Spycraft in SaaS, Rabbit’s Comeback, and Startup Pitch Madness | E2106
This Week in Startups
Jason Calacanis
4.4 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 3 April 2025
⏱️ 73 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This Week in Startups is brought to you by…
Kyte - TWIST Listeners: Go to https://kyte.com/ and download the Kyte app today. Use code JASON to save 10% on your first rental.
Atlassian - Head to https://www.atlassian.com/startups/twist to see if you qualify for 50 free seats for 12 months.
Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist
Today’s show: Jason and Alex go deep into the shocking new details about the Rippling vs. Deel corporate espionage scandal—where a self-admitted spy fed confidential product roadmaps and sales data to a rival CEO for €5K/month. Plus, they interview Rabbit CEO Jesse Lyu about their bold comeback with their new “Intern” AI agent that builds entire apps from a single prompt - Jason calls it a breakthrough. And we kick off Pitch Madness with fierce Founder Friday pitch battles featuring AI podcast tools and women’s sports communities. Spy drama, next-gen tech, and raw founder energy—don’t miss it.
Timestamps:
(0:00) Teaser: Rippling vs. Deel Espionage Case(1:46) Podcast updates and listener engagement(2:31) Job openings at Launch and This Week in Startups(4:19) Rippling and Deel lawsuit details and espionage activities(9:58) Kyte - TWIST Listeners: Go to https://kyte.com/ and download the Kyte app today. Use code JASON to save 10% on your first rental.(11:31) Stolen information and the aftermath of the espionage case(16:21) Corporate espionage vs. corporate intelligence debate(19:38) Atlassian - Head to https://www.atlassian.com/startups/twist to see if you qualify for 50 free seats for 12 months.(23:07) Board independence, whistleblower protections, and CEO behavior(25:10) Y Combinator's culture of rule bending(28:41) Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist(30:02) Jesse Lu's YC experience and launch of Rabbit(34:48) Navigating the hype cycle as a founder and RabbitOS demo(45:02) Estate management and technology with Rabbit(48:39) Conclusion of interview with Jesse Lu(48:51) Launching Founder Friday pitch offs(50:43) Pitch: Snipd - AI-powered podcast app(53:29) Pitch: MedSimple - Medical education platform(57:10) Pitch: Trova - Workplace connection platform(58:45) Pitch: Osprey - Community for women in sports and entertainment(1:05:30) Analysis and decision: MedSimple vs Snipped and Osprey vs Trova(1:09:23) Discussion on Osprey's business model(1:10:33) Tips for improving pitch presentations(1:11:02) Announcement of Twist 500 competition(1:11:46) Closing remarks and social media call to action
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Links from the show:
Rabbit website: https://www.rabbit.tech/?srsltid=AfmBOorumixyS_kXbNPL2tDqLBsI08B4Hs3xUSZkOLS2nlKsatop5VG2
Follow Jesse:X: https://x.com/jessechenglyu
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesselyu/
Follow Alex:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm
Follow Jason:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis
Thank you to our partners:
(9:58) Kyte - TWIST Listeners: Go to https://kyte.com/ and download the Kyte app today. Use code JASON to save 10% on your first rental.
(19:38) Atlassian - Head to https://www.atlassian.com/startups/twist to see if you qualify for 50 free seats for 12 months.
(28:41) Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist
Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis
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Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | I provided Alex, CEO of Deal, with a lot of Ripling confidential information, including |
| 0:04.8 | Ripling's product roadmap, which indicated where Ripling was currently providing services |
| 0:09.0 | and where it sought to expand. |
| 0:10.4 | I also passed on the deal quote battle card, a document that instructed Ripley's sales force |
| 0:15.1 | on what arguments to make to potential customers about the superiority of Ripling's products |
| 0:19.8 | over deals. I also provided Alex with many of Ripley's products over deals. |
| 0:24.5 | I also provided Alex with many of Ripley's sales leads. |
| 0:27.9 | Jason, in terms of like the Crown Jewels, right? If you're a reporter, the Crown Jules is getting someone's income statement, right? |
| 0:31.1 | But if you're a competing SaaS provider, this is what you want. |
| 0:35.8 | This weekend startups is brought to you by Kite. |
| 0:39.2 | Looking to get out of the city? |
| 0:40.9 | Rent a car with Kite. |
| 0:42.2 | Kite delivers rental cars to your door. |
| 0:44.0 | No counter, no lines, no hassle. |
| 0:46.1 | Download the Kite app today and use code Jason to save 10% on your first rental. |
| 0:50.5 | Atlassian. |
| 0:51.5 | From MVP to IPO, Atlassian for startups provide your team the right tools to plan, track, and collaborate on work. |
| 0:57.2 | Head to atlacian.com slash startup slash twist to see if you qualify for 50 free seats for 12 months. |
| 1:03.1 | And, lemon.io. |
| 1:05.5 | Get access to Lemonhire, a platform with more than 80,000 pre-vetted engineers that you can interview within 48 hours. |
| 1:11.5 | Get $2,000 off your first hire at lemon.io slash hire today. |
| 1:15.0 | Hey, everybody. |
... |
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