Get the Check

The hosts are back and diving into a massive week for OpenAI. They start with Nvidia’s $100B investment, which will fund OpenAI’s GPU purchases, and explain why this circular deal doesn’t necessarily signal an AI bubble. They also break down OpenAI’s trillion-dollar infrastructure buildout and the roles Oracle and CoreWeave are playing.Next, they cover OpenAI’s new product Pulse and the growing rumors about ads. Maya and Anika debate whether Pulse will actually work. Comment whose side you’re on and if you’ve tried Pulse (or know someone who can plug the pod a Pro subscription).Then they shift to TikTok’s final deal, announced by Trump, and why it’s such an atypical M&A process. With handpicked buyers instead of an open bidding war, the hosts talk about what this means for creators, the algorithm, and TikTok’s valuation.Finally, in the Get the Check segment, they cover Until Labs, a biotech startup that just raised $58M to push forward organ cryopreservation. Their long-term vision is extending the life of donor organs…and eventually freezing humans to pause biological time. If you’re wondering how, tune in for the full breakdown.

This week on Get the Check, the hosts talk about how 1000 gallons of water flooded Maya’s apartment building and how ChatGPT may have saved her $11k.Anthropic just dropped $1.5 billion to settle with the Authors Guild after getting caught training Claude on pirated books from LibGen. The hosts talk about the details of the case and when copyrighted works fall under “fair use” versus not. They also talk about how this impacts other big lawsuits like NYT vs. OpenAI. Finally they speculate why there wasn’t a bigger reaction to this decision.Next, the hosts talk about the browser wars. You might be getting deja vu from when they recently covered it, but there are some fascinating updates.Google beat a massive antitrust case and gets to keep Chrome, even though they still control 94% of search. The judge agreed they have a monopoly, but with the rise of AI sees the future of search as competitive even with Google owning Chrome. Atlassian just spent $610M cash to buy the Browser Company. The deal is slightly ironic, since the Browser Company was all about trendy AI-forward consumer browsers and now is owned by a (almost?) legacy enterprise software player. The hosts disagree on if Atlassian made the right bet.Finally, they spotlight Exa, which is Google for AI agents. The company just raised $85 million at a $700 million valuation and already has customers like Notion and Cursor. The hosts talk about why AI agents need a different type of search tool than humans. All the hosts agree on if Exa would or wouldn’t “Get the Check,” but you’ll have to tune in to know the answer.If you enjoyed this episode please give us 5 stars on Spotify or a thumbs up on YouTube :)00:00 Intro 02:14 Anthropic pays authors $1.5B 20:21 Google anti-trust case ruling, Google keeps Chrome29:41 Atlassian buys the Browser Company for $610M40:40 Would Exa Get the Check?

The hosts start with Trump’s firing of Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook over alleged mortgage fraud. They unpack the legal battle around whether a president can remove Fed officials “for cause,” what that means for the Fed’s independence, and the potential implications for monetary policy, markets, and democracy. They draw historical comparisons, from Nixon and stagflation to the UK’s pre-1997 monetary policy, and note Trump’s push for rate cuts to offset tariff-driven inflation.Next, they dive into Open Evidence, an AI healthcare startup backed by top VCs. They explain how the platform helps physicians synthesize peer-reviewed research, why its bottom-up adoption strategy worked, and how it addresses physician shortages and outdated workflows. They highlight its rapid growth, 40 percent daily physician usage, and medical licensing exam success, agreeing it would “get their check.”Finally, they cover SpaceX’s recent milestones: the successful Starship Flight 10 test where both booster and upper stage landed in splash zones, and the Starlink 17-7 mission deploying satellites with a new “Pez dispenser” system. They discuss rocket reusability, Starlink’s growing subscriber base, and how its profits are funding SpaceX’s Mars ambitions. They also explore the challenges of colonizing Mars, from human health risks to international policy questions.00:00 Intro 02:01 Trump fires Fed Governor Lisa Cook 23:42 Open Evidence 39:22 SpaceX's launch

The year is 2030 your Neuralink chip calls your Tesla back from an EV charging station and your Optimus robot opens the door for you (chivalry isn’t dead).This week the pod does a deep dive into Neuralink's technology and how the device is able to decode your brainwaves and send them to a model, which translates them into actions like playing a video game. Neuralink already allows Noland Arbaugh who is paralyzed from the neck down to operate a computer with his mind. Elon’s long term vision for the company is that Neuralinks become as common as having an iPhone, and help humans stay competitive in a world of AI by increasing their brain’s output. The hosts discuss the recent Neuralink news that has flown surprisingly under the radar: Neuralink is running UK clinical trials and is also developing a smart bionic eye with UCSB to help blind individuals regain sight via a camera-to-brain signal system.Finally the pod debriefs everything that has happened in the US economy this last week like Trump firing the bureau of labor statistics commissioner because he thought job numbers were too low. They also talk about the takeaways from a spicy Fed rates meeting where two people dissented with Powell on interest rates for the first time since 1993. Finally Maya gives her hot take on why she thinks the dollar is losing value and what that means for the US economy.00:00 Intro01:00 Neuralink32:00 Fed Meeting, Trump fires BLS commissioner

