Today on This Week in Startups: Lon Harris is back, and we’re diving into all things Super Bowl—especially the tech takeover in this year’s commercials. We break down the biggest ad moments, from Squarespace to Uber Eats, Instacart, and even Harrison Ford’s Jeep spot. Plus, we dig into Google Trends after the ChatGPT ad, the unexpected appeal of The Banshees of Inisherin , and Matthew McConaughey’s latest move with Salesforce. That’s not all—France is making bold AI moves, OpenAI is getting into...
Feb 11, 2025•1 hr 5 min
This Week in Startups is brought to you by… Squarespace. Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST Atlassian. Head to https://www.atlassian.com/software/startups to see if you qualify for 50 free seats for 12 months. AdQuick. Visit https://adquick.com/twist and mention TWIST to get $1000 off your first campaign. Today’s show: Jason and Alex discuss the carried interest tax loophole being in Trump’s crosshairs, a great int...
Feb 08, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 2082
This Week in Startups is brought to you by… Gusto. Get three months free when you run your first payroll at http://gusto.com/twist *Gusto pricing shown in ad is based on pricing prior to March 2025 Oracle. TWiST listeners can try OCI and save up to 50% on your cloud bill at https://www.oracle.com/twist Horatio. Visit https://www.hirehoratio.com/twist and get $2,000 off your initial set up. Today’s show: Jason and Alex cover Palantir’s surge (is it all hype?), Temo and Shein and the de ...
Feb 06, 2025•58 min•Ep. 2081
OpenAI dropped Deep Research —hilariously, the exact same name as Google’s existing tool. Jason and Alex dive into the AI arms race, break down Lovable.dev’s insane growth to $10M ARR in weeks, and test whether AI can really replace software engineers. Plus, they analyze Trump’s latest tariff chaos and what it means for startups, global trade, and the economy. * Timestamps: (0:00) Jason and Alex kick off the show. (1:09) Jason’s talk and case study at Stanford (2:38) Managing the chaotic news cy...
Feb 04, 2025•1 hr 7 min
Today’s show: The AI revolution is about to hit your household—Jason and Alex break down how general-purpose robots, AI-powered chicken coops, and voice clones are redefining daily life and work. They dig into OpenAI’s sky-high valuation, the surprising rise of DeepSeek’s R1 model, and why the AI cost curve is dropping at an insane pace. Plus, the latest on AI hardware, antitrust battles, and why the “No Buy 2025” trend could change how we think about consumer tech. * Timestamps: (0:00) Jason an...
Feb 01, 2025•1 hr 13 min
This Week in Startups is brought to you by… Vanta. Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://www.vanta.com/twist Northwest Registered Agent. For just $39 plus state fees, Northwest will handle your complete business identity. Visit https://northwestregisteredagent.com/twist today. Scalable Path. Get 20% off your first month at https://www.scalablepath.com/twist Today’s show: Jason and Alex cover Jason’s unique sauna experience, leading them to discuss the value of niche communities and supporting sm...
Jan 29, 2025•1 hr 3 min
Today’s show: A $6M open-source AI model from China, DeepSeek, sends shockwaves through Wall Street, wiping billions off NVIDIA’s market cap and forcing a rethink on AI infrastructure spending. We explore the 25% surge in startup shutdowns, the lessons from leaner teams, and why some companies just couldn’t make the runway. Plus, SailPoint returns to the public markets saddled with $1.6B in debt—what does this say about private equity’s “buy, fix, and flip” strategy? Don’t miss this deep dive in...
Jan 27, 2025•1 hr
This Week in Startups is brought to you by… Fitbod. Get 25% off your Fitbod subscription or try out the app for FREE when you sign up: fitbod.me/TWIST Squarespace. TWiST listeners: use code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain: https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST Horatio. Visit https://www.hirehoratio.com/twist and get $2,000 off your initial set up. Today’s show: Jason and Alex cover Twilio’s team size compression, DeepSeek’s scary good AI for only $6M and the GameOn f...
Jan 24, 2025•58 min
This Week in Startups is brought to you by… Gusto. Get three months free when you run your first payroll at http://gusto.com/twist *Gusto pricing shown in ad is based on pricing prior to March 2025 Netsuite. Download the CFO's Guide to AI and Machine Learning for free at https://www.netsuite.com/twist Atlassian. Head to Atlassian.com/Startups/TWiST to see if you qualify for 50 free seats for 12 months. Today’s show: Alex covers The Stargate Project, other hot news items, and two great interv...
Jan 23, 2025•59 min
Today’s show: Jason and Alex explore America's fascination with billionaires and self-made figures, touching on recent events in Washington, DC, and the tech industry's political influence. They discuss Gen X's rising political power, tech CEOs' prominence at inaugurations, and critique Democrats' tech policies. The conversation covers economic factors in elections, like inflation and abortion rights, COVID's origins, immigration policy, and foreign policy. AI regulation ...
