Sora app review, Perplexity’s Comet is FREE, and which AI tools reign supreme? | E2188

Sora app review, Perplexity’s Comet is FREE, and which AI tools reign supreme? | E2188

Author: Jason Calacanis October 4, 2025 Duration: 1:03:07

Today’s show:


Is Sora not just a copyright-killer but a TikTok-killer? Hear our review!

The “This Week in Startups” team has been playing around inside OpenAI’s viral app, which just hit #1 in the iOS Store. See all of Lon’s creations, explore the land beyond the Uncanny Valley, and find out why the hottest new social app could stand to be a bit more social.

PLUS Brave surpasses 100M MAUs… why Jason would sell ALL his OpenAI shares right away, Apple pulls the ICEBlock app from the App Store, AND how one founder hacked his local coffee shop to network and even get face time with a few VCs! It’s all happening of a fast-paced Friday TWiST.


Timestamps:

(0:00) Why Jason started an Executive Training program at LAUNCH

(05:17) Perplexity’s Comet browser is now FREE to use; Jason unpacks their strategy

(10:02) Monarch Money - Get 50% Off Monarch Money, the all-in-one financial tool at www.monarchmoney.com/TWIST

(13:42) PLUS browser/search engine Brave passed 100M MAUs!

(17:44) How a founder “hacked” his local coffee shop

(20:06) Alphasense - Get deeper insights into your business with the power of AI search and market intelligence. Start with a free trial at https://www.alpha-sense.com/twist

(21:35) You need to make it EASY for people to give you feedback!

(25:41) A look at the leanest startups around and how companies are doing more with less

(30:11) LinkedIn Ads: Start converting your B2B audience into high quality leads today. We’ll even give you a $100 credit on your next campaign. Go to http://LinkedIn.com/ThisWeekinStartups to claim your credit.

(30:38) Why Jason would sell ALL his OpenAI shares right away!

(38:56) Lon stops by to review the Sora app; the good, the bad, and the remixes!

(48:45) Apple pulled the ICEBlock app… is this a free speech issue?

(56:11) A new startup wants to fight gov’t corruption… and keep a share of the proceeds


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Follow Lon:

X: https://x.com/lons


Follow Alex:

X: https://x.com/alex

LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm


Follow Jason:

X: https://twitter.com/Jason

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis


Thank you to our partners:

  • Monarch Money - Get 50% Off Monarch Money, the all-in-one financial tool at www.monarchmoney.com/TWIST
  • Alphasense - Get deeper insights into your business with the power of AI search and market intelligence. Start with a free trial at https://www.alpha-sense.com/twist
  • LinkedIn Ads: Thanks to our partner @LinkedInMktg. Start converting your B2B audience into high quality leads today. We’ll even give you a $100 credit on your next campaign. Go to http://LinkedIn.com/ThisWeekinStartups to claim your credit.

Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland


Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis


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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups

Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com


Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916


Every week, Jason Calacanis dives headfirst into the swirling vortex of Silicon Valley and global tech with This Week in Startups. It’s a direct line to the conversations shaping our digital future, moving far beyond surface-level news. You’ll hear Jason’s unfiltered analysis on everything from market shifts and media trends to the underlying mechanics of building a business, all delivered with a blend of enthusiasm and seasoned skepticism. The core of this podcast, however, lies in the guests. Jason sits down with the very people driving change-founders who have scaled impossible heights, operators managing daily chaos, and investors who spot trends before they become obvious. These conversations are less like formal interviews and more like insider debriefs, pulling back the curtain on real strategies, painful failures, and unexpected successes. For anyone curious about how technology is built, funded, and ultimately changes the world, this series offers a front-row seat. It’s the context behind the headlines, providing a deeper understanding of the forces at play in startups and technology. Tune in for a consistently engaging and insightful look at the ecosystem, straight from someone who lives and breathes it.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

This Week in Startups
Podcast Episodes
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Jason Unpacks Sequoia’s New Funds | E2199 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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If you’re not working 9-9-6, are you working hard enough? | E2198 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:16
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Duration: 57:51
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Just how frothy is the AI Bubble anyway? | E2195 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:04
Today’s show: *Is the AI bubble going to POP? And if so, how much of our economy is it going to take down with it?On a new TWiST, Jason, Alex, and Lon debate the size and scale of the AI bubble, whether poppage is immine…