Tesla and Uber team up! Plus Weave Robotics’ Isaac and $OPEN bull Eric Jackson | E2180
This Week in Startups
Eric Jackson: Activism, Carvana, and the Opendoor Bet
Eric recounts his activist origins at Yahoo, lessons from Carvana (skin-in-the-game signals), and his bullish Opendoor thesis including retail mobilization and board/management changes.
Today’s show:
Hear why Eric Jackson thinks Opendoor is the new Carvana, and how he’s planning to bring Drake on board as an investor (plus Jason’s Bestie Chamath).
On a brand-new TWiST, Jason and Alex are chatting with Jackson of EMJ Capital about his hunt for elusive 100 baggers (stocks that return 100-to-1).
PLUS we’re chatting with Weave Robotics’ Kaan Doğrusöz about designing practical domestic robots RIGHT NOW, rather than prototypes for 2030. Hear about how they got Isaac to fold laundry like a pro.
All that and… how Jason would turn around TechCrunch, why board members should always have skin in the game, that Waymo motorcycle accident, AND Uber and Tesla’s first team-up to haul freight!
Timestamps:
(0:00) Jason is worried about the next generation facing the end of apprenticeship; here’s his advice for young workers
(10:24) Northwest Registered Agent - Form your entire business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes. Get more privacy, more options, and more done—visit https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist today!
(11:30) Kaan Doğrusöz of Weave Robotics joins to talk about getting his laundry-folding robot, Isaac, into customer’s homes
(18:01) Isaac doesn’t have hands; here’s how Weave makes it work with grippers
(20:44) Stripe Startups - Stripe Startups offers early-stage, venture-backed startups access to Stripe fee credits and more. Apply today on stripe.com/startups.
(21:48) Show Continues…
(24:51) Checking out some of Weave’s competitors… how did they settle on Isaac’s design?
(30:01) Miro - Help your teams get great done with Miro. Check out miro.com to find out how!
(31:10) What’s going on with TikTok?
(36:15) Jason’s pitch is “BOYA”: Bring Your Own Algorithm
(38:54) Eric Jackson of EMJ Capital stops by to talk up $OPEN and why he wants Drake to invest
(40:14) Eric’s early YouTube career as an activist Yahoo! Investor
(44:42) Lessons Eric learned from Carvana and how that informed his $OPEN bet
(01:00:30) Why bringing Keith Rabois back was Eric’s ultimate dream for Opendoor
(01:03:02) Why board members should always have “skin in the game” and why $OPEN wants Chamath back
(01:07:26) Tesla and Uber are finally working together… They said it was impossible!
(01:09:31) A look at YouTube’s new AI podcasting features
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 Lon:
Follow Alex:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm
Follow Jason:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis
Thank you to our partners:
- Northwest Registered Agent - Form your entire business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes. Get more privacy, more options, and more done—visit https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist today!
- Stripe Startups - Stripe Startups offers early-stage, venture-backed startups access to Stripe fee credits and more. Apply today on stripe.com/startups.
- Miro - Help your teams get great done with Miro. Check out miro.com to find out how!
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
The AI-powered Podcast Player
