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This Week In Startups is made possible by:Deel - http://deel.com/twistWispr Flow - https://wisprflow.ai/twistLuma AI - https://lumalabs.ai/twistToday's show:*$110 billion buys you 15% of OpenAI. Amazon, Nvidia, and SoftBank placed their bets on ChatGPT, which now has 900 million weekly active users and 50 million paying subscribers. Find out why Jason is anticipating the wildest J-Curve swing of all time, and believes we've ALREADY hit AGI… it's just not implemented yet.Plus a visit from our roving correspondent Nick O'Neill, checking in on the Crypto Chaos in Miami Beach, and hot demos from three young founders.GUESTS:Nick O'Neill: https://x.com/chooserichEverest Chris: https://openclaw.unloopa.com/Ben Broca: https://polsia.com/Adi Gabrani: https://makemyclaw.com/Timestamps:00:00 Intro01:33 We're hiring a new producer!05:42 OpenAI raised $110 billion08:59 Understanding the LLM J-Curve00:11:25 Deel - Founders ship faster on Deel. Set up payroll for any country in minutes and get back to building. Visit https://deel.com/twist to learn more.00:15:02 CRYPTO CHAOS IN MIAMI BEACH!00:21:10 Wispr Flow - Stop typing. Dictate with Wispr Flow and send clean, final-draft writing in seconds. Visit https://wisprflow.ai/twist to get started for free today.00:22:54 Mass layoffs at Block00:30:50 Luma AI - Stop guessing and start directing with the all-in-one Dream Machine text-to-video platform. Visit https://lumalabs.ai/twist to try The Dream Machine for free.00:32:04 AI Scott Adams: The Saga Continues00:38:13 Make URLs for local businesses with Unloopa00:45:36 Rent a Polsia agent to run your company00:58:55 Deploy swarms in 60 seconds with MakeMyClaw01:05:05 LAUNCH FEST is coming to SF01:55:49 Will Paramount actually buy WBD?01:06:58 Why Lon loves “Knight of the 7 Kingdoms”01:07:21 On “Neighbors” and First Amendment Warriors01:13:43 All about Jason's favorite chargersSubscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpFollow Lon:X: https://x.com/lonsFollow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelmFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisCheck out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarlandCheck out Jason's suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanisFollow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.com
This Week In Startups is made possible by:Lemon IO - https://Lemon.io/twistEvery.io - https://every.io Sentry.io- https://sentry.io/twistToday's show:We're going behind the curtain today — it's a packed show!We found Tyler Yust, OpenClaw's third EVER contributor to share his insights from within foundation! We've got Deedy Das, of Menlo Ventures, on the show to discuss whether SaaS is cooked! Next we met the creator of an OpenClaw instance that fits in your pocket! We've also got the founder of OpenBrowse showing us how he automatically detects and generates OpenClaw skills!Timestamps:00:00 Intro - Deedy Das Joins the Show!04:54 Anthropic's revenue growth and valuation06:07 OpenClaw Contributor Tyler Yuts joins the show09:24 iMessage integration and Apple's proprietary systems00:10:07 Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist14:31 Anthropic vs. the Pentagon00:20:02 Every.io - For all of your incorporation, banking, payroll, benefits, accounting, taxes or other back-office administration needs, visit https://every.io.00:30:08 Sentry - New users can get $240 in free credits when they go to https://sentry.io/twist and use the code TWIST00:35:46 The Infamous Citrini article00:32:47 Come to LAUNCH fest! https://fest.launch.co00:36:28 Why Deedy thinks the Cetrini article is a work of science fiction00:44:51 The illusion of privacy in corporate America00:41:18 Deedy thinks Enterprise SaaS apps aren't going to be vibe coded00:49:20 Jason's Reddit Bot00:52:01 Jason's obsession with Singapore's food00:55:22 How Unbrowse pulls any backend API!01:02:07 Sebastian shows off the smallest OpenClaw form factor!01:12:04 The Prolo ring — for people who doomscroll01:20:21 Deedy's Podcast Player App!Thank you to our partners:(10:07) Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist(20:02) Every.io - For all of your incorporation, banking, payroll, benefits, accounting, taxes or other back-office administration needs, visit every.io.(30:08) Sentry - New users can get $240 in free credits when they go to sentry.io/twist and use the code TWISTSubscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpFollow Lon:X: https://x.com/lonsFollow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelmFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisCheck out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarlandCheck out Jason's suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanisFollow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.com
On Monday's Good Morning Hospitality, A Skift Podcast, Wil Slickers, Michael Goldin, Brandreth Canaley, and Jamie Lane dig into the latest headlines shaping online travel, short-term rentals, and platform strategy. Otamiser has secured $2M in fresh capital to scale its AI-driven revenue platform for hotels and STR operators, highlighting continued investor interest in tech that boosts OTA visibility and revenue. Airbnb is testing loyalty benefits — exploring non-traditional perks and potential paid-member mechanics that CEO Brian Chesky says could be a “massive accelerant” for repeat stays. The team also breaks down how Airbnb's hotel strategy is expanding far beyond pilot programs into broader markets, revisiting its competitive stance versus OTAs like Booking.com and others. Tripadvisor CEO Matt Goldberg acknowledged in a confidential memo that recent share price volatility and investor frustration with slow AI progress are weighing on the business, while Sabre Corporation announced layoffs and leadership reshuffles as it pivots toward becoming an “AI-native” tech provider. Connect with Airline Weekly LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/airline-weekly/ X: https://x.com/Airline_Weekly/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/airlineweekly/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skiftnews/ WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAL375LikgIXmNPYQ0L/ Subscribe to @SkiftNews and never miss an update from the airline and travel industries.
On Monday's Good Morning Hospitality, A Skift Podcast, Wil Slickers, Michael Goldin, Brandreth Canaley, and Jamie Lane dig into the latest headlines shaping online travel, short-term rentals, and platform strategy. Otamiser has secured $2M in fresh capital to scale its AI-driven revenue platform for hotels and STR operators, highlighting continued investor interest in tech that boosts OTA visibility and revenue. Airbnb is testing loyalty benefits — exploring non-traditional perks and potential paid-member mechanics that CEO Brian Chesky says could be a “massive accelerant” for repeat stays. The team also breaks down how Airbnb's hotel strategy is expanding far beyond pilot programs into broader markets, revisiting its competitive stance versus OTAs like Booking.com and others. Tripadvisor CEO Matt Goldberg acknowledged in a confidential memo that recent share price volatility and investor frustration with slow AI progress are weighing on the business, while Sabre Corporation announced layoffs and leadership reshuffles as it pivots toward becoming an “AI-native” tech provider. Connect with Airline Weekly LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/airline-weekly/ X: https://x.com/Airline_Weekly/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/airlineweekly/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skiftnews/ WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAL375LikgIXmNPYQ0L/ Subscribe to @SkiftNews and never miss an update from the airline and travel industries.
This Week In Startups is made possible by:Gusto - https://Gusto.com/twistCircle - https://circle.so/twistNorthwest Registered Agent - https://northwestregisteredagent.com/twistToday's show:*Getting OpenClaw set up and running without destroying your bank account is one thing.But now that you have your agent or swarm operational, how can you use them to get real work done?We have three builders who are going to show you how to maximize your OpenClaw output!GUESTS:Jordy Coltman: Viral X author and creator of the WeeklyClaw newsletterJesse Leimgruber: Creator of the OpenHome.com smart speaker and kitTremaine Grant: Founder/CEO of PulsePLUS, on Off Duty, Lon and Jason talk “Knight of the 7 Kingdoms” and “The Pitt,” react to the “Mandalorian and Grogu” trailer, and check out some of Jason's favorite headphones and earbuds.Timestamps:00:40 We're gonna show you how to maximize your IRL OpenClaw productivity00:50 Even AI skeptic Lon is blown away by OpenClaw's power01:46 Jordy Coltman's top time-wasting mistakes made by OpenClaw beginners03:00 Why Jordy thinks new hardware is the best home for your agents05:38 Why Jason thinks “OpenClaw is a box” is coming soon08:29 Tremaine Grant of Pulse demos his “virtual office” interface and the “Heartbeat Protocol”00:10:15 Gusto - Gusto. Check out the online payroll and benefits experts with software built specifically for small business and startups. Try Gusto today and get three months FREE at Gusto.com/twist.00:15:16 What's really happening when agents “chat” together?00:18:53 Jesse Leimgruber's demos his OpenHome AI smart speakers00:19:47 Circle.so - The easiest way to build a home for your community, events, and courses — all under your own brand. TWiST listeners get $1,000 off the Circle Plus Plan by going to http://circle.so/twist.00:22:55 Freeing agents from screens and making them proactive00:29:43 Northwest Registered Agent - Northwest Registered Agent. Get more when you start your business with Northwest. In 10 clicks and 10 minutes, you can form your company and walk away with a real business identity — Learn more at www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist00:30:58 Why Jason wants his agent to read Slack and emails to him00:50:05 Who polices autonomous agents? Other agents?00:53:32 Jason and Lon's thoughts on “Knight of the Seven Kingdoms”00:56:20 Lon's favorite picks from Quentin Tarantino's Top 10 movies01:01:13 “The Mandalorian and Grogu” trailer reaction01:05:22 Jason's favorite earbuds and headphonesSubscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpFollow Lon:X: https://x.com/lonsFollow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelmFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisThank you to our partners:00:10:15 Gusto - Check out the online payroll and benefits experts with software built specifically for small business and startups. Try Gusto today and get three months FREE at Gusto.com/twist.00:19:47 Circle.so - The easiest way to build a home for your community, events, and courses — all under your own brand. TWiST listeners get $1,000 off the Circle Plus Plan by going to http://circle.so/twist.00:29:43 Northwest Registered Agent. Get more when you start your business with Northwest. In 10 clicks and 10 minutes, you can form your company and walk away with a real business identity — Learn more at www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twistCheck out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarlandCheck out Jason's suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis
Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career ✓ Claim : Read the notes at at podcastnotes.org. Don't forget to subscribe for free to our newsletter, the top 10 ideas of the week, every Monday --------- Brian Halligan co-founded HubSpot, ran it as CEO for about 15 years, and now coaches Sequoia's fastest-growing founders as their in-house CEO coach.We discuss:1. His LOCKS framework for evaluating founders2. Why you should build your team like the 2004 Red Sox3. Why hiring “spicy” candidates beats consensus picks4. Why enterprise sales will be the last white-collar job AI replaces5. Some of my favorite “Halliganisms”—Brought to you by:Sentry—Code breaks, fix it faster: http://sentry.io/lennyDatadog—Now home to Eppo, the leading experimentation and feature flagging platform: https://www.datadoghq.com/lennyWorkOS—Modern identity platform for B2B SaaS, free up to 1 million MAUs: https://workos.com/lenny—Episode transcript: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/sequoia-ceo-coach-why-its-never-been—Archive of all Lenny's Podcast transcripts: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/yxi4s2w998p1gvtpu4193/AMdNPR8AOw0lMklwtnC0TrQ?rlkey=j06x0nipoti519e0xgm23zsn9&st=ahz0fj11&dl=0—Where to find Brian Halligan• X: https://x.com/bhalligan• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/brianhalligan• Delphi: https://www.delphi.ai/bhalligan• Podcast: https://sequoiacap.com/series/long-strange-trip—Where to find Lenny:• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/—In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Introduction to Brian Halligan(03:56) The perpetual state of constructive dissatisfaction(05:25) Coaching CEOs(07:49) The art of interviewing and hiring(11:21) Getting the most out of reference calls(13:10) Homegrown talent vs. big company hires(16:31) Traits of successful CEOs(19:40) Brian's LOCKS framework for evaluating founders(21:34) Are great CEO's born or made?(23:41) Giving effective feedback(25:54) The future of go-to-market strategies(31:56) Understanding forward deployed engineers(34:17) How the CEO role has evolved over the last 20 years(38:10) Halliganisms(01:01:18) The CEO's role in scaling a company(01:02:41) Lightning round and final thoughts—Referenced:• Dev Ittycheria on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dittycheria• HubSpot: https://www.hubspot.com• Parker Conrad on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/parkerconrad• McKinsey & Company: https://www.mckinsey.com• Brian Chesky's new playbook: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/brian-cheskys-contrarian-approach• Jensen Huang on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenhsunhuang• Winston Weinberg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/winston-weinberg• James Cadwallader on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jsca• Gabriel Stengel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabestengel• He saved OpenAI, invented the “Like” button, and built Google Maps: Bret Taylor on the future of careers, coding, agents, and more: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/he-saved-openai-bret-taylor• Scaling Entrepreneurial Ventures: https://orbit.mit.edu/classes/scaling-entrepreneurial-ventures-15.392• OpenClaw: https://openclaw.ai• Ruth Porat on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruth-porat• Mike Krzyzewski: https://goduke.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/mike-krzyzewski/4159• Dalai Lama's 18 Rules for Living: https://www.prm.nau.edu/prm205/Dalai-Lama-18-rules-for-living.htm• Zigging vs. zagging: How HubSpot built a $30B company | Dharmesh Shah (co-founder/CTO): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/lessons-from-30-years-of-building• Kareem Amin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kareemamin• Glassdoor: https://www.glassdoor.com• Tobi Lütke's leadership playbook: Playing infinite games, operating from first principles, and maximizing human potential (founder and CEO of Shopify): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/tobi-lutkes-leadership-playbook• Katie Burke on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-burke-965767a• Jerry Garcia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Garcia• Bob Weir: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Weir• Phil Lesh: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Lesh• Ron “Pigpen” McKernan: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_%22Pigpen%22_McKernan• Marc Andreessen: The real AI boom hasn't even started yet: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/marc-andreessen-the-real-ai-boom• The American Revolution: https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/the-american-revolution• Delphi: https://www.delphi.ai• Sonos: https://www.sonos.com• Yamini Rangan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yaminirangan• The Boston Red Sox: https://www.mlb.com/redsox—Recommended book:• Marketing Lessons from the Grateful Dead: What Every Business Can Learn from the Most Iconic Band in History: https://www.amazon.com/Marketing-Lessons-Grateful-Dead-Business/dp/0470900520—Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.—Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. To hear more, visit www.lennysnewsletter.com
