This Week in Startups
Jason Calacanis covers startups, tech, markets, media, and all the hottest topics in business and technology. He also interviews the world's greatest founders, operators, investors, and innovators.
25 episodes
Episodes
This Week in Startups
China uses robot sports to build public sympathy for automation
The battle for AI dominance is moving beyond software, as nations use cultural public relations to prepare their populations for a highly automated workforce.
Aug 25, 2026 · 1h 20m
This Week in Startups
Open-source models threaten proprietary dominance in the enterprise AI market
The enterprise AI market is reaching a turning point where cost, control, and customization are driving companies toward open-source alternatives over closed ecosystems.
Aug 21, 2026 · 1h 9m
This Week in Startups
Generative AI turns natural language into the new game programming language
As generative AI lowers the technical barriers to game development, human artistic taste and curation are replacing traditional coding as the primary skill set for creators.
Aug 20, 2026 · 21 min
This Week in Startups
Neurosymbolic AI transforms search while orbital gas stations solve space refueling
This episode highlights how hybrid AI architectures and orbital refueling infrastructure are simultaneously solving critical bottlenecks in e-commerce and the commercial space economy.
Aug 19, 2026 · 54 min
This Week in Startups
Bittensor co-founder Jacob Steeves outlines the future of decentralized artificial intelligence
This episode provides a deep dive into the mechanics and economic incentives of Bittensor, highlighting how blockchain technology can be used to decentralize artificial intelligence development.
Aug 17, 2026 · 1h 25m
This Week in Startups
Anthropic rumored to target massive trillion dollar valuation in upcoming IPO
This episode unpacks how massive AI valuations and physical automation are reshaping both public markets and labor-intensive industries like construction.
Aug 15, 2026 · 1h 20m
This Week in Startups
Startups deploy hardware automation to slash shipping costs and expand healthcare
Automation is moving beyond software as physical robotics and specialized kiosks begin to restructure the economics of local retail logistics and basic healthcare delivery.
Aug 12, 2026 · 1h 4m
This Week in Startups
Zuckerberg uses AI manifesto to clear path for data center expansion
Tech giants are shifting their strategies, using public relations to secure physical infrastructure while rewriting the rules of creator monetization.
Aug 11, 2026 · 1h 20m
This Week in Startups
AI integration divides tech earnings as floating nuclear reactors eye data centers
As AI development demands unprecedented levels of power and data, the tech sector is forcing a massive rethink of both global energy infrastructure and national security boundaries.
Aug 7, 2026 · 1h 18m
This Week in Startups
VCs dissect Airtable acquisition and the new reality of startup valuations
This episode provides a rare look inside the VC playbook as firms adapt to lower startup valuations, secondary market pressures, and internal AI automation.
Aug 5, 2026 · 1h 13m
This Week in Startups
How Bespoke faked its AI chatbot to win major enterprise clients
This episode demonstrates how founders can use creative hacks to validate technology and how Japan's demographic crisis is fueling a new wave of robotics and automation startups.
Aug 3, 2026 · 1h 2m
This Week in Startups
Startups build curation engines to teach artificial intelligence human taste
As generative AI floods the internet with generic content, teaching machine models human-like taste and aesthetic judgment has become the next major frontier in technology.
Jul 31, 2026 · 1h 15m
This Week in Startups
Cultivated meat startup reaches profitability by pivoting to cosmetics market
As the global cell-cultured meat sector struggles with high costs and regulatory hurdles, this pivot offers a viable blueprint for biotechnology survival.
Jul 27, 2026 · 44 min
This Week in Startups
Quantum computing startups pivot to global integration to bypass hardware bottlenecks
As quantum hardware matures, the race to build stable qubits is shifting from academic theory to a global commercial and geopolitical scramble with massive cryptographic implications.
Jul 24, 2026 · 45 min
This Week in Startups
Longevity startup bypasses Silicon Valley to build in Japan
The episode highlights how international regulatory environments and alternative funding structures are challenging Silicon Valley's monopoly on deep-tech innovation.
Jul 22, 2026 · 1h 12m
This Week in Startups
Software startups target surgical automation and fractional real estate investing
As software eating the world enters its physical phase, startups are bypassing expensive custom hardware to automate surgery and fractionalize real estate.
Jul 17, 2026 · 47 min
This Week in Startups
AI startups target the manual processes holding back asset management
This episode bridges the future of AI-driven fintech with essential historical lessons on SaaS pricing, security compliance, and platform dependency.
Jul 6, 2026 · 58 min
This Week in Startups
Venture capitalists warn massive AI seed rounds threaten startup survival
As venture liquidity dries up, the traditional playbook for scaling and exiting startups is being rewritten by massive AI valuations and private equity.
Jul 1, 2026 · 1h 14m
This Week in Startups
Chamath Palihapitiya launches AI startup to automate global software maintenance
This episode outlines how AI is fundamentally changing both the cost of software engineering and the organizational structures required to build modern tech companies.
Jun 29, 2026 · 1h 12m
This Week in Startups
Smart tape challenges wind tunnels as Apple and OpenAI battle for hardware talent
The episode highlights a massive shift in aerodynamic testing alongside growing tensions between rapid AI scaling, government oversight, and local infrastructure constraints.
Jun 27, 2026 · 1h 30m
This Week in Startups
Hardware founders drive innovation from tabletop gaming to hypersonic flight
This episode explores how modern hardware startups are overcoming manufacturing and capital challenges to build highly ambitious physical products.
Jun 24, 2026 · 1h 9m
This Week in Startups
Startups leverage live-map gamification and AI brain modeling to disrupt health tech
This episode highlights how non-traditional mechanics like gaming and advanced AI infrastructure are solving massive engagement and financial hurdles in health and biotechnology.
Jun 22, 2026 · 1h 3m
This Week in Startups
SpaceX acquires Cursor as venture capitalists warn of AI startup squeeze
As major tech players acquire critical developer tools and frontier model costs soar, early-stage startups face a rapidly tightening funding environment and pressure to build defensible AI workflows.
Jun 18, 2026 · 1h 41m
This Week in Startups
GRU Space plans lunar hotel using robotic brick manufacturing from topsoil
As SpaceX lowers the cost of space travel, startups are designing actual lunar infrastructure, even as geopolitical tensions and government interventions threaten to slow down the AI revolution on Earth.
Jun 15, 2026 · 1h 41m
This Week in Startups
SpaceX IPO redefines Wall Street valuation as retail investors secure shares
The historic SpaceX public offering is reshaping retail investing, while new AI-driven fundraising and marketing frameworks are redefining how early-stage startups compete.
Jun 13, 2026 · 1h 20m