DeepSummary
Jason Calacanis and Alex Wilhelm discuss the recent debate around the concepts of DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) and MEI (Merit, Excellence, and Intelligence). They analyze the media's role in covering political issues and the changing dynamics of the tech press. The conversation revolves around a controversial TechCrunch article that sparked a debate on these topics.
They delve into the implications of M&A activity in the tech industry, examining the acquisitions of Adept by Amazon and Salt Labs by Chime. The discussion highlights the potential impact of regulations and the upcoming election on M&A deals and the venture capital ecosystem.
Additionally, they explore the challenges faced by EdTech companies in navigating the education system and the strategies they can employ to succeed, such as initially focusing on direct-to-consumer sales before targeting institutions.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- The debate around DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) and MEI (Merit, Excellence, and Intelligence) reflects competing perspectives on promoting diversity and meritocracy in the workplace.
- The tech press is evolving, moving away from the freewheeling blogging era towards a more professionalized approach, leading to the rise of alternative platforms like substrates.
- M&A activity is crucial for the venture capital ecosystem, as limited partners and endowments may reconsider their investments in the absence of viable exit opportunities.
- EdTech startups often face challenges in selling to school systems and may benefit from initially focusing on direct-to-consumer sales before targeting institutions.
- The upcoming election and potential regulatory changes could significantly impact M&A activity, the venture capital ecosystem, and the tech industry as a whole.
- Companies like Amazon and Chime are acquiring startups and talent in the AI and employee rewards spaces, highlighting the importance of these emerging technologies.
- The role of the media in covering political issues and the changing dynamics of the tech press are subject to ongoing debate and analysis.
- Implementing a true meritocracy in hiring and promotions requires more than just declaring a commitment to merit, excellence, and intelligence; it necessitates concrete strategies and measures to address potential biases and systemic issues.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “Well, the era, though, of that has. There used to be room, it seemed, for another option, and now it seems that the blogs are getting much more professionalized. Sounds like I'm saying it's a net positive or an unvarnished good. They're changing, and I think that's also why we're seeing a lot of substrates out there.“ by Alex Wilhelm
- “So I can tell you in the LP space, the endowments of Harvard and et cetera, Duke, et cetera, in the high net worth individual space in the family, which is like family offices sometimes refer to people with, I think family office starts 100 million or more, 500 million or more in assets and in fund to funds and in all number of LP sovereigns, pensions and retirement funds like calpers. One of the big discussions is if we don't have m and a, maybe we stop investing in venture and private equity or we pull back the percentage if we don't think we can get exits.“ by Jason Calacanis
- “So if this had said we're going to uphold meritocracy and we're not going to let people hire their friends and we're going to, then it would have more heft to it. But to me, it's declaring where they're going without telling me how they're going to get there.“ by Alex Wilhelm
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Episode Information
This Week in Startups
Jason Calacanis
7/2/24
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Todays show:
Alex Wilhelm joins Jason to discuss the weekend debate regarding MEI/DEI (12:12), Amazon buys Adept’s key talent (42:39), Chime buys Salt Labs (52:41), and more!
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Timestamps:
(0:00) Jason and Alex kick off the show
(1:47) Weekend recap and political debate analysis
(10:50) Media's role in political coverage
(14:49 ) Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist
(16:12) The weekend debate regarding MEI/DEI and that TechCrunch article
(27:50) Eight Sleep - Head to https://www.eightsleep.com/twist and use code TWIST to get $350 off the Pod 4 Ultra.
(29:20) Discussion on DEI vs MEI and meritocracy in Silicon Valley
(41:10) Northwest Registered Agent - For just $39 plus state fees, Northwest will handle your complete business identity. Visit https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist today.
(42:39) Amazon buys Adept’s key talent
(52:20) Chime's acquisition of Salt Labs
(1:16:12) Challenges and strategies for EdTech companies
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Mentioned on the show:
https://techcrunch.com/2010/09/21/so-a-blogger-walks-into-a-bar
https://x.com/alexandr_wang/status/1801331034916851995
https://techcrunch.com/2024/06/28/amazon-hires-founders-away-from-ai-startup-adept
https://techcrunch.com/2024/03/21/microsoft-inflection-ai-investors-reid-hoffman-bill-gates
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kna9E_3kFF0
https://www.chime.com/blog/chime-acquires-enterprise-employee-rewards-company-salt-labs
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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm/
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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis
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