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Todays show:

Sunny Madra joins Jason to discuss how Google’s “woke AI” emergency came to be (1:17), Apple’s lowkey AI integrations (33:51), what OpenAI’s incredible Sora model means for Hollywood (39:39), and much more!

Viewers! How are you enjoying the demos? What grades do you give these AI companies? Tell us what we got wrong and right and what demos you’d like to see on the podcast. Let us know by mentioning us on ⁠X.com⁠.

⁠https://x.com/Sundeep⁠

⁠https://x.com/Jason⁠

⁠https://x.com/twistartups⁠

See the full list of all AI demos from the show here: ⁠thisweekinstartups.com/AI⁠

Timestamps:

(0:00) Sunny Madra joins Jason!

(1:17) What went wrong with Google’s AI: Model training, RLHF, or guardrails? Plus, how Google can look to Meta for a solution

(13:35) OpenPhone - Get 20% off your first six months at http://www.openphone.com/twist

(15:00) More examples of bias in Google’s Gemini model

(20:19) Explorer.Globe.Engineer: an AI-powered research assistant

(27:45) Imagine AI LIVE - Get 20% off tickets at http://imagineai.live/twist

(29:01) Reka’s impressive multimodal functionality

(33:51) Apple starts slowly releasing AI-powered features in its most popular apps

(38:19) Scalable Path - Get 20% off your first month at http://www.scalablepath.com/twist

(39:39) Sora demos from OpenAI, and what this means for the film industry

Links:

Check out Explorer.Globe: https://explorer.globe.engineer

Check out Reka: ⁠https://reka.ai

Check out Sora: https://openai.com/sora

Follow Sunny X: ⁠https://twitter.com/sundeep⁠⁠ Check out Definitive: ⁠https://www.definitive.io

Follow Jason:

X: ⁠⁠https://twitter.com/jason⁠⁠

Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/jason⁠⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis⁠

Thank you to our partners:

(13:35) OpenPhone - Get 20% off your first six months at http://www.openphone.com/twist

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Brought to you by LinkedIn Ads marketing platform with 1B+ users; Cometeer delicious hyper-fresh, flash-frozen coffee; and Shopify global commerce platform, providing tools to start, grow, market, and manage a retail business.

Welcome to The Tim Ferriss Show, where it is my job to deconstruct world-class performers to tease out their routines, habits, et cetera that you can apply to your own life. 

This time around, we have a very special edition with two hit interviews from the podcast’s back catalog. It features two incredible guests: Jamie Foxx and Maria Popova. 

My goal is to introduce people to interviews they might have missed over the years and encourage them to enjoy household names but also sample lesser-known people I consider stars. You can think of this format as my personal, curated selection of the best of the last 10 years, or at least some of my favorites. 

Jamie Foxx (@iamjamiefoxx) is an Academy Award-winning actor, a Grammy Award-winning musician, and a standup and improv comedian. He is one of the most consummate performers and entertainers that I have ever met. This conversation was voted Podcast of the Year in 2015.

Maria Popova (@brainpicker) is the creator of The Marginalian (long ago named Brain Pickings), which is included in the Library of Congress’ permanent web archive of culturally valuable materials. The Marginalian is Maria’s one-woman labor of love—an inquiry into how to live and what it means to lead a good life. From Mark Twain to Oscar Wilde and everyone in between, Maria finds the hidden gems. She is prolific and consistent—The Marginalian was created on October 23, 2006, and it has been running strong for 17+ years. 

What do you think of this format? Please let me know on Twitter—or X, as the cool kids say—by tagging @tferriss.

Please enjoy!

This episode is brought to you by Cometeer! Cometeer is hyper-fresh, expertly brewed, flash-frozen coffee that produces an incredibly delicious cup. Cometeer lets you prepare your coffee with no mess, no machines, no burning, and no bitterness. Cometeer sources high-quality beans from the country’s top roasters. The coffee is brewed using proprietary technology to pull out more flavor compounds and antioxidants. It’s then flash-frozen at minus 321 degrees Fahrenheit to lock in that incredible flavor and freshness of the specialty brew. Simply add hot water and you’ve got a game-changing cup of coffee. It’s easily customizable in seconds for iced coffees, lattes, espresso martinis, and more.