Gary Tan is the President and CEO of Y Combinator.YC is the startup accelerator behind companies like Airbnb, Stripe, Coinbase, Reddit, Twitch, and thousands more. According to Garry, they've invested in 20% of all startups worth $5B or more started since 2012.Gary has lived every side of the YC ecosystem. He went through YC as a founder, later became a partner, started Initialized Capital where he backed companies like Coinbase and Instacart, and then returned to lead YC.We walk through the different “eras” of YC, from the early Paul Graham and Jessica Livingston days in Cambridge, to scaling in San Francisco, to today's push back toward in person community and what Gary calls “founder mode” for the organization itself.We also talk about why the Bay Area still matters so much for startups, what's happening with California taxes and policy, and why Gary has gotten more involved in local politics to keep it the best place for founders to build companies.Then we go deep on the parts of startups people don't talk about enough. Co-founder conflict, rage quitting, therapy and coaching, and why companies inevitably take on the personality and emotional patterns of their founders.We also cover what YC looks for in applications, how the 13 week batch is structured, how Demo Day really works, how to choose the right investors, and what Gary thinks the next phase of YC looks like, including helping founders even after Series A.At the end, Gary shares his personal AI workflow, including meta prompting, comparing outputs across models, and the tools he uses every day to think and build faster.Try Numeral, the end-to-end platform for sales tax and compliance: https://www.numeral.comSign-up for Flex Elite with code TURNER, get $1,000: https://form.typeform.com/to/Rx9rTjFzTimestamps:(0:05) Moving from Winnipeg to California as a kid(1:35) How YC interviews work(2:55) The first batch in 2005(6:46) Why YC moved from Boston to SF(8:17) California's Billionaire Tax(11:00) Tech should care about public policies(17:01) Going direct to your audience(20:28) The 2nd Era of YC(24:01) Rage quitting Palantir, learning to understand himself(32:41) Co-founder conflict kills most startups(35:15) Joining YC as a group partner(37:22) Initialized Fund 1 (55x DPI)(39:44) Why Garry went back to lead YC(42:44) YC funds 20% of all $5B+ companies(44:30) Lessons from Brian Chesky(48:01) Garry's thoughts on YC rejection(51:41) How to get into YC(58:03) What it's like inside a 13-week YC batch(1:02:23) 20% of YC is hard tech(1:05:55) YC's 3rd era: founder mode, re-batching(1:07:56) Escaping the matrix(1:11:26) Garry's personal AI stack(1:20:25) Tech optimismReferencedY Combinator: https://www.ycombinator.com/Initialized Capital: https://initialized.com/Torch: https://torch.io/Perplexity: https://www.perplexity.ai/Anthropic: https://www.anthropic.com/OpenAI: https://openai.com/Airbnb: https://www.airbnb.com/Kyle Vogt on his new startup: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQoFbvyWEy8Follow Aaron Levie on X: https://x.com/levieFollow GaryTwitter: https://x.com/garytanLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garytan/Follow TurnerTwitter: https://twitter.com/TurnerNovakLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/turnernovakSubscribe to my newsletter to get every episode + the transcript in your inbox every week: https://www.thespl.it/
Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career ✓ Claim Key Takeaways Check out the episode pageRead the full notes @ podcastnotes.orgBrian Halligan co-founded HubSpot, ran it as CEO for about 15 years, and now coaches Sequoia's fastest-growing founders as their in-house CEO coach.We discuss:1. His LOCKS framework for evaluating founders2. Why you should build your team like the 2004 Red Sox3. Why hiring “spicy” candidates beats consensus picks4. Why enterprise sales will be the last white-collar job AI replaces5. Some of my favorite “Halliganisms”—Brought to you by:Sentry—Code breaks, fix it faster: http://sentry.io/lennyDatadog—Now home to Eppo, the leading experimentation and feature flagging platform: https://www.datadoghq.com/lennyWorkOS—Modern identity platform for B2B SaaS, free up to 1 million MAUs: https://workos.com/lenny—Episode transcript: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/sequoia-ceo-coach-why-its-never-been—Archive of all Lenny's Podcast transcripts: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/yxi4s2w998p1gvtpu4193/AMdNPR8AOw0lMklwtnC0TrQ?rlkey=j06x0nipoti519e0xgm23zsn9&st=ahz0fj11&dl=0—Where to find Brian Halligan• X: https://x.com/bhalligan• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/brianhalligan• Delphi: https://www.delphi.ai/bhalligan• Podcast: https://sequoiacap.com/series/long-strange-trip—Where to find Lenny:• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/—In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Introduction to Brian Halligan(03:56) The perpetual state of constructive dissatisfaction(05:25) Coaching CEOs(07:49) The art of interviewing and hiring(11:21) Getting the most out of reference calls(13:10) Homegrown talent vs. big company hires(16:31) Traits of successful CEOs(19:40) Brian's LOCKS framework for evaluating founders(21:34) Are great CEO's born or made?(23:41) Giving effective feedback(25:54) The future of go-to-market strategies(31:56) Understanding forward deployed engineers(34:17) How the CEO role has evolved over the last 20 years(38:10) Halliganisms(01:01:18) The CEO's role in scaling a company(01:02:41) Lightning round and final thoughts—Referenced:• Dev Ittycheria on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dittycheria• HubSpot: https://www.hubspot.com• Parker Conrad on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/parkerconrad• McKinsey & Company: https://www.mckinsey.com• Brian Chesky's new playbook: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/brian-cheskys-contrarian-approach• Jensen Huang on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenhsunhuang• Winston Weinberg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/winston-weinberg• James Cadwallader on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jsca• Gabriel Stengel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabestengel• He saved OpenAI, invented the “Like” button, and built Google Maps: Bret Taylor on the future of careers, coding, agents, and more: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/he-saved-openai-bret-taylor• Scaling Entrepreneurial Ventures: https://orbit.mit.edu/classes/scaling-entrepreneurial-ventures-15.392• OpenClaw: https://openclaw.ai• Ruth Porat on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruth-porat• Mike Krzyzewski: https://goduke.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/mike-krzyzewski/4159• Dalai Lama's 18 Rules for Living: https://www.prm.nau.edu/prm205/Dalai-Lama-18-rules-for-living.htm• Zigging vs. zagging: How HubSpot built a $30B company | Dharmesh Shah (co-founder/CTO): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/lessons-from-30-years-of-building• Kareem Amin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kareemamin• Glassdoor: https://www.glassdoor.com• Tobi Lütke's leadership playbook: Playing infinite games, operating from first principles, and maximizing human potential (founder and CEO of Shopify): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/tobi-lutkes-leadership-playbook• Katie Burke on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-burke-965767a• Jerry Garcia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Garcia• Bob Weir: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Weir• Phil Lesh: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Lesh• Ron “Pigpen” McKernan: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_%22Pigpen%22_McKernan• Marc Andreessen: The real AI boom hasn't even started yet: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/marc-andreessen-the-real-ai-boom• The American Revolution: https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/the-american-revolution• Delphi: https://www.delphi.ai• Sonos: https://www.sonos.com• Yamini Rangan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yaminirangan• The Boston Red Sox: https://www.mlb.com/redsox—Recommended book:• Marketing Lessons from the Grateful Dead: What Every Business Can Learn from the Most Iconic Band in History: https://www.amazon.com/Marketing-Lessons-Grateful-Dead-Business/dp/0470900520—Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.—Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. To hear more, visit www.lennysnewsletter.com
On this episode of Good Morning Hospitality, A Skift Podcast, Wil Slickers, Jamie Lane, Brandreth Canaley, and Michael Goldin dive into the latest shifts across short-term rentals and online travel. They start with Brian Chesky dismissing rivals' chatbots and arguing that Airbnb's AI advantage is rooted in its marketplace and community data, then unpack Airbnb's new report positioning STRs as a critical pressure valve for lodging demand during peak travel periods. The conversation then turns to Expedia Group's Q4 2025 earnings, where stronger B2B results helped offset softer consumer trends, before closing on leadership tension at Casago as franchisees react to shifting power dynamics. The episode wraps with a broader look at AI strategy, consolidation, and who really controls distribution in today's STR ecosystem. Connect with Skift LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skift/ WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAL375LikgIXmNPYQ0L/ Facebook: https://facebook.com/skiftnews Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skiftnews/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@skiftnews Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/skiftnews.bsky.social X: https://twitter.com/skift Subscribe to @SkiftNews and never miss an update from the travel industry.
On this episode of Good Morning Hospitality, A Skift Podcast, Wil Slickers, Jamie Lane, Brandreth Canaley, and Michael Goldin dive into the latest shifts across short-term rentals and online travel. They start with Brian Chesky dismissing rivals' chatbots and arguing that Airbnb's AI advantage is rooted in its marketplace and community data, then unpack Airbnb's new report positioning STRs as a critical pressure valve for lodging demand during peak travel periods. The conversation then turns to Expedia Group's Q4 2025 earnings, where stronger B2B results helped offset softer consumer trends, before closing on leadership tension at Casago as franchisees react to shifting power dynamics. The episode wraps with a broader look at AI strategy, consolidation, and who really controls distribution in today's STR ecosystem. Connect with Skift LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skift/ WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAL375LikgIXmNPYQ0L/ Facebook: https://facebook.com/skiftnews Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skiftnews/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@skiftnews Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/skiftnews.bsky.social X: https://twitter.com/skift Subscribe to @SkiftNews and never miss an update from the travel industry.
Brian Halligan co-founded HubSpot, ran it as CEO for about 15 years, and now coaches Sequoia's fastest-growing founders as their in-house CEO coach.We discuss:1. His LOCKS framework for evaluating founders2. Why you should build your team like the 2004 Red Sox3. Why hiring “spicy” candidates beats consensus picks4. Why enterprise sales will be the last white-collar job AI replaces5. Some of my favorite “Halliganisms”—Brought to you by:Sentry—Code breaks, fix it faster: http://sentry.io/lennyDatadog—Now home to Eppo, the leading experimentation and feature flagging platform: https://www.datadoghq.com/lennyWorkOS—Modern identity platform for B2B SaaS, free up to 1 million MAUs: https://workos.com/lenny—Episode transcript: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/sequoia-ceo-coach-why-its-never-been—Archive of all Lenny's Podcast transcripts: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/yxi4s2w998p1gvtpu4193/AMdNPR8AOw0lMklwtnC0TrQ?rlkey=j06x0nipoti519e0xgm23zsn9&st=ahz0fj11&dl=0—Where to find Brian Halligan• X: https://x.com/bhalligan• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/brianhalligan• Delphi: https://www.delphi.ai/bhalligan• Podcast: https://sequoiacap.com/series/long-strange-trip—Where to find Lenny:• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/—In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Introduction to Brian Halligan(03:56) The perpetual state of constructive dissatisfaction(05:25) Coaching CEOs(07:49) The art of interviewing and hiring(11:21) Getting the most out of reference calls(13:10) Homegrown talent vs. big company hires(16:31) Traits of successful CEOs(19:40) Brian's LOCKS framework for evaluating founders(21:34) Are great CEO's born or made?(23:41) Giving effective feedback(25:54) The future of go-to-market strategies(31:56) Understanding forward deployed engineers(34:17) How the CEO role has evolved over the last 20 years(38:10) Halliganisms(01:01:18) The CEO's role in scaling a company(01:02:41) Lightning round and final thoughts—Referenced:• Dev Ittycheria on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dittycheria• HubSpot: https://www.hubspot.com• Parker Conrad on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/parkerconrad• McKinsey & Company: https://www.mckinsey.com• Brian Chesky's new playbook: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/brian-cheskys-contrarian-approach• Jensen Huang on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenhsunhuang• Winston Weinberg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/winston-weinberg• James Cadwallader on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jsca• Gabriel Stengel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabestengel• He saved OpenAI, invented the “Like” button, and built Google Maps: Bret Taylor on the future of careers, coding, agents, and more: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/he-saved-openai-bret-taylor• Scaling Entrepreneurial Ventures: https://orbit.mit.edu/classes/scaling-entrepreneurial-ventures-15.392• OpenClaw: https://openclaw.ai• Ruth Porat on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruth-porat• Mike Krzyzewski: https://goduke.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/mike-krzyzewski/4159• Dalai Lama's 18 Rules for Living: https://www.prm.nau.edu/prm205/Dalai-Lama-18-rules-for-living.htm• Zigging vs. zagging: How HubSpot built a $30B company | Dharmesh Shah (co-founder/CTO): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/lessons-from-30-years-of-building• Kareem Amin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kareemamin• Glassdoor: https://www.glassdoor.com• Tobi Lütke's leadership playbook: Playing infinite games, operating from first principles, and maximizing human potential (founder and CEO of Shopify): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/tobi-lutkes-leadership-playbook• Katie Burke on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-burke-965767a• Jerry Garcia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Garcia• Bob Weir: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Weir• Phil Lesh: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Lesh• Ron “Pigpen” McKernan: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_%22Pigpen%22_McKernan• Marc Andreessen: The real AI boom hasn't even started yet: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/marc-andreessen-the-real-ai-boom• The American Revolution: https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/the-american-revolution• Delphi: https://www.delphi.ai• Sonos: https://www.sonos.com• Yamini Rangan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yaminirangan• The Boston Red Sox: https://www.mlb.com/redsox—Recommended book:• Marketing Lessons from the Grateful Dead: What Every Business Can Learn from the Most Iconic Band in History: https://www.amazon.com/Marketing-Lessons-Grateful-Dead-Business/dp/0470900520—Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.—Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. To hear more, visit www.lennysnewsletter.com
Hacer cosas chulas te lleva a gente que hace cosas chulas. Esta frase de Miguel resume mi plan de carrera. Tú solo preocúpate por lanzar un producto distinto y todo encajará luego. Quizá serán unos meses, quizá unos años, pero el éxito tarde o temprano llegará, cuando el contenido que generas es fresco y relevante. No eres la copia de nada, lo que sacas es genuinamente tuyo. Miguel lanzó RevenueCat en 2017 y desde entonces que hace cosas chulas y por eso conecta con gente que hace cosas chulas.Kapital es posible gracias a sus colaboradores:Thenomba es la escuela que te prepara para encontrar un propósito, no un trabajo.Thenomba. La escuela que te hará encontrar tu propósito.Me han hecho embajador del proyecto y puedo ofrecerte un descuento especial en el precio. Si quieres matricularte, utiliza el código KAPITAL20 para llevarte una rebaja del 20%. 42 oyentes de este podcast ya utilizaron el código en la exitosa edición de diciembre. Si te preguntas si esto encaja contigo, te recomiendo simplemente escuchar los episodios de hace unas semanas con Higinio Marín y Ricardo Piñero. Higinio y Ricardo son dos de los profesores del máster y esas dos entrevistas reflejan la vocación humanista de su programa. Si resuenan en tu cabeza algunas de las ideas en esas conversaciones, entonces Thenomba es para ti.Patrocina Kapital. Toda la información en este link.Índice:0:32 Subir el listón y confiar en el proceso.10:13 El mito del overnight success.19:44 La bonita sensación que puedes competir contra cualquiera.22:58 Llega internet a los hogares españoles.30:47 Europa va perdida en la revolución de la IA.33:54 La franqueza de los americanos con el dinero.43:09 Hackear el credit score.46:40 Trump en California.49:20 Relaciones superficiales.54:14 Mítico capítulo de Tesla.59:56 Cómo no pedir un favor.1:04:55 Plan para ir a Silicon Valley.1:09:07 El imperfecto sonido de la Motown.1:12:37 Erlich existe en el mundo real.1:22:04 Triángulos del éxito de Jack Barker.Apuntes:Reflections on computers & humans. Miguel Carranza.The long run. Miguel Carranza.How NOT to apply to Y Combinator. Miguel Carranza.The privilege of free education. Miguel Carranza.8 años, 10 años, 14 años, 18 años. Iñaki Arrola.Hitsville: The making of Motown. Ben Turner & Gabe Turner.Founder mode. Brian Chesky.Silicon Valley. Mike Judge & John Altschuler & Dave Krinsky.
