This Week in Startups

Jason Calacanis makes the case that AI agents will fundamentally transform banking: from customer service and underwriting to fraud detection and financial planning. Why banks that dont adopt agents will die.

Anthropic's Pentagon deal sparks debate about whether safety-focused AI labs should work with the military. Calacanis argues the alternative is worse.

Examining OpenClaw's security concerns and potential for mainstream adoption, with discussion of mobile integration, killer app potential, and Meta's acquisition of Manus AI.

Calacanis on the fundamentals of early-stage startup success: saving cash, building something people want, and prioritizing distribution over product perfection.

SpaceX buying xAI and forming a mega-corp that plans to launch data centers into space. Calacanis discusses whether Tesla will join to form Musk Industries.

Guests from the LAUNCH team plus Rahul Sood discuss automating research tasks with AI agents and the emerging security risks of authorized AI bots operating with user credentials.

Calacanis makes his annual predictions for the tech industry in 2026, covering AI IPOs, startup market recovery, platform shifts, and geopolitical tech dynamics.

Calacanis explores whether AI coaching tools can replicate the benefits of human executive coaching, concluding that AI is excellent for tactical advice but lacks the relational element that drives real change.

Calacanis distills the winning patterns for AI startups in 2025: vertical AI with deep domain expertise beats horizontal AI, distribution beats technology, and speed beats perfection.

Delian Asparouhov on Founders Fund's thesis: the best returns come from investing in technologies that seem controversial or impossible. Defense tech and space are the current frontier.

Synthesia CEO Victor Riparbelli on how AI video generation is transforming enterprise training, marketing, and communication at scale.

Nick Harris of Lightmatter explains photonic computing — using light instead of electrons for AI computation — and why it could break the energy and heat barriers of traditional chips.

Examining whether AI wearables (Humane AI Pin, Rabbit R1, Meta Ray-Bans) represent the next computing platform or are doomed to fail like Google Glass.

Calacanis surveys the angel investing landscape in 2025: AI has changed what startups are viable, valuations have normalized, and the bar for founder quality has risen.

Entry-level tech jobs dropped 25% as AI handles tasks that were previously assigned to junior employees. Calacanis examines the workforce implications and what new career paths emerge.

Calacanis examines recent startup failures and extracts lessons. Most failures stem from the same pattern: building what investors want rather than what customers need.

Separating real AI companies from AI-washed startups. Calacanis estimates that 60% of companies claiming AI capabilities are exaggerating or misrepresenting their technology.

AI tools have dramatically reduced the cost of building software, making bootstrapping more viable than ever. But AI infrastructure companies still need massive capital. The funding environment is bifurcating.

Calacanis examines the thesis that AI agents will replace SaaS applications. Instead of buying software tools, companies will deploy AI agents that handle tasks directly.

Calacanis opens up about founder mental health, burnout, and the pressure of building in public. The startup ecosystem's culture of relentless optimism creates a mental health crisis.

Five years of data on remote work are in. Calacanis analyzes the results: hybrid works best for most companies, full-remote works for disciplined teams, and full-office works for early-stage startups.

Skydio CEO Adam Bry discusses autonomous drones for public safety, defense, and infrastructure. Why the U.S. drone industry is critical for national security and how autonomy changes everything about drone operations.