TBPN

(00:00) - - John & Patrick Collison, the co-founders of Stripe, discuss the significant surge in new business creation, noting a 71% year-over-year increase in Q1, attributing this growth to AI's role in simplifying entrepreneurship. They highlight Stripe's initiatives like agentic commerce, enabling AI agents to perform tasks such as purchasing domains and deploying websites autonomously. Additionally, the Collisons address the challenges posed by increased fraud attempts in the AI economy and outlines Stripe's efforts to enhance fraud prevention through tools like Stripe Radar.

(28:27) - - Henri Stern, a leader at Stripe, discusses the rapid growth of his team following an acquisition, the challenges posed by the competitive talent market, and the evolving landscape of stablecoins and their potential impact on traditional banking. He highlights the emergence of non-dollar stablecoins, the concept of tokenized deposits, and the integration of AI tools in security practices. Stern also explores the intersection of AI and cryptocurrency, noting the rise of agentic wallets and the potential for innovative business models enabled by programmable money.

(42:46) - - Jeff Weinstein is a product lead at Stripe, where he has significantly contributed to the growth of their payment APIs and the development of Stripe Atlas, simplifying company formation for entrepreneurs. In the conversation, he discusses the importance of customer obsession, the role of metrics in driving impact, and techniques for effective product development within large companies. He also highlights initiatives like Stripe's "Study Group" to enhance product craft and shares insights into Stripe Atlas's mission to increase global entrepreneurship.

(01:06:58) - - Zach Abrams, Zach Abrams is a fintech entrepreneur and product leader best known as the co-founder and CEO of Bridge, a company building infrastructure to help businesses move and manage money using stablecoins.

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https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/technology-brothers/id1772360235
https://www.youtube.com/@TBPNLive

Diet TBPN delivers the best of today’s TBPN episode in 30 minutes. TBPN is a live tech talk show hosted by John Coogan and Jordi Hays, streaming weekdays 11–2 PT on X and YouTube, with each episode posted to podcast platforms right after.

Described by The New York Times as “Silicon Valley’s newest obsession,” the show has recently featured Mark Zuckerberg, Sam Altman, Mark Cuban, and Satya Nadella.

Follow TBPN: 
https://TBPN.com
https://x.com/tbpn
https://open.spotify.com/show/2L6WMqY3GUPCGBD0dX6p00?si=674252d53acf4231
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/technology-brothers/id1772360235
https://www.youtube.com/@TBPNLive

(00:22) - Big Tech Earnings

(15:28) - AI Jitters Return to Wall Street

(19:23) - Red vs. Blue Button

(36:51) - Jason Yanowitz, co-founder of Blockworks, a crypto-focused media and data company, discusses the company's recent $192 million valuation, highlighting investments from firms like Parafine Reciprocal and Coinbase Ventures, as well as participation from 20 customers, including founders and operators from Solana, Kraken, and Canton. He outlines Blockworks' evolution from a media and events business to becoming the largest data company in crypto, emphasizing their strategy of building a strong audience base before developing data products. Yanowitz also addresses the current state of the crypto market, noting a dichotomy where institutional crypto adoption is thriving while token markets are underperforming, and anticipates that upcoming regulatory clarity will mandate disclosures for all token projects, potentially benefiting Blockworks' disclosure platform.

(49:31) - Even Rogers, CEO and Co-Founder of True Anomaly, discusses his transition from a 10-year tenure in the U.S. Air Force to establishing the company, aiming to address the weaponization of space by nations like China and Russia. He highlights the development of their space-to-space engagement platform, Jackal, designed for space superiority, and Mosaic, the software that operates it, emphasizing their rapid deployment and testing methodologies. Rogers also touches on the challenges of tracking objects in space, the importance of reducing coverage gaps, and the company's growth trajectory, including a recent $650 million fundraising round and plans to scale up manufacturing and personnel.

(01:02:09) - Maria Spiropulu, an experimental particle physicist with over 30 years of experience at CERN and Fermilab, discusses her work in particle collisions, including the discovery of the Higgs boson, and the development of quantum networks for secure communication. She highlights the potential of quantum computing to revolutionize fields like quantum chemistry and materials science, while emphasizing the importance of addressing cybersecurity challenges posed by these advancements. Additionally, Spiropulu underscores the need for interdisciplinary collaboration to ensure that technological progress benefits society as a whole.