In the second Executive Function episode, Brett sits down with Ryan Lucas, VP of Design at Rippling. Before Rippling, Ryan led design at Retool and co-founded multiple startups, bringing a rare founder's perspective to design leadership. A trained industrial designer, Ryan traces the roots of modern software design back 2,000 years to make the case that products must be useful, usable, and desirable - and above all, used. In today's episode, we discuss: Why design leaders who stop designing stop leading The four pillars every design manager must master How to delegate when you're a perfectionist Why leaders need strong opinions How to scale good judgment What Rippling's operating system teaches about speed and commitments References: Airbnb: https://www.airbnb.com/ Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/ Apple: https://www.apple.com/ Asana: https://www.asana.com/ Brian Chesky: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianchesky/ CrossFit: https://www.crossfit.com/ Figma: https://www.figma.com/ Honeywell: https://www.honeywell.com/ Liz Sanders: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandersliz/ Nest: https://store.google.com/category/google_nest Notion: https://www.notion.so/ Parker Conrad: https://www.linkedin.com/in/parkerconrad/ Patrick Collison: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickcollison/ Retool: https://retool.com/ Rippling: https://www.rippling.com/ Stripe: https://www.stripe.com/ Where to find Ryan: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanwlucas/ Where to find Brett: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brett-berson-9986094/ Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/brettberson Where to find First Round Capital: Website: https://firstround.com/ First Round Review: https://review.firstround.com/ Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/firstround YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FirstRoundCapital This podcast on all platforms: https://review.firstround.com/podcast Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 00:08 What design actually does at a software company 01:40 The roots of design: from industrial design to software 03:29 Useful, usable, desirable — and used 04:49 How design relates to engineering, product, and marketing 08:15 Measuring success as a design leader 12:40 The gap between director and VP-level design leadership 14:23 Why great design leaders jump up and down in altitude 19:26 The four pillars every design manager must master 21:34 Over-indexing on quality and the perfectionist trap 25:11 When lowering the quality bar actually cost the business 27:53 How to build judgment through pattern matching 31:25 How Ryan's design team differs from the rest 34:31 Why Figma is not the source of truth 36:32 How Ryan spends his week: recruiting, crits, and staff meetings 38:39 The "Do/Try/Consider" framework 42:12 The most important decisions of the past year 44:05 Should one-on-ones exist? 46:45 How to scale judgment 50:49 What to look for when hiring your first design leader 54:54 Advice for young designers who want to lead 58:24 Demanding yet supportive: A balanced management style 01:02:43 What Rippling's operating system teaches about execution
In this episode, I'm diving into How I Built This by Guy Raz, exploring the incredible story of how Airbnb's cofounders bootstrapped their way to building one of the most recognizable brands in the world. I focused on the chapter detailing Airbnb's early days—when Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia, and Nathan Blecharczyk were struggling to pay rent and came up with the wild idea of renting out air mattresses in their apartment. This chapter brilliantly captures the scrappy, resourceful spirit of bootstrapping and the power of solving your own problem.Guy Raz has mastered the art of the interview-based podcast, and this book is a perfect example of how that format can be repurposed into compelling long-form content. Each chapter reads like a conversation (if a little jargon-heavy)—accessible, engaging, and full of practical wisdom from entrepreneurs who've been in the trenches. It's proof that great storytelling transcends medium.My article on vibe coding: https://www.pleasehustleresponsibly.com/p/i-tried-vibe-coding-for-90-daysYou may also like this book: https://www.honeyandhustle.co/i-read-a-chapter-of-earn-it-by-steve-pratt-for-you/Thanks for listening! Let's keep the convo going: Join the community, Please Hustle Responsibly: https://pleasehustleresponsibly.com/Find all episodes here: https://www.honeyandhustle.coYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/AngelaHollowellLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelahollowell/Twitter: https://twitter.com/honeyandhustleMentioned in this episode:Subscribe to the newsletter today: www.pleasehustleresponsibly.comDownload the free guide on How to get your first 1,000 subscribers here: https://www.angelahollowell.com/first1000
Brian Chesky is the co-founder and CEO of Airbnb, a company that began with airbeds and grew into a worldwide community built on trust and belonging. He joins to discuss how imagination and design shaped his path from art school to entrepreneurship, and what it means to design the world you want to live in.Learn more about our flagship conference happening this April at attend.ted.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career ✓ Claim : Read the notes at at podcastnotes.org. Don't forget to subscribe for free to our newsletter, the top 10 ideas of the week, every Monday --------- Matt MacInnis is the chief product officer and former longtime COO at Rippling, a unified workforce management platform valued at over $16 billion.We discuss:1. Why “extraordinary results demand extraordinary efforts”2. Why you should deliberately understaff projects, and how to know when you've gone too far3. Matt's transition from COO to CPO and what surprised him about leading product4. The “high alpha, low beta” framework for evaluating people, processes, and products5. When founders should quit their startups (hint: much earlier than VCs want you to)6. How to fight entropy in your organization through relentless energy and intensity—Brought to you by:Google Gemini—Your everyday AI assistant: https://ai.dev/Datadog—Now home to Eppo, the leading experimentation and feature flagging platform: https://www.datadoghq.com/lennyGoFundMe Giving Funds—Make year-end giving easy: http://gofundme.com/lenny—Transcript: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/10-contrarian-leadership-truths—My biggest takeaways (for paid newsletter subscribers): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/i/181916584/my-biggest-takeaways-from-this-conversation—Where to find Matt MacInnis:• X: https://x.com/stanine• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/macinnis• Email: macinnis@rippling.com—Where to find Lenny:• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/—In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Introduction to Matt MacInnis and Rippling(04:38) The importance of extraordinary efforts(08:37) The challenges and rewards of relentless effort(10:11) Your job as a leader is to preserve intensity(12:39) You learn far more from success than failure(16:34) Transitioning to chief product officer(19:54) Fixing product management at Rippling(25:27) The “high alpha, low beta” framework(28:55) The PQL framework(35:16) Hiring frameworks and team dynamics(36:52) A helpful interview tactic(40:00) Leading as a COO vs. a CPO(42:34) The reality of product-market fit(46:38) The problem with venture capital(49:29) When founders should quit their startups(41:48) The immutable market(54:13) Lessons from Notion's success(57:43) Investment strategies and narrative violations(01:00:42) The power of compounding, power law, and entropy(01:07:02) Maintaining intensity and fighting entropy(01:11:33) The importance of feedback and escalations(01:14:31) Rippling's vision and success(01:17:48) AI's impact on SaaS and business software(01:23:42) AI corner(01:26:23) Final thoughts and lightning round—Referenced:• Rippling: https://www.rippling.com• Sunil Raman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunilraman• Dan Gill on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dangill• Carvana: https://www.carvana.com• Brian Chesky's new playbook: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/brian-cheskys-contrarian-approach• Parker Conrad on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/parkerconrad• Inkling: https://www.inkling.com• Akshay Kothari on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/akothari• Notion: https://www.notion.com• Conway's law: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conway%27s_law• Seeking Alpha: https://seekingalpha.com• Dennis Rodman's website: https://dennisrodman.com• Dancing pickle emoji: https://slackmojis.com/emojis/456-dancing_pickle• Pickle Rick: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pickle_Rick• SPOTAK: The Six Traits I Look for When I'm Hiring: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/spotak-six-traits-look-m-181335267.html• Geoff Lewis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/geofflewis1• Zenefits: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TriNet_Zenefits• New banking records prove Deel paid thief who stole trade secrets from Rippling: https://www.rippling.com/blog/new-banking-records-prove-deel-paid-thief-who-stole-trade-secrets-from-rippling• Workday: https://www.workday.com• Matic robots: https://maticrobots.com• Wall-E: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0910970• Conviction: https://www.conviction.com• Mike Vernal on X: https://x.com/mvernal• Sarah Guo on X: https://x.com/saranormous• No Priors: https://linktr.ee/nopriors• Gemini: https://gemini.google.com• ChatGPT: https://chatgpt.com• Claude: https://claude.ai• Bryan Schreier on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryanschreier• Heated Rivalry on HBO Max: https://www.hbomax.com/shows/heated-rivalry/50cd4e99-04ee-427b-a3b4-da721ed05d9c• Fellow coffee maker: https://fellowproducts.com/products/aiden-precision-coffee-maker—Recommended books:• Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space: https://www.amazon.com/Pale-Blue-Dot-Vision-Future/dp/0345376595• Conscious Business: How to Build Value Through Values: https://www.amazon.com/Conscious-Business-Build-through-Values/dp/1622032020• Thinking in Systems: https://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Systems-Donella-H-Meadows/dp/1603580557• The Effective Executive: The Definitive Guide to Getting the Right Things Done: https://www.amazon.com/Effective-Executive-Definitive-Harperbusiness-Essentials/dp/0060833459—Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.—Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. To hear more, visit www.lennysnewsletter.com
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky talks with TITV Host Akash Pasricha about the company's new CTO Ahmad Al-Dahle and how AI will revolutionize the travel experience. We also talk with Aaron Holmes about Microsoft's growing $500 million relationship with Anthropic and Baseten CEO Tuhin Srivastava about its role in the booming AI inference market. Additionally, we get into the launch of the tech-focused Door Bank with Ken Brown, and we end with Shane Burke discussing whether a proposed wealth tax is pushing billionaires out of California.Articles discussed on this episode: https://www.theinformation.com/articles/californians-want-texas-top-destinationhttps://www.theinformation.com/articles/microsofts-spending-anthropic-ai-pace-hit-500-millionhttps://www.theinformation.com/articles/upstart-tech-bank-trying-shake-financehttps://www.theinformation.com/briefings/airbnb-hires-former-meta-ai-leader-ctoTITV airs on YouTube, X and LinkedIn at 10AM PT / 1PM ET. Or check us out wherever you get your podcasts.Subscribe to: - The Information on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theinformation- The Information: https://www.theinformation.com/subscribe_hSign up for the AI Agenda newsletter: https://www.theinformation.com/features/ai-agenda
Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career ✓ Claim Key Takeaways Deliberately understaff projects: Constraints force creativity and prevent bloat from politics and bureaucracyYou've gone too far when teams can't ship basic functionalityThe sweet spot is uncomfortable but productive tensionGood teams get tired; great teams run in the red constantly and destroy good teams in that momentHigh alpha, low beta framework: Evaluate people and processes on upside potential (alpha) versus volatility (beta)Prioritize high alpha opportunities even with higher betaProcesses exist solely to lower beta but suppress alpha as a trade-offThe nuanced dance is decreasing volatility where needed (like payroll) without killing upside in innovation areasKnow when to quit your startup: If you're not certain you have product-market fit, you don't have itCompanies that hit big do so quickly; the “never quit” mentality is VC propaganda designed to extract value from founders, not protect themPivot twice or three times maximum, typically by year fourYou're running an experiment to see if the universe has binding receptors for your product. If not, move on… Leadership means fighting entropy relentlesslyTeams naturally optimize for local comfort and disorderExecutives must demand 99% energy levels daily, or the system decaysTop performers don't get 10% more rewards; they get 10-100xBeing “chill” accomplishes nothingWithholding negative feedback is selfish because you prioritize your comfort over making teammates and the company better Read the full notes @ podcastnotes.orgMatt MacInnis is the chief product officer and former longtime COO at Rippling, a unified workforce management platform valued at over $16 billion.We discuss:1. Why “extraordinary results demand extraordinary efforts”2. Why you should deliberately understaff projects, and how to know when you've gone too far3. Matt's transition from COO to CPO and what surprised him about leading product4. The “high alpha, low beta” framework for evaluating people, processes, and products5. When founders should quit their startups (hint: much earlier than VCs want you to)6. How to fight entropy in your organization through relentless energy and intensity—Brought to you by:Google Gemini—Your everyday AI assistant: https://ai.dev/Datadog—Now home to Eppo, the leading experimentation and feature flagging platform: https://www.datadoghq.com/lennyGoFundMe Giving Funds—Make year-end giving easy: http://gofundme.com/lenny—Transcript: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/10-contrarian-leadership-truths—My biggest takeaways (for paid newsletter subscribers): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/i/181916584/my-biggest-takeaways-from-this-conversation—Where to find Matt MacInnis:• X: https://x.com/stanine• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/macinnis• Email: macinnis@rippling.com—Where to find Lenny:• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/—In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Introduction to Matt MacInnis and Rippling(04:38) The importance of extraordinary efforts(08:37) The challenges and rewards of relentless effort(10:11) Your job as a leader is to preserve intensity(12:39) You learn far more from success than failure(16:34) Transitioning to chief product officer(19:54) Fixing product management at Rippling(25:27) The “high alpha, low beta” framework(28:55) The PQL framework(35:16) Hiring frameworks and team dynamics(36:52) A helpful interview tactic(40:00) Leading as a COO vs. a CPO(42:34) The reality of product-market fit(46:38) The problem with venture capital(49:29) When founders should quit their startups(41:48) The immutable market(54:13) Lessons from Notion's success(57:43) Investment strategies and