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This episode is also brought to you by Shopify! Shopify is one of my favorite platforms and one of my favorite companies. Shopify is designed for anyone to sell anywhere, giving entrepreneurs the resources once reserved for big business. In no time flat, you can have a great-looking online store that brings your ideas to life, and you can have the tools to manage your day-to-day and drive sales. No coding or design experience required.

Go to shopify.com/Tim to sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period. It’s a great deal for a great service, so I encourage you to check it out. Take your business to the next level today by visiting shopify.com/Tim.

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This episode is also brought to you by LinkedIn Marketing Solutions, the go-to tool for B2B marketers and advertisers who want to drive brand awareness, generate leads, or build long-term relationships that result in real business impact.

With a community of more than one billion professionals, LinkedIn is gigantic, but it can be hyper-specific. You have access to a diverse group of people all searching for things they need to grow professionally. LinkedIn has the marketing tools to help you target your customers with precision, right down to job title, company name, industry, etc. To redeem your free $100 LinkedIn ad credit and launch your first campaign, go to LinkedIn.com/TFS!

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For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast.

For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsors

Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (5-Bullet Friday) at tim.blog/friday.

For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.

Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books.

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Past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Jackman, Dr. Jane Goodall, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey, Esther Perel, Elizabeth Gilbert, Terry Crews, Sia, Yuval Noah Harari, Malcolm Gladwell, Madeleine Albright, Cheryl Strayed, Jim Collins, Mary Karr, Maria Popova, Sam Harris, Michael Phelps, Bob Iger, Edward Norton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Neil Strauss, Ken Burns, Maria Sharapova, Marc Andreessen, Neil Gaiman, Neil de Grasse Tyson, Jocko Willink, Daniel Ek, Kelly Slater, Dr. Peter Attia, Seth Godin, Howard Marks, Dr. Brené Brown, Eric Schmidt, Michael Lewis, Joe Gebbia, Michael Pollan, Dr. Jordan Peterson, Vince Vaughn, Brian Koppelman, Ramit Sethi, Dax Shepard, Tony Robbins, Jim Dethmer, Dan Harris, Ray Dalio, Naval Ravikant, Vitalik Buterin, Elizabeth Lesser, Amanda Palmer, Katie Haun, Sir Richard Branson, Chuck Palahniuk, Arianna Huffington, Reid Hoffman, Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Rick Rubin, Dr. Vivek Murthy, Darren Aronofsky, Margaret Atwood, Mark Zuckerberg, Peter Thiel, Dr. Gabor Maté, Anne Lamott, Sarah Silverman, Dr. Andrew Huberman, and many more.

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How do you restore confidence after a high-profile leadership uproar? Web Summit’s new CEO Katherine Maher joins Rapid Response host Bob Safian to discuss taking over after the sudden, forced resignation of founding CEO Paddy Cosgrave. With echoes of the drama at OpenAI, Maher describes how she navigated the tumult, calming partners like Amazon and Google and enabling Web Summit’s signature event in Lisbon to draw 70,000 attendees. Plus, Maher shares lessons from her time at the helm of the Wikimedia Foundation and insight on how the world of politics and global events is increasingly intertwined with business.

Read a transcript of this episode: https://mastersofscale.com/

Subscribe to the Masters of Scale weekly newsletter: https://mastersofscale.com/subscribe

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We finally sit down with the man himself: Nvidia Cofounder & CEO Jensen Huang. After three parts and seven+ hours of covering the company, we thought we knew everything but — unsurprisingly — Jensen knows more. A couple teasers: we learned that the company’s initial motivation to enter the datacenter business came from perhaps not where you’d think, and the roots of Nvidia’s platform strategy stretch back beyond CUDA all the way to the origin of the company.

We also got a peek into Jensen’s mindset and calculus behind “betting the company” multiple times, and his surprising feelings about whether he’d go on the founder journey again if he could rewind time. We can’t think of any better way to tie a bow on our Nvidia series (for now). Tune in!

