Sora app review, Perplexity’s Comet is FREE, and which AI tools reign supreme? | E2188
This Week in Startups
Jason Calacanis
4.4 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 4 October 2025
⏱️ 63 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Today’s show:
Is Sora not just a copyright-killer but a TikTok-killer? Hear our review!
The “This Week in Startups” team has been playing around inside OpenAI’s viral app, which just hit #1 in the iOS Store. See all of Lon’s creations, explore the land beyond the Uncanny Valley, and find out why the hottest new social app could stand to be a bit more social.
PLUS Brave surpasses 100M MAUs… why Jason would sell ALL his OpenAI shares right away, Apple pulls the ICEBlock app from the App Store, AND how one founder hacked his local coffee shop to network and even get face time with a few VCs! It’s all happening of a fast-paced Friday TWiST.
Timestamps:
(0:00) Why Jason started an Executive Training program at LAUNCH
(05:17) Perplexity’s Comet browser is now FREE to use; Jason unpacks their strategy
(10:02) Monarch Money - Get 50% Off Monarch Money, the all-in-one financial tool at www.monarchmoney.com/TWIST
(13:42) PLUS browser/search engine Brave passed 100M MAUs!
(17:44) How a founder “hacked” his local coffee shop
(20:06) Alphasense - Get deeper insights into your business with the power of AI search and market intelligence. Start with a free trial at https://www.alpha-sense.com/twist
(21:35) You need to make it EASY for people to give you feedback!
(25:41) A look at the leanest startups around and how companies are doing more with less
(30:11) LinkedIn Ads: Start converting your B2B audience into high quality leads today. We’ll even give you a $100 credit on your next campaign. Go to http://LinkedIn.com/ThisWeekinStartups to claim your credit.
(30:38) Why Jason would sell ALL his OpenAI shares right away!
(38:56) Lon stops by to review the Sora app; the good, the bad, and the remixes!
(48:45) Apple pulled the ICEBlock app… is this a free speech issue?
(56:11) A new startup wants to fight gov’t corruption… and keep a share of the proceeds
Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com
Check out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.com
Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp
Follow Lon:
Follow Alex:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm
Follow Jason:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis
Thank you to our partners:
- Monarch Money - Get 50% Off Monarch Money, the all-in-one financial tool at www.monarchmoney.com/TWIST
- Alphasense - Get deeper insights into your business with the power of AI search and market intelligence. Start with a free trial at https://www.alpha-sense.com/twist
- LinkedIn Ads: Thanks to our partner @LinkedInMktg. Start converting your B2B audience into high quality leads today. We’ll even give you a $100 credit on your next campaign. Go to http://LinkedIn.com/ThisWeekinStartups to claim your credit.
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 | We are in the irrational exuberance era right now with private companies like opening eyes. |
| 0:06.6 | Nothing personal to them or Sam. |
| 0:08.5 | It's just the demand is too high for these shares. |
| 0:12.3 | If I was an employee, I would sell every share I have. |
| 0:15.9 | This Weekend Startups is brought to you by LinkedIn Ads. |
| 0:20.5 | Start converting your B2B audience into high quality leads today. We'll even give you a $100 credit on your next campaign. Go to LinkedIn.com slash this weekend startups to claim your credit. Alpha Sense. Get deeper insights into your business with the power of AI search and market intelligence. |
| 0:39.1 | Start with a free trial at alpha-sense.com slash twist. |
| 0:44.7 | And Monarch Money. |
| 0:47.0 | Get control of your overall finances with Monarch Money. |
| 0:50.3 | Visit monarchmoney.com slash twist for half off on your first year. |
| 0:55.1 | All right, everybody, welcome back to this week in startups. It is Friday. It is October 3rd, |
| 0:58.8 | 2025. Tons of tech news. We're going to get into it. But Alex and I were just getting started in the |
| 1:03.9 | pre-production. I was letting them know about a new innovation I created. It was a new innovation, |
| 1:09.1 | which is I started an executive training program inside of |
| 1:13.3 | our venture firm. What I found is a lot of young people don't understand what it means to be |
| 1:21.0 | an executive because, I don't know, it's just like work seems to have become far too casual, |
| 1:26.3 | far too casual. Okay. |
| 1:28.3 | So as part of like coming back to in office, tracking your hours, doing calendar blocking, |
| 1:35.3 | where you're going to get certain things done on your calendar, doing a start of day, an |
| 1:39.3 | end of day, keeping a to-do list, follow-up communication, crisp communication, listening to questions that other |
| 1:45.6 | team members ask you and answering them is, you know, like a, it's like a skill that's actually |
| 1:51.9 | I thought would be, you know, most people would have coming into the workforce. |
... |
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