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AI will fix it!
Will AI fix your startup? Only if your real problem is a lack of buzzwords.
In this episode, JDM and Cameron take on the all-too-common delusion that slapping AI on your pitch deck is a business model.
Spoiler: it’s not.
Join the guys as they roast three very 2025 startup ideas — each wielding AI like a glowstick in a boardroom — and assign each one a “Delusion Score” on a scale from “surprisingly solid” to “should be illegal in several markets.”
Plus:
* When AI actually creates customer value — and when it’s just cover for product confusion
* The difference between an innovation and a vibe-powered hallucination
* Why “emotionally intelligent” AI usually means “massively scalable bias”
* The tyranny of sentiment analysis, and why your Slack emojis aren’t a performance metric
* And the eternal truth: If no one pays for it, it’s not a business — it’s a hobby with a website
Startup Pitches Reviewed
1. AI Hiring Assistant
* Parses resumes, predicts cultural fit (yikes), generates interview questions
* Delusion Score: 8
“You’re not removing bias — you’re just giving it a LinkedIn scan and a lightsaber.”
2. Manager Mood Oracle
* Analyzes Slack to predict employee vibes, nudges managers to act nice
* Delusion Score: 5 (Cam) to 9 (JDM), settled on an 8
“Just because the AI tells you to compliment Anna doesn’t mean you’re a good manager.”
3. Fridge Whisperer for Home Cooks
* Scans your fridge, suggests recipes, coaches you while you cook
* Delusion Score: 4
“Seen it a thousand times. Still no business model. But hey, at least dinner’s covered.”
Frivolous Thoughts
* Cam: Reassembling life (and closets) after 18 weeks away from home = grown-up Legos
* JDM: New Whoop band is cool, except for the part where it tells you you’re aging faster because you stayed up one night watching bad TV
* Bonus Tip: Zero to Traction may not actually extend your life, but it will absolutely lower your startup’s mortality rate
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit zerototraction.substack.com
View all episodes
By JDM and Cameron LawWill AI fix your startup? Only if your real problem is a lack of buzzwords.
In this episode, JDM and Cameron take on the all-too-common delusion that slapping AI on your pitch deck is a business model.
Spoiler: it’s not.
Join the guys as they roast three very 2025 startup ideas — each wielding AI like a glowstick in a boardroom — and assign each one a “Delusion Score” on a scale from “surprisingly solid” to “should be illegal in several markets.”
Plus:
* When AI actually creates customer value — and when it’s just cover for product confusion
* The difference between an innovation and a vibe-powered hallucination
* Why “emotionally intelligent” AI usually means “massively scalable bias”
* The tyranny of sentiment analysis, and why your Slack emojis aren’t a performance metric
* And the eternal truth: If no one pays for it, it’s not a business — it’s a hobby with a website
Startup Pitches Reviewed
1. AI Hiring Assistant
* Parses resumes, predicts cultural fit (yikes), generates interview questions
* Delusion Score: 8
“You’re not removing bias — you’re just giving it a LinkedIn scan and a lightsaber.”
2. Manager Mood Oracle
* Analyzes Slack to predict employee vibes, nudges managers to act nice
* Delusion Score: 5 (Cam) to 9 (JDM), settled on an 8
“Just because the AI tells you to compliment Anna doesn’t mean you’re a good manager.”
3. Fridge Whisperer for Home Cooks
* Scans your fridge, suggests recipes, coaches you while you cook
* Delusion Score: 4
“Seen it a thousand times. Still no business model. But hey, at least dinner’s covered.”
Frivolous Thoughts
* Cam: Reassembling life (and closets) after 18 weeks away from home = grown-up Legos
* JDM: New Whoop band is cool, except for the part where it tells you you’re aging faster because you stayed up one night watching bad TV
* Bonus Tip: Zero to Traction may not actually extend your life, but it will absolutely lower your startup’s mortality rate
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit zerototraction.substack.com