Editorial Note: We originally recorded this episode before the horrific terrorist attacks in Israel. It feels wrong to release this episode — where the nation of Israel and the Mellanox team are discussed — without sharing our profound sadness for all the families who had innocent loved ones or friends killed, injured, or taken hostage. Our hearts go out to everyone coping through this dark moment in history.

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‍Note: Acquired hosts and guests may hold assets discussed in this episode. This podcast is not investment advice, and is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. You should do your own research and make your own independent decisions when considering any financial transactions.

This Week in Startups is brought to you by…

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Coda. A new doc that brings words, tables and teams together. All your valuable data, plans, objectives, and strategies in one place. Go to https://coda.io/twist to get a $1,000 credit!

Miro. Working remotely doesn’t mean you need to feel disconnected from your team. Miro is an online whiteboard that brings teams together - anytime, anywhere. Go to https://miro.com/startups to sign up for a FREE account with unlimited team members.

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Today’s show:

Zach Coelius joins Jason to discuss the phases of early-stage startups (2:01), break down the state of VC (13:17), answer live questions from the audience (22:36), and much more!

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Time stamps:

(0:00) Zach Coelius joins Jason

(2:01) The three phases of early-stage startups

(10:00) Fount - Get $500 off an executive health coach at https://fount.bio/twist 

(11:31) Advantages that Builder/Founder startups possess

(13:17) The state of VC: The LP and GP relationship, post-ZIRP, and startup soft landings

(21:10) Coda - Get a $1,000 startup credit at https://coda.io/twist 

(22:36) Question: How do you describe PMF in the simplest terms possible

(29:20) Question: How hard is it for first-time founders to raise pre-seed?

(39:46) Miro - Sign up for a free account at https://miro.com/startups

(41:11) Question: I will be in the Bay Area for two weeks… any advice on how to efficiently meet VCs to pitch my startup?

(45:56) Question: What are attributes of companies that are getting funded today? More stable and breakeven? Different industries? What is working today?

(54:49) Breaking news: Caroline Ellison, CEO of Alameda Research testifies for first time today in SBF’s trial

(1:01:49) Cruise robotaxi fleet deployed in San Francisco

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Follow Zach: https://twitter.com/zachcoelius

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Apply for Funding: https://www.launch.co/apply

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Great recent interviews: Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland, PrayingForExits, Jenny Lefcourt

Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis

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This Week in Startups is brought to you by…

Supergut is the easiest and tastiest way clinically-proven to regulate digestion, curb cravings, and boost energy. Get 30% off their delicious shakes, bars, and fiber mix at Supergut.com with code TWIST.

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Mercury. 90 percent of startups fail — 90 percent. Just 10 out of every 100 make it. Mercury exists to close that gap — helping companies succeed with banking and credit cards engineered for the startup journey. Join over 100,000 companies banking with Mercury at http://mercury.com

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Today’s show: Roelof Botha joins Jason to discuss the state of VC (3:35), Sequoia’s new series “Crucible Moments” (9:31), and much more!

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Time stamps:

(0:00) Sequoia Capital’s Roelof Botha joins Jason

(3:35) The state of the Silicon Valley ecosystem

(8:00) Supergut - Get 30% off with code TWIST at https://supergut.com

(9:31) “Crucible Moments” and their significance

(14:31) Pre-IPO vs. Post-IPO market values

(18:10) Founder ambition and mistakes made during “Crucible Moments”

(22:25) The importance of founders starting narrow and what makes a great VC in tech

(27:20) Coda - Get a $1,000 startup credit at https://coda.io/twist

(28:49) Commonalities between the AI boom and the crypto boom

(33:31) U.S. frameworks regarding crypto

(37:10) Mercury - Join 100K+ startups banking with Mercury at http://mercury.com

(38:23) The milestone-based reward system in venture capital

(43:24) Taking over as head steward at Sequoia Capital

(56:02) “Crucible Moments” at Sequoia

(1:05:57) Maintaining consistency in life and venture

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FOLLOW Roelof: https://twitter.com/roelofbotha