Jan 21, 2025•1 hr 12 min
Today’s show: Alex sits down with two CEOs from companies freshly added to the TWIST500. We get a masterclass from Bob van Luijt of Weaviate, on vector databases helping AI and LLMs do what they do. An then Philip Johnston from Lumen Orbit explains his vision of building data centers in space! * Timestamps: (0:00) Alex kicks off the show. (0:58) Supreme Court ruling on TikTok and key market numbers (3:49) Interview introduction with Weaviate and Lumen Orbit CEOs (4:06) Deep dive into vector data...
Jan 17, 2025•1 hr 3 min
This Week in Startups is brought to you by… PrizePicks. TWiST listeners, download the app today and use code TWIST to get $50 instantly after you play your first $5 lineup! Go to: https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/TWIST PrizePicks - Run your game. Coda. TWiST listeners get 6 months at https://www.Coda.io/twist Fitbod. Get 25% off your Fitbod subscription or try out the app for FREE when you sign up: fitbod.me/TWIST Today’s show: Jason and Alex interview Aarush Selvan, lead PM at Google Gemini D...
Jan 16, 2025•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 2072
Today’s show: Alex covers Mark Zuckerberg’s Joe Rogan interview, OpenAI’s economic pitch and the pending IPO of India’s Groww. Our guests include two companies freshly added to the TWIST500: James Cadwallader from Profound and Martin Rehak from Resistant AI. * Timestamps: (0:00) Alex kicks off the show! (2:51) A look at key moments from this week’s Mark Zuckerberg interview on Rogan. (8:08) James Cadwallader, Co-Founder and CEO of Profound join Alex. (10:05) Northwest Registered Agent. For just ...
Jan 14, 2025•1 hr 7 min
This Week in Startups is brought to you by… Northwest Registered Agent. For just $39 plus state fees, Northwest will handle your complete business identity. Visit https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist t today. Atlassian. Head to https://www.atlassian.com/Startups/TWiST to see if you qualify for 50 free seats for 12 months. LinkedIn Ads. To redeem a $100 LinkedIn ad credit and launch your first campaign, go to http://www.linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups Today’s show: Jason and Alex cove...
Jan 10, 2025•56 min
This Week in Startups is brought to you by… Gusto. Get three months free when you run your first payroll at http://gusto.com/twist *Gusto pricing shown in ad is based on pricing prior to March 2025 Oracle. TWiST listeners can try OCI and save up to 50% on your cloud bill at https://www.oracle.com/twist Squarespace. TWiST listeners: use code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain: https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST Today’s show: Jason and Alex discuss Meta’s modera...
Jan 08, 2025•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 2069
This Week in Startups is brought to you by… PrizePicks. TWiST listeners, download the app today and use code TWIST to get $50 instantly after you play your first $5 lineup! Go to: https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/TWIST PrizePicks - Run your game. Lemon.io . TWiST listeners get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist Vanta. TWiST listeners automate your SOC2 and get $1,000 off at http://www.vanta.com/twist Today’s show: Jason and Alex cover Sam Altman’s fusion pro...
Jan 06, 2025•1 hr 9 min
This Week in Startups is brought to you by… Paddle. Wherever you want to take your business, go there with Paddle. Go to paddle.com/twist to get started with your exclusive listener fee-free period. Fitbod. Get 25% off your Fitbod subscription or try out the app for FREE when you sign up now at fitbod. me/TWIST . LinkedIn Ads. Get a $100 LinkedIn ad credit: http://www.linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups Todays show: Jason and Alex discuss the over saturation of venture capital, how to fix the high-s...
Jan 04, 2025•1 hr 8 min
This Week in Startups is brought to you by… Squarespace. TWiST listeners: use code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain: https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST OpenPhone. TWiST listeners can get 20% off your first 6 months at https://openphone.com/twist Notion: TWiST listeners can try it for free at https://notion.com/twist Todays show: The 2024 TWISTY Awards are here! Jason and Alex look back at the year and dole out awards for Best CEO, Bag Securer of the Year, and more;...
Dec 31, 2024•53 min
This Week in Startups is brought to you by… Oracle. TWiST listeners can try OCI and save up to 50% on your cloud bill at https://www.oracle.com/twist DevSquad. TWIST listeners can get 10% off at http://devsquad.com/twist Ramp. TWiST listeners, get $250 when you join Ramp today at https://www.ramp.com/twist Todays show: Jason & Alex discuss Palantir’s valuation, possible opt-in empire building for the United States and the incoming presidents appointments pulling from tech and VC. (0...
Dec 24, 2024•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 2065
This Week in Startups is brought to you by… Squarespace. Turn your idea into a new website! Go to https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST for a free trial. When you’re ready to launch, use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. LinkedIn Ads. To redeem a $100 LinkedIn ad credit and launch your first campaign, go to http://www.linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups PrizePicks - Run your game. THE BEST place to get real money action while watching your favorite sports! Down...
