Were we wildly wrong, or surprisingly on the money?

As 2025 wraps, Chris and Yaniv revisit the bold predictions they made at the start of the year. They reflect on their calls about AI, robotics, VC markets, crypto, and geopolitics. While some were accurate, some were also hilariously off. Together, they unpack what 2025 really looked like for startups, venture capital, and the global tech landscape.

In this episode, you will:

• Learn why both hosts believe their AGI predictions were misses and what “AGI” even means anymore.
• Understand how Google re-emerged as a serious AI contender, from Gemini to Cloud to Chrome.
• Discover how VC funding split into a two-speed market, with AI startups booming while everyone else grinds.
• See why Bitcoin’s stability above $100K signals its cemented role as a store of value.
• Reflect on how tech dominance, global competition, and Trump-era chaos shaped the broader economy.

The Pact

Honor the Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please:

• Follow, rate, and review us in your listening app
• Subscribe to the TSP Mailing List to gain access to exclusive newsletter-only content and early access to information on upcoming episodes: https://thestartuppodcast.beehiiv.com/subscribe
• Secure your official TSP merchandise at https://shop.tsp.show/
• Follow us here on YouTube for full-video episodes: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNjm1MTdjysRRV07fSf0yGg
• Give us a public shout-out on LinkedIn or anywhere you have a social media following

Key links

Get your question in for our next Q&A episode: https://forms.gle/NZzgNWVLiFmwvFA2A

The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/

Learn more about Chris and Yaniv

Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/

Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/

Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/

Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur

Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/

OpenAI may appear to be building the future, but are they leading the tech industry towards collapse?

In this episode, Chris and Yaniv are joined by Jacob Ward (journalist, author of The Loop and NBC Technology Correspondent) to break down OpenAI’s latest livestream and what it signals about the next era of AI. Sam Altman may talk the good talk, but his actions, and the priorities of OpenAI at large, may not align with those claims. Chris, Yaniv, and Jacob unpack these differences between words and actions, the emerging social consequences, and what it all means for the tech industry.

In this episode, you will:

• Understand OpenAI’s roadmap for AI-powered research and why "AI research interns" might be closer than you think
• Learn why the promise of autonomous five-year research cycles raised eyebrows
• Explore the shift from ChatGPT as a product to ChatGPT as a platform, and what that means for app ecosystems
• Consider the emotional and psychological dimensions of AI companionship and reliance
• Evaluate the trillion-dollar infrastructure buildup underway across data centers, GPUs, and nuclear-scale power demands
• Examine how OpenAI’s nonprofit arm plans to invest in disease research and AI resilience

The Pact

Honor the Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please:

• Follow, rate, and review us in your listening app

• Subscribe to the TSP Mailing List to gain access to exclusive newsletter-only content and early access to information on upcoming episodes: https://thestartuppodcast.beehiiv.com/subscribe
• Secure your official TSP merchandise at https://shop.tsp.show/
• Follow us here on YouTube for full-video episodes: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNjm1MTdjysRRV07fSf0yGg
• Give us a public shout-out on LinkedIn or anywhere you have a social media following

Key links

Get your question in for our next Q&A episode: https://forms.gle/NZzgNWVLiFmwvFA2A

The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/

Learn more about Chris and Yaniv

Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/

Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/

Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/

Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur

Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/

What do you need to do to keep employees engaged and committed? What should your position be on remote work? Side hustles? Ping pong tables? Should you offer all employees equity?

Bringing Gen Z employees to your workplace is well worth it, but it means a mental pivot from the hiring team, keeping in mind an entirely new set of criteria.

Chris and Yaniv discuss all this and more with Dan Brockwell, Founder and Chief Meme Officer of Earlywork, a vibrant community for early-career professionals.

In this episode, you will:

• Understand the four key factors Gen Z professionals weigh when choosing startups: learning, culture, compensation, and impact.
• Learn why “job risk” and “career risk” are not the same and why startups often offer safer long-term bets.
• Discover how equity (ESOPs) can be both a powerful motivator and a cultural signal of respect for young talent.
• Explore the pros and cons of remote vs hybrid work for early-career employees and how to design hybrid intentionally.
• Recognize the rise of side hustles, and how founders can embrace them to retain ambitious, creative employees.
• Get insights into how Gen Z finds jobs through online communities, Slack channels, and personal branding instead of traditional job boards.

[This is a replay episode. The original was published on May 26, 2022]

The Pact

Honor the Startup Podcast Pact! If you have listened to TSP and gotten value from it, please:

• Follow, rate, and review us in your listening app
• Subscribe to the TSP Mailing List to gain access to exclusive newsletter-only content and early access to information on upcoming episodes: https://thestartuppodcast.beehiiv.com/subscribe
• Secure your official TSP merchandise at https://shop.tsp.show/
• Follow us here on YouTube for full-video episodes: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNjm1MTdjysRRV07fSf0yGg
• Give us a public shout-out on LinkedIn or anywhere you have a social media following

Key links

Get your question in for our next Q&A episode: https://forms.gle/NZzgNWVLiFmwvFA2A

The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/

Learn more about Chris and Yaniv

Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/

Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/

Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/

Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur

Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/