*

Read LAUNCH Fund 4 Deal Memo: https://www.launch.co/four

Apply for Funding: https://www.launch.co/apply

Buy ANGEL: https://www.angelthebook.com

Great recent interviews: Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland, PrayingForExits, Jenny Lefcourt

Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis

*

Follow Jason:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jason

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jason

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis

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Follow TWiST:

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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin

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Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.founder.university/podcast

Rapid Response with Bob Safian: Should you begin incorporating AI now or wait to see how it shakes-out for early adopters? AI pioneer Rana el Kaliouby urges business leaders to embrace their exploration mindset in order to accelerate faster. El Kaliouby takes us inside her own AI shop, Smart Eye, where she serves as deputy CEO, to share their process for adapting to the latest technology. An expert on emotional AI and its ethical boundaries, El Kaliouby argues that to succeed in the AI era, we need to focus on what makes us human. She offers key lessons about AI’s role on your core product and functions as well as the risks of overreaching. 

Read a transcript of this episode: https://mastersofscale.com/

Subscribe to the Masters of Scale weekly newsletter: https://mastersofscale.com/subscribe

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Rapid Response with Bob Safian: Can you truly take advantage of AI before speaking its language? Microsoft’s VP of Design and AI, Dr. John Maeda discusses AI’s common misconceptions and its misunderstood opportunities. A veteran of AI development, John shares valuable insights for entrepreneurs about how to engage with the new technology — from overcoming trepidation to making AI work harder for you — and AI’s potential to help leaders make better decisions.

Read a transcript of this episode: https://mastersofscale.com/

Subscribe to the Masters of Scale weekly newsletter: https://mastersofscale.com/subscribe

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Today’s show:

Altimeter’s Brad Gerstner and Mubadala's Ibrahim Ajami join Jason to discuss their first UAE impressions (1:33), how the country is attracting startup talent, unclogging the capital allocator log jam, and more (19:43)!

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Follow Brad: https://twitter.com/altcap

Follow Ibrahim: https://twitter.com/IbrahimAjami

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Time stamps:

(0:00) Brad and Ibrahim join Jason

(1:33) First impressions of the UAE

(10:25) Veed - Head to https://www.veed.io/pricing?utm_campaign=TWIS&utm_medium=Marketing&utm_source=YouTube and start creating professional-quality videos in minutes!

(11:55) The story of Mubadala

(19:43) Attracting talent to the UAE

(26:53) OpenPhone - Get 20% off your first six months at https://openphone.com/twist

(28:21) The shifting perspective of the UAE and the opportunity it presents

(35:07) The level of curiosity in Abu Dhabi

(37:02) iConnections - Get 20% off iConnections Miami 2024 event at http://iconnections.io/twist

(38:21) Adjusting to the changing market

(41:58) Mubadala’s portfolio and investing in SoftBank’s Vision Fund

(49:40) Getting fit

(56:27) Unclogging the manager log jam and the denominator problem

(1:04:59) Investing in relationships

(1:11:38) The progression of the UAE

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Read LAUNCH Fund 4 Deal Memo & Apply for Funding

Buy ANGEL

Great recent interviews: Brian Chesky, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland, PrayingForExits, Jenny Lefcourt

Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis

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Follow Jason:

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Today’s show:

Jason and Brad speak with Mubadala Capital’s Head of Ventures, Ibrahim Ajami, at Hub71 in the UAE. The three discuss how startups can survive and thrive in an economic downturn (1:02) before diving into the sacrifices that founders must make to create an incredible product. (14:16) They also explain how the AI revolution will affect software, startups, capital allocators, and more! (40:36)

Follow Mubadala: https://twitter.com/MubadalaCapital

Follow Ibrahim: https://twitter.com/IbrahimAjami

Follow Hub71: https://twitter.com/hub71ad

Follow Brad: https://twitter.com/altcap

Time stamps:

(0:00) Nick kicks off the show

(1:02) Surviving the downturn

(12:46) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://Squarespace.com/TWIST

(14:16) Sacrificing to build a great product

(26:34)Trovata - Use code TWIST at https://trovata.io/twist for 30% off one year of premium features, like AI forecasting