(01:33:08) - Stepan Simkin, co-founder and CEO of Squads, discusses the development of stablecoin infrastructure to assist businesses in managing their financial operations. He highlights the challenges companies face in adopting stablecoins, such as the complexity of handling them post-transaction, and emphasizes the importance of integrating stablecoins with traditional banking systems to facilitate seamless financial operations. Simkin also notes the advancements in programmable blockchains and the growing maturity of the stablecoin market, which have enhanced confidence among regulators and the broader market.

(01:45:03) - Kashish Gupta, co-founder and co-CEO of Hightouch, an AI platform for marketers, discusses the company's recent $150 million Series D funding at a $2.75 billion valuation, led by Goldman Sachs and Bain Capital Ventures. He highlights Hightouch's evolution since its 2020 inception, emphasizing their AI-driven approach to enabling marketers to generate on-brand content like ads and emails efficiently. Gupta also addresses the transformative role of AI in marketing, noting that Hightouch's platform allows marketers to rapidly launch and test numerous campaigns, leveraging AI to optimize media spend and content creation.

(01:57:36) - Dan Magy, co-founder and CEO of Firestorm Labs, discusses the company's mission to revolutionize drone manufacturing through advanced, modular designs and on-demand production capabilities. He highlights the development of the xCell platform, a containerized manufacturing system that enables rapid production of unmanned systems directly at the tactical edge, addressing the challenges of contested logistics. Magy also announces Firestorm's recent $82 million Series B funding, led by Washington Harbour Partners, to accelerate the deployment of these expeditionary manufacturing solutions.

(02:06:57) - Vlad Tenev, co-founder and CEO of Robinhood, discusses the company's strategic investments across various stages of the customer lifecycle, including the introduction of Trump accounts to engage younger users, the growth of Robinhood Banking and the Robinhood Gold Card, and the expansion into active trading. He highlights the company's focus on promoting beneficial products like retirement accounts with a 3% contribution match and the innovative Robinhood Strategies, a low-cost passive digital advisor with capped fees. Tenev also addresses customer feedback, noting the company's responsiveness in enhancing features such as paying dividends up to 17 days early and considering the addition of international stocks to meet user demand.

(02:29:44) - Parag Agrawal, former CEO of Twitter, discusses the rapid development of AI agents utilizing the web, highlighting the significant progress made in the past six months. He emphasizes the importance of aligning incentives between content owners and AI developers to ensure sustainable growth and open access to web content. Agrawal also addresses the challenges posed by varying web access policies and the need for efficient solutions to enable agents to interact seamlessly with diverse web infrastructures. Andrew Reed is a partner at Sequoia Capital focused on early-stage investments in software, AI, and developer tools. He works closely with founders on product, go-to-market, and scaling, with an emphasis on backing technically driven teams building foundational technology companies.

(02:44:03) - Gabriel Stengel, founder and CEO of Rogo, discusses the company's recent $160 million Series D funding round, led by Kleiner Perkins, valuing Rogo at $2 billion. He highlights the rapid adoption of AI tools in the financial sector, emphasizing Rogo's role in enhancing productivity and investment decisions for institutions like investment banks and hedge funds. Stengel also addresses the importance of aligning AI applications with business objectives, managing token consumption, and adapting organizational structures to integrate evolving AI technologies effectively.

Follow TBPN: 
https://TBPN.com
https://x.com/tbpn
https://open.spotify.com/show/2L6WMqY3GUPCGBD0dX6p00?si=674252d53acf4231
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/technology-brothers/id1772360235
https://www.youtube.com/@TBPNLive

Diet TBPN delivers the best of today’s TBPN episode in 30 minutes. TBPN is a live tech talk show hosted by John Coogan and Jordi Hays, streaming weekdays 11–2 PT on X and YouTube, with each episode posted to podcast platforms right after.

Described by The New York Times as “Silicon Valley’s newest obsession,” the show has recently featured Mark Zuckerberg, Sam Altman, Mark Cuban, and Satya Nadella.

