The hosts of Get the Check kick off another episode by talking about a weekend run, which is misleading, since they’ve only run twice. They debrief the Bay to Breakers run where half the crowd is in costume and the other is naked. This week they talk about three major product launches: OpenAI’s Codex, Airbnb’s experiences and services features, and Uber’s route share.The hosts discuss a trio of recent tech launches, starting with OpenAI’s Codex, which is a model fine tuned for software engineering use cases. They compare it to tools like Cursor, Windsurf, and even Devin, and explain why Codex’s “one-shot” approach might work better for fast bug fixes or product tweaks, but not for collaborative workflows. Next, they pivot to Airbnb’s mid-life identity crisis, where Brian Chesky wants the app to evolve from vacation rentals to your next plumber and maybe even boyfriend being from Airbnb. Finally, they discuss Uber’s route share program, which users on X are calling “a bus” lol.Finally the hosts dive into Trump’s trip to the Middle East. Trump brought an ensemble of tech moguls like Sam Altman and Jensen Huang. The hosts break down Saudi Arabia’s $600 billion pledge toward data centers, defense, and AI, the UAE’s $1.4 trillion investment plan. Of course there’s no such thing as a free lunch (or datacenter), so they also talk about what the US is doing in return including giving gulf states access to the newest Nvidia chips. They briefly discuss why they agree with Trump’s decision to lift sanctions on Syria post the end of the Assad regime. Finally, the hosts zoom out and have a conversation about Trump’s overall Middle East strategy.We are almost at 10K on TikTok :) follow us if you haven’t already @getthecheckpod.00:00 Intro02:58 This week’s launches: Codex, Airbnb’s rebrand, Uber route share33:37 Trump’s Middle East trip: AI investments and lifting sanctions on Syria

This week on Get the Check, the hosts discuss Maya postponing this week’s recording to 6AM the morning before the release day. She did have a pretty good excuse though. The hosts dive into OpenAI’s acquisition of Windsurf for $3B. They also discuss Apple’s SVP Eddy Cue testifying in Google’s current DOJ case about their monopoly in search.

Windsurf is an AI powered coding platform used by over a million developers. The hosts talk about why OpenAI is willing to make its biggest acquisition yet for a company that tech Twitter is saying it’s just a VS Code wrapper. They dive into how OpenAI will use this aquisition to launch a better AI powered code completion and maybe even internal progress towards AGI.

~Description intermission where I break the fourth wall and ask you to give us 5 stars and follow us @getthecheckpod for exclusive short form content that we don’t include in the podcast~

Next the hosts talk about the DOJ pressuring Google to sell off Google search. Apple’s SVP of Services recently testified saying that Safari’s number of Google queries dropped for the first time in 20+ years, which led to Google’s stock dropping 7%. The hosts discuss what an AI based future of search means for Google search, which relies on ad revenue from companies that expect users to click on their link not just read Gemini's summary and close the tab.

Finally the hosts discuss Partiful finally launching a monetization strategy beyond merch. Partiful is partnering with Instacart to make group deliveries for parties easy, which sounds great but the hosts break down what the actual margins probably look like and if it’s a long term play. They also give a hot take on the Cut’s viral article about the Partiful founder’s background at Palantir.

00:00 Intro

01:54 OpenAI’s $3B acquisition of Windsurf

23:10 The future of Google Search

40:37 Partiful’s new monetization strategy

The hosts kick off by recapping their run club experience because honestly, are you even in your 20s living in a big city if you haven’t gone to a run club yet?

This week, Maya, Anika, and Priya dive into two main stories: Hims & Hers’ new partnership with Novo Nordisk and their upcoming earnings, plus OpenAI’s GPT update and how it ties into the viral “AI 2027” doomsday paper.

