AI‑first startups and operational playbook

Jason defines 'AI first', prescribes embedding AI across tasks, and urges employees to learn AI skills post‑layoffs.

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This Week In Startups is made possible by:

IM8 Health - https://IM8health.com/TWIST

Every - Every.io

Sentry - https://Sentry.io/TWIST

Banks don’t want to hand over their data to AI labs. So David Moscatelli built a $250,000 box that runs AI on-prem. He already has 1,600 pre-orders. On today’s episode of TWiST, Jason and Alex sit down with the Go Abacus founder and Yanez's Jose Caldera to unpack how regulated industries are getting AI without the cloud, why Bittensor subnet 54 is incentivizing miners to attack identity systems, and why Cloudflare just laid off 20% of its workforce in the same week it raised guidance. The show closes with Jason explaining what it means to build an AI-first startup, and how workers can derisk their future employment!

Guest Links:

Go Abacus

Go1 direct link

David Moscatelli on LinkedIn

Yanez

Bittensor Subnet 54 on TAOstats

Jose Caldera on LinkedIn

LAUNCH Links:

Founder University

Founder University Japan application portal

News Links:

Cloudflare lays off 20% of its staff

Coinbase cuts 14% of its staff

Block post on how it is rebuilding its company

Block’s earnings, including its raised guidance

Anthropic’s massive upcoming funding round

WHOOP’s new on-demand clinicians

Stripe Atlas’s growth

Timestamps:

0:00 Introduction: Jason in Brooklyn, Knicks playoffs

2:30 Go Abacus joins: AI infrastructure for regulated industries

3:25 Plaud: If your work depends on conversations — interviews, meetings, calls — you need a Plaud NotePin. You can check it out at https://Plaud.ai/twist and use code TWIST for 10% off!

4:00 The Go1: 2,000-user on-prem AI appliance

7:04 Pricing the Go1: How far does $250,000 go?

7:24 1,600 orders and the hardware delivery challenge

10:14 Sentry - New users can get $240 in free credits when they go to https://sentry.io/twist and use the code TWIST

20:23 Every.io - For all of your incorporation, banking, payroll, benefits, accounting, taxes or other back-office administration needs, visit https://every.io

27:22 Chicago tech scene and in-office culture

30:09 IM8 Health: Start feeling like your best self every day. Go to https://IM8health.com/twist and use the code TWiST to get a free welcome kit, five free travel sachets, and 10% off your order.

35:11 Yanez joins: How to prove personhood and uniqueness

38:32 How biometric capture and bio-keys work

40:05 Agent delegation: proving humans authorized AI agents

44:19 Bittensor Subnet 54 and incentivizing adversarial miners

47:11 Founder University Japan Cohort 2 applications open

49:15 Tech layoffs: Cloudflare cuts 20%, Coinbase cuts 14%, Block raises guidance

1:02:14 Anthropic's $50B round at $900B pre-money

1:04:22 WHOOP adds on-demand clinicians

1:06:42 Federalism, state-level regulation, and AI policy

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