AI Model Showdown: Grok 4.1 vs. Gemini 3 | E2211
This Week in Startups
Jason Calacanis
4.4 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 19 November 2025
⏱️ 47 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
AI Model Showdown: Grok 4.1 vs. Gemini 3 | E2211
Register for Founder University Japan’s Kickoff! https://luma.com/cm0x90mk
Today’s show:
*Will the arrival of two hotly-anticipated, intensely powerful AI models snap the Doomer cycle?
On a new TWiST, Jason and Alex consider the current AI landscape, one where cynicism about insider mega-deals, fear of job displacement, and concerns about bubble bursts seem to rule the day. Will the arrival of two powerful new models — xAI’s Grok 4.1 and Google’s Gemini 3 — help the industry to course-correct? And how do we decide how much these models have improved anyway?
PLUS we’re investigating Cloudflare’s recent downtime and their acquisition of Replicate. Are we heading toward a future in which everyone runs their own models, locally? And how worried should founders get if their products or sites go down for a few hours?
Finally, if you’re an investor, and want to come to Jason’s Dim Sum Demo Day in San Francisco, here’s the link: http://launch.co/dimsum
Timestamps:
(2:01) Why the internet got broadly degraded when Cloudflare went down
(5:00) How worried should founders become when their sites go offline?
(6:44) Downtime aside, what did Cloudflare want with Replicate?
(8:12) Why Jason predicts one day we’ll run our own local language models
(9:39) Goldbelly - Goldbelly ****ships America’s most delicious, iconic foods nationwide! Get 20% off your first order by going to Goldbelly.com and using the promo code TWiST at checkout.
(15:25) How to turn off “Learn From This App” on your iPhone
(17:29) Will the arrival of hotly-anticipated new models stop the spread of Doomerism and AI cynicism
(20:00) Every.io - For all of your incorporation, banking, payroll, benefits, accounting, taxes or other back-office administration needs, visit every.io.
(23:53) Checking back in with the “Best AI Model” Polymarket… why has ChatGPT dropped so low?
(29:43) Zite - Zite is the fastest way to build business software with AI. Build apps, forms, websites and portals that connect to the tools you already use. Go to zite.com/twist to get started.
(31:14) ANOTHER AI mega-deal? Nvidia and Microsoft are investing in… ANTHROPIC
(33:06) Why so many AI deals now include “up to…” language around investments
(35:04) What Jason thinks of Dario Amodei’s warning about white collar job displacement
(39:39) If we all agree AI job displacement is coming… what can be done?
(45:16) All about Jason’s Dim Sum Investor Demo Day in San Francisco!
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Check out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.com
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Follow Alex:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm
Follow Jason:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis
Thank you to our partners:
(9:39) Goldbelly - Goldbelly ****ships America’s most delicious, iconic foods nationwide! Get 20% off your first order by going to Goldbelly.com and using the promo code TWiST at checkout.
(20:00) Every.io - For all of your incorporation, banking, payroll, benefits, accounting, taxes or other back-office administration needs, visit every.io.
(29:43) Zite - Zite is the fastest way to build business software with AI. Build apps, forms, websites and portals that connect to the tools you already use. Go to zite.com/twist to get started.
Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | I heard Gemini 3 is out. |
| 0:01.5 | I heard GROC 4.1 is out. |
| 0:03.6 | Everything is happening so quickly in our industry. |
| 0:07.2 | Look at what XAI did. |
| 0:08.4 | Grog 4.1 is really good across a number of metrics compared to GROC 4 fast. |
| 0:13.8 | It's dramatic improvement. |
| 0:15.2 | When 4.1 was released onto the charts, it went straight to the top. |
| 0:19.1 | And I think it just shows that there's several different AI labs here in the U.S. that are able to successfully create state of the art |
| 0:26.2 | models. And I think it also pushes back, Jason, against some of the dumerism that's been kind |
| 0:30.4 | of building in the last three months. One of the great things is I guess that now that we have |
| 0:34.3 | these leader boards, it's motivated all these companies and gotten these |
| 0:37.7 | teams super excited about claiming the top spot. That's where I'm just getting a little concerned |
| 0:44.4 | of, you know, like, are we actually making progress at solving the real world problems people have, |
| 0:50.2 | or are we getting good at acing the SATs? |
| 0:56.2 | And that is a question for me. |
| 0:59.3 | This week in startups is brought to you by Zite. |
| 1:03.1 | Zite is the fastest way to build business software with AI. |
| 1:08.3 | Build apps, forms, websites, and portals that connect to the tools you already use. |
| 1:13.5 | Go to Zite.com slash twist and get 50% off your first project. |
| 1:14.3 | Every. |
| 1:16.6 | Running a startup is hard enough. |
| 1:22.2 | Every takes care of incorporation, banking, payroll, benefits, accounting, taxes, and more so that you focus on building, not back office admin. |
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