The re:Start Pod

In this episode of the re:Start Podcast, Lakshya, Shashi, and Damon unpack a whirlwind week in tech and investing.💥 Michael Burry’s Big Short 2.0 — Burry bets against NVIDIA and Palantir with nearly $1B in puts, while Shashi doubles down on his NVIDIA-to-$10T conviction. Is this an AI bubble or just a healthy correction?🤖 Apple waves the white flag — Apple is reportedly paying Google $1B/year to...

In this episode of the new re:Start Pod, 3 AI founders take on the question everyone’s whispering: is there an AI bubble—or are we just getting started? From Nvidia’s trillion-dollar rise to OpenAI’s trillion-dollar spend, they dissect where real value lives in the AI stack—and where the hype’s already cracking. Is “circular finance” just chips funding chips? Can OpenAI win every vertical without...

In this episode of the ScholarAI Founders Pod, the founders go head-to-head on YC’s latest Request for Startups—ranking each of the six bets as bullish or bearish. From “retraining workers for the AI economy” to “using LLMs instead of government consulting,” no idea is safe from scrutiny. Why are AI credentials a broken business model? Is video generation just a hype trap? Could multi-agent infra...

In this episode of the ScholarAI Founders Pod, the founders dive into one of the most controversial collapses in recent SF startup history: the failed $3B acquisition of Windsurf by OpenAI. What went wrong? Who got left behind? And why are top engineers calling it “morally bankrupt”? They break down the shift in power between founders, early engineers, and big tech suitors—especially as Cognition...

In this episode of the ScholarAI Founders Pod, the founders explore the shifting boundary between design and development. From diffusion models that can’t quite get the details right, to tools like Vercel’s V0 and Figma’s Dev Mode, they unpack why the design-to-code handoff is breaking down, and what comes next. They also break down why Claude 3.5 is outperforming GPT-4 for UX copy, the unexpected...

(0:00) Intro – Moving to SF, culture shock, and founder ethos (4:35) Skipping college vs. startup school: is it worth it? (10:40) The ROI of grad school and MBA programs (14:50) Favorite AI tools this week: Lovable, Clay, and V0 (19:30) Open source acquisitions: Windsor, Neon, and what they signal (25:10) Klarna’s AI reversal: hype vs. reality of workforce replacement (28:20) Is Perplexity AI here...

OpenAI just acquired Windsurf (formerly Codium), and developers everywhere are asking: is this the beginning of the AI IDE wars? In Episode 55, the Founders break down the future of coding tools in an AI-first world—from Cursor’s rapid growth to OpenAI’s strategy to dominate the developer experience. We cover Claude vs. GPT, VS Code’s uncertain future, and what this all means for solo devs, startu...

Claude is outperforming GPT-4 for developers - and Cursor is turning engineering into a product manager’s game. In this episode, the founders unpack how they’re using Claude every day, why function calling is such a big deal, and what it means for the future of dev work. They also explore the decline of protected research time in medicine, the rise of hedge fund PhDs, and what happens when traditi...

(0:00) Welcome & Google’s Surprise Earnings(3:25) Why AI Overviews Aren’t Hurting Google (Yet)(8:10) Is YouTube Search Powering Google’s Growth?(12:40) AI's Role in Google’s Global Dominance(16:45) Meta’s Massive Growth & Why It's Still Winning(20:50) The Secret Behind Meta’s Ad Revenue Model(24:00) Netflix’s Retention Strategy & Studio Power(28:30) Why Netflix Isn’t Losing the...

Trump’s 90% tariffs. Market drops. Bitcoin stalls. Are we heading for a recession—or something bigger? In Episode 52 of the ScholarAI Founders Pod, Damon, Shashi, and Lakshya unpack the global market chaos unfolding in real time. From inflation and rate pressures to Bitcoin’s failure as a safe haven, the founders dive into what this moment really signals: a temporary correction, a fundamental real...

Three founders. One unfiltered take on AI’s future. In this episode of the ScholarAI Founders Pod, Damon, Shashi, and Lakshya return for a packed discussion on: - The real implications of open-source AI vs. closed models - Whether Anthropic, OpenAI, and Mistral are over- or under-valued - NVIDIA’s dominance and how founders should think about compute - Why the next great AI company might not be a...

In this episode, Lakshya and Shashi dive deep into how AI has completely changed what it means to “build” as a founder. From using tools like Cursor, Claude, and GPT to ship real products without engineers — to launching Notillo, a “Duolingo for college classes". We reflect on what’s changed since the early days of ScholarAI, why distribution and user love now matter more than technical moats...

(0:00) AI’s role in research and experimentation (3:15) AI tools accelerating research—where they work and fail (7:40) Can AI actually plan and run experiments? (12:10) AI as a no-code tool—can anyone build software now? (16:45) The rise of AI-powered startups—why execution matters (21:20) AI and the hiring shift—how companies are adapting (26:50) Why SaaS is evolving—AI’s role in reshaping busine...

