Meta’s Dangerous Chat, Protect AI & Founder Fridays Pitch Comp | E2118

This Week in Startups

Jason Calacanis

Technology

4.4 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 29 April 2025

⏱️ 87 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Today’s show: we break down the wild story behind Meta’s AI chatbots going completely off the rails — including a bombshell WSJ exposé about bots flirting with minors. Then they cover Palo Alto Networks’ huge $500M+ acquisition of Protect AI, and sit down with the founder of Formulate, who’s building a robotic kitchen for chemicals and cosmetics. Plus, we get into some spicy takes on the secret group chats shaping tech behind the scenes, whether AI can clean up bad code faster than humans, and a Founder Fridays Texas showdown between Osprey and Wispr.

Timestamps:

(0:00) Jason kicks off the show.

(1:45) Jason’s recent trip to Detroit.

(7:47) The influence of group chats on tech, politics, and Trumpism

(10:54) Northwest Registered Agent. Form your entire business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes. Get more privacy, more options, and more done—visit northwestregisteredagent.com/twist today!

(19:48) The importance of proactive communication in media

(20:04) Fidelity Private Shares℠ - Visit ⁠ https://www.fidelityprivateshares.com! Mention our podcast and receive 20% off your first-year paid subscription.

(21:44) Palo Alto Networks acquires Protect AI

(28:57) ARX Robotics and the future of autonomous military platforms

(29:31) Pilot - Visit https://www.pilot.com/twist and get $1,200 off your first year.

(35:27) Sentra's $50M Series B in data security posture management

(42:16) Lightrun's $70M Series B and venture capital trends

(51:28) Meta's AI chatbots, ethical concerns, and Founder Friday competition

(1:05:19) Formulate interview with Osmaan Shah

(1:11:52) Scaling microfactories and the benefits of Formulate's platform

(1:21:10) Business model and future of robotics in manufacturing

(1:24:38) Potential applications in food and agriculture for Formulate Robotics

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Check out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.com

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Links from episode:

Check out Formulate Robotics: https://www.linkedin.com/company/formulaterobotics/posts/?feedView=all

Check out Protect AI: https://protectai.com/

Check out Lightrun: https://lightrun.com/

Check out Sentra: https://www.sentra.io/

Check out the WSK article on Meta’s “Digital Companions”: https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/meta-ai-chatbots-sex-a25311bf?st=6jzH4S&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

Check out ARX Robotics: https://www.arx-robotics.com/

Follow Osmaan:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/osmaanshah/

X: https://x.com/osmaanshah

Follow Lon:

X: https://x.com/lons

Follow Alex:

X: https://x.com/alex

LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm

Follow Jason:

X: https://twitter.com/Jason

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis

Thank you to our partners:

(20:04) Fidelity Private Shares℠ - Visit https://www.fidelityprivateshares.com! Mention our podcast and receive 20% off your first-year paid subscription.

(29:31) Pilot - Visit https://www.pilot.com/twist and get $1,200 off your first year.

Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland

Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis

Follow TWiST:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups

Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com

Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	When I was in high school, I had a session with like a guidance counselor.
0:03.9	And I said, hey, you know, he said, what's your plan?
0:05.8	I said, well, you know, I read about Brown.
0:08.3	I said, you know, they let you make your own degree.
0:10.6	You can kind of roll your own concept.
0:11.9	So my concept is psychology and like human behavior plus computers because I, you know,
0:17.5	I'm into computers and online services specifically.
0:20.6	You left in my face.
0:21.6	This is when I was like 16 years old and the guidance counselor like spit out his coffee laughing.
0:26.8	He said, you're, you're barely going to get into any college.
0:29.3	You have like a 72, three year average.
0:31.9	Like, aren't you going to take the cop test?
0:33.8	I said, yeah, I'm taking the cop test where my brother Josh and the wrong being a cop.
0:37.4	I almost was one. And he said, yeah, do that. Like, it's badder. Like, you're not,
0:40.9	you're barely getting into Brooklyn College. And I got into Brooklyn College. And then I wound
0:44.5	up getting into Fordham. But just imagine, like, made me who I am. That pissed me off so much.
0:55.3	I was like, fuck this guy.
0:56.9	Made me be like, you know what?
0:57.8	I'm going to show this guy.
0:58.6	I'm going to get into a good school and I'm going to have a career.
1:02.4	This weekend startups is brought to you by Northwest Registered Agent.
1:06.0	Starting your business should be simple. With Northwest Registered Agent, you can form your entire business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes. From LLCs to trademarks, domains to custom websites, they've got you
	...

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