<p>This Week in Startups is brought to you by…</p> <p>Coda. Coda empowers your startup by bringing words, tables, and teams together. Strategize, plan, and track goals effectively with all your valuable data in one place. Go to <a href="https://www.coda.io/twist" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.coda.io/twist</a> to get started for FREE and get 6 free months of the Team plan.</p> <p><a href="http://lemon.io/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Lemon.io</a> - Hire pre-vetted remote developers, get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at <a href="https://Lemon.io/twist" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://Lemon.io/twist</a></p> <p>Gusto. Gusto is easy online payroll, benefits, and HR built for modern small businesses. Get three months free when you run your first payroll at ⁠https://www.gusto.com/twist</p> <p>*</p> <p>Todays show:</p> <p>Alex and Jason discuss Databricks’ record raise, TikTok’s big day at the Supreme Court, Shishir Mehrotra on the Coda-Grammarly merger, and more.</p> <p>*</p> <p>Timestamps:</p> <p>(0:00) Jason and Alex kick off the show (3:38) Insights on Databricks' private fundraise and venture capital trends (8:37) Predictions on unlimited free energy, water, and food</p> <p>(9:41) Coda - Empower your startup with Coda’s Team plan for free—get 6 months at <a href="https://www.Coda.io/twist" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.Coda.io/twist</a> (14:25) The declining costs of cloud computing (17:12) Evaluating growth rate for startup valuations (19:46) Competitive landscape: Databricks vs. Snowflake</p> <p>(20:48) <a href="http://lemon.io/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Lemon.io</a> - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at <a href="https://Lemon.io/twist" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://Lemon.io/twist</a> 22:07 The strategic importance of selecting the right customers 26:34 Venture capital communication and the ghosting phenomenon 28:43 TikTok's ongoing legal challenges</p> <p>(31:25) Gusto - Get three months free when you run your first payroll at <a href="http://gusto.com/twist" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">http://gusto.com/twist</a> (32:33) Shashir Mehrotra on the Coda-Grammarly merger (37:16) Vision and applications of the Coda-Grammarly partnership (42:35) Future of AI agents and Grammarly's role (45:13) SaaS industry dynamics and AI's role in upselling (49:10) The impact of AI on job automation and workforce productivity (54:40) Team sizes and AI-driven productivity debate (57:18) The future interaction with AI agents (1:00:40) Efficiency gains from combining Grammarly and Coda (1:02:02) The role of ChatGPT and AI in social media (1:03:46) Tailoring AI tools for business needs (1:06:26) Lessons from mergers and acquisitions in the tech sector (1:08:08) Strategic acquisitions and their importance in the tech industry</p> <p>*</p> <p>Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: <a href="https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com</a></p> <p>Check out the TWIST500: <a href="https://www.twist500.com" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.twist500.com</a></p> <p>*</p> <p>Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: <a href="https://rb.gy/v19fcp" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://rb.gy/v19fcp</a></p> <p>*</p> <p>Follow Shishir:</p> <p>X: <a href="https://x.com/shishirmehrotra" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://x.com/shishirmehrotra</a></p> <p>LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/shishirmehrotra" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/in/shishirmehrotra</a></p> <p>*</p> <p>Follow Alex:</p> <p>X: <a href="https://x.com/alex" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://x.com/alex</a></p> <p>LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm</a></p> <p>*</p> <p>Follow Jason:</p> <p>X: <a href="https://twitter.com/Jason" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/Jason</a></p> <p>LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis</a></p> <p>*</p> <p>Thank you to our partners:</p> <p>(9:41) Coda - Empower your startup with Coda’s Team plan for free—get 6 months at <a href="https://www.Coda.io/twist" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.Coda.io/twist</a></p> <p>(20:48) <a href="http://lemon.io/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Lemon.io</a> - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at <a href="https://Lemon.io/twist" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://Lemon.io/twist</a></p> <p>(31:25) Gusto - Get three months free when you run your first payroll at <a href="http://gusto.com/twist" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">http://gusto.com/twist</a></p> <p>*</p> <p>Great TWIST interviews: <a href="https://youtu.be/pvJa2pzuXWQ" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Will Guidara,</a> <a href="https://youtu.be/9dHN4YFkgv4" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Eoghan McCabe</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/reddit-ceo-steve-huffman-on-mod-revolt-building-a/id315114957?i=1000617333424" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Steve Huffman</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/airbnb-ceo-brian-chesky-on-early-rejection-customer/id315114957?i=1000611761112" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Brian Chesky</a>, <a href="https://youtu.be/y2UMzSqX94Q" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bob Moesta,</a> <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/box-ceo-aaron-levie-breaks-down-box-ai-and-generative/id315114957?i=1000612384545" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Aaron Levie</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/sophia-amoruso-on-branding-raising-a-fund-portfolio/id315114957?i=1000601352978" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sophia Amoruso</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/reid-hoffman-on-ais-crescendo-moment-regulation-and/id315114957?i=1000612548498" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Reid Hoffman</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/snowflake-ceo-frank-slootman-on-moving-the-needle-win/id315114957?i=1000602560622" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Frank Slootman</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/billy-mcfarland-on-fyre-fest-fraud-failure-hacking/id315114957?i=1000610922577" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Billy McFarland</a></p> <p>*</p> <p>Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: <a href="https://substack.com/@calacanis" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://substack.com/@calacanis</a></p> <p>*</p> <p>Follow TWiST:</p> <p>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/TWiStartups" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/TWiStartups</a></p> <p>YouTube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin</a></p> <p>Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups</a></p> <p>TikTok: <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups</a></p> <p>Substack: <a href="https://twistartups.substack.com" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://twistartups.substack.com</a></p> <p>*</p> <p>Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916</a></p>