narrative violations(01:00:42) The power of compounding, power law, and entropy(01:07:02) Maintaining intensity and fighting entropy(01:11:33) The importance of feedback and escalations(01:14:31) Rippling's vision and success(01:17:48) AI's impact on SaaS and business software(01:23:42) AI corner(01:26:23) Final thoughts and lightning round—Referenced:• Rippling: https://www.rippling.com• Sunil Raman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunilraman• Dan Gill on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dangill• Carvana: https://www.carvana.com• Brian Chesky's new playbook: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/brian-cheskys-contrarian-approach• Parker Conrad on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/parkerconrad• Inkling: https://www.inkling.com• Akshay Kothari on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/akothari• Notion: https://www.notion.com• Conway's law: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conway%27s_law• Seeking Alpha: https://seekingalpha.com• Dennis Rodman's website: https://dennisrodman.com• Dancing pickle emoji: https://slackmojis.com/emojis/456-dancing_pickle• Pickle Rick: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pickle_Rick• SPOTAK: The Six Traits I Look for When I'm Hiring: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/spotak-six-traits-look-m-181335267.html• Geoff Lewis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/geofflewis1• Zenefits: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TriNet_Zenefits• New banking records prove Deel paid thief who stole trade secrets from Rippling: https://www.rippling.com/blog/new-banking-records-prove-deel-paid-thief-who-stole-trade-secrets-from-rippling• Workday: https://www.workday.com• Matic robots: https://maticrobots.com• Wall-E: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0910970• Conviction: https://www.conviction.com• Mike Vernal on X: https://x.com/mvernal• Sarah Guo on X: https://x.com/saranormous• No Priors: https://linktr.ee/nopriors• Gemini: https://gemini.google.com• ChatGPT: https://chatgpt.com• Claude: https://claude.ai• Bryan Schreier on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryanschreier• Heated Rivalry on HBO Max: https://www.hbomax.com/shows/heated-rivalry/50cd4e99-04ee-427b-a3b4-da721ed05d9c• Fellow coffee maker: https://fellowproducts.com/products/aiden-precision-coffee-maker—Recommended books:• Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space: https://www.amazon.com/Pale-Blue-Dot-Vision-Future/dp/0345376595• Conscious Business: How to Build Value Through Values: https://www.amazon.com/Conscious-Business-Build-through-Values/dp/1622032020• Thinking in Systems: https://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Systems-Donella-H-Meadows/dp/1603580557• The Effective Executive: The Definitive Guide to Getting the Right Things Done: https://www.amazon.com/Effective-Executive-Definitive-Harperbusiness-Essentials/dp/0060833459—Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.—Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. To hear more, visit www.lennysnewsletter.com
Ça devient une tradition, et cette année elle prend une toute nouvelle dimension. Pour la troisième fois consécutive, je partage le micro avec Clémence Lepic pour ce bilan annuel. Sauf que cette fois, ce n'est plus seulement ma productrice, c'est aussi mon associée. 2025 aura été une année de folie : deux films sur YouTube et un troisième qui arrive, 72 épisodes de GDIY, l'explosion de Combien ça gagne, et surtout... la création de Collision Productions, une société pour rassembler tous nos projets. C'est aussi une année où on a regardé la vérité en face : la dépendance aux IA américaines, ces enjeux de durabilité et de souveraineté de plus en plus centraux, la nécessité de rester positifs quand tout nous pousse vers le bas et tant d'autres sujets qu'on a adoré creuser. Dans ce hors-série, nous allons : Revenir sur les épisodes phares de 2025, de Carlos Ghosn à Ivan Zhao en passant par Esther Perel, Brian Chesky et tant d'autres Vous révéler les coulisses de nos plus grosses productions : notre voyage au Brésil, le lancement de notre série spéciale CAC 40, notre tournage en Chine et le film qui arrive en janvier (nous trépignons d'impatience) et tous nos projets vidéos en coursParler du lancement imminent de notre nouveau podcast — que nous n'avons dévoilé nulle part ! Évoquer notre deuxième formation avec l'EDHEC (qui va vous retourner le cerveau), construite dans l'ombre depuis des mois, avec experts chercheurs et scientifiques Vous dévoiler nos ambitions pour 2026 : nos invités "moonshot", nos prochains projets de films sur YouTube, notre arrivée imminente sur une nouvelle plateforme (vous n'êtes pas prêts)Nous arrivons en 2026 avec des projets plein la tête, des ambitions encore plus grandes que l'année dernière, et surtout avec l'envie brûlante d'avancer et de progresser avec vous, ensemble. Merci pour votre soutien inconditionnel. Vos retours, vos partages, la force que vous nous donnez tous les jours sur les réseaux sociaux nous poussent et nous obligent à tout faire pour être à la hauteur. Continuez de diffuser GDIY partout, de partager nos épisodes à vos amis, à votre famille, c'est le meilleur cadeau que vous pouvez leur faire pour bien démarrer l'année ! On vous remercie une nouvelle fois pour cette année de dingue et on vous embrasse fort, La team GDIY.TIMELINE:00:00:00 : Bilan de cette année de folie00:12:44 : Ce qui nous a choqué en Chine00:15:34 : Le démarrage au quart de tour de “Combien ça gagne ?”00:19:11 : Pourquoi une nouvelle identité visuelle ?00:20:39 : On dévoile un nouveau podcast00:26:20 : L'immense succès de la série CAC 4000:30:00 : Les épisodes pépites de l'année00:45:39 : Nos ambitions folles pour 202601:00:10 : Les meilleurs apprentissages de l'année01:05:09 : Les livres qui nous ont marqué01:10:07 : MERCI 2025Les anciens épisodes mentionnés : #440 - Thomas Jolly - Metteur en scène, directeur artistique - Créer la plus grande cérémonie de l'histoire#441 - Arthur Benzaquen - Masada, réalisateur - Qui a dit que le business n'était pas artistique ?#444 - Charlie Dalin - Skipper - 64 jours pour faire le tour du monde : Nouveau record du Vendée Globe#448 - Owen Simonin (Hasheur) - Flirter avec les interdits puis devenir l'homme de confiance de la crypto en France#458 - Eddy de Pretto - Artiste - Contre vents et marées#460 - Riss - Charlie Hebdo - Toujours se battre pour la liberté#461 - Sébastien Bazin - PDG du groupe Accor - Diriger un groupe coté en bourse sans ordinateur#470 - Maurice Lévy - Publicis - Faire de la publicité son empire#473 - VO - Brian Chesky - Airbnb - « We're just getting started »#478 - Octave Klaba - OVH - La guerre du Cloud commence#479 - Nikola Karabatic - Champion de Handball - 22 titres sur 23 : la légende du sport français#480 - Esther Perel - Psychothérapeute - Comment réparer l'atrophie sociale avec l'experte mondiale des relations humaines#483 - Carlos Ghosn - Out of the box : masterclass business de l'évadé du siècle#487 - VO - Anton Osika - Lovable - Internet, Business, and AI: Nothing Will Ever Be the Same Again#488 - Valentin Kretz - L'Agence (immobilier de luxe) - Le vrai business des Kretz derrière la série Netflix#495 - Anne-Laure Constanza Gorgé - Toulemonde Bochart - “Je me suis battue dans un seul but : mettre à l'abri mes enfants”#505 - Mingpo Cai - Cathay Capital - De la chine profonde aux sommets du capital-investissement#507 - Laurent Alexandre - Vers la fin des études supérieures ?#510 - Carole Benaroya - Kujten - La reine du cachemire#512 - François Ruffin - Député - En finir avec l'État perfusion#513 - VO - Jesper Brodin - IKEA - A $40 billion revenue empire built with no bank loansNos recommandations de lecture :La Chine ou le réveil du guerrier économique, de Ali LaïdiPour le succès des armes de la France, de Pierre de VilliersBelle du Seigneur, d'Albert CohenClear Thinking, de Shane ParrishL'urgence et la patience, de Jean-Philippe ToussaintL'homme qui plantait des arbres, de Jean GionoThe Road Less Travelled, de M. Scott PeckLe déclin du courage, d'Alexandre SoljenitsyneVous souhaitez sponsoriser Génération Do It Yourself ou nous proposer un partenariat ?Contactez mon label Orso Media via ce formulaire.Hébergé par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.
Matt MacInnis is the chief product officer and former longtime COO at Rippling, a unified workforce management platform valued at over $16 billion.We discuss:1. Why “extraordinary results demand extraordinary efforts”2. Why you should deliberately understaff projects, and how to know when you've gone too far3. Matt's transition from COO to CPO and what surprised him about leading product4. The “high alpha, low beta” framework for evaluating people, processes, and products5. When founders should quit their startups (hint: much earlier than VCs want you to)6. How to fight entropy in your organization through relentless energy and intensity—Brought to you by:Google Gemini—Your everyday AI assistant: https://ai.dev/Datadog—Now home to Eppo, the leading experimentation and feature flagging platform: https://www.datadoghq.com/lennyGoFundMe Giving Funds—Make year-end giving easy: http://gofundme.com/lenny—Transcript: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/10-contrarian-leadership-truths—My biggest takeaways (for paid newsletter subscribers): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/i/181916584/my-biggest-takeaways-from-this-conversation—Where to find Matt MacInnis:• X: https://x.com/stanine• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/macinnis• Email: macinnis@rippling.com—Where to find Lenny:• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/—In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Introduction to Matt MacInnis and Rippling(04:38) The importance of extraordinary efforts(08:37) The challenges and rewards of relentless effort(10:11) Your job as a leader is to preserve intensity(12:39) You learn far more from success than failure(16:34) Transitioning to chief product officer(19:54) Fixing product management at Rippling(25:27) The “high alpha, low beta” framework(28:55) The PQL framework(35:16) Hiring frameworks and team dynamics(36:52) A helpful interview tactic(40:00) Leading as a COO vs. a CPO(42:34) The reality of product-market fit(46:38) The problem with venture capital(49:29) When founders should quit their startups(41:48) The immutable market(54:13) Lessons from Notion's success(57:43) Investment strategies and narrative violations(01:00:42) The power of compounding, power law, and entropy(01:07:02) Maintaining intensity and fighting entropy(01:11:33) The importance of feedback and escalations(01:14:31) Rippling's vision and success(01:17:48) AI's impact on SaaS and business software(01:23:42) AI corner(01:26:23) Final thoughts and lightning round—Referenced:• Rippling: https://www.rippling.com• Sunil Raman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunilraman• Dan Gill on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dangill• Carvana: https://www.carvana.com• Brian Chesky's new playbook: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/brian-cheskys-contrarian-approach• Parker Conrad on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/parkerconrad• Inkling: https://www.inkling.com• Akshay Kothari on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/akothari• Notion: https://www.notion.com• Conway's law: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conway%27s_law• Seeking Alpha: https://seekingalpha.com• Dennis Rodman's website: https://dennisrodman.com• Dancing pickle emoji: https://slackmojis.com/emojis/456-dancing_pickle• Pickle Rick: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pickle_Rick• SPOTAK: The Six Traits I Look for When I'm Hiring: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/spotak-six-traits-look-m-181335267.html• Geoff Lewis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/geofflewis1• Zenefits: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TriNet_Zenefits• New banking records prove Deel paid thief who stole trade secrets from Rippling: https://www.rippling.com/blog/new-banking-records-prove-deel-paid-thief-who-stole-trade-secrets-from-rippling• Workday: https://www.workday.com• Matic robots: https://maticrobots.com• Wall-E: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0910970• Conviction: https://www.conviction.com• Mike Vernal on X: https://x.com/mvernal• Sarah Guo on X: https://x.com/saranormous• No Priors: https://linktr.ee/nopriors• Gemini: https://gemini.google.com• ChatGPT: https://chatgpt.com• Claude: https://claude.ai• Bryan Schreier on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryanschreier• Heated Rivalry on HBO Max: https://www.hbomax.com/shows/heated-rivalry/50cd4e99-04ee-427b-a3b4-da721ed05d9c• Fellow coffee maker: https://fellowproducts.com/products/aiden-precision-coffee-maker—Recommended books:• Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space: https://www.amazon.com/Pale-Blue-Dot-Vision-Future/dp/0345376595• Conscious Business: How to Build Value Through Values: https://www.amazon.com/Conscious-Business-Build-through-Values/dp/1622032020• Thinking in Systems: https://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Systems-Donella-H-Meadows/dp/1603580557• The Effective Executive: The Definitive Guide to Getting the Right Things Done: https://www.amazon.com/Effective-Executive-Definitive-Harperbusiness-Essentials/dp/0060833459—Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.—Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. To hear more, visit www.lennysnewsletter.com
This year delivered whiplash: geopolitics, tariffs, and technology all shifting at once. And heading into 2026, the disruption isn't easing up. In this special episode, host Bob Safian distills five hard-won lessons from Rapid Response this year on how to lead when the ground won't stop moving. You'll hear standout moments from Brian Chesky, Clara Shih, Marc Lore, José Andrés, and more, with practical takeaways for turning uncertainty into advantage.Visit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
This year delivered whiplash: geopolitics, tariffs, and technology all shifting at once. And heading into 2026, the disruption isn't easing up. In this special episode, host Bob Safian distills five hard-won lessons from Rapid Response this year on how to lead when the ground won't stop moving. You'll hear standout moments from Brian Chesky, Clara Shih, Marc Lore, José Andrés, and more, with practical takeaways for turning uncertainty into advantage.Visit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Liderar uma startup não é o mesmo que gerir uma empresa tradicional. O founder encara o caos, toma decisões sem manual e carrega uma responsabilidade existencial pelo negócio — tudo isso enquanto transforma energia em dinheiro.Neste episódio solo, Pedro Waengertner, CEO da ACE Ventures, explora o que torna a liderança do fundador tão única e por que muitos conselhos de gestão simplesmente não funcionam em contextos empreendedores. A partir de referências como Paul Graham e Brian Chesky (Airbnb), ele compartilha reflexões sobre quando o founder deve se envolver e quando deve, sim, jogar o manual fora.Você vai entender:As diferenças entre fundador, gestor e operadorOs seis perfis de foundersQual combinação desses perfis mais contribui para o crescimento de uma startupPor que autobiografias ensinam mais que playbooksComo usar IA para escalar sua atuação como founderSe você está na linha de frente de um negócio, esse episódio é um lembrete poderoso de que sua visão não é um detalhe — é o que dá vida à empresa.Dá o play e vem com a gente!Materiais mencionados:The Science of Startups: The Impact of Founder Personalities on Company Success — Paul X. McCarthyBefore the Startup — ensaio de Paul Graham (blog post) sobre os desafios de empreender.
