Legendary VC Steve Jurvetson looks ahead at neutral networks, Tesla, nuclear power, and more | E2193
This Week in Startups
The Promise and Limits of Nanotech
Steve reflects on nanotech hype, bottom‑up vs top‑down approaches, and why progress took longer than expected.
Today’s show:
*On a very special TWiST, Jason’s joined by “one of the greatest investors in in the history of VC,” Steve Jurvetson of Future Ventures.
Together, they look back at some of Steve’s earliest investments and learnings, the promise and ultimate failure of nanotech, breaking down the AI hype cycle, the primacy of neural networks, the return of nuclear power, why “AI safety” might be illusory, and much more.
It’s a packed show full of deep insights from one of the greatest minds in technology today. Do not miss this ep!
Timestamps:
(00:00)Jason’s 1-on-1 today with “one of the greatest investors in the history of VC,” Steve Jurvetson
(00:03:04) The early origins of Steve’s fascination with “deep tech”
(00:08:03) Jason and Steve recall playing around with the TRS-80 (“The Trash-80”)
(10:00) Perspective AI: Real insights, straight from your customers, and your first two months are on us. Just go to getperspective.ai/twist.
(00:15:13) Keeping your portfolio diverse when so many companies look the same
(20:00) .TECH: Say it without saying it. Head to get.tech/twist or your favorite registrar to get a clean, sharp .tech domain today.
(00:20:49) The promise of nanotech and why it fell apart
(00:25:46) Breaking down the “hype” cycle and how trends get co-opted
(00:26:27) Why Moore’s Law and the Power Law are so important for investors
(30:00) 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!
(00:33:36) Understanding the rise of GPUs and how they resemble tiny brains
(00:51:32) Revisiting a classic clip of Steve talking about robots
(00:54:04) How Jason and Steve got their hands on some of the earliest Tesla Roadsters
(01:00:09) Flashback Clip: Elon predicts 2025 in 2015… how’d he do?
(01:02:46) Why did the world turn SO strongly against nuclear energy?
(01:16:06) Can we make AI “safe” in the age of GPT Psychosis? Is it too inscrutable?
(01:21:54) Why Steve thinks technology will ultimately doom autocratic regimes.
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:
- TECH: Say it without saying it. Head to get.tech/twist or your favorite registrar to get a clean, sharp .tech domain today.
- 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!
- Perspective AI: Real insights, straight from your customers, and your first two months are on us. Just go to getperspective.ai/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
The AI-powered Podcast Player
