This Week in Startups

Jason Calacanis
  • 4.2 (1.2K)
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • UPDATED DAILY
This Week in Startups

Jason Calacanis covers startups, tech, markets, media, and all the hottest topics in business and technology. He also interviews the world’s greatest founders, operators, investors, and innovators.

  1. 8H AGO

    M&A Mania, Palantir Meme Crash + Office Hours with Hookhub | E2105

    Today’s show: Circle gears up for its IPO and the stablecoin wars heat up, Palantir’s meme stock status gets a reality check, and they riff on a possible Uber + DoorDash merger and whether AI should train on Substack content. They react to Sequoia partner Andrew Reed’s inside take on fund dynamics, laugh at a brutal VC meme, and wrap with “Office Hours” featuring Caylee Harrington, founder of Hookhub — the Airbnb for RV parking — to talk vanlife, growth, and building in an unsexy market. * Timestamps: (0:00) Alex and Jason kicks off the show! (1:29) Palantir's stock and market dynamics (5:43) Meme stocks and reversion to the mean (6:57) X and XAI merger (10:01) Squarespace - TWiST listeners: use code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain: https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST (12:05) M&A trends in tech and AI content acquisitions (17:22) Valuation strategies for acquisitions (22:05) Fidelity Private Shares - Visit https://www.fidelityprivateshares.com! Mention our podcast and receive 20% off your first-year paid subscription. (23:31) Circle's IPO and stablecoin regulations (30:46) Oracle - TWiST listeners can try OCI and save up to 50% on your cloud bill at ⁠⁠https://www.oracle.com/twist (32:26) Crypto community and anti-money laundering in stablecoins (37:43) IPO and SPAC updates in tech (41:20) Deep tech investment risks and lessons from SPACs (44:03) Hookhub's journey and RV market insights (49:27) Growth and challenges in RV market (52:01) Hookhub's social media and content strategy (58:48) Hookhub's investor pitch and growth strategy (1:04:11) Van life business model potential (1:06:16) Sequoia's internal culture and investment strategy (1:13:03) Sequoia vs. Andreessen Horowitz and VC indexing (1:15:32) Venture capital humor and closing remarks * Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com Check out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.com Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp * Links from the show: Hookhub: https://www.hookhub.co/ * Follow Caylee: X: https://x.com/Mariano_APO LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariano-apodaca-45b07a16a/ v Follow Alex: X: https://x.com/alex LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm * Follow Jason: X: https://twitter.com/Jason LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis * Thank you to our partners: (10:01) Squarespace - TWiST listeners: use code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain: https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST Fidelity Private Shares - Visit ⁠https://www.fidelityprivateshares.com⁠! Mention our podcast and receive 20% off your first-year paid subscription. (30:46) Oracle - TWiST listeners can try OCI and save up to 50% on your cloud bill at https://www.oracle.com/twist⁠ * Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland * Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis * Follow TWiST: Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com * Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916

    1h 17m

  2. 3D AGO

    AI Revolution Gains, Non-Consensus Startups & Prosperous AI | E2104

    Today’s show: Jason, Alex, and Lon cover everything from wild political headlines to big moves in AI and venture. They kick things off with the surprising Trump pardon of Trevor Milton, the disgraced Nikola founder, and break down CoreWeave’s rocky IPO debut. Then, Jason and Alex sit down with Mariano Apodaca, founder of Prosperous AI, to talk about AI tools for negotiating construction and aerospace material costs. Later, in a brand new segment called "Office Hours with JCal," Jason reacts to real founder feedback clips, pulls key startup lessons, and explains why building for a market that doesn’t yet exist might actually be your biggest edge. Along the way, the team explores the power of taking just 10% of the value you create — a pricing philosophy that could unlock your next big win. * Timestamps: (0:00) Jason kicks off the show! (4:05) Breaking news on CoreWeave and Founder University insights (9:21) Hubspot for Startups - Visit https://www.hubspot.com/startups and join the founders who are turning growth challenges into opportunities. (10:57) Trevor Milton's pardon and AnySphere's Cursor success (19:21) Pricing strategies for startups (20:19) Vanta - TWiST listeners automate your SOC2 and get $1,000 off at http://www.vanta.com/twist (21:38) AI sentiment and startup growth strategies (25:14) Guest interview: Mariano from Prosperous AI (30:21) Notion - TWiST listeners can try it for free at https://notion.com/twist (31:52) Prosperous AI's market data integration and growth (35:03) Founder University's impact on Prosperous AI (40:54) Product line expansions and fundraising growth strategies (44:20) Startup decision-making and investor feedback (47:02) Founder University and customer feedback importance (51:12) Canva CEO's insights and handling investor rejection (58:17) Products creating new markets and finding outlier founders (1:06:15) Venture success with Fred Wilson and Brad Burnham (1:09:18) Market selection, execution, and partner-product fit in startups * Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com Check out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.com Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp * Links from the show: Prosperous AI: https://prosperousprocess.ai/ * Follow Mariano: X: https://x.com/Mariano_APO LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariano-apodaca-45b07a16a/ * Follow Alex: X: https://x.com/alex LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm * Follow Jason: X: https://twitter.com/Jason LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis * Thank you to our partners: (9:21) Hubspot for Startups - Visit https://www.hubspot.com/startups and join the founders who are turning growth challenges into opportunities. (20:19) Vanta - TWiST listeners automate your SOC2 and get $1,000 off at http://www.vanta.com/twist (30:21) Notion - TWiST listeners can try it for free at https://notion.com/twist * Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland * Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis * Follow TWiST: Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com * Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916

