The Startup Podcast

It seems like startup accelerators are everywhere these days. But what are they? What’s the point of them? And most importantly, is it worth having your startup go through one? Based on their own experience with YC and startups, Chris and Yaniv talk you through it all. In this episode, you will: Learn what startup accelerators are and how they work. Discover the primary benefits of going through a...

Is Apple’s dominance in smartphones starting to crack? Google’s Pixel 10 launch brought AI-first features, polished hardware, and bold marketing, signaling a new era in the iPhone vs. Android rivalry. For years, the iPhone has been synonymous with polish, hardware quality, and ecosystem lock-in. But with Google’s patient, decade-long investment in the Pixel line, coupled with deep AI integration,...

What makes a great tech infrastructure startup? And how do the best ones successfully navigate, and stand out from, the overcrowded market? In this episode, Yaniv is joined by Joseph Ruscio, General Partner at Heavybit and former CTO of Vibrato, to unpack the dos and don'ts of tech infrastructure startups, how open source fuels growth, and why AI is changing the way software is built. With ove...

Is the AI hype cycle about to burst? For months, investors and founders have chased sky-high valuations, billion-dollar hires, and promises of superintelligence, but Meta's drastic plans to cut back its AI division seem to indicate a bleak future for LLMs and AI at large. In this episode, Chris and Yaniv unpack the latest shakeup at Meta, using their knowledge and experience in Silicon Valley...

This new era of AI-driven startups has many founders still believing success is about having the perfect product roadmap. The truth, however, is far more counterintuitive. In this episode, Yaniv and Chris dive into timeless lessons from Paul Graham’s legendary essay “Startups in 13 Sentences”. Drawing from Graham’s wisdom and their own experiences, they break down why co-founders matter more than...

Is AI threatening traditional subscription software models and accelerating competitive turnover? Sam Altman thinks so. In this episode, Chris and Ray discuss OpenAI’s GPT-5 release, and Altman's prediction that AI will enable a “fast fashion” era of SaaS, where applications can be created, deployed, and discarded in rapid cycles. You'll also hear them delve into Apple's commitment of...

Raising money for your startup isn’t just about pitching but navigating egos, timing, and a flood of contradictory feedback. Why do some founders win over early believers who open every door, while others get stuck in endless “soft nos”? And how do you avoid twisting yourself into a pretzel trying to please every investor you meet? In this episode, Yaniv Bernstein and Chris Saad dive into the grit...

In violation of long-standing internet norms like robots.txt, Cloudflare caught Perplexity AI scraping content from websites that had explicitly opted out. The situation begs the question: what happens when AI startups prioritize growth over digital consent? Listen as Chris and Yaniv discuss the repercussions of Cloudflare's "honeypot" traps. They also dig into Wikipedia’s launch of...

In the startup world, speed is everything.  But too many founders confuse busyness with velocity, mistaking frantic activity for real momentum. In this episode, Chris and Yaniv are joined by Keith Lucas, former product and engineering leader at Roblox, to unpack what speed actually means—and how to build it into your startup from day one. They explore why alignment, culture, and cadence matter mor...

Is GitHub Spark the future of AI software building?  Startups looking to use “vibe coding” often face janky tools and broken promises. Microsoft's latest IDE, however, has serious potential to be the industry breakthrough that addresses the agonizing issues developers face. In this episode, Chris Saad and Yaniv Bernstein unpack Microsoft’s latest attempt to win back developer mindshare with th...

AI is changing how we build startups, but how can founders leverage it without their product becoming slop? Too many early-stage entrepreneurs believe that faster prototyping automatically leads to better products. In reality, rushing to “ship something” can destroy product-market fit before it’s even tested. In this Q&A episode, Yaniv Bernstein (ex-Google, ex-Airtasker) and Chris Saad (former...

Is Uber’s gamble on RoboTaxis a brilliant move, or the end of its asset-light magic? And what’s really going on inside OpenAI as it races to dominate AI? Many founders assume hypergrowth companies are perfectly coordinated machines, but the reality is far messier. From billion-dollar GPU costs to chaotic product launches, there’s a lot for entrepreneurs to learn from how these giants operate. Chri...

Getting noticed is harder than ever, but Rajiv Ayyangar (CEO, Product Hunt) says most startups fail for a surprisingly simple reason: lack of clarity and velocity. In this episode of The Startup Podcast, Rajiv explains what separates breakout startups from the thousands that never gain traction. Drawing on insights from hundreds of Product Hunt launches, Rajiv shares how to craft a tagline that re...