(27:47) Brad’s letter to Mark Zuckerberg and AI creating ultra-efficient startups

(39:02) OpenPhone - Get 20% off your first six months at https://openphone.com/twist

(40:36) The AI revolution

(50:48) The implications of AI on the software industry

(55:50) Creating the Silicon Valley culture

(59:32) Reflecting on the success of the Launch Accelerator

(1:06:23) Building culture within your firm and dealing with failure

(1:19:03) Opinions on WFH

(1:25:05) Recognizing product velocity

(1:29:11) Advice for young founders

(1:34:47) Advice for founders in emerging markets

Read LAUNCH Fund 4 Deal Memo & Apply for Funding

Buy ANGEL

Great recent interviews: Brian Chesky, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland, PrayingForExits, Jenny Lefcourt

Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis

Follow Jason:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jason

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jason

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis

Follow TWiST:

Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin

Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.founder.university/podcast

Sunny and Vinny are back to demo some new AI tools (14:08), discuss open-source vs. "ClosedAI" (38:45), and more!

(0:00) Jason kicks off the show

(1:31) Jason's trip to the UAE and Abu Dhabi's 30-year investment horizon

(12:39) Miro - Sign up for a free account at https://miro.com/startups

(14:08) Sunny demos ChatPDF and LLMs' future in the workforce

(24:23) Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist

(25:41) Google's new universal translator

(30:11) What is Hugging Face? 

(37:26) iConnections - Get 20% off iConnections Miami 2024 event at http://iconnections.io/twist

(38:45) Open-source vs. "ClosedAI" and the race to build AI hardware

(48:28) Comparing Google Bard to ChatGPT

(1:01:13) Google's vision for Gmail and AWS's partnership with Hugging Face

FOLLOW Vinny: https://twitter.com/VinnyLingham

FOLLOW Sunny: https://twitter.com/sundeep

FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis

Links:

https://www.semianalysis.com/p/google-we-have-no-moat-and-neither

https://www.chatpdf.com

https://huggingface.co/espnet/kan-bayashi_ljspeech_vits

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TechCrunch's Alex Wilhelm joins Jason to break down the big tech's Q1 earning reports (0:53). They discuss Google's culture of entitlement, Microsoft's AI momentum, Meta's year of efficiency, how Amazon may be in for a few quarters of pain, and Snap's double-digit drop (21:11).

(0:00) Nick kicks off the show

(0:53) TechCrunch's Alex Wilhelm joins Jason

(1:23) Reflecting on SVB contagion 

(3:48) First Republic Bank and BuzzFeed's stock 

(6:16) Uber's profits

(8:23) Embroker - Use code TWIST to get an extra 10% off insurance at https://Embroker.com/twist

(9:56) The SF boom/bust

(14:52) More on BuzzFeed

(19:41) Miro - Sign up for a free account at https://miro.com/startups

(21:11) Google's earnings

(25:28) Google's culture of entitlement

(31:40) Integrating ChatGPT into your workflow

(35:47) AI innovation in hospitality

(38:12) Crowdbotics - Get a free scoping session for your next big app idea at http://crowdbotics.com/twist

(39:23) Microsoft's earnings

(43:19) Meta earnings

(54:29) Amazon's earnings

(1:04:08) Snap's earnings 

(1:11:34) Thoughts on TikTok

FOLLOW Alex: https://twitter.com/alex

FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis

Subscribe to our YouTube to watch all full episodes:

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Zach Coelius is BACK with Jason to take questions from founders and investors! They cover investing on Zoom post-COVID (6:07), diligence red flags (13:13), investor red flags (27:32), building relationships prior to fundraising (48:59), and more!