This Week in Startups

Jason Calacanis

Databricks' Record Raise, TikTok goes to the Supreme Court, and all about the Grammarly-Coda Deal | E2063

DEC 19, 202469 MIN
This Week in Startups

Databricks' Record Raise, TikTok goes to the Supreme Court, and all about the Grammarly-Coda Deal | E2063

DEC 19, 202469 MIN

Description

<p>This Week in Startups is brought to you by…</p> <p>Coda. Coda empowers your startup by bringing words, tables, and teams together. Strategize, plan, and track goals effectively with all your valuable data in one place. Go to <a href="https://www.coda.io/twist" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.coda.io/twist</a> to get started for FREE and get 6 free months of the Team plan.</p> <p><a href="http://lemon.io/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Lemon.io</a> - Hire pre-vetted remote developers, get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at <a href="https://Lemon.io/twist" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://Lemon.io/twist</a></p> <p>Gusto. Gusto is easy online payroll, benefits, and HR built for modern small businesses. Get three months free when you run your first payroll at ⁠https://www.gusto.com/twist</p> <p>*</p> <p>Todays show:</p> <p>Alex and Jason discuss Databricks’ record raise, TikTok’s big day at the Supreme Court, Shishir Mehrotra on the Coda-Grammarly merger, and more.</p> <p>*</p> <p>Timestamps:</p> <p>(0:00) Jason and Alex kick off the show (3:38) Insights on Databricks' private fundraise and venture capital trends (8:37) Predictions on unlimited free energy, water, and food</p> <p>(9:41) Coda - Empower your startup with Coda’s Team plan for free—get 6 months at <a href="https://www.Coda.io/twist" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.Coda.io/twist</a> (14:25) The declining costs of cloud computing (17:12) Evaluating growth rate for startup valuations (19:46) Competitive landscape: Databricks vs. Snowflake</p> <p>(20:48) <a href="http://lemon.io/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Lemon.io</a> - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at <a href="https://Lemon.io/twist" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://Lemon.io/twist</a> 22:07 The strategic importance of selecting the right customers 26:34 Venture capital communication and the ghosting phenomenon 28:43 TikTok's ongoing legal challenges</p> <p>(31:25) Gusto - Get three months free when you run your first payroll at <a href="http://gusto.com/twist" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">http://gusto.com/twist</a> (32:33) Shashir Mehrotra on the Coda-Grammarly merger (37:16) Vision and applications of the Coda-Grammarly partnership (42:35) Future of AI agents and Grammarly's role (45:13) SaaS industry dynamics and AI's role in upselling (49:10) The impact of AI on job automation and workforce productivity (54:40) Team sizes and AI-driven productivity debate (57:18) The future interaction with AI agents (1:00:40) Efficiency gains from combining Grammarly and Coda (1:02:02) The role of ChatGPT and AI in social media (1:03:46) Tailoring AI tools for business needs (1:06:26) Lessons from mergers and acquisitions in the tech sector (1:08:08) Strategic acquisitions and their importance in the tech industry</p> <p>*</p> <p>Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: <a href="https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com</a></p> <p>Check out the TWIST500: <a href="https://www.twist500.com" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.twist500.com</a></p> <p>*</p> <p>Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: <a href="https://rb.gy/v19fcp" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://rb.gy/v19fcp</a></p> <p>*</p> <p>Follow Shishir:</p> <p>X: <a