Register here for Founder University Japan's Kickoff
Register here to join Founder University Japan's kickoff: https://luma.com/cm0x90mkToday's show:Google and Meta had their cases dismissed (or received a slap on the wrist)… Despite all the backlash and cynicism, AI companies continue making bank and releasing hot new products… What does it all mean?For Jason Calacanis, the signs are pointing to a “major M&A moment,” with huge opportunities for increased efficiency and consolidation among America's favorite brands and largest companies?Who will it be? Join Jason and Alex for a round of hot speculation.PLUS why Jason thinks Michael Burry is both right and wrong about GPU depreciation, why NOTHING is certain about these OpenAI mega-deals, Google's Nano Banana Pro can make infographics and they're VERY impressive… and much more.Timestamps:(1:54) Jason's calling in from Vegas… He's doing a hot lap at F1!(3:18) How restaurants are becoming the new Hot IP(6:50) Founder University is heading to TOKYO!(9:27) Why Jason thinks the future of startups is truly global(10:06) Pipedrive - Bring your entire sales process into one elegant space. Get started with a 30 day free trial at pipedrive.com/twist(11:39) Nvidia killed it on the numbers… but what are the vibes around AI? Jason sounds off.(13:05) Why nothing is certain when it comes to the Nvidia/OpenAI deal(19:40) Is Google now WINNING consumer adoption of AI? How did it get this close?(19:57) Crusoe Cloud: Crusoe is the AI factory company. Reliable infrastructure and expert support. Visit https://crusoe.ai/build to reserve your capacity for the latest GPUs today.(26:07) Meanwhile, AI apps are still dominating the iOS Store(27:09) Why Jason and Alex think Michael Burry's both right and wrong about GPU depreciation(30:13) Northwest Registered Agent - Form your entire business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes. Get more privacy, more options, and more done—visit https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist today!(37:46) We're testing out Nano Banana Pro on a BBQ infographic challenge(43:42) What a week for AI models! It doesn't seem like things are slowing down…(46:12) Kalshi is growing fast, but can it catch Polymarket?(47:50) Is a rate cut coming? Jason and Alex read the tea leaves.(50:13) Why Jason predicts a “major M&A moment” in the next six months(52:09) VIEWER QUESTION: What should a software engineer be working on RIGHT NOW.(54:02) Founder Friday is now… STARTUP SUPPER CLUBSubscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpFollow Lon:X: https://x.com/lonsFollow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelmFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisThank you to our partners:(10:06) Pipedrive - Bring your entire sales process into one elegant space. Get started with a 30 day free trial at pipedrive.com/twist(19:57) Crusoe Cloud: Crusoe is the AI factory company. Reliable infrastructure and expert support. Visit https://crusoe.ai/build to reserve your capacity for the latest GPUs today.(30:13) Northwest Registered Agent - Form your entire business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes. Get more privacy, more options, and more done—visit https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist today!Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarlandCheck out Jason's suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanisFollow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.com
AI Model Showdown: Grok 4.1 vs. Gemini 3 | E2211Register for Founder University Japan's Kickoff! https://luma.com/cm0x90mkToday's show:*Will the arrival of two hotly-anticipated, intensely powerful AI models snap the Doomer cycle?On a new TWiST, Jason and Alex consider the current AI landscape, one where cynicism about insider mega-deals, fear of job displacement, and concerns about bubble bursts seem to rule the day. Will the arrival of two powerful new models — xAI's Grok 4.1 and Google's Gemini 3 — help the industry to course-correct? And how do we decide how much these models have improved anyway?PLUS we're investigating Cloudflare's recent downtime and their acquisition of Replicate. Are we heading toward a future in which everyone runs their own models, locally? And how worried should founders get if their products or sites go down for a few hours?Finally, if you're an investor, and want to come to Jason's Dim Sum Demo Day in San Francisco, here's the link: http://launch.co/dimsumTimestamps:(2:01) Why the internet got broadly degraded when Cloudflare went down(5:00) How worried should founders become when their sites go offline?(6:44) Downtime aside, what did Cloudflare want with Replicate?(8:12) Why Jason predicts one day we'll run our own local language models(9:39) Goldbelly - Goldbelly ****ships America's most delicious, iconic foods nationwide! Get 20% off your first order by going to Goldbelly.com and using the promo code TWiST at checkout.(15:25) How to turn off “Learn From This App” on your iPhone(17:29) Will the arrival of hotly-anticipated new models stop the spread of Doomerism and AI cynicism(20:00) Every.io - For all of your incorporation, banking, payroll, benefits, accounting, taxes or other back-office administration needs, visit every.io.(23:53) Checking back in with the “Best AI Model” Polymarket… why has ChatGPT dropped so low?(29:43) Zite - Zite is the fastest way to build business software with AI. Build apps, forms, websites and portals that connect to the tools you already use. Go to zite.com/twist to get started.(31:14) ANOTHER AI mega-deal? Nvidia and Microsoft are investing in… ANTHROPIC(33:06) Why so many AI deals now include “up to…” language around investments(35:04) What Jason thinks of Dario Amodei's warning about white collar job displacement(39:39) If we all agree AI job displacement is coming… what can be done?(45:16) All about Jason's Dim Sum Investor Demo Day in San Francisco!Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpFollow Lon:X: https://x.com/lonsFollow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelmFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisThank you to our partners:(9:39) Goldbelly - Goldbelly ****ships America's most delicious, iconic foods nationwide! Get 20% off your first order by going to Goldbelly.com and using the promo code TWiST at checkout.(20:00) Every.io - For all of your incorporation, banking, payroll, benefits, accounting, taxes or other back-office administration needs, visit every.io.(29:43) Zite - Zite is the fastest way to build business software with AI. Build apps, forms, websites and portals that connect to the tools you already use. Go to zite.com/twist to get started.Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland
Melanie Perkins is CEO and co-founder of Canva, currently valued at over $42 billion, generating over $3 billion in annual revenue, with more than 240 million monthly active users and, incredibly, eight consecutive years of profitability. But the journey was far from smooth. Melanie was rejected by over 100 investors during her first fundraising round, her team spent two years without being able to ship a new feature during a technical rewrite, and the company pivoted early from a yearbook publishing platform to become the design powerhouse it is today. Through it all, she maintained what she calls “column B” thinking: building toward a dream future rather than just using the bricks around you.We discuss:1. How “column B” thinking helped Melanie build Canva, by starting with an impossible vision rather than existing constraints2. The power of setting “crazy big goals”3. How Canva survived a painful two-year period without shipping any new features while rewriting their codebase4. How Melanie pushed through 100 investor rejections, and how she used each rejection to strengthen her pitch5. Canva's “two-step plan”: build one of the world's most valuable companies, then do the most good possible6. Melanie's vision for 2050 and why she believes imagination is the first step toward a better world—Brought to you by:Vanta—Automate compliance. Simplify security. https://vanta.com/lennyStripe—Helping companies of all sizes grow revenue: https://stripe.com/Justworks—The all-in-one HR solution for managing your small business with confidence: https://ad.doubleclick.net/ddm/trackclk/N9515.5688857LENNYSPODCAST/B33689522.424104489;dc_trk_aid=616485033;dc_trk_cid=237010502;dc_lat=;dc_rdid=;tag_for_child_directed_treatment=;tfua=;gdpr=$—Transcript: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-making-of-canva—My biggest takeaways (for paid newsletter subscribers): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/i/176082995/my-biggest-takeaways-from-this-conversation—Where to find Melanie Perkins:• X: https://x.com/melaniecanva• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melanieperkins/—Where to find Lenny:• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/—In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Introduction to Melanie Perkins and Canva(04:44) Building a “column B” company(06:36) Operationalizing big visions(13:13) Crazy big goals and celebrations(22:00) Challenges and setbacks in Canva's journey(26:30) Fundraising and investor rejections(29:36) Leadership and growth lessons(34:38) Canva's goal-driven structure(35:46) Balancing work and personal life(38:02) Community-driven product development(40:37) The two-step plan for global impact(45:04) Canva's biggest launch yet(48:10) How Canva approaches product expansion(52:37) AI integration in Canva(53:56) AI corner(55:22) Melanie's vision for 2050 and beyond(01:00:07) Lightning round and final thoughts—Referenced:• Canva: https://www.canva.com/• Brian Chesky's new playbook: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/brian-cheskys-contrarian-approach• Building high-performing teams | Melissa Tan (Webflow, Dropbox, Canva): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/building-high-performing-teams-melissa• UserTesting: https://www.usertesting.com/• Figma: https://www.figma.com/• Adobe: https://www.adobe.com/• Calm: https://www.calm.com/• Gandhi's quote about happiness: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/mahatma_gandhi_105593• Help us improve Canva: https://www.canva.com/help/get-in-touch/general-feedback/—Recommended books:• Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration: https://www.amazon.com/Creativity-Inc-Expanded-Overcoming-Inspiration/dp/0593594649/• The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses: https://www.amazon.com/Lean-Startup-Entrepreneurs-Continuous-Innovation/dp/0307887898/• The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact: https://www.amazon.com/Power-Moments-Certain-Experiences-Extraordinary/dp/1501147765• Designing the Obvious: A Common Sense Approach to Web and Mobile Application Design: https://www.amazon.com/Designing-Obvious-Common-Approach-Application/dp/0321749855—Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. To hear more, visit www.lennysnewsletter.com
Today's show:*Why rebrand an app with 40 million daily active users?On TWiST, Grammarly CEO Shishir Mehrotra swings by to explain why he's renaming his company after the mail app he just purchased, Superhuman.Plus he's giving us a first look at the startup's new AI assistant, Superhuman Go, digging into their new agent-centered strategy, looking ahead at the potential for AI job displacement, and more.Jason and Alex also talk about our new nuclear deal with Westinghouse and Japan, OpenAI's conversion and what it means for Microsoft, 1x's tele-operated Neo-bot for chores, and much more!Timestamps:(00:07:56) Jason is headed to Tokyo, and NOT just for skiing this time!(10:00) Uber AI Solutions**:** Your trusted partner to get AI to work in the real world. Book a demo with them TODAY at Uber.com/twist(00:12:21) Untangling this US government-Japan-Westinghouse deal for nuclear power… and why nuclear power is SO important(20:00)DevStats translates complex engineering metrics into a shared language everyone at your company can understand. Get 20% off by going to https://www.DevStats.com/twist(00:20:04) Why Jason says sabbaticals and 4 day work weeks are for established brands, not startups(30:00) Perspective AI: Real insights, straight from your customers, and your first two months are on us. Just go to getperspective.ai/twist.(00:33:01) Will income inequality become a concern, even for the wealthy? Jason says YES.(00:37:29) Shishir Mehrotra from Gram— NO WAIT, Superhuman! joins us to talk name changes(00:38:16) Using Grammarly as a model for the new AI assistant, Superhuman Go.(01:08:39) Nvidia shot past $5 TRILLION in value… How is no one freaked out about this?!(01:14:52) OpenAI executed their conversion… but Jason says “public benefit corporation” status is pretty meaningless(01:25:02) Checking out the Neo robot from 1x… he wants to help you with chores and he's for sale!(01:32:09) Uber's speeding up its self-driving plansSubscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpFollow Lon:X: https://x.com/lonsFollow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelmFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisThank you to our partners:Perspective AI - Real insights, straight from your customers, and your first two months are on us. Just go to getperspective.ai/twist.DevStats translates complex engineering metrics into a shared language everyone at your company can understand. Get 20% off by going to https://www.DevStats.com/twistUber AI Solutions: Your trusted partner to get AI to work in the real world. Book a demo with them TODAY at Uber.com/twistGreat TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarlandCheck out Jason's suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanisFollow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.comSubscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916
Today's show:Jason's been skeptical on Apple lately, but he's BLOWN AWAY by his new iPhone Air.Hear why JCal thinks Cupertino's latest release is “completely inspiring,” and why he's sure it's the next step on the road to Apple Glasses.We're chatting with LAUNCH founder Zach Handshoe of spacial video startup SpatialGen about designing products for Cupertino AND the intense pressure of performing a Steve Jobs-level keynote.PLUS Raiza Martin of Huxe stops by to tell us why they're using audio to make AI assistants more personalized AND proactive, and how they're already getting noticed in an increasingly crowded App Store.AND we've got another Gamma Pitch Competition entrant! Chess Grandmaster Vasif Durarbayli presents his expert-focused app, ChessEver.Timestamps:(2:05) Friend of the pod @ZacharyHandshoe stops by to talk about supporting Apple Immersive Video (and staying up during the AWS outage)(9:37) Enterpret - Turn feedback noise into Customer Intelligence, so your team knows exactly what to fix and build next. Head to Enterpret.com/twist to book a demo and see it in action.(15:55) The iPhone Air can already shoot spatial video! Just part of why Jason calls it a “completely inspiring” product.(21:25) Crusoe Cloud - Crusoe is the AI factory company. Reliable infrastructure and expert support. Visit crusoe.ai/startup to reserve your capacity for the latest GPUs today.(24:30) Jason offers viewers a peek inside LAUNCH's Whisper Network(32:09) Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist(33:10) Huxe co-founder (and NotebookLM vet) Raiza Martin wants to make your AI assistant more personalized and proactive.(37:14) Why Raiza and her team went with an audio-forward interface instead of a chatbot.(43:25) How Huxe is getting noticed in the App Store as a brand new arrival.(50:25) The big LLMs still aren't great at writing engaging content for humans, so Huxe is doing it themselves.(52:41) Chess Grandmaster Vasif Durarbayli from ChessEver joins us for his Gamma pitch!(54:26) Why Vasif is focusing on very serious players FIRST before appealing to more casual chess fans(1:05:28) Jason thinks ChessEver is at the moment of “triangulation” in their journey to finding Product Market Fit… what do Grandmasters really want?Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpFollow Lon:X: https://x.com/lonsFollow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelmFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisThank you to our partners:Enterpret - Turn feedback noise into Customer Intelligence, so your team knows exactly what to fix and build next. Head to Enterpret.com/twist to book a demo and see it in action.Crusoe Cloud - Crusoe is the AI factory company. Reliable infrastructure and expert support. Visit crusoe.ai/startup to reserve your capacity for the latest GPUs today.Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twistGreat TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarlandCheck out Jason's suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanisFollow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.comSubscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916
