Spycraft in SaaS, Rabbit’s Comeback, and Startup Pitch Madness | E2106
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Today’s show: Jason and Alex go deep into the shocking new details about the Rippling vs. Deel corporate espionage scandal—where a self-admitted spy fed confidential product roadmaps and sales data to a rival CEO for €5K/month. Plus, they interview Rabbit CEO Jesse Lyu about their bold comeback with their new “Intern” AI agent that builds entire apps from a single prompt - Jason calls it a breakthrough. And we kick off Pitch Madness with fierce Founder Friday pitch battles featuring AI podcast tools and women’s sports communities. Spy drama, next-gen tech, and raw founder energy—don’t miss it.
Timestamps:
(0:00) Teaser: Rippling vs. Deel Espionage Case(1:46) Podcast updates and listener engagement(2:31) Job openings at Launch and This Week in Startups(4:19) Rippling and Deel lawsuit details and espionage activities(9:58) Kyte - TWIST Listeners: Go to https://kyte.com/ and download the Kyte app today. Use code JASON to save 10% on your first rental.(11:31) Stolen information and the aftermath of the espionage case(16:21) Corporate espionage vs. corporate intelligence debate(19:38) Atlassian - Head to https://www.atlassian.com/startups/twist to see if you qualify for 50 free seats for 12 months.(23:07) Board independence, whistleblower protections, and CEO behavior(25:10) Y Combinator's culture of rule bending(28:41) Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist(30:02) Jesse Lu's YC experience and launch of Rabbit(34:48) Navigating the hype cycle as a founder and RabbitOS demo(45:02) Estate management and technology with Rabbit(48:39) Conclusion of interview with Jesse Lu(48:51) Launching Founder Friday pitch offs(50:43) Pitch: Snipd - AI-powered podcast app(53:29) Pitch: MedSimple - Medical education platform(57:10) Pitch: Trova - Workplace connection platform(58:45) Pitch: Osprey - Community for women in sports and entertainment(1:05:30) Analysis and decision: MedSimple vs Snipped and Osprey vs Trova(1:09:23) Discussion on Osprey's business model(1:10:33) Tips for improving pitch presentations(1:11:02) Announcement of Twist 500 competition(1:11:46) Closing remarks and social media call to action
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Rabbit website: https://www.rabbit.tech/?srsltid=AfmBOorumixyS_kXbNPL2tDqLBsI08B4Hs3xUSZkOLS2nlKsatop5VG2
Follow Jesse:X: https://x.com/jessechenglyu
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesselyu/
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X: https://x.com/alex
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm
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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis
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Rabbit CEO Jesse Lyu isn't thinking too far ahead
Rabbit’s adorable R1 gadget launched with a lot of hype, but early reviews of the device were universally bad. Now, a core feature, its long-promised LAM Playground has arrived. I had a lot of big questions for CEO Jesse Lyu about how it all works — not just technologically, but if his plans are sustainable from a business and legal perspective.
Links:
Rabbit R1 review: an unfinished, unhelpful AI gadget | The Verge
Loopholes aren’t a technology | Buzzfeed News (2012)
I tested Rabbit R1's next generation LAM — and it tried to gaslight me | Tom’s Hardware
I tried Rabbit's LAM Playground, and I'm still disappointed | Android Authority
Rabbit's AI bot will try to help you do anything (keyword is 'try') | Fast Company
Rabbit’s web-based ‘large action model’ agent arrives on R1 October 1 | TechCrunch
Rabbit R1 founder defends “unfinished” AI gadget | City AM
AI hardware is in its flip-phone phase | Fast Company
The iPhone 16 will ship as a work in progress | The Verge
Humane AI Pin review: Not even close | The Verge
Marques Brownlee says ‘I hear you’ after fans criticize his new wallpaper app | The Verge
Transcript: https://www.theverge.com/e/24024222
Credits:
Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.
Our producers are Kate Cox and Nick Statt. Our editor is Callie Wright. Our supervising producer is Liam James.
The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Rabbit CEO Jesse Lyu on launching the R1, future of AI hardware, and going viral at CES | E1885
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Today’s show:
Rabbit CEO Jesse Lyu joins Jason to discuss the viral launch of Rabbit's R1 AI companion device at CES, covering the ambitious product vision (1:37), unique design (23:30), custom-built OS and LLM (11:30), manufacturing logistics (49:45), and much more!
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Timestamps:
(00:00) Rabbit’s Jesse Lyu joins Jason
(1:37) Introduction and Pricing of Rabbit R1, a Pocket AI Device
(7:07) Differences between large language models and large action models
(10:03) OpenPhone - Get 20% off your first six months at https://openphone.com/twist
(11:30) Data collection process for training the Large Action Model (LAM), Neuro-symbolic algorithm vs. traditional Robotic Process Automation (RPA)
(16:08) Authentication and access to Rabbit's Web Portal, privacy considerations, and speed and latency of voice interactions
(23:30) The role of Teenage Engineering in design inspiration
(30:47) Scalable Path - Get 20% off your first month at http://scalablepath.com/twist
(32:07) Potential frustrations and limitations with the Rabbit R1 compared to smartphones
(41:30) Uizard - Get 25% off Uizard Pro for an entire year at http://uizard.io/twist
(42:38) Evaluating the Accuracy of Voice-to-Text Translations
(49:45) Product timeline, experimental features, and getting devices to early adopters
(1:12:37) Rabbit’s early development, Jesse's journey, and future prospects of AI
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LINKS:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22wlLy7hKP4
https://teenage.engineering
https://www.whathifi.com/news/headphone-30-could-a-computer-in-your-ear-change-headphones-forever
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iU6K7NccXk
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Thanks to our partners:
(10:03) OpenPhone - Get 20% off your first six months at https://openphone.com/twist
(30:47) Scalable Path - Get 20% off your first month at http://scalablepath.com/twist
(41:30) Uizard - Get 25% off Uizard Pro for an entire year at http://uizard.io/twist
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Follow Jesse
X: https://twitter.com/jessechenglyu
Check out: https://www.rabbit.tech
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Follow Jason:
X: https://twitter.com/jason
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jason
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis
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Great 2023 interviews: Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland
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