The Pentagon Wants Equity in AI Startups

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Today's show:

The Pentagon is reportedly in talks to lend AI cloud startup Fluidstack $5. billion, and Jason thinks the real story isn't the loan itself. It's the US government owning equity in private AI companies, and competing directly with venture capital.

Plus returning friend of the pod Tibo Louis-Lucas shows us how he runs seven companies with fewer than 10 people by stacking AI agents. Can a few $200/month AI subscriptions really do the work of an entire marketing team? Tibo seems to think so.

Plus it's Off-Duty Friday, so Jason and Lon are reviewing some current streaming favorites, and commemorating the 25th anniversary of 9/11 with some personal stories.

Check out the full summary and transcript of today's episode from Plaud: plaud.ai/twist

Guests:

Tibo Louis-Lucas on X: x.com/tibo_maker

Squad: squad.so

Relevant Links:

Fluidstack: fluidstack.io

Google-Fluidstack warrants deal details: cointelegraph.com/news/google-acquires-5-4-sta…

Center for Public Integrity: Solyndra timeline: publicintegrity.org/politics/missed-warning-si…

The Hill: Energy Dept. loses $139M in Fisker auto loan default: thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/191258-e…

Apple iPhone Duo: apple.com/newsroom/2026/09/apple-unveils-iphon…

Apple Mac Studio: apple.com/mac-studio

Sonos: sonos.com

Amazon Fire TV: amazon.com/b?node=8521791011

UniFi: ui.com

Lanterns trailer: youtube.com/watch?v=7UIBOsuUwc4

Dark Matter Season 2 trailer: youtube.com/watch?v=zhB6_1UbR7s

"Robin" biography by Dave Itzkoff: amazon.com/dp/1627794247

What Dreams May Come trailer: youtube.com/watch?v=RmZ-FuBThuQ

Huffington Post on the Robin Williams-Disney feud: huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/robin-williams-disn…

Keith Roma: the 344th firefighter lost, remembered: firerescue1.com/9-11/articles/the-firefighter-…

Timestamps:

Remembering 9/11, 25 Years Later

Plaud: If your work depends on conversations — interviews, meetings, calls — you need a Plaud NotePin S. You can check it out at plaud.ai/twist and use code TWIST for 10% off!

Are we about to nationalize the AI industry?

DigitalOcean - Want to see what building on a true AI-native platform looks like? Head to do.co/twist to start building on DigitalOcean's AI-Native Cloud today — and cut your AI workload costs by up to 50%.

Odoo - The all-in-one business platform. Your first app is free! Get started today at Odoo.com/twist

Apple's foldable iPhone Duo

Upwork - Upwork helps businesses find highly skilled freelance professionals for specialized work. Post your job for free at upwork.com

Tibo Louis-Lucas returns to TWiST

The affiliate update email that runs on autopilot

Why you should "stack" multiple AI subscriptions

Squad's ideal customer is a solo founder

Jason digs Hal Jordan on "Lanterns"

Lon reviews Apple's "Dark Matter"

Remembering Robin Williams

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