Jason talks with independent candidate for California Governor Michael Shellenberger on what he wants to improve in California (2:57). Then, we cover Apple's 2022 WWDC (48:40). We cover the $2.35B of illicit funds laundered through Binance from hacks, investment frauds, and drug deals (1:27:25), and we touch on Elon Musk accusing Twitter of withholding bot information (1:37:24). Finally, we cover Beijing wrapping up the Didi investigation (1:41:11).
(00:00) Jason and Molly introduce today's show!

(2:57) Michael Shellenberger, 2022 California gubernatorial candidate, sits down with Jason

(10:46) Notion - Get started for free at https://notion.com/thisweekinstartups

(12:03) Michael Shellenberger on capital allocators being loyal to CA

(22:35) Ourcrowd - Check out the deal of the week at https://ourcrowd.com/twist

(23:45) Michael Shellenberger on handling drug addiction and rehabilitation

(39:10) First Republic Bank - Discover what a long-term financial relationship can do for you. Visit https://firstrepublic.com/startup today to learn more.

(40:00) Molly’s skunk situation

(41:51) Recapping the Warriors’ finals game 2 victory

(48:40) Apple’s new features from the 2022 WWDC

(1:27:25) At least $2.35B of illicit funds laundered through Binance from 2017-2021 (according to Reuters)

(1:37:24) Elon Musk believes Twitter of withholding info about # of bots, threatening to walk away from $44B bid

(1:41:11) Beijing to wrap up Didi investigation (according to WSJ )

(1:48:42) If you are a founder pre-series A, you are invited to our Founder University Two-Day intensive on June 13-14!

Apple’s new releases, Twitter bots, Didi returns, Bad actors on Binance + Michael Shellenberger’s vision for California | E1477

Jason Calacanis covers startups, tech, markets, media, and all the hottest topics in business and technology. He also interviews the world’s greatest founders, operators, investors, and innovators.

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Todays show:
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Charles Duhigg joins Jason to discuss the different types of conversations (9:29), the role of humor (22:48), and they way conversation dynamics can shift (49:30).
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Timestamps
(0:00) Charles Duhigg joins Jason to break down his latest publishing, Supercommunicators
(4:01) The importance of communication in startups and lessons from "The Power of Habit”
(8:06) LinkedIn Jobs - Post your first job for free at https://www.linkedin.com/twist
(9:29) The role of communication in organizations and the different types of conversations
(21:30) Mantle - Get your first 12 months free at https://withmantle.com/twist
(22:48) Exploring the role of humor, laughter, and vulnerability in conversations
(30:06) Understanding gender and cultural differences in communication
(39:23) HubSpot - Be sure to check out the Million Dollar pitch competition from Hubspot for Startups & HubSpot Ventures. Apply now at ⁠https://www.hubspot.com/milliondollarpitch
(40:34) The role anecdotes have in conversation
(49:30) How the dynamic of the conversation shifts when someone has an ask
(1:01:35) The Harvard Study of Adult Development
(1:06:36) Closing remarks
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Check out Supercommunicators: https://www.charlesduhigg.com/supercommunicators
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Great 2023 interviews: Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland
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Founder University: Cohort 8 begins May 9th. Apply here: https://www.founder.university

The power of super communication with Charles Duhigg | E1938

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Todays show:
Jason kicks off Ask Jason live! 5 live guests ask questions on key topics, including finding job opportunities (1:43), the “likely winner” and “definitive winner” framework (26:19), how a non-AI startup with traction can stand out to potential investors (1:04:05), and more!
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Timestamps
(0:00) Jason kicks off another Ask Jason with 5 live guests!
(1:43) Dustin asks about how to find job opportunities and market his generalist skills
(9:50) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at http://www.vanta.com/twist
(10:42) Dustin asks about how to find job opportunities and market his generalist skills
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(26:19) Francis asks about defining the terms "likely winner" and "definitive winner" in a strategic framework using specific metrics
(39:15) Mercury - Join 100K+ startups banking with Mercury at http://www.mercury.com⁠
(40:17) Mathew asks about choosing between mission-aligned sponsors and more lucrative, unrelated advertising opportunities for his podcast
(52:23) Jason asks whether to continue low-cost growth strategies or seek seed funding to boost growth through advertising, as their product is the advertising itself
(1:04:05) Douglas asks about how a non-AI startup with traction can stand out to potential investors
(1:15:37) Host or join Founder Fridays! Go check out https://founderfridays.tech
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Great 2023 interviews: Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland
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Founder University: Cohort 8 begins May 9th. Apply here: https://www.founder.university

