Jason’s H-1B pitch, the latest on the TikTok deal, and Howie’s first ad | E2182
This Week in Startups
Jason Calacanis
4.4 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 23 September 2025
⏱️ 75 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Today’s show:
New proposal on H-1B visas… and it’s pretty similar to Jason’s pitch from last month!
On a new TWiST, Jason and Lon wonder if the White House is watching the pod and borrowing some of our best ideas! Specifically, the new $100K H-1B visa proposal sounds a lot like Jason’s suggestion from August… with a few significant tweaks.
PLUS we’re looking at the latest news about the US TikTok entity, why Jason’s not concerned about the new algorithm, the explosion of major data centers in Scandinavia, the European Commission’s scaling back of anti-cookie regulations, AND the first big marketing push from virtual assistant startup Howie! That’s a packed show!
Timestamps:
(0:00) Alex is out today so Jason and Lon introduce the show.
(04:11) Did they borrow their new H-1B visa proposal from JCal?
(10:10) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST
(11:28) Show Continues…
(19:21) Public - Take your investing to the next level with Public. Build a multi-asset portfolio and earn 4.1% APY on your cash—with no fees or minimums. Start now at public.com/twist
(20:28) Show Continues…
(26:42) Answering YOUR pressing H-1B questions.
(30:13) Stripe Startups - Stripe Startups offers early-stage, venture-backed startups access to Stripe fee credits and more. Apply today on stripe.com/startups.
(31:30) Show Continues…
(32:51) The Murdochs are likely joining the TikTok deal…
(34:38) Why Jason’s not concerned about TikTok being in the hands of mostly Trump allies
(39:29) A look inside the Nordic data center boom and why it’s happening
(01:03:32) Checking out Howie’s first ad… how much did it cost to make?
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Zuckerberg and his family will control meta and their billions of user for all eternity. |
| 0:07.9 | That's the company that you have to be worried about. |
| 0:10.2 | This company, you will not need to because the original owners are going to keep their stakes. |
| 0:14.6 | So Jeff Yass, I think my friend Brad Gersner, Altimiter has a very public position in the company. |
| 0:42.8 | I don't know how large it is. So this cap table is going to have, it looks like, you know, dozens of people on it. It will be a fully diversified company and then a large amount of the shares will be floated publicly, which is why all these people are making this investment. They're not making this investment to control the asset. They're making it because it's a great business deal. This is the one company that challenge has met as supremacy and will continue to do so. YouTube would be the other, right? Just as the world moves to video in shorts. And so |
| 0:48.5 | you have to ask who loses here? The big loser in all of this is Zuckerberg. Zuckerberg now has a viable, scary competitor. |
| 0:59.9 | This week in startups is brought to you by Stripe Startups. |
| 1:04.4 | Stripe Startups offers early stage, venture-back startups, access to Stripe fee credits, |
| 1:09.2 | expert insights, and a focused community of builders. |
| 1:12.7 | Apply today on Stripe.com slash startups. |
| 1:16.1 | Public. |
| 1:16.9 | You take investing seriously. |
| 1:18.9 | Public does too. |
| 1:20.6 | Build a multi-asset portfolio and earn an industry leading 4.1% APY on your cash with no fees or minimums. Learn more at public.com slash twist. |
| 1:32.4 | And Squarespace. Turn your idea into a beautiful website. Go to Squarespace.com slash twist for a free |
| 1:39.6 | trial and when you're ready to launch, use offer code twist to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. |
| 1:46.6 | All right, everybody. |
| 1:47.5 | Welcome back to this week in startups with me, my co-host for today, our editorial director, Lon Harris. |
| 1:54.5 | Welcome to the show, Lon. |
| 1:56.3 | All right. |
| 1:58.1 | What's our top story here, Lon? |
| 1:59.9 | Oh, man. |
... |
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