This Week in Startups

Molly and Jason tackle Netflix's stellar fourth-quarter earnings and the news that Reed Hastings is stepping down as CEO. (1:55) Plus, they delve into Google's announcement to lay off 6% of its workforce (17:00), and the former MySpace founders raised a $32M Seed round for their new gaming startup PLAI. (28:55) Lastly, Producer Rachel is back with another segment of Ok Boomer with Mike O'Brien! (3...

Molly and Jason kick off the show by discussing the concept of 'quiet hiring' (1:53) and the SEC's proposed rules making it easier for LPs to sue VCs (9:37). They also cover Semafor's buyback of Sam Bankman-Fried's $10M investment (20:50). And Lon Harris is back to discuss the new box office hit M3GAN (31:00) and the premiere of The Last of Us (45:45). (0:00) Molly kicks off the show (1:53) Jargon...

(0:00) Jason Kicks off the show (2:49) Brad Feld, Co-founder of Foundry, talks about starting out in investing (13:30) LinkedIn Jobs - Post your first job for free at https://linkedin.com/angel (14:56) Brad's thesis for whom he'll get in the "trenches" with (20:48) MasterClass - Get 15% off an annual membership at https://masterclass.com/startups (22:22) Fighting to the end + Investing through the...

First up, Molly and Jason cover a bunch of news happening in the world of AI, Getty Images is preparing to sue Stable Diffusion creator Stability AI (8:47), Meta is partnering with Shutterstock to train its AI models, and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced the company will integrate OpenAI's software into Azure - it's cloud computing platform - and ALL it's other products. (36:07) Then, we cove...

Molly and Jason dive deep into the recent news of Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, taking a $50 million pay cut. They discuss this move's implications and whether CEOs are worth their large compensation packages. (1:24) Andrew Gazdecki, CEO of Acquire.com, joins Jason for a fun interview discussing Acquire.com's rebrand and the acquisition marketplace. (24:47) (0:00) Molly kicks off the show (1:24) CEO...

Molly and Jason kick off the show about social taboo topics and getting to the bottom of Covid-19.(2:22) Following the two discuss Molly attending Strictly VC, DeepMind's new chatbot Sparrow and OpenAI's end game. (15:43) Then Molly interviews LAUNCH Accelerator founder United by Zero CEO and Founder Lex Kiefhaber (52:34). Then we cap off the episode with another great edition of Ok Boomer featuri...

Molly and Jason chop it up about Jason's latest Jay Trades: Apple, Amazon and Disney. (2:21) Then they briefly discuss SBF's new Substack. (14:42) To wrap up the show, Lon joins us for this week's edition of This Week in Streaming to talk about award season and Netflix's content strategy. (21:14) (0:00) M+J kick off the show (2:21) Jason explains why he placed a bet on Apple (8:12) Embroker - Use...

First up, J+M cover the problems at Slack and Salesforce (3:00), before breaking down the anti-competitive issues with bundling software to harm competitors. (13:34) Then, they talk about the comeuppance from "A-players" regarding the lack of efficiency in big tech (26:35), a 10-month jail sentence for crypto inside trading (39:52), and DoNotPay's AI-based robo-lawyer taking a case! (51:14) (0:00)...

Molly and Jason discuss the news that Coinbase is doing another 20% RIF. (6:50) Then they discuss the announcement that Microsoft is investing $10B into OpenAI with some pretty favourable terms. (27:19) After, Molly and Jason chat about Make Sunsets' plan to cool the planet and Enpal, a German solar panel company raising money at a $2.4B valuation. (46:56) Then we wrap with this year's first editi...

Back from the weekend! First up, J+M catch up and cover a very strange economic situation. (2:07) Then, the duo covers NoMa, the world's most famous restaurant, shutting its doors due to an unsustainable business model (24:46), before going deep on generative AI news and demoing OpenAI's ChatGPT iOS app! (49:54) (0:00) J+M intro today's show! (2:07) Weekend catchup! Jason's chainsaw adventure (12:...

Coffeezilla joins M+J to discuss the latest on the alleged Logan Paul and CryptoZoo scam. (1:21) Then Em Herrera joins Rachel for this year's first edition of Ok Boomer to discuss 2023 predictions. (50:29) (0:00) Molly kicks off the show (1:11) Coffeezilla joins Molly and Jason to discuss the alleged CryptoZoo Scandal and his background (11:06) Supergut - Get 30% off with code TWIST at https://sup...

M+J kick off the show by discussing the news that Bing will integrate ChatGPT into its search service. (1:21) Then they chop it up about ZeniMax forming Microsoft's first union. (15:06) And then Lon Harris joins the show to review Flux Gourmet and chat about the economics of streaming (27:11) (0:00) J+M Kick off the show (1:21) Bing to integrate ChatGPT into search (13:30) Crowdbotics - Get a free...

Multiple time guest and friend of the pod Keith Rabois is back! Jason and Keith talk 2023 macro outlook (1:00), big tech's impact on startups (10:01), advice for founders (18:24), Meta's risky VR bet (27:22), ChatGPT vs Google (39:05), and more! (0:00) Jason intros today's guest: Keith Rabois! (1:00) Keith's 2023 macro outlook and thoughts on startup valuations (8:54) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SO...