Today's show:Australia has accused Microsoft of employing a dark pattern… Hear why Jason says these kinds of sneaky tactics aren't usually worth it.It's a brand-new Monday TWiST and it's PACKED with news. In addition to Australia's allegations against MSFT, we're looking at Chinese drone fails and wondering how live experiences will change in the age of AI.PLUS has Tesla finally “solved” FSD after years of promises? Does it matter that so much of Mercor's revenue goes back out to contractors? Do Chinese LLMs have a major advantage when it comes to the stock market over Western counterparts? Why Jason avoids overseas deals when he doesn't speak the language or know the culture. And much more!Timestamps:(00:03:44) Fall is here! And Jason is already looking ahead to “BFCM” and the holiday season.(00:07:13) We're bringing back the TWiSTies and a Prediction 2026 show(00:07:33) People are using AI to create fake receipts for fraudulent invoices!(10:00) Pipedrive - Bring clarity and control to your sales process with Pipedrive, the #1 CRM for small and medium sized businesses. Supercharge your sales today. Start with a 30-day free trial at pipedrive.com/twist.(00:14:23) It's earnings week for Meta AND Alphabet AND Microsoft AND AMAZON!(00:19:55) What happened with the disastrous Chinese drone and fireworks show?(20:00) Monarch - Thanks to our partner, Monarch! Try the app and get 50% off your first year by visiting monarchmoney.com/twist.(00:27:37) Why Jason thinks live experiences are going to get much bigger and more impressive in the age of AI(00:29:34) Why Tesla is training FSD on synthetic data now… Has FSD finally been “solved”?(30:00) AWS Activate - AWS Activate helps startups bring their ideas to life. Apply to AWS Activate today to learn more. Visit https://www.aws.amazon.com/startups/credits(00:45:10) What's going on with these new Sequoia funds? Jason unpacks the strategy…(00:50:50) Jason doesn't like to invest overseas unless he speaks the language and knows the culture(00:51:11) Jason's thoughts on the controversy surrounding Sequoia partner Shaun Maguire's comments(00:58:34) Mercor pays out 60-70% of its toppling revenue to contractors… does this MATTER?(01:06:14) Do Chinese LLMs have a major advantage when it comes to investing? (Humans are now betting on all this on PolyMarket)(01:09:45) Australia alleges that Microsoft is employing a dark pattern… why Jason says that's a problem.Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpFollow Lon:X: https://x.com/lonsFollow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelmFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisThank you to our partners:AWS Activate - AWS Activate helps startups bring their ideas to life. Apply to AWS Activate today to learn more. Visit https://www.aws.amazon.com/startups/creditsMonarch Money - Get 50% Off Monarch Money, the all-in-one financial tool at www.monarchmoney.com/TWISTPipedrive - Bring clarity and control to your sales process with Pipedrive, the #1 CRM for small and medium sized businesses. Supercharge your sales today. Start with a 30-day free trial at pipedrive.com/twist.Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarlandCheck out Jason's suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanisFollow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.comSubscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916
Today's show:*Working from 9 am to 9 pm, 6 days a week, might seem like TOO INTENSE a commitment for some, but Jason argues that elite performance — and the mega-compensation that goes along with it — sometimes requires personal sacrifice. While 72-hour weeks might lead to burnout for some, it really comes down to individual choice.PLUS Jason and Alex deep dive the NBA gambling scandal and the sketchy reality behind high-stakes home games of poker. PLUS Presh Kumar takes us behind the scenes, to see how AI apps helped him develop and workshop the video for his new wellness startup, Tempo, and what's with Anthropic buying chips from their AI rivals, Google? It's a can't miss This Week in Startups.Timestamps:(00:06:49) Jason and Alex are poker fans… what do they think about this insane NBA gambling scandal?(10:00) LinkedIn Ads - Start converting your B2B audience into high quality leads today. Launch your first campaign and get $250 FREE when you spend at least $250. Go to http://LinkedIn.com/ThisWeekinStartups to claim your credit.(20:00) Nexos.ai - Stop Shadow AI in its tracks with the unified platform for secure AI adoption and productivity. Try it with a free 14-day trial at https://nexos.ai/twist.(00:25:09) Is working “9-9-6” a reasonable goal? A guarantee of success? Why Jason compares it to being an Olympian.(30:00) Every.io - Running a startup is hard enough. Every takes care of incorporation, banking, payroll, benefits, accounting, taxes and more so that you focus on building, not back-office admin. Visit every.io.(00:38:00) Our old buddy Presh walks us through the process of making his Tempo launch video(00:42:28) Jason and Alex check out some of Ridley Scott's famous storyboards(00:48:03) Anthropic is buying TPUs from Google… Are these companies in LIKE with each other?Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpFollow Lon:X: https://x.com/lonsFollow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelmFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisThank you to our partners:LinkedIn Ads - Start converting your B2B audience into high quality leads today. Launch your first campaign and get $250 FREE when you spend at least $250. Go to http://LinkedIn.com/ThisWeekinStartups to claim your credit.Nexos.ai - Stop Shadow AI in its tracks with the unified platform for secure AI adoption and productivity. Try it with a free 14-day trial at https://nexos.ai/twist.**Every.io -** Running a startup is hard enough. Every takes care of incorporation, banking, payroll, benefits, accounting, taxes and more so that you focus on building, not back-office admin. Visit every.io.Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarlandCheck out Jason's suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanisFollow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.comSubscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916
Today's show:*Amazon's dropping a LOT of employees for AI and robots… are Jason's darkest predictions coming true?Legendary investor Elad Gil joins Jason and Alex for the full show today! Together, they're digging into the Amazon news, looking back at Jason's predictions from just last month, and theorizing about just how many people will lose their jobs to computers, and what we're going to do about it. (Is it possible the US hasn't been massively hit by job displacement so far because those gigs already moved overseas?)PLUS… Anthropic's Dario Amodei responds to criticisms from JCal's bestie David Sacks, Sesame emerges from stealth to work on AI wearables, and where will people in the future interact with their favorite apps? A headset? Phones? Somewhere else? The great debate continues.Timestamps:(00:04:04) Our guest is iconic angel investor Elad Gil! What's he working on…(00:04:54) Alexandria AI translates public domain books into all commonly spoken languages… Do people actually prefer AI translations?(00:09:16) Why compute tends to centralize over time… (It's because of economies of scale!)(00:09:29) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST(00:12:49) So are we building TOO MANY datacenters? Will AI apps eventually run on your phone anyway?(00:16:39) Jason says “The Age of Efficiency is upon us.”(00:19:24) When companies trade inference for market share(00:19:27) Sentry - New users get 3 months free of the Business plan (covers 150k errors). Go to http://sentry.io/twist and use code TWIST(00:21:57) Why one of the main challenges of adopting AI is buy-in and convincing teams to use it.(00:25:47) Elad's robotics questions: (1) What % of winners will be incumbents?(00:27:50) Jason called the Amazon news last month and we have the receipts!(00:29:36) Pilot - Visit https://www.pilot.com/twist and get $1,200 off your first yea(00:45:33) Jason says Adobe and Figma should abandon the UK entirely.(00:45:55) Time for a Polymarket: The sharps say 80% chance Tesla beats their quarterly earnings(00:51:02) What is Sesame? They just emerged from stealth, they raised $250M, and they're working on AI wearables.(00:53:21) Jason has concerns about AI wearables that are always recording… Does Elad share these concerns?(01:03:17) The crypto industry is now one of the largest purchasers of US government debt… what does that mean? Who owns who?(01:08:53) Anthropic responded to JCal's Bestie David Sacks… Is Dario Amodei a doomer? Fearmongering?(01:19:12) Why Jason thinks AI companies need to self-regulateSubscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpFollow Lon:X: https://x.com/lonsFollow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelmFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisThank you to our partners:Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/TWISTSentry - New users get 3 months free of the Business plan (covers 150k errors). Go to http://sentry.io/twist and use code TWISTPilot - Visit https://www.pilot.com/twist and get $1,200 off your first yeaGreat TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarlandCheck out Jason's suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanisFollow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.comSubscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916
Are AI tools in the classroom just time-savers, or can they have genuine educational value?In a must-watch TWiST 500 interview, Alex chats with Magic School founder (and former principal) Adeel Khan about how AI tools can make teachers more effective, and keep students inspired, without just doing all the work for them. He talks about turning an AI chatbot into a true assistant teacher, that keeps the lessons balanced yet challenging, and particularly empowers classroom novices and non-professionals.THEN… is 6 years too long for employees to wait to vest? Is this just another founder trying to reinvent EVERYTHING, just because they can't resist? Ramp CEO Eric Glyman joins Jason and Alex to answer pressing founder questions from viewersPLUS there's a new entrant in our Gamma Pitch Deck competition, and it's so compelling, Jason can't wait to invest! Kris Canete of On the Fly Energy tells us about America's fragile power grid and his elegant solution: flywheel energy storage!Timestamps:0:00 - Welcome to TWiST!02:59 - Former principal Adeel Khan of TWiST 500's Magic School AI tells us why “teachers are magic”09:41 - Goldbelly ships America's most delicious, iconic foods nationwide! Get 20% off your first order by going to Goldbelly.com and using the promo code TWiST at checkout.10:50 - How AI tools can particularly help out classroom novices and non-pros who are just getting started20:57 - Check out the online payroll and benefits experts with software built specifically for small business and startups. Try Gusto today and get three months FREE at Gusto.com/twist.26:58 - How Magic School stays ahead of shifting standards across different states and regions32:57 - Zite is the fastest way to build *business software* with AI. Build apps, forms, websites and portals that connect to the tools you already use. Go to *zite.com/twist* to get started.33:30 - Why the best feedback Adeel ever got came from a teenager36:30 - Making AI a true assistant teacher, that keeps lessons balanced yet challenging38:38 - Is a 6-year vesting schedule too aggressive? Eric Glyman responds.41:00 - When even ambitious founders should sometimes just accept a standard deal.57:33 - What IS flywheel energy storage?01:00:00 - Why Jason loves the Fly Energy Gamma pitch and wants to invest right now.01:34:13 - Gamma Outro*Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: [https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com](https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com/)Check out the TWIST500: [https://www.twist500.com](https://twist500.com)Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp*Follow Lon:X: https://x.com/lons*Follow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: [ / alexwilhelm ]( / alexwilhelm )*Follow Jason:X: / jason LinkedIn: [ / jasoncalacanis ]( / jasoncalacanis )Great TWIST interviews: [Will Guidara,]( • Lessons in Unreasonable Hospitality with W... ) [Eoghan McCabe]( • Great Builders & Success First with Interc... ), [Steve Huffman](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast..., [Brian Chesky](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast..., [Bob Moesta,]( • Decoding Customer Insights, Trust, and the... ) [Aaron Levie](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast..., [Sophia Amoruso](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast..., [Reid Hoffman](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast..., [Frank Slootman](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast..., [Billy McFarland](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast...)*Check out Jason's suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis*Follow TWiST:Twitter: / twistartups YouTube: / thisweekin Instagram: [ / thisweekinstartups ]( / thisweekinstartups )TikTok: / thisweekinstartups Substack: [https://twistartups.substack.com](
The NHL has inked an official partnership with Kalshi and Polymarket, marking the first time a major sports league has teamed up with prediction markets. Kalshi co-founder and CEO Tarek Mansour discusses his platform's sports volumes, potential regulatory issues, and competition with sportsbooks. Airbnb has launched new products and features to remake user vacations, and CEO Brian Chesky is just getting started. Chesky discusses the future of his company and the impact of AI. Plus, Netflix streamer numbers missed expectations, Mattel's Barbie sales are down, and Meta has partnered with Blue Owl on a data center. Tarek Mansour - 19:20Brian Chesky - 27:39 In this episode:Tarek Mansour, @mansourtarek_Joe Kernen, @JoeSquawk Becky Quick, @BeckyQuickAndrew Ross Sorkin, @andrewrsorkinKatie Kramer, @Kramer_Katie Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Deel's growth overshadows SpyGate, Claude learned new skills, and the great “momentum is moat” debate | EXXXToday's show:*Deel's growing fast enough that investors are overlooking the espionage allegations and jumping on board anyway. (LAUNCH now owns a lil taste of Deel, so Jason is on board!)PLUS is the Mag 7 about to become the Mag 70… Why legendary investor Roelof Botha thinks VC is not an asset class… How startups can use capital as a weapon… AND Anthropic gave Claude more skills, which they hope will help pay their bills.Timestamps:(00:01:34) Jason's excited for ski season and checking his favorite powder app, OpenSnow(00:04:02) Why Jason's done with meetings; he's pulling a Doug Leone!(00:06:27) Jason can tell the market's heating up because people are starting to lose their minds.(00:09:31) How much will global AI tools one day be worth? Alex is crunching the numbers.(10:00) Miro - Help your teams get great done with Miro. Check out miro.com to find out how!(00:15:22) PREDICTION: The Mag7 is about to become the Mag70(20:00) Alphasense - Get deeper insights into your business with the power of AI search and market intelligence. Start with a free trial at https://www.alpha-sense.com/twist(00:25:36) Deel's big raise… Why major growth overshadows spying allegations(30:00) LinkedIn Ads: Start converting your B2B audience into high quality leads today. Launch your first campaign and get $250 FREE when you spend at least $250. Go to http://LinkedIn.com/ThisWeekinStartups to claim your credit.(00:33:31) Why Roelof Botha says VC is a “return-free risk,” and not an “asset class.”(00:40:49) The two reasons why VC firms end(00:44:18) How startups can use capital as a weapon(00:57:52) Anthropic gave Claude Skills to pay the bills(01:00:51) Jason's vision for what Grammarly could becomeSubscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpFollow Lon:X: https://x.com/lonsFollow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelmFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisThank you to our partners:Miro - Help your teams get great done with Miro. Check out miro.com to find out how!Alphasense - Get deeper insights into your business with the power of AI search and market intelligence. Start with a free trial at LinkedIn Ads: Start converting your B2B audience into high quality leads today. Launch your first campaign and get $250 FREE when you spend at least $250. Go to http://LinkedIn.com/ThisWeekinStartups to claim your credit.Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarlandCheck out Jason's suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanisFollow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.comSubscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916
Today's show:*On a very special TWiST, Jason's joined by “one of the greatest investors in in the history of VC,” Steve Jurvetson of Future Ventures.Together, they look back at some of Steve's earliest investments and learnings, the promise and ultimate failure of nanotech, breaking down the AI hype cycle, the primacy of neural networks, the return of nuclear power, why “AI safety” might be illusory, and much more.It's a packed show full of deep insights from one of the greatest minds in technology today. Do not miss this ep!Timestamps:(00:00)Jason's 1-on-1 today with “one of the greatest investors in the history of VC,” Steve Jurvetson(00:03:04) The early origins of Steve's fascination with “deep tech”(00:08:03) Jason and Steve recall playing around with the TRS-80 (“The Trash-80”)(10:00) Perspective AI: Real insights, straight from your customers, and your first two months are on us. Just go to getperspective.ai/twist.(00:15:13) Keeping your portfolio diverse when so many companies look the same(20:00) .TECH: Say it without saying it. Head to get.tech/twist or your favorite registrar to get a clean, sharp .tech domain today.(00:20:49) The promise of nanotech and why it fell apart(00:25:46) Breaking down the “hype” cycle and how trends get co-opted(00:26:27) Why Moore's Law and the Power Law are so important for investors(30:00) Northwest Registered Agent - Form your entire business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes. Get more privacy, more options, and more done—visit https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist today!(00:33:36) Understanding the rise of GPUs and how they resemble tiny brains(00:51:32) Revisiting a classic clip of Steve talking about robots(00:54:04) How Jason and Steve got their hands on some of the earliest Tesla Roadsters(01:00:09) Flashback Clip: Elon predicts 2025 in 2015… how'd he do?(01:02:46) Why did the world turn SO strongly against nuclear energy?(01:16:06) Can we make AI “safe” in the age of GPT Psychosis? Is it too inscrutable?(01:21:54) Why Steve thinks technology will ultimately doom autocratic regimes.Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpFollow Lon:X: https://x.com/lonsFollow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelmFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisThank you to our partners:TECH: Say it without saying it. Head to get.tech/twist or your favorite registrar to get a clean, sharp .tech domain today.Northwest Registered Agent - Form your entire business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes. Get more privacy, more options, and more done—visit https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist today!Perspective AI: Real insights, straight from your customers, and your first two months are on us. Just go to getperspective.ai/twist.Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarlandCheck out Jason's suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanisFollow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.comSubscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916
