The Biggest Private Funding Round in History | E2256 episode artwork

EPISODE · Feb 28, 2026 · 1H 20M

The Biggest Private Funding Round in History | E2256

from This Week in Startups

This Week In Startups is made possible by: Deel - http://deel.com/twist Wispr Flow - https://wisprflow.ai/twist Luma AI - https://lumalabs.ai/twist Today's show: *$110 billion buys you 15% of OpenAI. Amazon, Nvidia, and SoftBank placed their bets on ChatGPT, which now has 900 million weekly active users and 50 million paying subscribers. Find out why Jason is anticipating the wildest J-Curve swing of all time, and believes we've ALREADY hit AGI… it's just not implemented yet. Plus a visit from our roving correspondent Nick O'Neill, checking in on the Crypto Chaos in Miami Beach, and hot demos from three young founders. GUESTS: Nick O'Neill: https://x.com/chooserich Everest Chris: https://openclaw.unloopa.com/ Ben Broca: https://polsia.com/ Adi Gabrani: https://makemyclaw.com/ Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 01:33 We're hiring a new producer! 05:42 OpenAI raised $110 billion 08:59 Understanding the LLM J-Curve 00:11:25 Deel - Founders ship faster on Deel. Set up payroll for any country in minutes and get back to building. Visit ⁠https://deel.com/twist⁠ to learn more. 00:15:02 CRYPTO CHAOS IN MIAMI BEACH! 00:21:10 Wispr Flow - Stop typing. Dictate with Wispr Flow and send clean, final-draft writing in seconds. Visit ⁠https://wisprflow.ai/twist⁠ to get started for free today. 00:22:54 Mass layoffs at Block 00:30:50 Luma AI - Stop guessing and start directing with the all-in-one Dream Machine text-to-video platform. Visit ⁠https://lumalabs.ai/twist⁠ to try The Dream Machine for free. 00:32:04 AI Scott Adams: The Saga Continues 00:38:13 Make URLs for local businesses with Unloopa 00:45:36 Rent a Polsia agent to run your company 00:58:55 Deploy swarms in 60 seconds with MakeMyClaw 01:05:05 LAUNCH FEST is coming to SF 01:55:49 Will Paramount actually buy WBD? 01:06:58 Why Lon loves "Knight of the 7 Kingdoms" 01:07:21 On "Neighbors" and First Amendment Warriors 01:13:43 All about Jason's favorite chargers 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: 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 Check out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/ 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

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