This Week in Startups

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 b...

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 fir...

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 Te...

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 spac...

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 rem...

This Week in Startups is brought to you by… Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www. Squarespace.com/TWIST CLA. Get started with CLA's CPAs, consultants, and wealth advisors now at https://claconnect.com/tech Today's show: Jason and Alex break d...

Today's show: Europe wants to keep its founders from fleeing, AI is growing at breakneck speed, and Nick Denton is back with a spicy Twitter storm—so we had to talk about it. Jason, Alex, and Lon break down Project Europe, a new $10M fund aimed at stopping the European startup brain drain. Plus, Anthropic's revenue just jumped 40% in a single quarter, and we debate what that means for AI's future....

In this episode of AI Basics, Jason sits down with Jia Li from LiveX AI to explore how human-like AI agents are changing the game for businesses. Instead of clunky bots, these AI agents engage customers in real-time, helping with onboarding, support, and even stopping them from leaving before they churn. We'll break down how they work, why they feel more natural than traditional chatbots, and how...

Timestamps: (0:00) Roy Lee's hack and Amazon's reaction (3:03) MicroStrategy's Bitcoin strategy(4:29) Market reactions to Trump's policies(6:33) Creating value in current market conditions(8:00) South by Southwest highlights (10:19) Coda. Empower your startup with Coda's Team plan for free—get 6 months at https://www. Coda.io/twist (12:03) The $20,000 electric car concept(16:18) Electric unicycles...

Today's show: AI is evolving at lightning speed—smarter assistants, faster models, and now, the massive energy demands that come with it. In this episode, Alex dives into two cutting-edge companies from the TWIST 500 that are shaping AI's future in very different ways. First, Alex interviews Zap Energy, where CEO Benj Conway explains how their breakthrough fusion power technology could provide unl...

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In this episode: Jason sits down with Harrison Chase, CEO of LangChain, to explore how AI-powered agents are transforming the way startups operate. They discuss the shift from traditional entry-level roles to AI-driven automation, the importance of human-in-the-loop systems, and the future of AI-powered assistants in business. Harrison shares insights on how companies like Replit, Klarna, and GitL...

Today's show: Trump just floated the idea of a U.S. Crypto Reserve, suggesting a 10 bips transaction tax and naming unexpected altcoins like XRP, Solana, and Cardano. Jason and Alex break down what this means for crypto markets, regulation, and startups—plus the legal and political fallout. Is this a game-changer or just another pump-and-dump controversy? * Timestamps: (0:00) Alex and Jason kick o...

Today's show: Jason and Alex break down the latest head-scratching SEC ruling on meme coins—did they just legalize pump-and-dumps to protect Trump's token? Plus, they dive into why venture debt can destroy startups, the rise of AI-driven companies, and how Tesla is gearing up to challenge Waymo in the self-driving car race. Then, Brandon Brown from GRIN joins the show to talk about scaling to 8-fi...

Today's show: Jason interviews Rahul Vohra, CEO and founder of Superhuman, and Vlad Tenev, CEO and co-founder of Robinhood. This is a packed episode featuring founder tips, fun stories about how Superhuman and Robinhood got their start and much more! Timestamps: (0:00) Episode teaser(2:13) Product market fit and founder journeys(3:25) Jason's investment in Superhuman and market positioning(5:14) A...

Today's show: Jason and Lon break down the latest trends shaping AI training, the evolving job market, and the shifting landscape of social media. A tribute to Steve Jobs on what would have been his 70th birthday explores his lasting impact, Apple's massive $500 billion AI investment, and the future of US manufacturing. The conversation dives into Outlier's role in AI training data, its effects on...

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In today's episode: Jason and Alex break down one of the craziest crypto stories yet—a $100M meme coin meltdown, insider trading, and Argentina's president caught in the middle. Coffeezilla joins the show to explain how meme coins are rigged, why Dave Portnoy got a $5M refund while everyone else got wrecked, and what really went down with the Libra token. Plus, we debate if crypto can be fixed or...

Today's show: IPO shakeups, big AI moves, and essential founder hacks—this episode covers it all. Jason breaks down Robinhood's 6X stock surge and his strategy for $HOOD, plus the latest on tech IPOs as Turo pulls out and SailPoint surges. We dive into AI's open-source battle, with X.ai chasing a $10B raise and DeepSeek challenging Hugging Face. And for founders, Jason shares the startup golden ru...

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Today on This Week in Startups: Lon Harris is back, and we're diving into all things Super Bowl—especially the tech takeover in this year's commercials. We break down the biggest ad moments, from Squarespace to Uber Eats, Instacart, and even Harrison Ford's Jeep spot. Plus, we dig into Google Trends after the ChatGPT ad, the unexpected appeal of The Banshees of Inisherin , and Matthew McConaughey'...

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OpenAI dropped Deep Research —hilariously, the exact same name as Google's existing tool. Jason and Alex dive into the AI arms race, break down Lovable.dev's insane growth to $10M ARR in weeks, and test whether AI can really replace software engineers. Plus, they analyze Trump's latest tariff chaos and what it means for startups, global trade, and the economy. * Timestamps: (0:00) Jason and Alex k...