    1h 14m
  3. 11x in Trouble and China's AI Acceleration | E2103

    5D AGO

    11x in Trouble and China's AI Acceleration | E2103

    OpenPhone - Streamline and scale your customer communications with OpenPhone. Get 20% off your first 6 months at www.openphone.com/twist LinkedIn Ads - To redeem a $100 LinkedIn ad credit and launch your first campaign, go to linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups Brex - the financial stack founders can bank on. Get the business account trusted by 1 in 3 US startups at brex.com/banking-solutions. Today’s show: Jason, Alex, and Lon dig into the controversy around 11x, the Andreessen-backed startup accused of misrepresenting revenue and using fake logos, and what that says about early-stage accountability. Then we break down China’s dual-front blitz in AI and EVs: DeepSeek’s open-source model rivals GPT-4, and Xiaomi’s $30K SU7 is a straight-up Porsche clone shaking the EV market. Finally, we unpack the “4-persona framework” that helped Wiz rocket to $100M+ ARR faster than anyone — a must-know concept for any founder looking to build, sell, and scale like a beast. Timestamps: (0:00) Episode Teaser (1:27) Introduction of co-hosts Lon Harris and Alex Wilhelm (3:23) New set design and color analysis(5:43) Announcement of "Twist OT" and potential Patreon model( 8:09) Gamestop's Bitcoin strategy and Michael Saylor's influence (10:15) OpenPhone - Streamline and scale your customer communications with OpenPhone. Get 20% off your first 6 months at www.openphone.com/twist (14:26) MSTR and their shift to Bitcoin (17:01) Michael Saylor’s conflict of interest (20:40) LinkedIn Ads - Get a $100 LinkedIn ad credit at http://www.linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups (23:09) Investment strategies for company treasuries(25:10) Allegations against Eleven x startup (30:35) Brex - the financial stack founders can bank on. Get the business account trusted by 1 in 3 US startups at brex.com/banking-solutions. (32:56) The importance of transparency and accountability in startups (42:31) Chinese advancements in AI technology and ChatGPT features (55:09) Insight from Israeli VC Gili Raanan on successful startups (1:04:26) Founder Friday March Pitch Madness bracket competition (1:10:26) How to start a Founder Friday chapter and community (1:11:21) Bracket competition and Launch Accelerator's 34th cohort * Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com Check out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.com Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp Follow Alex: X: https://x.com/alex LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm Follow Lon: X: https://x.com/Lons LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lonharris Follow Jason: X: https://twitter.com/Jason LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis Thank you to our partners: (10:15) OpenPhone - Streamline and scale your customer communications with OpenPhone. Get 20% off your first 6 months at www.openphone.com/twist (20:40) LinkedIn Ads - Get a $100 LinkedIn ad credit at http://www.linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups (30:35) Brex - Get the business account trusted by 1 in 3 US startups at https://www.brex.com/banking-solutions Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis Follow TWiST: Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916

    1h 14m
  4. 23andMe BANKRUPT, Saylor Still Buying Bitcoin, + Founder Interviews | E2102

