Results Junkies Podcast

There has been an incredible amount of chaos at OpenAI over the past week (this episode was recorded prior to Sam Altman's apparent reinstatement as CEO). Paul and Ed discuss why the OpenAI turmoil reinforce the need for D&O coverage. Amazon has been busy, announcing they'll be selling new Hyundai vehicles and training up to 2 million people on AI.…

WeWork officially declared bankruptcy this week and FTX's controversial CEO was convicted on a number of criminal counts. After we discuss the ramifications of these developments on the startup ecosystem we dive into Paul's food delivery habits. We'd love it if you'd leave us a rating. It takes less than a minute and really helps us out. Just click…

Do you love your free returns? They may not be around for much longer. YouTube single-handedly crushing ad blockers? Apple's disappointing laptop results. We'd love it if you'd leave us a rating. It takes less than a minute and really helps us out. Just click here! If you've got a comment or question for the show, you can e-mail us at show@resultsj…

Paul and Ed go down a rabbit hole on Zoom vs Teams vs Meet and lay out another clear example where distribution is king. Google is making a massive defensive bet. Paul and Ed wonder what the future holds for this and that "fruit forward" tech company that has been somewhat quiet on the AI front. We'd love it if you'd leave us a rating. It takes les…

Google announced some guarantees to their customers regarding indemnification for their generative AI products, but left out one key part. A competitor stole his voice and used it against him. What happens next? We'd love it if you'd leave us a rating. It takes less than a minute and really helps us out. Just click here! If you've got a comment or …

Paul breaks down what he's seeing for content conversion on both LinkedIn and Twitter right now. He also shared a Tweet with Ed that got Ed fired up about opinions on VC returns. Spoiler alert: Ed thinks this take is just wrong. We'd love it if you'd leave us a rating. It takes less than a minute and really helps us out. Just click here! If you've …

Tom Hanks has an AI problem, something Paul and Ed expect we'll see more of. Meta is considering a pretty massive change in how they charge customers. Netflix is raising subscription prices. X is considering multiple new pricing plans. These three price increases couldn't be more different. We'd love it if you'd leave us a rating. It takes less tha…

Interestingly, the recent Hollywood writer/actor strike arrived at the crossroads of tech. Paul and Ed discuss the actors' demands on AI in their work going forward and why this could be a widely adopted standard in the future. Peloton and Lululemon are combining their strengths in a new deal. We'd love it if you'd leave us a rating. It takes less …

Last episode Paul and Ed talked about some IPOs that gave some indication that the public markets might be more open than we thought. Current evidence (ARM stock chart and CART stock chat). Paul is wondering about recent Delta Air Lines changes and why more big companies don't become banks/credit card issuers. And, Ed has a poll up about whether Pa…

Meta is quietly developing a new AI system that may hit the market at just the right time. A UAW strike points out the advantage Tesla has. The Instacart IPO follows another recent successful IPO. Is the market shifting? We'd love it if you'd leave us a rating. It takes less than a minute and really helps us out. Just click here! If you've got a co…

Flexport, a startup that's raised over $2B, is rescinding 70 offer letters for folks that were due to start imminently. This is in the wake of a CEO change. Meanwhile, Y Combinator has graduated their latest class and one investor has an interesting perspective on the valuations and traction from the current cohort. We'd love it if you'd leave us a…

The cost of meetings has been high for a long time but a recent step by Spotify illustrates this and attempts to get it under control. And, this could quite possibly be the worst SPAC ever, but it's clearly one of the worst in recent memory. We'd love it if you'd leave us a rating. It takes less than a minute and really helps us out. Just click her…

Paul and Ed look back on 100 episodes and over 50 hours of recordings. What were our favorite moments? What was cringe-worthy? Let us know! show@resultsjunkies.com We'd love it if you'd leave us a rating. It takes less than a minute and really helps us out. Just click here! If you've got a comment or question for the show, you can e-mail us at show…

The NY Times is considering a lawsuit against ChatGPT over unresolved copyright issues. What does that mean for the future of models like ChatGPT? Stack Overflow, a popular tool for coders, has seen some incredible changes in traffic. Is this due to ChatGPT "learning" their database of questions and answers? We'd love it if you'd leave us a rating.…

A laptop restart sent Ed down a rabbit hole on targeted ads via the Google Chrome browser. Paul and Ed dig into what this looks like for both consumers and business owners. We'd love it if you'd leave us a rating. It takes less than a minute and really helps us out. Just click here! If you've got a comment or question for the show, you can e-mail u…

Thanks to Casey Allen on Twitter for sharing this thread. Paul and Ed are digging into this scandal and wondering why we haven't heard of more like this. Separately, they dig into Overstock's purchase of Bed, Bath & Beyond and Paul is wondering how many coupons his mom has left. We'd love it if you'd leave us a rating. It takes less than a minute a…

