kicks off the show with Cyera’s Yotam Segev to dive into the state of enterprise data security. They discuss Cyera’s impressive feat of raising $300 million just quarters after its previous mega-round and explore the company's recent nine-figure acquisition of Trail Security. Next, Alex unpacks ServiceTitan's successful IPO and Broadcom's milestone achievement of reaching a $1 trillion market cap. To close, Cake Equity’s Kim Hansen joins the conversation to share insights into his company’s growth strategy and how it’s thriving in a highly competitive market.

Negative Venture Returns, GM Kneecaps Cruise, and Finix joins the TWiST500 | E2059

Alex Wilhelm joins Jason to discuss the reporting that Tiger Global's 2021-era fund is not only posting poor results, it's lagging peers from the same timeframe. Then, the pair also interview Suvir Wadhwa, founder and CEO of Flite, a former Launch accelerator company, and dug into the Cruise-GM news along with a peek at the next head of the FTC.

TWiST News: Bitcoin’s Future, Reddit Answers, SEC Shifts, and more! | E2057

Anthony Pompliano joins Jason and Alex to discuss crypto markets, Bitcoin's future, and Michael Saylor's Bitcoin strategy. Then, they dive into Reddit's new Q&A feature, SEC shifts, and more!

TWiST News: Bitcoin’s Future, Reddit Answers, SEC Shifts, and more! | E2057

Anthony Pompliano joins Jason and Alex to discuss crypto markets, Bitcoin's future, and Michael Saylor's Bitcoin strategy. Then, they dive into Reddit's new Q&A feature, SEC shifts, and more!

Ghost Engineers, Measuring Productivity, & Memecoin Scams | E2056

In this episode, we discuss Hailey Welch and the viral Hawk coin, then discuss David Sachs' new White House role and recent job data's economic impact. We address the United Healthcare CEO's murder, debate cancel culture, and a viral tweet on software engineers' habits. Deedy Das offers insights on tech inefficiencies and the shift to in-person work. Coffeezilla joins to explore crypto scams, influencer marketing ethics, and regulation. We wrap up with David Sachs' Czar role in AI and crypto for the US government, market dynamics, and a new addition to the Twist 500.

TWiST News: $100k Veteran Pitch Winner EMPEQ, US unicorn dominance, and T500 Updates | E2055

Alex Wilhelm joins Jason to discuss breaking news on Paul Atkins and SEC leadership transitions into discussions on corporate security concerns. Then, Mike Sherbakov and Herbert Dwyer share insights on veteran leadership and EMPEQ's equipment management technology. The conversation highlights technology applications in military contexts and Empeq's dual-use tech. The episode also covers SaaS growth, touches on crypto's influence on elections, economic growth, and more!

TWiST News: Bitcoin, Saylor's Microsoft Pitch, and the Delaware-Tesla Fight | E2054

Jason and Alex discuss Michael Saylor’s pitch for Microsoft to shift shareholder returns into Bitcoin, the Delaware court's ruling on Tesla pay, and more!

The Self-Driving Unicorn You Need to Meet & MicroStrategy's Bitcoin Bet | E2052

Join us as we chat with Alex Kendall, Co-Founder & CEO of Wayve, about their unique approach to autonomous driving and AI technology. We dive into the LiDAR vs. camera-first debate, exploring economic and strategic considerations for autonomous vehicles. Discover Wayve's deployment plans, future market scenarios, and the autonomy subscription model. We also discuss AI driving behavior, driving culture, and provide a Twist 500 update. The episode shifts to MicroStrategy's Bitcoin strategy, including a convertible debt analysis. We wrap up with insights into complex business models and investor advice, along with an invitation to Michael Saylor for future discussions.

TWiST News: Pardons, Enron, Crypto's Moment, and the Future of Chinese Venture | E2053

In today’s episode, Jason and Alex explored the curious return of Enron, the latest developments in Bitcoin and MicroStrategy, and the evolving cryptocurrency landscape. They closed with an analysis of China's uneven investment climate and its effects on venture capital activity.

TWiST News: Startups & Wealth Taxes, The Bitcoin Boom, and The OpenAI Browser | E2051

This episode begins by examining Norway's proposed exit and unrealized capital gains taxes, exploring their impact on startup formation and the broader economic landscape. We delve into the implications of Norway's wealth tax, the exodus of top taxpayers, and the paradox it presents. The discussion shifts to Dune Analytics' revenue growth and new product launch, alongside Norway's international branding and Bitcoin's regulatory stance. We analyze Michael Saylor's Bitcoin strategy, market risks, and crypto wealth diversification. The episode also covers OpenAI's new browser project, CoreWeave's IPO, and Bitcoin market dynamics, concluding with a preview of upcoming topics.