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Navigating the Evolution of Toast
This chapter explores the transformative journey of Toast, detailing its rise in the restaurant tech sector and the impact of COVID-19 on its growth. It discusses unique product features, financial performance, and the strategic importance of product velocity and innovation for SaaS companies.
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Todays show:
Alex Wilhelm joins Jason to discuss Apple’s on-device AI and its privacy implications, Reddit’s earnings, and Amazon’s multi-billion dollar investment interest in Anthropic with strategic chip conditions. They also discuss economic indicators like inflation’s impact on voter sentiment and what metrics will define success for the next administration. Finally, they explore how product velocity has been key to Toast’s SaaS success and share valuable lessons for startup growth.
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Timestamps:
(0:00) Jason and Alex kick off the show
(3:29) Discussion Apple Intelligence and privacy concerns
(10:32) Runway - Sign up at https://www.runway.com/twist to get your first 3 months free.
(12:12) Trust in tech companies and privacy
(17:20) Trends on AI topics and ChatGPT
(17:20) Trends and tech product comparisons
(20:59) OpenAI's Chat.com acquisition
(22:45) Mac mini unboxing experience wrap-up
(24:40) LinkedIn Ads - Get a $100 LinkedIn ad credit at https://www.linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups
(26:12) Analysis of Toast's business and growth
(36:25) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://www.vanta.com/twist
(37:30) Reddit's growth, user engagement, and moderation challenges
(47:36) Social media incentives and reputation systems
(52:07) Reddit's AI translations and community management strategies
(57:25) Reddit's potential for creating a search engine
(1:00:38) OpenAI's citation challenges
(1:05:30) Amazon's interest in Anthropic and AI regulation
(1:07:37) US immigration and AI regulation under Trump administration
(1:11:43) TikTok's role in US-China relations
(1:15:42) Major IPOs and market potential
(1:17:19) Economic topics and inflation's impact on consumer spending
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Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp
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Mentioned on the show:
https://security.apple.com/blog/private-cloud-compute/
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Follow Alex:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm
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Follow Jason:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis
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Thank you to our partners:
(10:32) Runway - Sign up at https://www.runway.com/twist to get your first 3 months free.
(24:40) LinkedIn Ads - Get a $100 LinkedIn ad credit at https://www.linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups
(36:25) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://www.vanta.com/twist
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Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, 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.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916
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