Group Chats and Political Shifts

Today’s show: we break down the wild story behind Meta’s AI chatbots going completely off the rails — including a bombshell WSJ exposé about bots flirting with minors. Then they cover Palo Alto Networks’ huge $500M+ acquisition of Protect AI, and sit down with the founder of Formulate, who’s building a robotic kitchen for chemicals and cosmetics. Plus, we get into some spicy takes on the secret group chats shaping tech behind the scenes, whether AI can clean up bad code faster than humans, and a Founder Fridays Texas showdown between Osprey and Wispr.

*

Timestamps:

(0:00) Jason kicks off the show.

(1:45) Jason’s recent trip to Detroit.

(7:47) The influence of group chats on tech, politics, and Trumpism

(10:54) Northwest Registered Agent. Form your entire business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes. Get more privacy, more options, and more done—visit northwestregisteredagent.com/twist today!

(19:48) The importance of proactive communication in media

(20:04) Fidelity Private Shares℠ - Visit ⁠ https://www.fidelityprivateshares.com! Mention our podcast and receive 20% off your first-year paid subscription.

(21:44) Palo Alto Networks acquires Protect AI

(28:57) ARX Robotics and the future of autonomous military platforms

(29:31) Pilot - Visit https://www.pilot.com/twist and get $1,200 off your first year.

(35:27) Sentra's $50M Series B in data security posture management

(42:16) Lightrun's $70M Series B and venture capital trends

(51:28) Meta's AI chatbots, ethical concerns, and Founder Friday competition

(1:05:19) Formulate interview with Osmaan Shah

(1:11:52) Scaling microfactories and the benefits of Formulate's platform

(1:21:10) Business model and future of robotics in manufacturing

(1:24:38) Potential applications in food and agriculture for Formulate Robotics

*

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

*

Links from episode:

Check out Formulate Robotics: https://www.linkedin.com/company/formulaterobotics/posts/?feedView=all

Check out Protect AI: https://protectai.com/

Check out Lightrun: https://lightrun.com/

Check out Sentra: https://www.sentra.io/

Check out the WSK article on Meta’s “Digital Companions”: https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/meta-ai-chatbots-sex-a25311bf?st=6jzH4S&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

Check out ARX Robotics: https://www.arx-robotics.com/

*

Follow Osmaan:

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

X: https://x.com/osmaanshah

*

Follow Lon:

X: https://x.com/lons

*

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:

(10:54) Northwest Registered Agent. Form your entire business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes. Get more privacy, more options, and more done—visit northwestregisteredagent.com/twist today!

(20:04) Fidelity Private Shares℠ - Visit https://www.fidelityprivateshares.com! Mention our podcast and receive 20% off your first-year paid subscription.

(29:31) Pilot - Visit https://www.pilot.com/twist and get $1,200 off your first year.

*

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