Jason’s Top CES Products and Takeaways | E2232
Timestamps are as accurate as they can be but may be slightly off. We encourage you to listen to the full context.
Podcast Summary
In this episode of This Week in Startups, Jason Calacanis and Alex Wilhelm kick off 2026 with exciting news about the return of IPOs and breakthrough tech innovations from CES. Discord has filed confidentially to go public at an estimated $7 billion valuation, despite previously raising at $15 billion, marking a significant milestone for the gaming-turned-community platform. (00:00) Strava, the fitness tracking app, has also filed for an IPO after being valued at $2.2 billion and achieving profitability with strong subscription revenue growth. (13:37) The hosts also discuss Anthropic's massive $10 billion funding round at a $350 billion valuation and China's pushback against Meta's acquisition of Manus AI. (22:25) The episode concludes with producer Oliver presenting the top CES products, including advanced humanoid robots from Boston Dynamics and LG, NVIDIA's open-source self-driving platform, and innovative folding phones from Samsung.
- Main themes include the resurgence of IPO activity, AI company valuations reaching unprecedented levels, robotics and autonomous vehicle breakthroughs, and the ongoing tech competition between the US and China
Speakers
Jason Calacanis
Jason is the founder and CEO of Launch, host of This Week in Startups, and co-host of the All-In podcast. He previously founded Engadget and has been a prominent angel investor and startup advisor for over two decades, investing in companies like Uber, Robinhood, and Thumbtack.
Alex Wilhelm
Alex is co-host of This Week in Startups and a veteran tech journalist with extensive experience covering venture capital, IPOs, and startup ecosystems. He previously worked at TechCrunch and Crunchbase, bringing deep expertise in analyzing public market trends and startup valuations.
Oliver (Producer)
Oliver is the producer of This Week in AI, the show's AI-focused spinoff podcast. He provides insights on cutting-edge technology trends and products, particularly focusing on artificial intelligence applications and consumer tech innovations.
Key Takeaways
Data Creates Unbreakable Customer Moats
Jason emphasized how companies like Strava achieve customer lock-in through accumulated data rather than just features. (15:56) When users have years of fitness tracking data, workout histories, and performance comparisons stored in a platform, switching becomes nearly impossible regardless of price increases. This principle applies beyond fitness apps to any service that accumulates user data over time. The key insight is that subscription businesses should focus on creating data dependencies and streak mechanics that make switching painful, not just feature differentiation.
Mass Manufacturing Expertise Drives Robotics Success
The discussion around Boston Dynamics' new humanoid robot highlighted why automotive companies are leading the robotics revolution. (47:50) Hyundai's ownership of Boston Dynamics isn't coincidental - car manufacturers excel at mass production, quality control at scale, and integrating complex hardware systems with software. They also already use robotics extensively in their factories, giving them practical experience. This suggests that robotics startups should consider partnerships with manufacturing giants rather than trying to build production capabilities from scratch.
Open Source AI Accelerates Industry Adoption
NVIDIA's announcement of an open-source, end-to-end AI platform for autonomous vehicles represents a strategic shift toward industry acceleration. (37:55) By providing both hardware and software stacks to any automaker, NVIDIA is following the Android model - enabling widespread adoption while profiting from chip sales. This approach contrasts with proprietary systems like Tesla's FSD or Waymo's technology. The lesson for entrepreneurs is that sometimes open-sourcing core technology can create larger markets and more hardware sales opportunities than keeping everything proprietary.
Hire Senior Talent to Elevate Your Entire Team
Alex shared a crucial lesson about hiring philosophy that many young entrepreneurs resist due to ego concerns. (11:21) When building a team, especially in areas where you lack expertise, hiring the most senior person possible becomes a "bar raiser" that elevates everyone's performance. Jason reinforced this by noting that being the person who brings in all-stars demonstrates you care about the business as much as the founder, securing your position in the organization. This strategy works because experienced hires bring knowledge, processes, and networks that accelerate growth beyond what their salary costs suggest.
Community Platforms Require User-Driven Content to Monetize
The Discord IPO discussion revealed why some community platforms succeed financially while others struggle. (09:09) Reddit's success stems from user-generated subreddits that create autonomous communities, while Discord succeeded by enabling users to create their own servers for gaming, work, and interest groups. The key insight is that sustainable community businesses can't rely solely on top-down content creation - they need to provide tools that let users build their own valuable micro-communities. This user-driven approach creates network effects and makes monetization through subscriptions, advertising, and creator tools more viable.
Statistics & Facts
- Discord has 200 million global monthly active users and generates approximately $600 million in revenue annually, with 90% coming from their Nitro subscription service. (04:27) This represents roughly 5-10% of the global online population using Discord monthly, demonstrating the massive scale of community-driven platforms.
- Strava was last valued at $2.2 billion by Sequoia Capital and grew more than 50% last year while achieving profitability. (13:47) The company charges $80 annually for subscriptions and generates around $500 million in revenue, showing the power of fitness data lock-in.
- Anthropic is raising $10 billion at a $350 billion valuation, roughly doubling from its previous $183 billion valuation just months earlier. (24:16) Despite this massive valuation, the company maintains a reasonable 35x revenue multiple due to its explosive growth trajectory from a $9 billion annual run rate.