(0:00) Jason Kicks off the show

(1:21) Managing time as an angel

(6:07) Moving to zoom instead of the room

(9:50) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://vanta.com/twist

(10:54) Servicing new deals vs. existing ones

(13:13) Red flags to look for in a syndicate startup deal

(20:18) Coda - The All-in-one doc for teams, sign up for free at https://coda.io/twist

(21:47) Your options when there is no path to profitability

(27:32) Red flags when courting angel investors

(41:10) Contra - Get $500 off your first hire at https://contra.com/twist

(42:35) Assumptions that have evolved

(45:23) Recent learnings in the past few years

(48:59) Building genuine relationships with investors

(53:40) Difficulties in startups

(57:37) Negotiating terms on deals

FOLLOW Zach: https://twitter.com/zachcoelius

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Molly starts the show with Producer Rachel, covering Apple blocking an email app with an AI update (7:17), TikTok's latest restriction for users under 18 (14:05), and Salesforce Q4 earnings results. Then, they break down the startup immi, an instant ramen company (26:55). To end the show, Molly talks to Foodini founder and CEO Dylan McDonnell (35:10), and Rachel talks to Michael Tan, author of The Death of Uncertainty (59:49). 

0:00 Molly Kicks off the show

1:55 Apple blocks app update for having generative AI capabilities

7:17 Could Apple's guard on the App Store create a headwind for the industry? 

9:40 Should Apple be in charge of standard content filtering around AI on their platform

11:43 Embroker - Use code TWIST to get an extra 10% off insurance at https://Embroker.com/twist

12:48 How did TikTok approach being on the Apple App Store? 

14:05 TikTok is setting 1-hour time limits for users under 18 

16:11 If Apple doesn't impose safety limits, who will? 

17:55 Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://vanta.com/twist

19:01 Salesforce stock drop and Q4 earnings results

24:34 Molly's predictions for Salesforce 

26:55 Startup of the day: immi, an instant ramen company, is taking over grocery stores by storm 

32:15 Orgspace - Get $2000 in credits at http://orgspace.io/twist

35:10 Foodini founder and CEO Dylan McDonnell on how he plans on making eating out safer for those with diet restrictions

59:49 Okboomer with Michael Tan, author of The Death of Uncertainty


FOLLOW  Dylan McDonnell: https://twitter.com/dylnmcdonnell

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We tell the full history of LVMH, and how Bernard Arnault turned a $15m investment in a bankrupt French textile company into the world’s largest individual fortune. It’s a story that’s equal parts Berkshire Hathaway, Steve Jobs and Barbarians at the Gate… and wholly under-appreciated for the genius business model innovations that enabled it. Whatever industry you operate or invest in, there’s so much to be learned from Bernard and LVMH’s complete reshaping of the luxury sector over the past three and a half decades. And oh yeah, it also involves Nazi spies, Italian family murders, Rupert Murdoch, Rihanna becoming a billionaire, Jay-Z’s champagne feuds and Beyoncé wearing a 128 carat diamond. Tune in! :) 

Links:

• Bryan Burrough in Vanity Fair: Gucci and Goliath
•  Episode sources

Carve Outs:

• The Gamecraft Podcast
• Doug DeMuro buys a Carrera GT
•  The Peloton Tread
•  The Eureka Theory of History Is Wrong

Sponsors:
Pilot: https://bit.ly/acquiredpilot24
Statsig: https://bit.ly/acquiredstatsig24
Crusoe: https://bit.ly/acquiredcrusoe

First up, J+M break down Meta taking a note from Twitter with a $12 paid tier and how it can have a material impact on revenue. (12:05) Then, they cover the problems with Bing's new chatbot (32:13) before wrapping on Stripe potentially missing its window (46:14) and Meta copying a Telegram feature! (1:00:30)

(0:00) J+M tee up today's topics!

(2:22) Proper PTO operating standards, what's in store for the next few weeks on TWiST!

(10:31) MasterClass - Get 15% off an annual membership at https://masterclass.com/startups

(12:05) Zuck announces Meta Verified, a $12/month paid service for Facebook/Instagram and WhatsApp

(18:56) How Meta's new product can have a material impact on revenue

(21:49) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://vanta.com/twist 

(22:47) What enticing features major social platforms can add to get more paid users

(30:42) Contra - Get $500 off your first hire at https://contra.com/twist

(32:13) Bing's new chatbot has already been toned down by Microsoft for responding with a style the company did not intend

(46:14) Stripe's $4B tax bill and further valuation cuts: did the highest-flying startup fumble the bag?

