Today’s show:

SYDNEY SWEENEY’S AMERICAN EAGLE AD DIVIDES OUR PANEL!PLUS WHAT STARTUPS CAN LEARN FROM THE VIRAL ASTRONOMER RESPONSEJason, Alex, and Lon are looking at some of the biggest media stories of the day before returning to their favorite topic, tech. Tune in for deep dives on IMAX’s new AI film festival, Figma’s big IPO and much more!

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Timestamps:

(0:00) Jason and Alex kick off the show!

(3:45) Lon’s joining Alex and Lon to discuss the controversial Sydney Sweeney genes/jeans ad

(7:20) A look at the polarizing takes on this jeans ad.

(10:10) OpenPhone - Streamline and scale your customer communications with OpenPhone. Get 20% off your first 6 months at https://www.openphone.com/twist⁠

(11:46) Hear the verdict from Jason, self—proclaimed Chairman of the Interwebs

(16:42) Alex points out the economic impact of the controversy

(20:26) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://www.vanta.com/twist

(21:25) Back to the show!

(26:35) Paltrow’s Astronomer ad, meme-processing and the ideal way to change the conversation

(30:04) Vouched - Trust for agents that’s built for builders like you. Check it out at http://vouched.id/twist

(31:28) Back to the show!

(36:48) Netflix and the growing controversy around AI’s role in filmmaking

(42:53) IMAX/Runway collaboration and Hollywood’s shifting attitude toward AI

(47:34) Everything that went wrong with the Tea App

(54:27) Why Jason thinks app stores should ban “anonymous” forms and message boards

(1:04:19) Figma upped its IPO price… what does it mean for the return of liquidity? And is this too high or fairly priced?

(1:07:53) Paul Graham says you shouldn’t drop out of college to work on a startup… Why Thiel Fellows disagree

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Follow Lon:

X: https://x.com/lons

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Follow Alex:

X: https://x.com/alex

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

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Follow Jason:

X: https://twitter.com/Jason

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

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Thank you to our partners:

(10:10) OpenPhone - Streamline and scale your customer communications with OpenPhone. Get 20% off your first 6 months at https://www.openphone.com/twist⁠

(20:26) Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at https://www.vanta.com/twist

(30:04) Vouched - Trust for agents that’s built for builders like you. Check it out at http://vouched.id/twist

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

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Figma IPO, IMAX AI Festival, the Tea app spill, that one Sydney Sweeney jeans ad, and more! | E2157

This Week in Startups

Figma IPO, IMAX AI Festival, the Tea app spill, that one Sydney Sweeney jeans ad, and more! | E2157