Paul is wondering whether the time is right for a CFO. It's a question many founders ponder. Google is testing a new AI tool that writes news articles, and Ed is wondering if it will replace him. We'd love it if you'd leave us a rating. It takes less than a minute and really helps us out. Just click here! If you've got a comment or question for the…

It seems like not a day goes by right now without a prominent SaaS company raising their pricing. Some are encountering more headwinds than others. There are some interesting case studies that we talk about on today's episode. Meanwhile, the office environment continues to change as some sizable companies shed office space. How can founders take ad…

There are two ChatGPT stories that caught our attention. The first is a lawsuit to determine copyright infringement. This was bound to happen and we discussed it on the show a couple of months ago. Second, the government is wading into the fray on regulation of GPT. Paul has been thinking about an acquihire. In the current economic climate we're go…

Meta has released their new Twitter clone, Threads. Paul and Ed have both jumped onboard and Ed is losing badly when it comes to subscriber count. Paul also checks in with a Strata update. We'd love it if you'd leave us a rating. It takes less than a minute and really helps us out. Just click here! If you've got a comment or question for the show, …

A recent IPO has some pieces that don't add up when you look at the overall financial landscape. Alongside that, a sizable REIT is walking away from a massive asset in a very big city. What do Paul and Ed see in the tea leaves. We'd love it if you'd leave us a rating. It takes less than a minute and really helps us out. Just click here! If you've g…

We touch base with Paul on the reactions around Strata. The FTC is taking on Amazon in regards to alleged shady business practices around their flagship product Amazon Prime. And, Tesla's charging protocol is quickly ramping up to be the standard in the US. We'd love it if you'd leave us a rating. It takes less than a minute and really helps us out…

Paul is naming names. He's talking about Strata, "Stripe For Healthcare", which is the latest venture he's a part of. Ed dishes up all the questions and Paul has all the answers. You can sign up for their newsletter to get all the details. We'd love it if you'd leave us a rating. It takes less than a minute and really helps us out. Just click here!…

SaaS valuations are somewhat equal parts art, science and voodoo witchcraft. SaaS companies can see huge growth (and massive drops) in revenue. That can lead to some crazy multiples. Brick and mortar businesses usually have more predictable growth, which leads to tighter spreads on valuation. Paul and Ed discuss this in more detail on today's show.…

A recent development with a compelling consumer product ready to go to market should give founders serious pause about tracking down funding for hardware startups. And, this article about Reddit's recent changes illustrates the real platform risk for founders. We'd love it if you'd leave us a rating. It takes less than a minute and really helps us …

Tesla and Ford have a new partnership where Ford EVs will be able to use the Tesla charging network. Is this a stroke of genius from Tesla or a big mistake? Also, Paul and Ed are talking about whether they are investing in AI startups. We'd love it if you'd leave us a rating. It takes less than a minute and really helps us out. Just click here! If …

AT&T is laying lots of fiber across the US. Paul and Ed debate whether that's the right path forward. Rackspace suffered a ransomware attack earlier this year which caused them to shut down one of their legacy systems, one they used to dominate the market in. We'd love it if you'd leave us a rating. It takes less than a minute and really helps us o…

There's a fever pitch around AI right now. It's an integral part of seemingly every stump speech Google is giving right now. The common refrain is that the robots are coming for our jobs. What should you expect? We'd love it if you'd leave us a rating. It takes less than a minute and really helps us out. Just click here! If you've got a comment or …

VC darling Clubhouse is the latest to announce layoffs. But, the names in the latest round of layoffs is very diverse. There are plenty of signs that late-stage funding is drying up at a remarkable rate. That means founders need a very different mindset. We'd love it if you'd leave us a rating. It takes less than a minute and really helps us out. J…

83b elections are usually pretty straightforward. But, Paul's is anything but. Investing in companies that use ChatGPT is going to be an interesting mine field. How do we get the AIs to forget something if we're ordered to by law? There are a lot of details to work out. Oh, and Paul thinks Ed is a psycho. What else is new? We'd love it if you'd lea…

Paul loses his blue checkmark and we're wondering if that changes his behavior. He's curious about Ed buying the blue checkmark. Twitter is suppressing Substack links on Twitter. Are food fights the future of social media? Netflix is ending their DVD-by-mail service. Paul and Ed had no idea it still existed. We'd love it if you'd leave us a rating.…

Capital One is pushing workers to come back to the office and, at the same time, pulling back on inventory credit lines. Are they a canary in the coal mine? A founder is indicted in relation to an item we discussed a few months ago. And, Instacart raises their internal valuation, which raises Paul's blood pressure. We'd love it if you'd leave us a …

Paul called Ed this week to ask a question about a line of credit for the business he still won't name. It lead to a longer discussion between Paul and Ed that founders should take note on. Paul and Ed are also digging into the comparison of Stripe and Adyen. It's an interesting look into the world of credit card processing. We'd love it if you'd l…

