Top News | Dating app fatigue sets in: A new report in Bloomberg suggests that singles are giving up on dating apps in favor of more personalized (and costly) match-making services. The article notes that Match Group’s Tinder business has been in steady decline for the past two years, and the company doesn’t anticipate revenue growth to resume until 2027. The piece notes that bespoke IRL matchmaking services can run into the thousands of dollars, posing substantially higher risk for hopeful daters than swiping through a few Hinge profiles. Wispr Flow raises $30M: The company was originally building a consumer hardware device that allows users to “type” by silently mouthing words. They’ve since pivoted to focusing on the dictation software that powers said device. TechCrunch suggests that the company is hot among investors — corralling $56 million in funding to date — because it’s a product that’s already popular behind-the-scenes among VCs and funds. Abridge helps doctors take notes: The app uses AI to automate note-taking for busy physicians (who famously sometimes struggle with penmanship). This week, the company raised $300 million in funding at a valuation of $5.3 billion, which it plans to use for hiring scientists, developers, and machine learning experts to build their next wave of products. Abridge’s tech is already being used in a number of health systems and hospitals nationwide, and the company estimates it will take notes on more than 50 million medical conversations just this year.
| TWiST500 | We’ve been following the AI vs. Copyright Law narrative very closely on the podcast these last few months. (Hey, we’re a media venture that’s obsessed with tech startups, this fits neatly inside our wheelhouse.) | For others keeping track, The TWiST 500’s own Anthropic scored a major legal victory for Team “All Your IP Belong To Us” this week. US District Judge William Alsup ruled that using books to train AI models is “transformative” enough to be considered “fair use.” | The suit had been brought by a collective of three authors — Andrea Bartz, Charles Graeber, and Kirk Wallace Johnson — who argued that Anthropic built its business on top of a cache of “hundreds of thousands of copyrighted books.” | But Judge Alsup writes that Anthropic’s AI training does not reproduce the entirety of any author’s work, and does not output results that are recognizably “one author’s identifiable expressive style.” He concludes, therefore, that an LLM ingesting a book for training is similar to “any reader aspiring to be a writer,” innocently and legally leafing through the pages themselves. | This is a first-of-its-kind landmark ruling that could establish guardrails for AI training and IP law moving forward. In a statement, Anthropic said they were “pleased” with the outcome, and found Judge Alsup’s arguments consistent with their understanding of copyright law. | It’s important to note, however, that Anthropic is not entirely out of the woods. Judge Alsup ordered a separate trial to consider whether the company used illegally obtained, “pirated” books to train its models and build out its digital library, and if so, to determine their potential damages and liability. – Lon | A message from Pilot | Focus on your product, let Pilot handle your bookkeeping. Pilot provides the most reliable accounting, CFO, and tax services for startups and small businesses. Head to https://www.pilot.com/twist and get $1,200 off your first year. | This Week in Startups | E2142: On today’s show, we welcome the newest member of the TWiST Team: Anthropic’s Claude Sonnet 4 model. “Producer Claude” is helping us research interviews, plan segments, and even doing some live real-time fact checking for us. Plus Jason and Alex talk about Tesla’s robotaxi rollout, how AI is already taking people’s jobs, and Mark Zuckerberg’s sudden pivot into FOUNDER MODE. Plus Scott Hickle from Throne Science on the future of gut health. | E2141: It’s a Friday TWiST-apalooza, with Jason and Alex talking Meta’s aggressive AI strategy, Midjourney’s major recent advancements, the ongoing debate about copyright and AI model training, and Amazon CEO Andy Jassy’s cautionary memo. PLUS a visit from Giram Taitana of Doctours to talk about the growing field of medical tourism and why so many Americans are traveling overseas to get work done. | E2140: On a Wednesday TWiST, Jason and Alex consider Amazon CEO Andy Jassy’s cautionary AI memo to staff, Pano AI’s $44M raise to detect wildfires with drones, OpenAI’s big podcast plans, and Traversal’s emergence from stealth. PLUS Actuality founder Rishabh Gupta stops by to explain how they’re improving the RFP process. | TWiST Partner Offers | Squarespace: Turn your idea into a new website! Go to https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST for a free trial. When you’re ready to launch, use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. NetSuite: The business landscape is very chaotic right now. That’s why you need NetSuite, by Oracle. If your revenues are at least in the seven figures, download the free e-book “Navigating Global Trade: 3 Insights for Leaders” at NetSuite dot com slash TWIST. INBOUND: Connect with visionary leaders like Dario Amodei and Amy Poehler at INBOUND 2025 September 3-5 in San Francisco, the epicenter of tech innovation, and transform your business strategy for the AI era. Use code TWIST10 for 10% off your General Admission ticket at inbound.com/register. (Valid thru 7/31)
| LAUNCH Accelerator | We’re hosting an in-person Demo Day for LA34 in SF on July 16 from 9a-12p PT, the latest cohort from Jason Calacanis’ Accelerator. | If you are an early-stage investor and interested in attending, please reach out to bianca@launch.co. | Want to Work for This Week in Startups? | We’re looking to fill two in-person sales positions at our Austin, Texas HQ! First, a high-performing Sales Executive to help us seek out and promote clients, sponsorships, branded content, and more. Plus an experienced Sales Manager to lead, coach, and scale our sales executive team, while setting performance goals. Love the podcast and have B2B sales experience? We want to hear from you! | SF Live-Work Space Now Available | Need a flexible living and working environment in San Francisco? This thoughtfully designed loft-style residence at 787 Bryant St., the heart of the vibrant SOMA district and the city’s creative hub, is now available for rent or purchase. Check the listing for more details. | Founder University | Applications are open for Founder University Cohort 11, a 12-week remote pre-accelerator program tailored towards navigating early-startup practices, building an MVP, and growing traction. Submit your application at Founder University— Cohort 10 will kick off Summer 2025! | The TWiST500 newsletter is the new, updated, and improved TWiST Ticker. |
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