Follow TBPN: 
https://TBPN.com
https://x.com/tbpn
https://open.spotify.com/show/2L6WMqY3GUPCGBD0dX6p00?si=674252d53acf4231
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/technology-brothers/id1772360235
https://www.youtube.com/@TBPNLive

(00:14) - In-Car Surveillance

(12:22) - Goblin-Mode

(14:48) - Jon Gray, President and COO of Blackstone, joined the firm in 1992 and has been instrumental in its growth to managing over $1.3 trillion in assets. In the conversation, he reflects on Blackstone's evolution from a small advisory business to a global investment powerhouse, emphasizing the firm's entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to delivering premium returns. Gray also discusses the impact of artificial intelligence on various industries, highlighting both the challenges and opportunities it presents for investors.

(36:18) - Colleen Aubrey, Senior Vice President of Applied AI Solutions at AWS, has been with Amazon for over 20 years, leading teams in advertising and now focusing on AI-driven applications. She discusses the launch of Amazon Connect Decisions and Amazon Connect Talent, emphasizing the transformative potential of AI agents as teammates that can fundamentally change business operations. Aubrey highlights the importance of trustworthiness and observability in AI agents, ensuring they can explain their actions and reasoning, thereby fostering confidence and enabling effective collaboration within organizations.

(44:02) - Anthony Liguori discusses the evolution of AI models from simple token prediction to advanced agentic systems, emphasizing the integration of tools and memory to enhance capabilities. He introduces Amazon Bedrock Managed Agents, highlighting its three components: runtime definitions for agents, dedicated compute environments with unique identities for governance, and an inference API compatible with existing applications. Liguori also shares his personal experience, noting that these advancements have significantly increased his productivity and enjoyment in coding.

(51:57) - Colin Zima, CEO of Omni Analytics, discusses his company's mission to build a comprehensive data platform that integrates AI, spreadsheets, and dashboards atop a semantic layer, ensuring reliable AI operations. He highlights the uniqueness of each business's semantic layer and the importance of bridging traditional data structures with modern AI capabilities. Zima also addresses the evolving landscape of data infrastructure, emphasizing the increased portability of data systems and the need for pragmatic, cost-effective solutions in analytics.

(01:00:47) - Alex Epstein, author of *Fossil Future*, is a philosopher and energy expert who advocates for the continued use of fossil fuels to promote human flourishing. In the conversation, he discusses the critical importance of maintaining open access to the Strait of Hormuz for global energy stability, the role of OPEC and its member countries in regulating oil supply and prices, and the potential of solar energy innovations, such as space-based solar power, while emphasizing the current limitations and challenges associated with these technologies.

(01:25:34) - Shira Lazar is a Canadian television personality, actress, writer, and video blogger, best known as the creator and host of "What's Trending," a pioneering digital news brand. In the conversation, she discusses her extensive experience in the digital media and creator economy, highlighting the evolution of live streaming since launching "What's Trending" in 2011. She also explores the current landscape of the creator economy, noting opportunities for both large-scale influencers and niche creators, while emphasizing the challenges faced by mid-level creators in monetizing their content.

(01:41:09) - Anshul Gupta, co-founder of Actively, discusses how their platform enhances revenue team productivity by deploying per-account agents that proactively guide and assist sales representatives throughout the customer lifecycle. These agents integrate data from various sources, including product analytics and communication tools, to provide comprehensive context and actionable insights, enabling more efficient and effective sales processes. Gupta also highlights the potential for organizational changes, such as adjusting management structures and team ratios, as companies realize efficiency gains from implementing these agents.

(01:47:21) - Apurva Shrivastava, co-founder and CEO of Avoca, discusses how his company builds AI agents for physical service businesses, particularly home services, to handle tasks like answering calls and booking jobs. He explains that both he and his co-founder, Tyson, grew up assisting their mothers' service businesses, which inspired them to create solutions that address common industry challenges. Apurva highlights the significant advancements in AI voice models, noting that while they can now engage in conversations indistinguishable from humans for the first 30 seconds to a minute, there is still progress to be made for longer interactions.

(01:53:59) - Bubble Boi, a semiconductor industry expert, discusses the advantages of maintaining a traditional job to stay connected with engineering challenges, the early stages of the AI investment cycle with significant capital expenditures expected over the next three years, and the impact of large language models on market dynamics, noting that financial institutions are rapidly adopting these technologies for research.

Follow TBPN: 
https://TBPN.com
https://x.com/tbpn
https://open.spotify.com/show/2L6WMqY3GUPCGBD0dX6p00?si=674252d53acf4231
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/technology-brothers/id1772360235
https://www.youtube.com/@TBPNLive