Cuts CEO Talks Tariffs, Figma's IPO Buzz, and a Nerd Crawler Update | E2113
This Week in Startups
Jason Calacanis
4.4 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 17 April 2025
⏱️ 67 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Today’s show: Jason, Alex, and Lon discuss Figma’s surprise IPO filing following its $1B breakup from Adobe, OpenAI’s quiet push into social networking through a Sora image-sharing feed, and how sweeping new China tariffs are wreaking havoc on ecommerce companies—impacting jobs, supply chains, and pricing. Plus: the Substack vs. Patreon battle heats up, Lyft expands internationally, and we talk to the founders of Nerd Crawler and Cuts Clothing about how policy decisions ripple through startup land. A packed show with insights founders can’t afford to miss.
Timestamps:
(0:00) Tariffs impact on ecommerce and CPG(2:22) Figma files to go public and Adobe's billion-dollar breakup fee(6:48) IPO market, competition, and Hammerspace's $100 million raise
(9:34) Pilot - Visit https://www.pilot.com/twist and get $1,200 off your first year.(11:32) Patreon's new streaming feature and Substack's growth(19:08) Jason's experience with Patreon and Substack apps(19:33) LinkedIn Jobs - Post your first job for free at https://www.linkedin.com/twist(25:58) OpenAI's new social network and Temu’s Google Shopping ads shutdown(29:24) Notion - Try it for free today at https://notion.com/twist(37:11) Nerdcrawler's business model and comic book industry economics(42:33) Marketplaces, scaling challenges, and tariff policy impact on startups(47:29) Steven Borrelli's viral tweet on tariffs and administration response(50:26) Effects of tariffs on costs, supply chain, and American manufacturing(57:56) Infrastructure, investment for US production, and potential layoffs(1:02:34) Closing remarks, endorsements, and quality of Cuts clothing(1:04:25) Addressing misconceptions about Asian manufacturing(1:05:00) OpenAI acquisition of Codium and market impact of tariff fears(1:05:52) Critique of tariff policy communication and domestic job creation discussion
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Nerd Crawler: https://nerdcrawler.com
Cuts: https://www.cutsclothing.com/
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Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | And that's what the average consumer doesn't realize. |
| 0:02.3 | They hear tariffs and like, oh, it won't affect us. |
| 0:03.8 | But, you know, 45% of the world's production is still China. |
| 0:07.6 | And so, you know, you'll see Walmart if not be able to stock the shelves in 90 days if this continues. |
| 0:14.1 | Are you hearing from your contemporaries in this e-commerce group chat and CPG chat, |
| 0:20.3 | hey, I'm going to need to start laying people off and pausing in the next week or two, |
| 0:24.3 | because that's what I'm hearing. |
| 0:26.0 | Yeah, it's, it's, one, it's either going to affect your, uh, growth or your revenue |
| 0:31.5 | because the inventory you have that is not affected by the tariffs, |
| 0:35.1 | you'll need to extend that runway. |
| 0:38.3 | Or you're going to have to eat tariffs, and that's going to cause your bottom line to just get |
| 0:44.4 | destroyed. |
| 0:46.2 | This week in Startups is brought to you by Pilot. |
| 0:49.6 | Focus on your product. |
| 0:50.8 | Let Pilot handle your bookkeeping. |
| 0:52.7 | Pilot provides the most reliable accounting, |
| 0:54.5 | CFO, and tax services for startups and small businesses. Head to Pilot.com slash Twist and get |
| 0:59.5 | $1,200 off your first year. LinkedIn jobs. A business is only as strong as its people in every |
| 1:04.9 | higher matters. Go to LinkedIn.com slash twist to post your first job for free. Terms and |
| 1:09.4 | conditions apply. |
| 1:12.0 | And, Notion. |
| 1:16.2 | Notion combines your notes, docs, and projects into one beautifully designed space with AI built right in. |
... |
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