February 01, 2025

Is OpenAI Really Worth $300B? ElevenLabs’ Series C & YC’s Funding Focus | E2079

1 hour 13 minutes

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 and Alex kick off the show.

(3:10) Episode topics overview and fan participation

(5:48) Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses discussion

(9:27) Paddle. Go to https://www.paddle.com/twist to get started with your exclusive listener fee-free period.

(11:05) 11 Labs' Series C funding and voice cloning technology

(18:09) Automation's impact on jobs and ethical considerations

(20:05) Northwest Registered Agent. For just $39 plus state fees, Northwest will handle your complete business identity. Visit ⁠https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist today.

(21:22) Market trends towards sustainability and AI in smart chicken coops

(27:04) Y Combinator's AI startup focus and investment considerations

(29:47) Scalable Path. Get 20% off your first month at https://www.scalablepath.com/twist

(31:42) AI in compliance, auditing, and personal staff replacement

(35:06) AI development tools, hardware investments, and data trust issues

(39:29) AI company valuations, OpenAI's revenue, and AI commoditization

(51:04) AI ethics, SoftBank's strategy, and audience questions on AI hardware

(59:27) Government AI funding, DOJ suit, and tech industry commoditization

(1:09:21) AI advancements, consumer electronics costs, and computing hardware trends

(1:12:08) Closing thoughts on technology's impact on life and teaser for next week

Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com

Check out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.com

Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp

Follow Alex:

X: https://x.com/alex

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

Follow Jason:

X: https://twitter.com/Jason

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

Thank you to our partners:

(9:27) Paddle. Go to https://www.paddle.com/twist to get started with your exclusive listener fee-free period.

(20:05) Northwest Registered Agent. For just $39 plus state fees, Northwest will handle your complete business identity. Visit https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist today.

(29:47) Scalable Path. Get 20% off your first month at https://www.scalablepath.com/twist

Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland

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

Follow TWiST:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups

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

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

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups

Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com

Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916

...more

View all episodes

By Jason Calacanis

4.2

12411,241 ratings