Ask Jason LIVE!: Navigating startup growth with Real-Time Q&A | E1937

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Timestamps:
(0:00) Sunny joins Jason to dive into this week’s AI news and demos.
(2:03) Examination of Facebook's Llama 3 model, its impact on the AI community, and its superior performance compared to GPT-4 despite being a smaller model.
(4:45) Open source vs. commercial products
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(10:42) Three big projects where Facebook has affected the open community.
(15:38) US Air Foruce staging dogfights with AI-flown fighter jets.
(19:09) Curotec - Check out http://www.curotec.com/twist and get $5000 off
(21:06) Looking at Grok’s capabilities in first-party research.
(27:35) Zendesk - Get six months free at http://www.zendesk.com/twist
(29:08) Jason asks Grok a more “spicey” question regarding Trump.
(40:46) Sunny demos Marblism.
(45:33) Sunny demos Lumona
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Check out Marblism: https://www.marblism.com
Check out Lumona:https://www.lumona.ai
Article “US Air Force stages dogfights with AI-flown fighter jet” https://www.defensenews.com/air/2024/04/19/us-air-force-stages-dogfights-with-ai-flown-fighter-jet
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Great 2023 interviews: Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland
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AI Demos and News: Llama 3, Marblism, Lumona & AI Jet-Fighter Dogfights | E1936

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Timestamps:
(0:00) Sunny joins Jason to dive into this week's AI news and demos.
(1:39) AI, LLMs, and Groq infrastructure discussion.
(9:32) OpenPhone - Get 20% off your first six months at http://www.openphone.com/twist
(11:00 ) Meta's AI landing page, new search engine, and investment strategies
(20:06 ) Eppo. Accelerate your experimentation velocity with Eppo. Visit  https://www.geteppo.com/twist
(23:19) Zuckerberg's approach towards Google's dominance and the impact of Meta's search engine
(30:19) HiddenLayer. HiddenLayer’s AI Detection & Response Solution secures your Generative AI & LLMs from malicious attack. Visit https://www.HiddenLayer.com/TWiST to learn more.
(32:11) Importance of a dedicated domain name and Google's commitment to Google Plus
(34:36) Meta's progress in AI and the strategy of open sourcing
(45:34) The industrial revolution in technology, AI development, and rights issues
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Check out Groq: https://groq.com/
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Thank you to our partners:
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(30:19) HiddenLayer. HiddenLayer’s AI Detection & Response Solution secures your Generative AI & LLMs from malicious attack. Visit https://www.HiddenLayer.com/TWiST to learn more.
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Great 2023 interviews: Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland
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Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.founder.university/podcast

AI Demos: Meta AI Ups it’s Game with Llama 3 | E1935

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Todays show:
David Weisburd hosts Logan Bartlett, Hunter Somerville, and Jason Calacanis to discuss the fundraising market (3:07), M&A; (26:45), Google’s huge investment in generative AI (58:15), and much more!
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Timestamps:
(0:00) David Weisburd intros Logan Bartlett, Hunter Somerville, and Jason Calacanis
(3:07) Tiger's recent fund and fundraising indicators
(11:55) HubSpot’s Chatbot Builder - https://clickhubspot.com/s0u https://clickhubspot.com/mfx
(13:26) The challenges and realities of venture capital
(25:14) DevSquad - Get an entire product team for the cost of one US developer plus 10% off at https://www.devsquad.com/twist
(26:45) Startup acquisitions, due diligence, and unethical behaviors in the industry
(31:27) Selling partial positions in startups and structuring the selling of shares
(37:18) Mercury - Join 100K+ startups banking with Mercury at http://www.mercury.com⁠
(38:20) Cendana and Kline Hill’s $105M fund to buy stakes in seed VC funds
(46:59) The correlation between capital consumption and equity value, and the dangers of excess capital
(54:28) The role of private equity in tech M&A; and the future of tech IPOs
(58:15) Google's $100 billion investment in AI and competition in the AI ecosystem
(1:06:30) The challenge of capacity in seed stage investing and the value of a strong community in portfolio management
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Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp
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Great 2023 interviews: Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland
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Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis
*
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Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.founder.university/podcast

Apple’s new releases, Twitter bots, Didi returns, Bad actors on Binance + Michael Shellenberger’s vision for California | E1477

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