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This Week in Startups · August 7, 2026 · 1h 18m

How AI splits startups into winners and losers | E2322

Jamie Calacanis, Jason Calacanis, Kofi Asante, Lon
Show Notes

Jason and Lon break down how AI is dividing startups into winners and losers this earnings season, from a hedge fund blowup shorting SaaS stocks to strong results at Airbnb, Twilio, and Figma. Figma's CEO forfeited $46M in stock awards to calm investors, Twilio posted its best quarter in years, and Airbnb's CEO credits AI for the company's turnaround. The episode also features Kofi Asante of Bluecore Energy discussing his plan to power ports and AI data centers with small floating nuclear reactors, and kicks off the TWiST Weight Loss Challenge with Lon and Jamie Calacanis starting GLP-1s for $15,000 in prize money.

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

Novel

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Floating Nuclear Reactors for Ports and AI Data Centers
Kofi Asante's startup Bluecore Energy is building small, floating nuclear reactors to provide carbon-free power to ports and eventually AI data centers.
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Highlights

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AI Splits Startup Winners from Losers This Earnings Season
A hedge fund betting against SaaS stocks collapsed as companies that embraced AI — like Airbnb, Twilio, and Figma — delivered strong results, showing AI adoption is becoming the market's key deciding factor.
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Figma CEO Forfeits $46M in Stock to Ease Investor Concerns
Dylan Field gave up $46 million in stock awards amid a decline in Figma's share price, even as the company continued to post strong revenue.
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Twilio Posts Its Strongest Quarter in Years
Twilio announced second quarter 2026 results that marked its best performance in years, indicating a turnaround for the cloud communications company.
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Airbnb's AI-Powered Turnaround
CEO Brian Chesky told CNBC that AI was the single biggest factor in Airbnb's dramatic earnings comeback.
ClaudeChatGPTGemini

Editorial

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TWiST Weight Loss Challenge: Lon and Jamie Start GLP-1s
Co-host Lon and Jason's brother Jamie are beginning GLP-1 medications as part of a weight loss challenge, each with $15,000 in prize money at stake.
ClaudeChatGPTGemini

References

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Unreasonable Hospitality — Will Guidara (2022) — Mentioned in relation to a discussion on customer experience and hospitality

Misc

✧A hedge fund blew up after shorting SaaS stocks, while AI-forward software companies bounced back.
✧Figma CEO Dylan Field forfeited $46 million in stock awards despite strong revenue.
✧Twilio co-founder Jeff Lawson previously bought The Onion.
✧TWiST launches a weight loss challenge with Lon and Jamie Calacanis both starting GLP-1 medications.
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