Is Apple losing its edge in the AI race? And what does it mean for startups when big tech strip-mines entire companies for talent? Many early entrepreneurs believe giant tech firms are unbeatable, but this episode reveals how even industry leaders can stumble—and what founders can learn from their missteps. In this episode, Chris Saad and Yaniv Bernstein discuss the AI Chaos Week that the tech ind...

Can you really build and launch a startup without writing code, or even knowing how to? As AI tools promise lightning-fast product development, many founders still fall into old traps: over-validating, under-executing, or waiting too long for a technical cofounder. In this episode, Chris Saad and Yaniv Bernstein are joined by Eric Simons, founder of StackBlitz and creator of the viral AI app build...

Is Silicon Valley building the future or just trying to rule it? From Elon Musk’s new political party to retail investors buying fake OpenAI stock, the startup world is getting weirder, faster. In this episode, Chris Saad and Shira Lazar break down a massive week in tech, politics, and startup culture. They unpack Elon Musk’s launch of the “America Party,” the legality of Robinhood and SoFi offeri...

Are you sure your startup should be raising venture capital? Most founders assume VC is the goal—but for many, it's the wrong fuel entirely. In this episode, we bust that myth wide open. Join Yaniv Bernstein and Chris Saad as they sit down with Amir Shevat, General Partner at Darkmode Ventures (ex-Google, Slack, Twitter), to unpack the seven most damaging mistakes founders make when raising ea...

What happens when the internet starts charging AI to crawl its content? And can legacy tools like Figma or Grammarly survive the AI age, or will they be replaced by smarter, faster upstarts? In this episode, Yaniv Bernstein and Chris Saad break down some of the most important shifts in tech and business right now. From Cloudflare’s launch of AI pay-per-crawl to Grammarly’s bold acquisitions and Fi...

Struggling to get good results from ChatGPT or other AI tools? You’re probably prompting it wrong, and you’re not alone. Many founders assume AI just knows what you mean. Without the right prompt structure, though, even the most powerful LLMs will fail to deliver. In this episode, Yaniv Bernstein is joined by Jonathan Mast—seasoned entrepreneur, AI educator, and creator of the Perfect Prompt Frame...

Is training AI on copyrighted content stealing, or just learning? A major U.S. court just weighed in, and the verdict could rewrite the rules for startups using generative AI. Too many founders assume "training data" is fair game but that blind spot could cost them billions. In this episode, Yaniv Bernstein and Chris Saad, experienced startup operators and product strategists, dive into a landmark...

Is AI about to transform the world… gently? Sam Altman says yes, but are we being lulled into complacency while the real risks go unchallenged? Startups everywhere are rushing to embed AI into their workflows, but few understand just how flawed that human-AI interaction can be. From broken prompting to billion-dollar power plays, the future of AI in business is murkier than it looks. In this episo...

What if your next startup competitor doesn’t have a single employee? AI agents aren’t just another software trend — they’re redefining the interface between humans, data, and execution, yet many founders still confuse basic chatbots with the true potential of these agents. In this episode, Chris and Yaniv are joined by Jeremiah Owyang, General Partner at Blitzscaling Ventures and host of Silicon V...

Apple’s WWDC 2025 keynote revealed a lot – just not what you’d expect. Siri’s long-awaited AI upgrade was quietly delayed, and instead Apple rolled out a grab bag of long-overdue features, flashy design updates, and deep ChatGPT integrations. Is this a bold product reset, or proof that Apple is falling behind? Meanwhile, Elon Musk and Donald Trump butt heads, Ukraine rewrites warfare with AI-power...

Can consumer tech like Facebook and Oculus really help win wars? As governments get serious about AI and startups, Silicon Valley is being dragged—sometimes unwillingly—into the global military and geopolitical game. In this episode, Chris Saad and Yaniv Bernstein unpack how Meta is teaming up with Anduril—the military tech startup founded by Oculus’ Palmer Luckey—to bring XR (Extended Reality) to...

Are you building a startup strategy—or just making it look like you have one? Too many founders mistake polished slide decks for actual strategic thinking, leading to misalignment, wasted resources, and failed products. In this episode, Yaniv Bernstein and Chris Saad are joined by Marcelo Calbucci, former Amazon director and author of The PRFAQ Framework. They dive into how Amazon’s famously effec...