The PhD Funding Crisis & AI’s Role in Research (0:00) PhD programs are cutting funding and reducing student intake (4:30) Universities like Cornell, UPenn, and Pitt scaling back PhD admissions (9:10) Postdocs are disappearing as research budgets shrink AI Upgrades & Industry Shifts (14:40) Sonnet 3.7 and GPT-4.5 release—what’s actually new?( 19:15) How AI model selection is changing user b...

🚀 AI Disruption & Job Market(4:00) "Deep Research just changed the game—AI can now write full reports."(10:10) "These jobs are at risk first—analysts, paralegals, and data entry."(15:20) "Most people have no idea how powerful AI is right now."📉 The Market Shakeup(20:10) "AI models like this will replace jobs—it’s just a matter of when."(26:30) "Pa...

(0:00) The AI Model That’s Shifting Everything(4:20) Tesla’s FSD: Game-Changer or Overhyped?(10:30) The Cybertruck Debate: Too Much Attention?(16:40) A New AI Model Just Disrupted the Entire Industry(22:00) The Market Reaction: Billions Lost in One Day(27:30) Do We Still Need More GPUs, or Is AI Moving Beyond That?(32:00) The Future of AI Computing: Edge vs. Cloud(38:50) Will Open-Source AI Make P...

(0:00) Intro – What is Project Stargate? (1:30) AI Compute Wars & Why OpenAI is Running Out of Resources (4:20) Microsoft, NVIDIA, and SoftBank’s Role in AI Infrastructure (10:00) Is OpenAI a Financial Bubble? (16:40) Who’s Actually Funding This $500B AI Project? (22:20) Do We Really Need More Data Centers? (25:30) Will AI Become a Monopoly or an Oligarchy? (30:30) Who Owns the Future of AI? (...

(0:00) NVIDIA at CES (2:20) NVIDIA and self-driving cars (14:37) Legacy car manufacturers: Can they keep up? (18:06) What is the dead internet? (21:50) Meta’s AI personas and their implications (29:30) The positives of the dead internet (31:27) Ethics of AI-generated content (38:39) Opportunities for solopreneurs Follow the Founders: https://x.com/DamonBurrow https://x.com/Lakshya__Bakshi https://...

(4:45) Personal goals for 2025 (7:40) AI products in 2024 and 2025 (12:30) Wearables in 2024 and 2025 (18:30) Providers in 2025: Anthropic, NVIDIA (29:50) Apple Intelligence and On-Prem (35:30) Are agents going to work? (41:00) Blockchain in 2025 (45:38) What are we most excited about in tech/business in 2025? Follow the Founders: https://x.com/DamonBurrow https://x.com/Lakshya__Bakshi https://x.c...

(0:00) intros (2:45) The drone debate (8:30) Tesla and Figure’s humanoid robots (15:10) The physics problem in robotics (22:20) Google’s AI strategy (28:45) Predictions for AI and robotics in 2025 Follow the Founders: https://x.com/DamonBurrow https://x.com/Lakshya__Bakshi https://x.com/reShashi Follow the Pod on Socials: - X (formerly Twitter) : https://x.com/ScholarAI - Instagram : https://insta...

In this episode of the ScholarAI Founders Pod, we explore the rise of AI tools in the workplace, with a spotlight on Devon AI—a new platform promising to replace junior developers but raising questions with its steep $500/month price tag. Is it worth the cost, or is it overhyped? Beyond Devon, we dive into other pressing topics like: - How AI tools like Cursor, OpenAI, and others are reshaping wor...

In this episode of the ScholarAI Founders Pod, we explore the explosive growth of Bitcoin as it crosses $100,000 for the first time, setting an all-time high. From the implications of pro-crypto regulations under the new administration to discussions around Bitcoin’s role as a speculative asset, we dive deep into the milestones and risks shaping the future of cryptocurrency. Key Topics Covered: -...

In this episode of the ScholarAI Founders Pod, we explore the evolving AI landscape, focusing on trust, enterprise adoption, and competition among major players like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta. Key Topics Covered: - The growing importance of trust in enterprise AI tools - How Anthropic is gaining ground against OpenAI in enterprise market share - Why Llama is uniquely positioned to disrupt the ma...

In this episode of the ScholarAI Founders Pod, we dive into the biggest tech and business stories shaping the future this week - Including Nvidia’s record-breaking earnings have made it the most valuable company in the world, but what does this mean for its stock and the broader tech landscape? We also explore Bitcoin’s continued rise, the implications for GPU demand, and how Nvidia’s CUDA softwar...

In this episode of the ScholarAI Founders Pod, we explore the fascinating intersection of AI and blockchain technology. As cryptocurrency hits new highs and blockchain evolves, we discuss its growing role in ensuring transparency, authenticity, and security in AI-generated content. We also dive into the resurging hype around crypto projects, the energy demands of AI and blockchain, and the future...