    MAR 25

    23andMe BANKRUPT, Saylor Still Buying Bitcoin, + Founder Interviews | E2102

    Today’s show: In this episode, Alex and Lon kick things off with the latest tech news — including 23andMe’s dramatic collapse, MicroStrategy’s half-million Bitcoin haul, and whether we’re finally seeing a rebound in startup M&A. Then they sit down with three standout founders building the future across AI chips, data privacy, and healthcare. First up, Etched CEO Gavin Uberti explains why they’re betting big on transformer-specific ASICs. Then, Skyflow co-founder Anshu Sharma breaks down how they’re helping enterprises use LLMs without leaking private data. Finally, MedServe’s team walks us through how they’re securing medications in outpatient clinics and staying on the right side of the DEA. * Timestamps: (0:00) Alex kicks off the show (1:15) 23andMe bankruptcy and SPACs impact (5:23) MicroStrategy's Bitcoin strategy (8:58) Increase in M&A activity and market trends (10:06) Northwest Registered Agent - Get a 60% discount on your next LLC at https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist (13:37) Browser use, agentic AI, and VC market insights (19:28) Financial responsibility in startups (20:28) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST (21:56) Interview with Gavin Uberti of Etched (30:32) Fidelity Private Shares℠ - Visit ⁠https://www.fidelityprivateshares.com ! Mention our podcast and receive 20% off your first-year paid subscription. (32:12) Economic and technical aspects of chip efficiency (39:53) Etched's market demand, manufacturing, and AI scaling (43:05) Founder insights and hardware startup potential (45:43) Introduction to Skyflow and Anshu Sharma (50:19) Skyflow's growth and customer acquisition strategies (1:03:09) ServiceNow's new product and Skyflow's bullish outlook (1:06:33) M&A interest and AI stack value creation (1:12:06) Skyflow's funding and cybersecurity customer trust (1:13:12) Introduction to MedServe and Milwaukee's startup ecosystem (1:16:30) MedServ's solution to drug dispensing and diversion (1:23:05) Economic challenges and solutions for smaller facilities (1:26:50) MedServe cabinet features and use case demonstration (1:29:51) Cybersecurity and physical security of MedServe systems * Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com Check out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.com Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp * Follow Etched: Website: https://www.etched.com/ X: https://x.com/Etched LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/etched-ai/ * Follow MedServe: Website: https://medserverx.com/ X: https://x.com/MedServeRX LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/medserverx/ * Follow Skyflow: Website: https://www.skyflow.com/ X: https://x.com/SkyflowAPI LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skyflow/ * Follow Alex: X: https://x.com/alex LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm * Follow Lon: X: https://x.com/Lons * Thank you to our partners: (10:06) Northwest Registered Agent - Get a 60% discount on your next LLC at https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist (20:28) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST (30:32) Fidelity Private Shares℠ - Visit https://www.fidelityprivateshares.com ⁠ Mention our podcast and receive 20% off your first-year paid subscription. Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland * Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis * Follow TWiST: Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com * Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916

    1h 36m

  5. MAR 21

    Fact-Checking Mark Rober, and the Fall of TechCrunch | E2101

    Today’s show: Jason, Alex, and Lon break down a subreddit question: A founder builds 100% of the product, is promised equity—and now he’s being pushed out. We break down exactly what he should do next. Plus, YouTuber Mark Rober’s viral Tesla test gets fact-checked by a small creator, and the results don’t look great for Mark. Finally, TechCrunch gets quietly sold to Regent in what looks like a fire sale. Is this the end of an era for tech media? Timestamps: (0:00) Episode Teaser(1:25) Jason's memories of Tony Hsieh (4:09) High stakes poker stories with Tony Hsieh (7:28) Reflecting on joy and fun in life (9:45) Atlassian - Head to ⁠https://www.⁠⁠atlassian.com/startups/twist to see if you qualify for 50 free seats for 12 months.(11:46) Founder question from Reddit (20:12) Fidelity Private Shares℠ - Visit ⁠https://fidelityprivateshares.com⁠! Mention our podcast and receive 20% off your first-year paid subscription. (21:52) Subreddit question: Stealth vs. building in public(27:33) Update: Mark Rober's Looney Tunes wall experiment (31:21) Lemon.io - Get $2000 off your first hire at http://lemon.io/hire (37:50) Lessons from the Mark Rober experiment (40:24) The future of tech journalism and subscription models (47:34) Jason’s idea for a gadget museum (50:12) Updates on CoreWeave and Klarna IPOs (51:43) Bipartisan bill to amend Section 230 (56:29) Algorithms and their impact on Section 230 (59:00) Global perspectives on online speech and anonymity (1:00:00) Podcast closing and call for social media engagement Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com Check out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.com Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp Follow Alex: X: https://x.com/alex LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm Follow Jason: X: https://twitter.com/Jason LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis Thank you to our partners: (9:45) Atlassian - Head to ⁠https://www.⁠⁠atlassian.com/startups/twist to see if you qualify for 50 free seats for 12 months. (20:12) Fidelity Private Shares℠ - Visit ⁠https://fidelityprivateshares.com⁠! Mention our podcast and receive 20% off your first-year paid subscription. (31:21) Lemon.io - Get $2000 off your first hire at http://lemon.io/hire Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis Follow TWiST: Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916

