AI on the blockchain, Waymo's rise, and the truth about tech layoffs | E1996
This Week in Startups
Valuing the Invisible: Private Shares and Media Accountability
This chapter explores the challenges of valuing private shares compared to liquid ones, critiquing a recent funding round's vagueness and investor skepticism. It also delves into a media controversy, highlighting the need for accountability in journalism and the cultural barriers to honesty in public discourse.
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Todays show:
Alex Wilhelm joins Jason to discuss AI on the blockchain (41:04), Waymo’s growth (29:27), tech layoffs (58:47), and more!
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Timestamps:
(0:00) Jason and Alex kick off the show
(2:24) Bolt's fundraising controversy and business model
(8:24) CEO loans and board conflicts at Bolt
(11:25) Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist
(12:46) Public vs. private equity borrowing and media integrity
(21:18) Technology media industry reflections
(28:32) .Tech Domains - Apply for the Jam Session with JCal contest today at https://jamwithjcal.tech
(29:27) Waymo's growth and autonomous vehicle market
(39:49) CommandBar - Visit https://commandbar.com/twist to get a custom live demo.
(41:04) Story raises $80M for blockchain-based IP network
(46:23) Stablecoins and SEC investigations
(58:47) The truth behind tech layoffs
(1:07:26) Audience questions
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Mentioned on the show:
https://x.com/pitdesi/status/1826262321045610846
https://www.pymnts.com/personnel/2023/one-click-checkout-startup-bolt-laying-off-10-of-workforce
https://waymo.com/blog/2024/06/waymo-one-is-now-open-to-everyone-in-san-francisco
https://x.com/TechTekedra/status/1825910695311114384
https://techcrunch.com/2024/07/23/alphabet-to-invest-another-5b-into-waymo
https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/18/cars/china-baidu-apollo-go-robotaxi-anxiety-intl-hnk
https://openai.com/index/gpt-4o-fine-tuning
https://openai.com/index/conde-nast
https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/858877/000119312524200636/d878533d8k.htm
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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:
(11:25) Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist
(28:32) .Tech Domains - Apply for the Jam Session with JCal contest today at https://jamwithjcal.tech
(39:49) CommandBar - Visit https://commandbar.com/twist to get a custom live demo.
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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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Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com
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