Hims & Hers, the public telehealth company, is making headlines after teaming up with Novo Nordisk to offer branded weight loss drugs at a steep discount. The hosts break down the company’s business model, including how they were previously selling generic versions thanks to a supply shortage loophole that just closed. They also get into what Hims’ focus on price transparency could mean for the future of healthcare access in the U.S.Then, they get into the chaotic GPT update that made the model start glazing everyone, so much so that Sam Altman had to hop on X and say “will fix.” The hosts explain what caused the change, how user feedback and model memory played a role, and why no one caught it before release. They also connect the incident to the “AI 2027” paper, which outlines how AI could go off the rails if its incentives aren’t aligned with human values.The episode wraps with Maya crashing out over what her life means if she can’t be a software engineer. To make her feel better, follow us @getthecheckpod on socials and give us 5 stars :)00:00 Intro04:38 Hims & Hers’ Novo Nordisk partnership24:08 GPT update and the viral “AI 2027” paper

In this episode of Get the Check, the hosts break down Trump’s letter to Columbia and Harvard threatening to revoke billions in federal funding unless the schools comply with a sweeping list of demands aimed at dismantling DEI initiatives. They explore the very different responses from each university and whether there’s any legal precedent for such federal action. The conversation then zooms out to examine how the tech world’s view of college admissions, especially in the wake of Cal AI’s founder being rejected from most top schools and Palantir launching a new program for high school grads.

Later, the hosts unpack the story of Roy Lee, a Columbia student suspended after creating Cluely, an AI tool that helps users cheat on coding interviews. After dropping out, he raised $5.3M in seed funding to “cheat on everything”. The episode closes with a broader discussion on how AI is reshaping the value of a college education and how institutions should adapt to a world where students are increasingly using AI.

If you enjoyed the episode, give us 5 stars and follow us on all socials @getthecheckpod.

00:00 Intro

01: 48 Trump's demands to Columbia and Harvard

40: 03 Leetcode cheating tool Cluely raises $5.3M seed round

Merge recently launched Merge MCP helping AI apps understand everything about their customers. Today, Anika sits down with Shensi, co-founder and CEO of Merge, to dive into: 

💡 How AI is unlocking more use cases for Merge 

🛠️ Why she still codes as a non-technical founder who never worked as a software engineer 

📩 How she and her co-founder Gil personally reached out to 10,000+ people to find their first engineering hires 

🧠 What the Chief of Staff role actually means in a startup and how it prepared her to be a founder 

💬 A raw and honest take on what it’s like to be a woman founder in tech 

00:00 Introduction 

01:18 Founding Merge 

04:24 Founder philosophies around leadership and hiring 

14:44 Understanding Merge's product and AI's impact 

25:23 Hot seat

The pod is back from their travels and are talking tariffs in the best episode yet. They also breakdown Anthropic’s Model Context Protocol (MCP), which is a new standard that helps LLMs and applications communicate. Finally, the hosts deep dive into Base Power, which is a hot new energy startup everyone is talking about.First up: Trump’s surprise rollout of “reciprocal” tariffs aren’t actually reciprocal. The hosts debrief the details of the tariffs, the partial reversal, and the math behind the tariff equation, which is allegedly from ChatGPT. The pod gets into how tariffs are impacting international trade, U.S. China relations, and the market (rip the 2024 gains). The hosts also zoom out to contextualize today’s tariffs in comparison to Trump’s first term tariffs and America’s history with tariffs.Next, they get into Anthropic’s Model Context Protocol (MCP a standard that was announced in November, but is creating buzz now after OpenAI, GitHub, AWS, and more announced their adoption. They discuss how it works, what it means for agents and tool integration, and how it builds a universal language between LLMs, apps, and data sources. The hosts also talk about the implications of Google’s new Agent to Agent protocol and how it could lead to a company team that’s all AI agents.For the first time ever, there’s a company that would “Get the Check”: Base Power. This Texas based battery startup just raised $200 million from a16z to tackle rising power outages and growing electricity distribution costs. Their strategy is to install home batteries, charge them during low-demand hours, and sell energy back to the grid when demand spikes, capturing a huge spread. Consumers benefit too by staying powered during outages and getting electricity at or below market prices the rest of the time.00:00 Intro 01:33 Trump's tariffs and partial reversal 35:37 Anthropic's Model Context Protocol (MCP)43:52 A16z's $200M check into Base Power

Billions of people use email every single day. For the first time in decades, it’s been reimagined. Say hello to Notion Mail.

