The Startup Podcast

What do you need to do to keep employees engaged and committed? What should your position be on remote work? Side hustles? Ping pong tables? Should you offer all employees equity? Bringing Gen Z employees to your workplace is well worth it, but it means a mental pivot from the hiring team, keeping in mind an entirely new set of criteria. Chris and Yaniv discuss all this and more with Dan Brockwell...

Is this the moment quantum computing becomes real? After years of being “five years away,” Google just announced a verifiable quantum advantage, claiming its Willow chip ran a molecule simulation 13,000× faster than the world’s fastest supercomputer. Is this truly the dawn of the quantum era? In this episode, Chris Saad and Yaniv Bernstein dive deep into Google’s latest quantum computing breakthro...

Looking to fund your startup? If you're new to the process, fundraising can be difficult to navigate. Not only are there a myriad of ways to go about it, but it can be hard to tell whether the tips, tricks, and advice floating around are based on any evidence at all. So, what is the truth?  And what are the actual, data-backed insights that can help you choose the best method of fundraising fo...

OpenAI just dropped its unbelievable new browser. All signs point to it overshadowing Chrome, but is this really the dawn of a new era? Or just another hype cycle, courtesy of Sam Altman? In this episode, Chris Saad and Yaniv Bernstein react to OpenAI’s surprise launch of ChatGPT Atlas and debate its strategic implications. They also discuss Apple’s underwhelming Vision Pro refresh (and what it me...

Think you’re executing well? Think again. Chances are you’re making one of these four common mistakes. Drawing from Chris’s latest essay and real-world advisory experience, Chris and Yaniv spend this episode breaking down the four biggest execution mistakes you're probably making right now. They explore how to recognize these patterns early, how to apply taste and judgment when scaling, and ho...

OpenAI is set to roll out its new “treat adults like adults” policy, heralding the beginning of AI chatbots speaking more amorously with users. As the company pushes boundaries, from personality-rich bots to experimental devices, others are warning that the industry might be inflating a dangerous AI bubble. In this episode, Chris Saad and Yaniv Bernstein break down Sam Altman’s controversial annou...

What if your best work came from finding your flow, rather than simply grinding harder? In the age of constant distraction, many founders mistake busyness for progress, chasing notifications, meetings, and multitasking without realizing that true innovation happens when the mind is deeply focused. Today, Chris and Yaniv are joined by Steven Puri, former DreamWorks executive and founder of The Sukh...

What happens when AI stops being a product and starts being a platform? With OpenAI’s latest Dev Day changing the game, we might find out sooner rather than later.  In this episode, Chris and Yaniv explore OpenAI’s Dev Day and the huge announcements made (including the Sora 2 launch), as well as their apparent transformation from product to platform.  In other tech news, the guys dive into Anthrop...

What happens when a founder who took a taboo health topic mainstream decides to reinvent pet care? In this Spotlight episode of The Startup Podcast, former Hims co-founder Joe Spector faux-pitches his startup Dutch, a telemedicine platform making veterinary care accessible, affordable, and convenient. Most founders fear tough questions from investors, this episode shows what happens when they face...

OpenAI just launched ChatGPT Pulse, a succinct, personalized daily feed. Will this shift the focus of AI from performance to personal context? Or is it just an overhyped, overpriced daily digest?  In this episode, Chris and Yaniv get right into this week's tech news: the reality of ChatGPT Pulse, plus the wider implications of Hollywood's first AI actress, Tilly Norwood; Amazon's recor...

Standing out has gotten even more difficult thanks to the flood of AI content, and many early-stage founders mistakenly believe they need to act like corporate brands to be taken seriously. In this episode, Yaniv chats with Christine Blosdale, an award-winning media coach, podcaster, and branding strategist. Together they discuss how authenticity, personal branding, and “expert authority” can give...

What happens to Silicon Valley when the world’s best founders and engineers can no longer afford to work in the US?  Today, Chris and Yaniv break down why the massive new work visa fee is a tech talent crisis waiting to happen.  They discuss how Trump’s surprising $100K H-1B fee could reshape startup hiring and the tech sector at large, along with the nitty gritty of Meta’s new smart glasses launc...

Is the new age of AI agents about to kill niche B2B SaaS businesses? Many first-time founders worry that tools like ChatGPT or custom AI builders will make off-the-shelf SaaS products obsolete, but it could simply herald a new evolution of SaaS. In this episode, Yaniv is joined by Rob Walling, serial founder, investor, and author of The SaaS Playbook, to break down why B2B SaaS still outperforms o...

Is YouTube quietly becoming the most powerful platform in the world? Announcements made during Made On YouTube 2025 revealed incredibly promising long-term plans, with the media giant seemingly set to dominate video, music, and podcasts with the help of Google’s AI. Too many entrepreneurs still see YouTube as ‘just’ a video host, missing the bigger picture: it’s a global discovery engine and monet...

Are you truly being persistent with your startup, or just being stubborn? In the new age of AI-powered founders and hyper-fast iteration, many entrepreneurs mistake obstinacy for persistence and end up running out of time, money, and morale. Too often we glorify “hustle” and “grit” without understanding when to adapt, pivot, or quit. The misconception that sheer willpower equals success has caused...

With Apple’s iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, AirPods Pro 3, and Apple Watch 11 now unveiled, what does this mean for the future of phones and wearable tech? And does the incredible AI of Google Pixel still blow Siri out of the water? In this episode, Chris and Yaniv delve into Apple’s newest product lineup and what it reveals about the company’s long-term strategy, particularly in the current AI-driven...

Pre-seed founders want explosive growth early on, but are you following the wrong playbook too soon? These days strategies, acronyms, and well-intended advice are everywhere, but today's guest argues that the path forward is a simple one: talk to customers, run experiments, and embrace rejection as part of the journey. In this episode, Yaniv Bernstein speaks to guest Ashley Smith (ex-Twilio, P...

Google’s long-running antitrust case has reached its remedy stage, and the outcome was far lighter than many expected. No breakup, no ban on default search deals, just a few constraints on bundling apps and some required data sharing, but it may not be quite as simple as it seems on the surface. Meanwhile, OpenAI dropped $1.1 billion to acquire Statsig, a product analytics company. What are the de...

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...