Amid dramatic disruption, what role should business play in building the future? Recorded live at the 2025 Masters of Scale Summit in San Francisco, Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky shares his candid perspective on business, politics, creativity, and AI — taking listeners from Airbnb's humble beginnings to bold plans for the company's future. Through a designer's lens, Chesky also reveals the single question leaders must ask themselves, and explores how best to make tricky decisions in a volatile climate. Visit the Rapid Response website here: https://www.rapidresponseshow.com/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Today's show:*Eric Glyman of Ramp joins us to share the fintech unicorn's growth secrets AND their Lab full of research data.On TWiST, Jason and Alex chat with Eric about Ramp's counter-intuitive mission — helping startups spend LESS money — PLUS they take a deep dive into the company's treasure trove of startup trend data. Why is there a huge spike in unemployed recent college trends? Is “static team size” as a big a story as Jason and Alex think? What does it actually take to get companies to adopt AI Agents? The answers all might be in these Ramp numbers.PLUS Eric joins us for some hot Founder Q's, and what's going on with all this Y Combinator drama? We're sifting through the angriest tweets for the inside scoop.FINALLY, Jason recommends some of his favorite startup accelerators of the moment (aside from his own) including…PearXArc from SequoiaAntlerSpeedrun from a16zTimestamps:(00:02:18) The 72-hour rule strikes again: Trump's China's tariff reversal(00:03:10) Why crypto got hit even HARDER than the stock market post-Trump announcement(00:07:32) Market manipulation “at a scale we've never seen before…”; what does this mean for everyday investors?(10:05) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST(00:12:55) Ramp CEO Eric Glyman swings by to update us on his fintech unicorn's growth and their “Lab” for research data(20:09) Netsuite - Download the ebook CFO's Guide to AI and Machine Learning for free at https://www.netsuite.com/twist(00:21:40) Is “static team size” a real trend? What the Ramp data shows…(00:26:25) Ramp's “counter-intuitive” mission: to help companies spend LESS money, not more.(30:24) Paper OS offers the largest library of AI-driven Workflows for both founders & fund managers. Claim your $10K credit at paperos.com/twist(00:38:07) WHY the huge spike in unemployed recent college grads? Especially among the guys?(00:49:16) What it actually takes to get companies to adopt AI agents into their processes(00:52:25) Why Jason thinks Eric is a top-tier TWiST guest. We're going through the metrics…(00:54:05) There's YC drama on social media now… we're spilling the tea.Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpFollow Lon:X: https://x.com/lonsFollow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelmFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisThank you to our partners:Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/TWISTNetsuite - Download the ebook CFO's Guide to AI and Machine Learning for free at https://www.netsuite.com/twistPAPER OS - Building an empire? PaperOS offers the largest library of AI-driven Workflows for both founders & fund managers. Whether you're raising capital, launching a fund, or wading through diligence, PaperOS unlocks simplicity and scale for your ever-growing empire. Claim your $10K credit at paperos.com/twistGreat TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarlandCheck out Jason's suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanisFollow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.comSubscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916
Today's show:*Zach Dell of Base Power joins us at the top of today's show to talk about building batteries in Austin, that $1 billion investment, and why an “all of the above” energy strategy is the only way forward.PLUS Jason and Alex's thoughts on that Tesla non-upside down car announcement, growing resentments toward AI datacenters, Chinese robots actually going on sale, Tim Cook's potential Apple exit, xAI's Nvidia agreement and MUCH MORE.Timestamps:(00:02:10) A MAJOR GUEST! Zach Dell of Base Power joins us from the top of the show.(00:03:31) The basics of Base Power's business model: the best electron is the cheapest electron(00:08:38) Zach teases Base's new, time-saving approach to battery installation(00:10:32) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://www.vanta.com/twist(00:18:12) How Base's grid can help drive down overall energy prices(00:21:17) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST(00:30:12) Sentry - New users get 3 months free of the Business plan (covers 150k errors). Go to http://sentry.io/twist and use code TWIST(00:36:20) Tesla did not announce an upside fan car… Oh well…(00:44:27) Buy your Chinese robot TODAY on Walmart dot com? Or not!(00:48:12) Is Tim Apple EXITING Apple? Who's next?(00:59:22) ANOTHER mega-deal? Now xAI is circling a Nvidia investment…Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpFollow Lon:X: https://x.com/lonsFollow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelmFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisThank you to our partners:Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://www.vanta.com/twistSquarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/TWISTSentry - New users get 3 months free of the Business plan (covers 150k errors). Go to http://sentry.io/twist and use code TWISTGreat TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarlandCheck out Jason's suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanisFollow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.comSubscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916
Today's show:*How many weirdly circular mega-deals is OpenAI going to sign this year?On a new TWiST, Jason and Alex consider OpenAI's latest agreement with AMD, how the biggest American companies keep trading cash and chips back and forth, and whether or not the entire AI economy might be a house of cards.PLUS what kind of fan/leafblower tech is Tesla working on… what can Jevons Paradox tell us about the AI landscape… how easy is it to master games in the YC Arena… and WHY has NASA never built a base on the moon? We're asking the TOUGH QUESTIONS so you don't have to, only on the #1 tech podcast, “This Week in Startups.”Timestamps:(0:00) Jason and Alex open the show discussing hunting and traditional Texas meat exchanges(2:16) ANOTHER weirdly circular OpenAI mega-deal? How many mega-deals can one company MAKE?(3:50) Are all these “bizarre” OpenAI deals creating a house of cards?(10:00) Stripe Startups - Stripe Startups offers early-stage, venture-backed startups access to Stripe fee credits and more. Apply today on stripe.com/startups.(20:00) Oracle - Try OCI and save up to 50% on your cloud bill at https://oracle.com/twist(21:14) Is the Tesla Roadster 2 coming soon? Or maybe a leaf blower?!(22:00) Datacenters in space! Is it getting crowded up there?(26:22) Why no moon base yet? Jason demands a moon base.(27:00) We're playing games in the YC Arena… Can Jason guess which pitches got accepted?(30:00) Coda - Empower your startup with Coda's Team plan for free—get 6 months at https://www.Coda.io/twist(32:00) How Jason picks companies to invest in, based on a few signals and metrics(04500) We found out what Figure's bots are actually doing for BMW(53:00) Sharpies figured out how to make their pens here in the US… who's next?!(57:00) Could ChatGPT really replace Deloitte consultants? Considering the latest controversy…(01:03:29) It's another Gamma Pitch: Welcome Ryan Yannelli of NextVisit AI, which helps therapists take notesSubscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpFollow Lon:X: https://x.com/lonsFollow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelmFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisThank you to our partners:Stripe Startups - Stripe Startups offers early-stage, venture-backed startups access to Stripe fee credits and more. Apply today on stripe.com/startups.Oracle - Try OCI and save up to 50% on your cloud bill at https://oracle.com/twistCoda - Empower your startup with Coda's Team plan for free—get 6 months at https://www.Coda.io/twistGreat TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarlandCheck out Jason's suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanisFollow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.comSubscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916
Ask Me How I Know: Multifamily Investor Stories of Struggle to Success
Decision fatigue and role confusion often show up in the body first. If growth feels unsafe or expansion feels overwhelming, this episode explains how recalibration retrains your nervous system to embrace alignment instead of fear.Why does growth feel unsafe even when you know it's right? For many high-capacity humans, the barrier to expansion isn't strategy or skill — it's the nervous system itself.In this episode of The Recalibration, Julie Holly unpacks why the body often resists aligned growth. Neuroscience explains it through predictive processing and the reticular activating system (RAS) — the brain prefers what it can predict, even if it's unfulfilling. That's why new opportunities trigger anxiety, decision fatigue, and self-protection.Through personal stories of endurance cycling and the challenges of marriage, Julie shows how resistance reveals deeper scripts like Prover or Performer. And through the story of Brian Chesky, cofounder of Airbnb, you'll see how expansion that once felt unsafe can become the pathway to global transformation.Here's where Identity-Level Recalibration (ILR) shifts everything. Your nervous system is wired for survival, not alignment. ILR re-patterns this response, teaching your body that newness doesn't equal danger — it equals alignment. Unlike mindset tactics or productivity hacks, ILR is the root-level recalibration that makes every other tool effective.If success feels empty, if you're exhausted by performance pressure, or if you've been resisting growth because it “feels risky,” this episode will help you see what's really happening — and how to lead yourself and others into expansion that lasts.Today's Micro Recalibration:Where is my body confusing risk with danger?How can I reassure it that growth is safe?As a leader, how might I help my team reframe risk as alignment?If this episode gave you language you've been missing, please rate and review the show so more high-capacity humans can find it. Explore Identity-Level Recalibration→ Follow Julie Holly on LinkedIn for more recalibration insights → Schedule a conversation with Julie to see if The Recalibration is a fit for you → Download the Misalignment Audit → Subscribe to the weekly newsletter → Join the waitlist for the next Recalibration cohort This isn't therapy. This isn't coaching. This is identity recalibration — and it changes everything.
Today's show:Is Sora not just a copyright-killer but a TikTok-killer? Hear our review!The “This Week in Startups” team has been playing around inside OpenAI's viral app, which just hit #1 in the iOS Store. See all of Lon's creations, explore the land beyond the Uncanny Valley, and find out why the hottest new social app could stand to be a bit more social.PLUS Brave surpasses 100M MAUs… why Jason would sell ALL his OpenAI shares right away, Apple pulls the ICEBlock app from the App Store, AND how one founder hacked his local coffee shop to network and even get face time with a few VCs! It's all happening of a fast-paced Friday TWiST.Timestamps:(0:00) Why Jason started an Executive Training program at LAUNCH(05:17) Perplexity's Comet browser is now FREE to use; Jason unpacks their strategy(10:02) Monarch Money - Get 50% Off Monarch Money, the all-in-one financial tool at www.monarchmoney.com/TWIST(13:42) PLUS browser/search engine Brave passed 100M MAUs!(17:44) How a founder “hacked” his local coffee shop(20:06) Alphasense - Get deeper insights into your business with the power of AI search and market intelligence. Start with a free trial at https://www.alpha-sense.com/twist(21:35) You need to make it EASY for people to give you feedback!(25:41) A look at the leanest startups around and how companies are doing more with less(30:11) LinkedIn Ads: Start converting your B2B audience into high quality leads today. We'll even give you a $100 credit on your next campaign. Go to http://LinkedIn.com/ThisWeekinStartups to claim your credit.(30:38) Why Jason would sell ALL his OpenAI shares right away!(38:56) Lon stops by to review the Sora app; the good, the bad, and the remixes!(48:45) Apple pulled the ICEBlock app… is this a free speech issue?(56:11) A new startup wants to fight gov't corruption… and keep a share of the proceedsSubscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpFollow Lon:X: https://x.com/lonsFollow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelmFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisThank you to our partners:Monarch Money - Get 50% Off Monarch Money, the all-in-one financial tool at www.monarchmoney.com/TWISTAlphasense - Get deeper insights into your business with the power of AI search and market intelligence. Start with a free trial at https://www.alpha-sense.com/twistLinkedIn Ads: Thanks to our partner @LinkedInMktg. Start converting your B2B audience into high quality leads today. We'll even give you a $100 credit on your next campaign. Go to http://LinkedIn.com/ThisWeekinStartups to claim your credit.Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarlandCheck out Jason's suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanisFollow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.comSubscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916
Today's show:Sora 2 will generate a video of whatever you like and respects no IP (unless they opt out)On a brand new TWiST, Jason and Alex check out Sora 2, the latest text-to-video app from TWiST 500 mainstays OpenAI, and look at some of the video videos that have already emerged from the TikTok-style scrolling video app. (TikSlop?)THEN we're considering the case of “AI actress” Tilly Norwood, and whether her big debut is a legit shift in the world of entertainment or just a marketing gimmick-slash-sales pitch.PLUS Jason's thoughts on the Wealthfront IPO, how Spotify shifted the entire music economy, Jason's pitch for making bets with stock purchases, why Americans need more financial literacy, AND another check-in with the sharps over at Polymarket.Timestamps:(0:00) What does the government shutdown mean for startups? Not much?(04:21) Jason's an investor in Wealthfront… hear his thoughts on their potential IPO(08:14) Why Jason thinks the death of Boomers will boost crypto(10:21) Northwest Registered Agent - Form your entire business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes. Get more privacy, more options, and more done—visit https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist today!(17:26) Why is everyone so excited for Sora… but not Meta's app?(19:49) CLA - Get started with CLA's CPAs, consultants, and wealth advisors now at https://claconnect.com/tech(28:38) Is Tilly Norwood just a gimmick or Hollywood's next hot ingenue?(29:15) Perspective.ai - Real insights, straight from your customers, and your first two months are on us. Just go to getperspective.ai/twist.(35:58) POLYMARKET: When is OpenAI's browser coming out?!(40:17) How Spotify changed the entire economy of music… and when a Founder/CEO should hang it up.(47:24) Why Jason thinks Americans need better financial education and literacy(49:39) Audience Q: What's the best place to buy secondaries?(52:49) Why you should bet small while you're learningSubscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpFollow Lon:X: https://x.com/lonsFollow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelmFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisThank you to our partners:Northwest Registered Agent - Form your entire business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes. Get more privacy, more options, and more done—visit https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist today!CLA - Get started with CLA's CPAs, consultants, and wealth advisors now at https://claconnect.com/techPerspective.ai - Real insights, straight from your customers, and your first two months are on us. Just go to getperspective.ai/twist.Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarlandCheck out Jason's suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanisFollow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.comSubscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916