Jason and Molly are BACK for the first news show of 2023! First up, they break down SpaceX's reported $137B valuation, the astounding market opportunity for Starlink, and more! (7:14) Then, they cover two Shopify stories (37:38) and Apple shutting down fan-favorite weather app Dark Sky. (55:01) (0:00) J+M intro today's topics! (2:25) Thoughts on the potential year ahead (7:14) SpaceX is raising $7...

Jason and Molly rip through 20+ predictions for 2023, including over/under bets, shutdowns, stocks, main characters, startups, new tech, and SO much more! (0:00) J+M tee up today's show: 2023 Predictions! (1:53) Main character of 2023 (4:35) Most anticipated trend (7:13) Surprising shutdown (9:40) Biggest bag securer (13:36) Notion - Sign up for FREE at https://notion.com/jason (15:06) App/tech br...

Molly and Jason present... the 2022 TWiSTY Awards! Join them in commemorating all the best, worst, and craziest moments from this year in startups, markets, and tech! (0:00) J+M intro today's show (1:37) Introducing the 2022 TWiSTY Awards! (3:18) Best prop (7:51) Best behind the scenes emoji (12:38) Mixpanel - Apply for $50K in credits at https://mixpanel.com/startups (14:04) Best meme (19:12) Bes...

J+M kick off the show by discussing some approved changes to direct listings, which will make it easier for companies going public via direct listings to raise money! (1:18) Then, LAUNCH team member Charlie Cuddy joins Molly to demo Notion's new AI tool (14:07). Finally, Producer Rachel joins Molly to break down which popular consumer apps and tools to use to plan a last-minute NYE party. (33:12)...

Christmas surprise! Check out Jason and Molly's FULL review of Tár, spoilers and all, with Lon Harris! (0:00) Tár review from Thursday (21:53) Bonus Tár review! Reviewing the critics, SPOILER REVIEW, and more! FOLLOW Lon: https://twitter.com/lons FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis FOLLOW Molly: https://twitter.com/mollywood Subscribe to our YouTube to watch all full episodes: https://www.yo...

Molly and Jason discuss Caroline Ellison and Gary Wang pleading guilty to securities fraud. (2:04) Then Lon Harris joins J+M for this week's edition of This Week in Streaming, where they discuss YouTube's new 7-year multibillion-dollar deal with the NFL. (36:57) We wrap with Part 1 of their review of Todd Field's latest film Tár. (1:06:12) (0:00) J+M Kick off the show (2:04) Molly and Jason react...

Kruze COO Scott Orn is back with Jason to educate founders on how to get the most out of their cash reserves. (0:00) (0:00) Your fiduciary duty to protect and invest your cash responsibly + developing an investment policy (8:00) Evaluating your chart of accounts + Jason's credit card hack (12:30) Final thoughts for founders going into 2023 Check out Kruze: https://www.kruzeconsulting.com FOLLOW Sc...

First up, J+M break down Disney's "Battle of the Bobs" (2:59), before covering two record-breaking fines against Epic Games, and explaining "dark patterns." (20:35) Molly wraps the show by interviewing ClimateCamp CEO Stijn Gysemans on Scope 3 emissions tracking! (44:26) (0:00) J+M tee up today's topics! (2:59) WSJ report on the rift between Iger and Chapek at Disney (13:36) Squarespace - Use offe...

J+M start the show by breaking down the recent disruption at Salesforce and Marc Benioff's comments on remote work. (2:44) Then, they cover OpenAI projecting $1B in revenue by 2024 (57:25) and wrap with a new segment: Little Big Things! (1:14:33) (0:00) J+M tee up today's topics (2:44) Weekend catchup and disruption at Salesforce (15:44) Supergut - Get 30% off with code TWIST at https://supergut.c...

Molly and Jason celebrate the last VCSS of 2022 by reflecting on what Molly has learned over this past year. (1:24) Then Valerie Shen of G2 Venture Partners joins Molly for the final TWiCS of the year. (36:38) (0:00) J+M Kick off the show (1:23) Molly reflects on her first year as a VC (10:58) MicroAcquire - Sell your business with no fees at https://try.microacquire.com/twist (12:29) The founder/...

Kruze COO Scott Orn is back with Jason to explain the MOST important financial information that founders should include in their pitch deck ( (0:00) Kruze's Scott Orn joins Jason to discuss the role of financial information in your pitch deck (11:02) Conveying your vision with numbers Check out Kruze: https://www.kruzeconsulting.com FOLLOW Scott: https://twitter.com/scottorn FOLLOW Jason: https://...

Brad Gerstner of Altimeter Capital joins Molly and Jason for an epic Friday show. They chop it up about the state of the economy, what it actually means to be founder friendly and discuss which big tech companies are"fit". (1:24) (0:00) J+M Kick off the show (1:24) Brad Gerstner joins Molly and Jason (10:28) Odoo - Get your first app free and a $1000 credit at https://odoo.com/twist (11:38) Brad p...