href="https://x.com/shishirmehrotra" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://x.com/shishirmehrotra</a></p> <p>LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/shishirmehrotra" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/in/shishirmehrotra</a></p> <p>*</p> <p>Follow Alex:</p> <p>X: <a href="https://x.com/alex" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://x.com/alex</a></p> <p>LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm</a></p> <p>*</p> <p>Follow Jason:</p> <p>X: <a href="https://twitter.com/Jason" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/Jason</a></p> <p>LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis</a></p> <p>*</p> <p>Thank you to our partners:</p> <p>(9:41) Coda - Empower your startup with Coda’s Team plan for free—get 6 months at <a href="https://www.Coda.io/twist" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.Coda.io/twist</a></p> <p>(20:48) <a href="http://lemon.io/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Lemon.io</a> - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at <a href="https://Lemon.io/twist" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://Lemon.io/twist</a></p> <p>(31:25) Gusto - Get three months free when you run your first payroll at <a href="http://gusto.com/twist" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">http://gusto.com/twist</a></p> <p>*</p> <p>Great TWIST interviews: <a href="https://youtu.be/pvJa2pzuXWQ" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Will Guidara,</a> <a href="https://youtu.be/9dHN4YFkgv4" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Eoghan McCabe</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/reddit-ceo-steve-huffman-on-mod-revolt-building-a/id315114957?i=1000617333424" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Steve Huffman</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/airbnb-ceo-brian-chesky-on-early-rejection-customer/id315114957?i=1000611761112" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Brian Chesky</a>, <a href="https://youtu.be/y2UMzSqX94Q" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bob Moesta,</a> <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/box-ceo-aaron-levie-breaks-down-box-ai-and-generative/id315114957?i=1000612384545" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Aaron Levie</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/sophia-amoruso-on-branding-raising-a-fund-portfolio/id315114957?i=1000601352978" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sophia Amoruso</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/reid-hoffman-on-ais-crescendo-moment-regulation-and/id315114957?i=1000612548498" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Reid Hoffman</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/snowflake-ceo-frank-slootman-on-moving-the-needle-win/id315114957?i=1000602560622" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Frank Slootman</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/billy-mcfarland-on-fyre-fest-fraud-failure-hacking/id315114957?i=1000610922577" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Billy McFarland</a></p> <p>*</p> <p>Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: <a href="https://substack.com/@calacanis" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://substack.com/@calacanis</a></p> <p>*</p> <p>Follow TWiST:</p> <p>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/TWiStartups" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/TWiStartups</a></p> <p>YouTube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin</a></p> <p>Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups</a></p> <p>TikTok: <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups</a></p> <p>Substack: <a href="https://twistartups.substack.com" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://twistartups.substack.com</a></p> <p>*</p> <p>Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916</a></p>