Today's show:How do you get investors excited about jets when they're hyper-focused on new AI tools?In a fresh TWiST 500 interview, Alex sits down with Blake Scholl of Boom Supersonic to talk about the Overture, the world's fastest plane that recently broke the sound barrier over the Mojave Desert. (That's a first for a private company, rather than a military or government.)Hear about the secrets to avoiding a noisy and disruptive sonic boom, using satellites to set the most efficient routes, designing the Overture's complex engine, dispelling the common myth that hardware startups are money pits and much much more.PLUS we've got two brand new companies entering our Gamma Pitch Deck Competition. Time to see how they stack up to our first impressive entrant, Where2Wheel.Timestamps:(02:22) Introducing Blake Scholl from Boom Supersonic(04:03) How Boom is improving on the classic Concorde experience(08:29) How hyper-fast Overture flights could change passenger behavior(10:02) Gusto. Check out the online payroll and benefits experts with software built specifically for small business and startups. Try Gusto today and get three months FREE at Gusto.com/twist.(11:10) The long road to breaking the speed barrier(14:34) How satellites could help guide Boom's planes(16:37) The next milestones to check off Blake's list(19:13) Breaking up the jet engine duopoly(20:57) Nexos.ai Stop Shadow AI in its tracks with the unified platform for secure AI adoption and productivity. Try it with a free 14-day trial at nexos.ai/twist.(24:28) How 3D printing speeds up the R&D process(30:26) DevStats translates complex engineering metrics into a shared language everyone at your company can understand. Get 20% off by going to https://www.DevStats.com/twist(34:10) Gamma Pitch Deck Competition: Confy vs. The Drive AISubscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpFollow Lon:X: https://x.com/lonsFollow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelmFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisThank you to our partners:Gusto. Check out the online payroll and benefits experts with software built specifically for small business and startups. Try Gusto today and get three months FREE at Gusto.com/twist.Nexos.ai Stop Shadow AI in its tracks with the unified platform for secure AI adoption and productivity. Try it with a free 14-day trial at nexos.ai/twist.DevStats translates complex engineering metrics into a shared language everyone at your company can understand. Get 20% off by going to https://www.DevStats.com/twistGreat TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarlandCheck out Jason's suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanisFollow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.comSubscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916
Today's show:Friend's new AI pendant just wants to be your new pal. So why do New Yorkers hate them?On a brand-new TWiST, Jason and Alex consider the Friend AI pendant, which listens to everything you say all day and then sends you snarky texts about it.WIRED says it's unhelpful and will make your friends hate you. New Yorkers are so sick of their aggressive subway ads, they're tagging them with graffiti. But what do Jason and Alex think of the wearable companion?PLUS the value of bringing your last team with you to your new project… why partnerships often lead to purchases… Producer Claude got an upgrade… two fresh TWiST 500 companies… the rise and fall and further fall of Tai Lopez… AND Jason explains the rules of private jets.Timestamps:(0:00) Jason congratulations the Eagles while wondering what's going on with Philly fans(03:23) New Yorkers are not in love with these Friend AI pendants and their subway ads(10:08) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST(11:28) Show Continues…(13:49) Are people actually using AI agents? Is it still too early?(17:01) Startup Lesson: The value of bringing your last team with you(19:27) Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist(20:43) Anthropic released the new Claude… can they catch back up with Grok?(27:13) Why Circle's community app is blowing up all of the sudden(29:23) AWS Activate - AWS Activate helps startups bring their ideas to life. Apply to AWS Activate today to learn more. Visit https://www.aws.amazon.com/startups/credits(30:48) How startups SHOULD measure growth and profitability. And why you need to show your work.(36:42) Why human writers are about to be MORE valuable in the age of AI Slop.(42:20) TWO new startups are joining the TWiST 500… Jason's thoughts on Phia and Huxe(46:23) Influencer and bookshelf haver Tai Lopez is under investigation by the SEC! A look back at a viral superstar…(54:11) Jason explains the rules of flying in private jetsSubscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpFollow Lon:X: https://x.com/lonsFollow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelmFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisThank you to our partners:Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/TWISTLemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twistAWS Activate - AWS Activate helps startups bring their ideas to life. Apply to AWS Activate today to learn more. Visit https://www.aws.amazon.com/startups/creditsGreat TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarlandCheck out Jason's suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanisFollow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.comSubscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916
Nesrine Changuel helped build Spotify, Google Chrome, and Google Meet. Her work has helped her discover the importance of emotional connection in building successful products. At Google, she served as a dedicated “delight PM,” a role specifically focused on making products more delightful. She recently published Product Delight, a book that provides a practical framework for creating products that serve both functional and emotional needs. Based in Paris, she now coaches founders and CPOs on implementing delight strategies in their organizations.What you'll learn:1. Why delight is a business strategy, not just “sprinkling confetti” on top of functionality2. How to identify emotional motivators that drive product retention3. The 50-40-10 rule for balancing delight in your roadmap4. The 4-step delight model5. The origin story of Spotify's Discover Weekly6. Why B2B products need delight just as much as B2C products7. How to get buy-in from skeptical leaders who think delight is a luxury—Brought to you by:DX—The developer intelligence platform designed by leading researchers: https://getdx.com/lennyJira Product Discovery—Confidence to build the right thing: https://atlassian.com/lennyLucidLink—Real-time cloud storage for teams: https://www.lucidlink.com/lenny—Transcript: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/a-4-step-framework-for-building-delightful-products—My biggest takeaways (for paid newsletter subscribers): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/i/174199489/my-biggest-takeaways-from-this-conversation—Where to find Nesrine Changuel:• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nesrinechanguel/• Newsletter: https://nesrinechanguel.substack.com/• Website: https://nesrine-changuel.com/—Where to find Lenny:• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/—In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Introduction to Nesrine and product delight(04:56) Why delight matters(09:17) What makes a feature “delightful”(12:29) The three pillars of delight(13:03) Pillar 1: Removing friction (Uber refund example)(15:07) Pillar 2: Anticipating needs (Revolut eSIM example)(17:21) Pillar 3: Exceeding expectations (Edge coupon example)(18:35) The “confetti effect” and when it actually works(22:02) B2B vs. B2C: Why all products need emotional connection(29:52) The Delight Model: A 4-step framework(30:57) Step 1: Identifying user motivators (functional and emotional)(33:55) Step 2: Converting motivators into product opportunities(34:46) Step 3: Identifying solutions with the delight grid(36:46) Step 4: Validating ideas with the delight checklist(40:22) The Delight Model summarized(42:18) The importance of familiarity (Spotify Discover Weekly story)(45:21) Real examples: Chrome's tab management solution(51:32) Google Meet's solution for “Zoom fatigue”(55:02) Getting buy-in from skeptical leaders(59:39) Prioritizing delight: The 50-40-10 rule(1:02:41) Creating a culture of delight in your organization(1:06:45) The habituation effect(1:08:15) When delight goes wrong: Apple reactions example(1:10:21) How delight motivates product teams(1:12:24) Lightning round and final thoughts—Referenced:• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/• Linear: https://linear.app/• How Linear builds product: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-linear-builds-product• Jira: https://www.atlassian.com/software/jira• Asana: https://asana.com/• Monday: https://monday.com/• The Product Delight Model: https://nesrinechanguel.substack.com/p/the-product-delight-model• Revolut: https://www.revolut.com/• How Revolut trains world-class product managers: The “local CEO” model, raw intellect over experience, and a cultural obsession with building wow products | Dmitry Zlokazov (Head of Product): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-revolut-trains-world-class-product-managers• Microsoft Cashback: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/edge/features/shopping-cashback• Superhuman's secret to success: Ignoring most customer feedback, manually onboarding every new user, obsessing over every detail, and positioning around a single attribute: speed | Rahul Vohra (CEO): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/superhumans-secret-to-success-rahul-vohra• Brian Chesky's secret mentor who died 9 times, started the Burning Man board, and built the world's first midlife wisdom school | Chip Conley (founder of MEA): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/chip-conley• Workday: https://www.workday.com/• SAP: https://www.sap.com/• ServiceNow: https://www.servicenow.com/• Salesforce: https://www.salesforce.com/• GitHub: https://github.com/• Atlassian: https://www.atlassian.com/• Snowflake: https://www.snowflake.com/• Data Superheroes: https://www.snowflake.com/en/data-superheroes/• Google Meet: https://meet.google.com/• Andy Nesling on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andynesling/• Matic: https://maticrobots.com/• Diego Sanchez's (Senior Product Manager at Buffer) post on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7365014292091346945/• Miro: https://miro.com/• Arc browser: https://arc.net/• Competing with giants: An inside look at how The Browser Company builds product | Josh Miller (CEO): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/competing-with-giants-an-inside-look• Migros Supermarket: https://www.migros.ch/• The rise of Cursor: The $300M ARR AI tool that engineers can't stop using | Michael Truell (co-founder and CEO): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-rise-of-cursor-michael-truell• Building Lovable: $10M ARR in 60 days with 15 people | Anton Osika (CEO and co-founder): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/building-lovable-anton-osika• Linear's secret to building beloved B2B products | Nan Yu (Head of Product): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/linears-secret-to-building-beloved-b2b-products-nan-yu• Suno: https://suno.com• Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/• Use Reactions, Presenter Overlay, and other effects when videoconferencing on Mac: https://support.apple.com/en-us/105117• Dr. Lipp: https://drlipp.com/• How to be the best coach to product people | Petra Wille (Strong Product People): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-to-be-the-best-coach-to-product• The Great American Baking Show: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21822674/• Le Meilleur Pâtissier: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Meilleur_P%C3%A2tissier• The Upside on Amazon Prime: https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/amzn1.dv.gti.3cb8500f-31af-9f4f-5dec-701e086d58e8• The Intouchables: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1675434/• Yoyo stroller: https://www.stokke.com/USA/en-us/category/strollers/yoyo-strollers• UppaBaby strollers: https://uppababy.com/strollers/—Recommended books:• Product Delight: How to Make Your Product Stand Out with Emotional Connection: https://www.amazon.com/Product-Delight-Stand-Emotional-Connection-ebook/dp/B0FGZ93D9Y/• Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World—and Why Things Are Better Than You Think: https://www.amazon.com/Factfulness-Reasons-World-Things-Better/dp/1250107814• STRONG Product Communities: The Essential Guide to Product Communities of Practice: https://www.amazon.com/STRONG-Product-Communities-Essential-Practice/dp/3982235189/r—Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. To hear more, visit www.lennysnewsletter.com
Today's show:Factory, a Sequoia-backed producer of AI agents for programming, raised $50 million at a $300 million valuation. So Jason and Alex are wondering… how much capital is TOO MUCH?We're going deep on a question that often perplexes founders: How would weigh a HUGE potential market against STIFF pre-existing competition.PLUS that Neon app that records your calls deleted itself, why AI ISN'T taking away all the radiology jobs yet, how inherent biases impact everyone's view of the economy, ChatGPT may be getting ads very soon, and MUCH MUCH MORE.Timestamps:(0:00) The Neon app: why would anyone let an app record all of their phone calls?(04:43) Another -slop term… What is THINKSLOP?!(09:46) .TECH: Say it without saying it. Head to get.tech/twist or your favorite registrar to get a clean, sharp .tech domain today.(11:25) Why is TikTok US only worth $14 billion?!(17:10) Wait, why ISN'T AI taking jobs away from radiologists?(20:06) Public - Take your investing to the next level with Public. Build a multi-asset portfolio and earn 4.1% APY on your cash—with no fees or minimums. Start now at public.com/twist(28:38) How can xAI afford to sell AI to the US gov't for 42 cents?(29:37) Alphasense - Get deeper insights into your business with the power of AI search and market intelligence. Start with a free trial at https://www.alpha-sense.com/twist(33:44) How inherent biases impact everyone's view of the economy.(46:29) Why is everyone dunking on Meta's new SlopTok app?(53:37) It certainly seems like ChatGPT is going to get ads soon…(03:49) The first entry in our Gamma Pitch Deck Competition is II off-roading marketplace Where2WheelSubscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpFollow Lon:X: https://x.com/lonsFollow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelmFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisThank you to our partners:.TECH: Say it without saying it. Head to get.tech/twist or your favorite registrar to get a clean, sharp .tech domain today.Public - Take your investing to the next level with Public. Build a multi-asset portfolio and earn 4.1% APY on your cash—with no fees or minimums. Start now at public.com/twistAlphasense - Get deeper insights into your business with the power of AI search and market intelligence. Start with a free trial at https://www.alpha-sense.com/twistGreat TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarlandCheck out Jason's suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanisFollow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.comSubscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916
Today's show:What is “workslop”? And is it already slowing you down at the office?On a new This Week in Startups, we've got full co-host quorum with JCal, Alex, AND Lon tackling a meaty docket of news at the cross-section of tech, startups, and pop culture.For starters: A new Harvard/Stanford study suggests that AI isn't massively improving workplace efficiency because SOME workers aren't using it properly. Are low-quality, lazily-assembled AI outputs costing US enterprises millions in lost productivity? It's certainly possible based on these results.PLUS, why YouTube invited back all those banned creators… a deep-dive into CA's new social media law that's dividing tech and civil rights advocacy groups… what we can learn from Stripe's mega-share buyback… a look at what Polymarket's sharps think will happen with the US TikTok deal… and much more.Timestamps:(0:00) Intro. What will South Park have to say about prediction markets?(06:06) Alibaba's new AI model will turn you into any celebrity… can you still believe what you see?(09:49) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://www.vanta.com/twist(11:03) Show Continues…(19:42) AWS Activate - AWS Activate helps startups bring their ideas to life. Apply to AWS Activate today to learn more. Visit https://www.aws.amazon.com/startups/credits(21:02) Is CA's new proposed law a boon for civil rights, or a weapon against free speech?(29:47) Northwest Registered Agent - Form your entire business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes. Get more privacy, more options, and more done—visit https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist today!(32:21) Why YouTube invited banned creators back(41:24) What is Workslop? And is it costing companies MILLIONS?(48:42) PolyMarket asks… when will the US TikTok deal go down?(52:27) Would Jason invest in Tether?(01:01:29) Why Stripe is buying back so many shares… and what the future may hold.(01:12:16) Another Reddit Rapid Response: should startups do pilot programs?Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpFollow Lon:X: https://x.com/lonsFollow Alex:X: https://x.com/alexLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelmFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisThank you to our partners:Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://www.vanta.com/twistAWS Activate - AWS Activate helps startups bring their ideas to life. Apply to AWS Activate today to learn more. Visit https://www.aws.amazon.com/startups/creditsNorthwest Registered Agent - Form your entire business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes. Get more privacy, more options, and more done—visit https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist today!Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarlandCheck out Jason's suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanisFollow TWiST:Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartupsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartupsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartupsSubstack: https://twistartups.substack.comSubscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916
In this episode of WORK, Erika reflects on lessons from the Work Like a Girl event in Boston and why optimism may be the most powerful leadership skill. She then unpacks viral business stories, including the Applebee’s executive who went on to become CEO of IHOP and eventually bought Applebee’s, and Brian Chesky's (Airbnb CEO) reminder that the future waits for no one. Erika also breaks down the surprising stat that three in four Gen Z workers bring their parents into job interviews. Later, Jack Fischer, from the finance team at Food52, joins to share insights on building trust, challenging executive assumptions, and the importance of financial transparency at work. Finally, journalist and photographer Nadja Sayej discusses her career in the gig economy, the decline of traditional journalism, navigating celebrity culture, and how she’s building a creative legacy on her own terms.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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