(1:00:30) Meta also copied Telegram's broadcast channels feature, which Zuck used to announce Meta's new paid tier!

FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis

FOLLOW Molly: https://twitter.com/mollywood

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Molly and Jason discuss Google’s announcing plans to roll out its ChatGPT competitor, called Bard, in the coming weeks. (1:10) Then, they discuss Adam Neumann’s explanation of Flow’s business before wrapping up with a SOTD, Jobber. (18:59)

(0:00) M+J kick off the show

(1:10) Breaking down Google’s announcement of Bard

(9:29) Coda - Startups can get $1000 credit by visiting https://coda.io/twist

(11:00) Neeva’s approach to search

(17:33) Linode - Apply to Linode's Rise program for up to six figures in discounts at https://linode.com/twist

(18:59) An update on Adam Neumann’s Flow

(36:31) Meowtel - Save $25 on your first booking with code TWIST25 at https://meowtel.com/

(37:53) SOTD: Jobber raises $100M

(46:17) Microsoft officially announces the integration of ChatGPT into Bing

FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis

FOLLOW Molly: https://twitter.com/mollywood

Jason is joined by FirstMark Capital’s Rick Heitzmann, who started his investment career in 1999. They discuss “sobering up” after the 14-year bull run (1:55), Airbnb’s response to the downturn (7:38), how senior leaders must act as shock absorbers for their founders (26:30), and more!

(0:00) Jason kicks off the show

(1:55) Rick’s experience of the “Speculative Asset Bubble”

(7:38) Airbnb’s reaction to the downturn

(11:33) LinkedIn Jobs - Go to https://linkedIn.com/angel and post your first job for free

(12:58) Rick’s memory of the Dot Com bubble

(19:39) Advice for founders in a downturn

(22:27) Embroker - Use code TWIST to get an extra 10% off insurance at https://Embroker.com/twist

(23:29) How CAC and LTV have changed

(26:30) The emotional state of Founders and keeping them focused

(35:09) Term sheets in the Dot Com era and today

(40:06) Letterhead - get 50% off their first year at tryletterhead.com/twist

(41:21) Different forms of exits + Key attributes in founders

FOLLOW Rick: https://twitter.com/rick

FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis

FOLLOW Molly: https://twitter.com/mollywood

While media companies from CNN to Buzzfeed have faced layoffs, one digital network focused on Black millennials has continued to forge ahead. Morgan DeBaun, CEO of Blavity, which reaches some 100 million users through brands like Travel Noire and Afrotech, has defied the odds — repeatedly. Morgan’s experience offers lessons about financial discipline and focused patience, as well as the untapped value in multicultural consumers. An adviser to big companies like American Airlines and an advocate for the Black tech community, Morgan illuminates how openness and opportunity reinforce each other, for enterprises at all scales.

Read a transcript of this episode: https://mastersofscale.com

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Molly and Jason present... the 2022 TWiSTY Awards! Join them in commemorating all the best, worst, and craziest moments from this year in startups, markets, and tech!

(0:00) J+M intro today's show

(1:37) Introducing the 2022 TWiSTY Awards!

(3:18) Best prop

(7:51) Best behind the scenes emoji

(12:38) Mixpanel - Apply for $50K in credits at https://mixpanel.com/startups 

(14:04) Best meme

(19:12) Best gadget

(22:44) Nutrisense - Use code TWIST and get $30 off at nutrisense.io/twist

(24:14) Best media

(39:40) Best Twitter follow

(42:55) Founder University - Apply at https://course.founder.university

(44:32) Main Character of the Year

(54:54) Bag Securer of the Year

(1:02:07) Best CEO of the Year

(1:10:03) Startup of the Year

(1:15:35) Defunct Startup of the Year

(1:20:52) News Topic of the Year

(1:26:55) Surprisingly Awesome Guest of the Year

(1:30:28) Interview of the Year

(1:32:56) Best Guest Chemistry of the Year

(1:39:28) Episode of the Year

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