    1h 1m

  6. MAR 19

    Tesla vs. Mark Rober, Google’s $32B M&A Bet, & XRP’s SEC Victory | E2100

    Today’s show: Tesla FSD drama, Google’s massive $32B cybersecurity bet, and XRP’s SEC victory. Jason, Lon, and Alex break down the internet firestorm over Mark Rober’s viral Tesla test, why Google’s Wiz acquisition could spark a new M&A wave, and what the SEC dropping its case against XRP means for crypto’s future. Timestamps: (0:00) Episode Teaser(1:27) Show intro(2:01) Jason's skiing trip and Tesla stock banter(3:00) Criticism of Democratic party’s approach(5:44) Discussion of Mark Rober's Tesla and lidar video and autopilot vs FSD(8:00) Mark Rober's response and debate over his relationship with lidar CEO(9:56) Gusto - Get three months free when you run your first payroll at http://gusto.com/twist(11:02) Further criticisms and analysis of Rober's video and audience expectations(19:41) Suggestion for Rober to redo the test and video title accuracy(20:07) Northwest Registered Agent. Form your entire business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes. Get more privacy, more options, and more done—visit northwestregisteredagent.com/twist today!(21:38) Accountability and public reaction to Rober's video(25:00) Potential fallout, personal consequences, and stock impact(29:58) AdQuick - For TWiST listeners - AdQuick is waiving their fee on your first campaign. Visit https://www.adquick.com/twist(31:18) Personal investments and conflicts of interest(33:25) Wiz acquisition and implications for M&A market(37:28) Calculation of returns and LP impact(40:38) Benefits of M&A for society and antitrust concerns(43:27) Examples of market cornering, price gouging, and cloud computing(49:29) XRP and SEC lawsuit update and implications(56:29) Proposed regulations for crypto projects and Trump coin(1:00:21) The need for clear crypto regulations and potential for new projects Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com Check out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.com Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp Links from the show: Mark Rober’s Philip Defranco interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1htfqXyX6M Follow Alex: X: https://x.com/alex LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm Follow Jason: X: https://twitter.com/Jason LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis Thank you to our partners: (9:56) Gusto - Get three months free when you run your first payroll at http://gusto.com/twist(20:07) Northwest Registered Agent. Form your entire business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes. Get more privacy, more options, and more done—visit northwestregisteredagent.com/twist today!(29:58) AdQuick - For TWiST listeners - AdQuick is waiving their fee on your first campaign. Visit https://www.adquick.com/twist Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis Follow TWiST: Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916

    1h 3m

  7. MAR 18

    AI-Powered Coding & Space Tugboats? Inside the Future of Software & Satellites! | E2099