We start out this week talking about DoorDash and how they're hitting the Paul flex of making distribution your super power. Stripe is raising money at a bit of a surprising valuation. And, Paul shares a tweet that makes Ed see red. We'd love it if you'd leave us a rating. It takes less than a minute and really helps us out. Just click here! If you…

TikTok has been appearing in front of Congress to ask tough questions. The two that we're asking this week. Would the US agree to allow Twitter or Facebook to divest their code to China, like the US is asking TikTok to do? And, what's the impact on creators if TikTok is banned in the US? A recent contract with the Air Force illustrates how public m…

Paul and Ed continue to discuss the ramifications of the Silicon Valley Bank failure. How will this change term sheets for founders going forward? What steps should founders be taking right now to protect themselves? We'd love it if you'd leave us a rating. It takes less than a minute and really helps us out. Just click here! If you've got a commen…

Silicon Valley Bank, a bank that founders rely heavily on, was closed on Friday by the FDIC. We recorded this episode before things got really ugly. We were going to scrap it, but figured it would be part 1 of a 2-part look into SVB and how this will affect the startup community. We'd love it if you'd leave us a rating. It takes less than a minute …

Twitter has laid off over a third of their workforce but still seem to be functioning and even adding features. Does that tell us something about the relative staffing levels of tech firms, or is Twitter unique? And, Sequoia is chasing returns outside of North America. Is that an indication of the quality of US-based startups or does it speak to th…

Paul and Ed are talking about the labels people put on their fundraising rounds. They're both a bit stumped about what constitutes a seed round today. Paul asked Ed what he's seeing from portfolio companies in terms of their quarterly planning. Should companies be hunkering down or pressing hard? We'd love it if you'd leave us a rating. It takes le…

Was it smart for ChatGPT to sell half the company? Would Google have done something similar at the same spot? Paul and Ed argue about this one. And, Ed finally gets the chance to ask Paul the trivia question he's been dying to ask for weeks. Don't Google the answer ahead of time, see if you can guess. We'd love it if you'd leave us a rating. It tak…

Is it a poem about burgers that ChatGPT wrote for us? No way. It's so much more tactical than that! We're also talking about the interesting intersection we think ChatGPT is at right now. We'd love it if you'd leave us a rating. It takes less than a minute and really helps us out. Just click here! If you've got a comment or question for the show, y…

Paul and Ed are looking at data about VC participation falling and where valuations seem to be heading. There's some difference in opinion on what that actually means. However, on the subject of the quality of cold pitches, Paul and Ed are 100% aligned. Meanwhile, one of our listeners has a different take on how effective those cold e-mails might b…

When you consider how many startups ultimately fail, many founders never get to an organized period of cost-cutting. They may have an "all hands on deck" moment when funds are running short, but the startup community is still keyed into growth, sometimes at all costs. So, what does it say when one of the biggest startups of the previous generation …

Paul and Ed are discussing the value of angel groups in today's investing ecosystem. Are they valuable for founders looking to raise money? Do they still hold value for angel investors? We'd love it if you'd leave us a rating. It takes less than a minute and really helps us out. Just click here! If you've got a comment or question for the show, you…

JP Morgan acquired a company named Frank back in 2021, the peak of the craziness in the VC world. Now, they're suing the founder claiming massive fraud. Who's responsible? Microsoft has a proposed deal with ChatGPT that made our jaws drop. We may never see another deal with a structure this unique. Will it get funded? We'd love it if you'd leave us…

ChatGPT has been dominating the news. One of the newest developments is a fundraising round at a massive $29 billion valuation. This is on the heels of Paul and Ed talking recently about whether Google should try to buy ChatGPT. We were actually pretty close on valuation. Meanwhile, we delve into the world of Microsoft machines and how much they co…

ChatGPT has been one of the hottest topics the past few weeks. The rise has been so striking that Google has taken notice in a major way. Paul and Ed are breaking this down and asking whether Google should buy ChatGPT right now. They also spend time trying to figure out how much YouTubeTV costs and whether it will be the biggest area of Google's gr…

Paul and Ed discuss the current state of fundraising. Ed thinks that the requirements to raise a round really haven't changed all that much, and that investors aren't "walking the talk" of a tougher fundraising environment. Paul thinks it may be a reflection on their individual deal flow. And, Twitter continues to release features quicker than any …

Microsoft has made plenty of significant investments over the years. Some of them have propelled the company to unparalleled success. One of their most recent investments may turn out to be one of the smartest they've ever made. Meanwhile, Apple is in the news for some European developments that could completely change a big part of their business …

Paul and Ed dig into an LLC operating agreement that creates all kinds of headaches for the partners. Paul references some incredible statistics about the growth of AI with ChatGPT as an example. We'd love it if you'd leave us a rating. It takes less than a minute and really helps us out. Just click here! If you've got a comment or question for the…