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This Week in Startups · May 9, 2026 · 01:12:00

5,000+ Tech Workers Laid Off This Week. It's Just The Beginning. | E2286

Jason Calacanis and Alex Wilhelm discuss the latest wave of tech layoffs, including Cloudflare's 20% workforce cut despite raising guidance. Guest David Moscatelli demos Go Abacus, a $250k on-prem AI box that has 1,600 pre-orders from banks unwilling to share data with cloud providers. Jose Caldera unpacks how Bittensor subnet 54 incentivizes miners to attack identity verification systems. Jason closes with a framework for building AI-first startups and how workers can de-risk their careers.

This summary was generated from show notes and public descriptions, not from a full transcript review. Details may contain inaccuracies.

Highlights

Go Abacus On-Prem AI for Regulated Industries
David Moscatelli built a $250,000 hardware box that allows banks and other regulated entities to run AI locally, securing 1,600 pre-orders.
A Bittensor subnet is incentivizing miners to attack identity verification systems, exposing vulnerabilities in decentralized proof-of-personhood.
Cloudflare Layoffs Amid Raised Guidance
Cloudflare laid off 20% of its employees in the same week it raised its financial guidance, signaling a shift toward efficiency over growth.

Editorial

Jason explains that AI-first startups surround human engineers with AI agents to maximize output, and that workers can de-risk their careers by focusing on skills AI cannot replicate.

Misc

Banks don't want to hand over their data to AI labs, so David Moscatelli built a $250,000 box that runs AI on-prem, securing 1,600 pre-orders.
Cloudflare laid off 20% of its workforce in the same week it raised its financial guidance.
Bittensor subnet 54 is incentivizing miners to attack identity systems, exposing vulnerabilities in decentralized proof-of-personhood.
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