US-China tech relationship and open source

This Week In Startups is made possible by:

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Today’s show: 

On the last TWiST episode before Jason goes to Japan and Alex begins on paternity leave, the hosts break down the blockbuster tech news that is kicking off 2026.

Discord AND Strava both eyeing billion dollar IPOs, two massive social media apps with millions of daily active users. Jason unpacks Discord’s the growth story, from a gaming-first product launch in 2015, to a community/work platform and social media for all. Jason explains why Strava proves that data is the MOAT for consumer apps.

PLUS Jason and Alex are joined by Producer Oliver to rank the top CES products. Jason gave his thoughts on the different robots, self driving cars, and multi-fold phones on display.

Would you buy a triple-fold phone?

Timestamps:

(00:00) Discord looks to go public at $7 Billion!

(10:05) Hubspot: Check out the guide “How to Get Your First 100 Customers.” Download it for free at http://clickhubspot.com/twist1

(13:37) Strava going public and why data IS the moat for consumer software

(19:28) Circle.so: the easiest way to build a home for your community, events, and courses — all under your own brand.

(22:25) Anthropic’s $350B valuation and why it makes sense

(31:59) Sentry: New users get 3 months free of the Business plan (covers 150k errors). Go to http://sentry.io/twist and use code TWIST

(33:05) Why is China upset about META’s Manus acquisition — and why Jason is hopeful for the US-China relationship

(37:24) Jason’s favorite part of CES: The rise of open source AI!

(40:59) Why Jason LOVES his self driving Tesla — why public companies need to be safe and not push too quickly

(44:24) Producer Oliver’s Top CES Tech products

(54:46) Jason’s Major Takeway from CES

(59:43) How many times can you fold a phone?

(1:04:04) New interfaces for smartphones

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Follow Lon:

X: https://x.com/lons

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Follow Alex:

X: https://x.com/alex

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

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Follow Jason:

X: https://twitter.com/Jason

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

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Thank you to our partners:

(10:05) Hubspot: Check out the guide “How to Get Your First 100 Customers.” Download it for free at http://clickhubspot.com/twist1

(19:28) Circle.so: the easiest way to build a home for your community, events, and courses — all under your own brand.

(31:59) Sentry: New users get 3 months free of the Business plan (covers 150k errors). Go to http://sentry.io/twist and use code TWIST

Great TWIST interviews: 

Will Guidara

https://youtu.be/pvJa2pzuXWQ

Eoghan McCabe

https://youtu.be/9dHN4YFkgv4

Steve Huffman

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/reddit-ceo-steve-huffman-on-mod-revolt-building-a/id315114957?i=1000617333424

Brian Chesky

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/airbnb-ceo-brian-chesky-on-early-rejection-customer/id315114957?i=1000611761112

Bob Moesta

https://youtu.be/y2UMzSqX94Q

Aaron Levie

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/box-ceo-aaron-levie-breaks-down-box-ai-and-generative/id315114957?i=1000612384545

Sophia Amoruso

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/sophia-amoruso-on-branding-raising-a-fund-portfolio/id315114957?i=1000601352978

Reid Hoffman

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/reid-hoffman-on-ais-crescendo-moment-regulation-and/id315114957?i=1000612548498

Frank Slootman

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/snowflake-ceo-frank-slootman-on-moving-the-needle-win/id315114957?i=1000602560622