Dec 20, 2024•59 min•Ep. 2064
This Week in Startups is brought to you by… Coda. Coda empowers your startup by bringing words, tables, and teams together. Strategize, plan, and track goals effectively with all your valuable data in one place. Go to https://www.coda.io/twist to get started for FREE and get 6 free months of the Team plan. Lemon.io - Hire pre-vetted remote developers, get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist Gusto. Gusto is easy online payroll, benefits, and HR built for modern ...
Dec 19, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 2063
Timestamps: (0:00) Jason and Sunny kick off the show (1:26) Discussing Groq's recent developments and Middle East tech inspiration (3:51) Global business challenges and Jason's 2025 announcements (7:53) Gemini app demo and ChatGPT 4 comparison (9:57) Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist (11:24) Evaluating ChatGPT 4.0 Pro limitations and robo-taxi fleet costs (12:46) Differences between ChatGPT models and future improvements (19:57) OpenPhone - Get...
Dec 18, 2024•1 hr 2 min
This Week in Startups is brought to you by… Ramp. The corporate card and spend management software designed to help you save time and money. Get $250 when you join Ramp today at https://www.ramp.com/twist . DevSquad. Most dev agencies only offer developers. Why? Because product management is hard. Get an entire product team for the cost of one US developer plus 10% off at http://devsquad.com/twist Digital Ocean. Whether you’re just getting started with AI, or seeing your project take off, Digita...
Dec 17, 2024•1 hr 2 min
This Week in Startups is brought to you by… LinkedIn Jobs. A business is only as strong as its people, and every hire matters. Go to https://www.linkedin.com/twist to post your first job for free. Terms and conditions apply. Washington Post. Stay informed with trusted journalism from The Washington Post. Right now, TWiST listeners can subscribe for just 50 cents per week for your first year at https://www.washingtonpost.com/twist Beehiiv. Power your newsletters with AI tools, referral programs, ...
Dec 13, 2024•1 hr 10 min
Todays show: In the latest edition of Startup Finance Basics, Jason sits down with Scott Orn from Kruze Consulting to answer the six most important founder/startup questions around finance, accounting, and taxes. * Timestamps: (0:00) Kruze COO, Scott Orn, joins Jason to dive into Finance Basics FAQs. (1:05) How can I avoid paying payroll tax as a startup founder? (6:54) How do you shut down a startup? (11:33) Why do I owe Delaware $50,000 in franchise taxes? (12:58) I’ve got my first customer li...
Dec 12, 2024•25 min
This Week in Startups is brought to you by… OpenPhone. Create business phone numbers for you and your team that work through an app on your smartphone or desktop. TWiST listeners can get an extra 20% off any plan for your first 6 months at https://www.openphone.com/twist Vanta. Compliance and security shouldn't be a deal-breaker for startups to win new business. Vanta makes it easy for companies to get a SOC 2 report fast. TWiST listeners can get $1,000 off for a limited time at https://www.van...
Dec 12, 2024•1 hr 6 min
This Week in Startups is brought to you by… Squarespace. Turn your idea into a new website! Go to https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST for a free trial. When you’re ready to launch, use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Lemon.io - Hire pre-vetted remote developers, get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist Oracle - Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, or OCI, is a single platform for your infrastructure, database, application devel...
Dec 11, 2024•1 hr 19 min
This Week in Startups is brought to you by… Ramp. The corporate card and spend management software designed to help you save time and money. Get $250 when you join Ramp today at https://www.ramp.com/twist Zendesk. The best customer experiences are built with Zendesk. Qualifying startups can join their Startup program and get Zendesk products free, for six months! Visit http://www.zendesk.com/twist today to get started. Digital Ocean. Whether you’re just getting started with AI, or seeing your pr...
Dec 10, 2024•1 hr 28 min
Todays show: In this episode, we discuss Hailey Welch and the viral Hawk coin, then discuss David Sachs' new White House role and recent job data's economic impact. We address the United Healthcare CEO's murder, debate cancel culture, and a viral tweet on software engineers' habits. Deedy Das offers insights on tech inefficiencies and the shift to in-person work. Coffeezilla joins to explore crypto scams, influencer marketing ethics, and regulation. We wrap up with David Sachs' Czar role in AI a...
Dec 07, 2024•1 hr 13 min
Todays show: In the latest edition of Startup Finance Basics, Jason sits down with Scott Orn from Kruze Consulting to tackle essential year-end planning for startups. "Year-End Planning: Setting Your Startup Up for Success," covers crucial topics like assessing next year's fundraising needs, crafting an operating plan, preparing for taxes and compliance, and more. Don't miss these practical tips to ensure your startup is ready to thrive in the new year! * Timestamps: (0:00) Kruze COO, Scott Orn,...
Dec 05, 2024•23 min