Today, Priya sits down with Andrew to talk about:

🤖 How Notion AI is redefining the inbox

🚀 The story behind Andrew’s company Skiff joining Notion

📝 Marketing 101: How Notion Mail used their waitlist to generate hype

💰 Andrew on being a Sequoia Scout

📧 Does Andrew live in inbox chaos or inbox zero world?

00:00 Intro

02:02 Founding Skiff and joining Notion

06:36 Email as a product

08:11 How Notion Mail uses Notion AI

10:58 Building the product

15:41 Launching the product

22:46 Andrew’s pilots license

25:17 Working as a Sequoia Scout

28:25 Hot Seat

🚀 Big moves from @Glean!

Last month, they announced that any employee across any department can now build AI agents

Today, @Maya sits down with @Matt Kix, CMO of @Glean, to dive into:

🔍 How he has spotted the next big tech trend 3x in his career

🤖 Why Glean is empowering everyone to use AI, not just developers

📈 The shift from AI boosting productivity to AI driving revenue and code velocity

🏢 When AI-powered workplace search will become table stakes for every company

00:00 Trailer

00:40 Intro + Early Career

06:20 Staying adaptable

07:28 Building useful AI technology

14:05 Being the horizontal work AI platform

21:21 Measuring ROI for Glean's customers

30:07 The price of intelligence going down

35:09 The nature of roles in a Glean-powered workplaces

This week the pod covers Google’s acquisition of Wiz, Pepsi’s acquisition of Poppi (two deals in one pod wow M&A is so back!), and key announcements from Nvidia’s GTC conference.Google just made history with its biggest acquisition ever dropping $32 billion in an all-cash deal to acquire Wiz, which is a cloud security startup. We break down Wiz’s founding story and how this deal fits into Google’s broader cloud strategy. The hosts also debate if the FTC let this acquisition go through.

Next, they dive into Pepsi’s $1.65 billion buyout of Poppi, the influencer-backed prebiotic soda that took over TikTok. From angel investors like Alex Earle securing massive payouts to Poppi’s legal drama over misleading health claims, they unpack the rapid rise (and possible risks) of trendy consumer brands.

Finally, the hosts break down the biggest announcements from NVIDIA’s GTC, which Jensen Huang calls the “AI Super Bowl.” From the Blackwell GPUs promising massive efficiency gains, to NVIDIA’s move into personal AI supercomputers that could put serious computing power in the hands of individual researchers and startups, the hosts discuss what these advances mean for the future of AI. They also debrief Nvidia’s new human-like robots.

In this week’s would not “Get the Check” segment, they talk about the wild legal battle between Rippling and Deel, including corporate espionage, Slack channel traps, and a dramatic office raid (complete with a suspect allegedly flushing his phone down the toilet).If you aren’t already follow us on social media @getthecheck and leave 5 stars on our Spotify, Apple, or like our YouTube video!

00:00 Google acquires Wiz for $32B

16:18 Pepsi acquires Poppi

29:38 Nvidia’s GTC conference highlights

52:09 Rippling alleges Deel is conducting corporate espionage

A decade ago when you got equity at your cool new tech startup you would get an envelope in the mail with a ledger. Now you just log in to Carta. Today CPO of Carta Vrushali Paunikar sits down with Anika Mirza and Priya Kamdar to discuss how Carta disrupted the equity management space and where they are headed next, they dive into:

🎉 The lore behind Carta confetti

💰 Why West Coast VCs passed on Carta’s Series A

👨‍💻 How Carta is now building the NetSuite of private capital

🪜 How Vrushali became CPO when she stopped focusing on promotions and started focusing on product

⭐ Why GTM people make the best PMs

00:00 Intro

01:00 Product as a career

06:18 Almost leaving Carta

09:38 Carta’s founding story

28:15 Carta confetti

31:04 Hot seat