    Today’s show: Alex interviews two incredible founders from the TWIST 500! First, Replit CEO Amjad Masad breaks down how AI-powered coding is changing software development and what the future of agents looks like. Then, Starfish Space co-founder Austin Link explains how they’re building a satellite towing service to extend missions and clean up orbit. Two deep dives into the future of tech and space. Timestamps: (0:00) Alex kicks off the episode! (0:53) Discussing Replit's capabilities and introduction of CEO Amjad Masad (4:17) Replit's evolution and turning down a billion-dollar acquisition offer (9:48) Vapi - Go to https://vapi.ai/twist and get 1000 minutes free per month - for life. (11:42) Impact of LLMs and AI agents (17:13) Choosing Anthropic's Claude for Replit (19:46) Northwest Registered Agent. Form your entire business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes. Get more privacy, more options, and more done—visit http://northwestregisteredagent.com/twist today! (21:29) Anthropic success and closed source AI implications (24:37) Replit market response and economics of AI models (28:14) Future of Replit's AI tools and plans (33:41) LinkedIn Jobs - Post your first job for free at https://www.linkedin.com/twist (35:12) Introduction to Starfish Space and its mission (38:50) Core missions and challenges of the Otter satellite (47:29) First official mission with Otter and key partnerships (50:57) Economics and ownership of satellite services (53:11) Key components of the Otter project (57:19) Startups in the space economy and comparison with Orbit Fab (59:08) Starfish Space hiring push and final thoughts Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.com Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp Links from the show: Check out Starfish Space: https://www.starfishspace.com/ Check out Replit: https://replit.com/ Follow Amjad: X: https://x.com/amasad LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amjadmasad/ Follow Austin Link: X: https://x.com/Austin LinkLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/austin-link-space/ Follow Alex: X: https://x.com/alex LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm Thank you to our partners: (9:48) Vapi - Go to https://vapi.ai/twist and get 1000 minutes free per month - for life. (19:46) Northwest Registered Agent. Form your entire business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes. Get more privacy, more options, and more done—visit http://northwestregisteredagent.com/twist today! (33:41) LinkedIn Jobs - Post your first job for free at https://www.linkedin.com/twist All rights for the video shared and linked below belong to the original copyright holder, and we are using the footage under the principle of fair use. * Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland * Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis * Follow TWiST: Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com * Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916

    1h 2m

  8. MAR 17

    Self-Driving Car Myths, Klarna’s Big IPO & Netflix’s $300M Gamble | E2098

    Today’s show: Jason, Alex, and Lon break down a wild viral test on self-driving cars— will FSD see through fog, or does LiDAR win? Plus, Klarna is finally going public… but is "buy now, pay later" still the future or just a debt trap? And Netflix drops $300M on a Russo Brothers sci-fi blockbuster—critics hate it, but audiences love it. Was it worth it? We also dive into big tech’s crackdown on remote work, the Uber of estate managers, and why content creators might be falling into an algorithmic trap. * Timestamps: (0:00) Teaser: Can you fool a self-driving car? (3:11) The Electric State film discussion (7:35) Netflix's strategy, subscriber growth, and podcast licensing deals (10:06) Disney's content strategy insights (10:55) NetSuite. Download the CFO's Guide to AI and Machine Learning for free at https://www.netsuite.com/twist (14:27) Kids investment club and estate manager service ideas (21:02) Horatio - Visit https://www.hirehoratio.com/twist and get $2,000 off your initial set up. (22:44) Estate management expansion and Uber's role in transportation (27:19) Klarna's IPO, financials, and buy now, pay later services concerns (30:25) Lemon.io. Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist (35:12) E-commerce trends and algorithmic content creation impact (40:21) Remote vs. in-person technical interviews (43:08) Work-life balance, early rising myths, and avoiding burnout (50:45) The importance of mentorship and coaching (52:06) Google autocorrect issues for startup names and future of SEO (56:24) Mark Rober's "Can you fool a self-driving car?" video discussion (1:00:13) Human vs. FSD driving standards and safety (1:03:29) Waymo's strategy and autonomous driving competition concerns (1:06:14) Government regulations and milestones for autonomous vehicles (1:08:18) Global AI competition and safety standards in the automotive industry * Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com Check out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.com Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp * Follow Alex: X: https://x.com/alex LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm * Follow Lon: X: https://x.com/Lons LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lonharris * Follow Jason: X: https://twitter.com/Jason LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis * Thank you to our partners: (10:55) NetSuite. Download the CFO's Guide to AI and Machine Learning for free at https://www.netsuite.com/twist(21:02) Horatio - Visit https://www.hirehoratio.com/twist and get $2,000 off your initial set up.(30:25) Lemon.io. Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist * Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis Follow TWiST: Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com * Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916

    1h 13m
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    4.2
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    About

    Jason Calacanis covers startups, tech, markets, media, and all the hottest topics in business and technology. He also interviews the world’s greatest founders, operators, investors, and innovators.

    Information

    • Creator
      Jason Calacanis
    • Years Active
      2009 - 2025
    • Episodes
      1.2K
    • Rating
      Clean
    • Copyright
      © Jason Calacanis
    • Show Website
      This Week in Startups

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