If you read the entire internet multiple times over you would be the smartest person on Earth, so why is it that every frontier model has done that and you still have to read over a simple email ChatGPT writes?Tune into this week’s episode to hear Maya’s answer: AI models are getting trained too inefficiently and Moonshot AI’s Kimi K2 is an example of how training can be more efficient. Kimi K2 is China’s latest open-source model, which was trained for agentic use cases. It’s doing better than anyone expected, and if you’re getting DeepSeek deja vu so are we. The episode also dives into the AI browser wars and Priya gives her hot take on who she thinks has a right to win between Perplexity’s Comet, Dia by the Browser Company, and ChatGPT Agent.Finally, the pod debriefs Lovable’s $200M Series A and the future of GPT wrappers.00:00 AI browser wars 25:56 State of AI in China52:18 Lovable raises a $200M Series A

This week we sat down with Emir Karabeg, the co-founder of Sim Studio (YC X25), an open-source AI agent builder used by the Department of Defense. We debriefed his YC Demo Day and discussed his insane lore, including:💥 Building a crypto mining operation at 14 that accidentally triggered an MI6 raid🧠 Why what he learned at YC was life changing🚗 How he gave away 10 Teslas with David Dobrik (and one extra by accident)📞 Leaving in the middle of a UC Berkeley final to take a call from Olaf Carlson-Wee (Coinbase employee #1)00:00 Intro01:54 Crypto mining at 14 years old12:34 Dropping out of Berkeley (for a semester)22:10 YC Demo Day30:12 Building Sim Studio40:54 Founder philosophies51:29 Reaching AGI

Meta just dropped a casual $14.3 billion on Scale AI for a 49 percent non-voting stake. The hosts are wondering if Zuck is in his desperation era handing out NBA sized contracts to anyone that can rescue Llama. Alexander Wang is now running Meta’s new Superintelligence Lab, and the hosts breaks down what Alex leaving means for Scale. In the short term, employees are getting a massive cash payout, but long term Google, Microsoft, and xAI have already said they’re not renewing contracts with Scale, which opens the door for Scale’s competitors like Snorkel, Surge AI, Mercor, and Turing to step in. Maya floats the idea that Scale may be a product play and not just an acqui-hiring of Alex, if Meta has a bigger plan to use Scale to build continual learning models inside Meta.Then the episode covers the largest single-day protest in American history. Around 5 million people turned out for the No Kings marches in response to ICE raids and Trump’s executive overreach. Anika shares what it was like on the ground at the SF protest. The hosts also unpack the very public back-and-forth between Gavin Newsom and Trump. They also analyze Trump’s immigration strategy in comparison to Obama’s. Finally, they get into the messy economic and ethical logic (or lack thereof) behind targeting undocumented immigrants who’ve been here for decades. 00:00 Intro 01:18 Meta acquires 49% of Scale AI 37:13 ICE Raids lead to the No Kings protest

On this episode of Get the Check, the trio kicks things off with a vulnerable chat about work besties (RIP to Maya’s). The hosts cover Grammarly’s relevance post the rise of AI, Rhode’s $1B exit, and why venture capital is taking a page out of the private equity playbook.Grammarly just raised a billion dollars in funding from General Catalyst, but the twist is they’re not giving up equity. The hosts break down how non-dilutive revenue-based funding rounds work (think Mr. Wonderful on Shark Tank). They also discuss why this deal makes sense at Grammarly’s stage. Next, they unpack why Grammarly is still doing $700M ARR and has huge enterprise logos, despite many people now using AI to correct their writing. They end the segment by talking about Grammarly’s future after acquiring Notion competitor Coda and the product adjacencies like email that Grammarly may expand into.Next, Hailey Bieber gets the check. Her skincare brand Rhode just sold to e.l.f. for a billion dollars after only three years. The hosts break down why they see this deal as a win-win. Rhode gets access to a more mature company that can help their push from e-commerce to Sephora, and e.l.f. gets to diversify their revenue in the face of Trump’s tariffs. E.l.f. also gets access to an older customer base with a higher propensity to spend.Lastly, the hosts discuss why VC firms are cosplaying as PE firms these days. They explain how acquiring “boring” small businesses (hi, car washes) and layering on AI software has become the latest VC trend. They break down what makes a good AI rollup target (fragmented, low-margin, could be tech enabled but isn’t) and how this new strategy may impact software revenue models down the line.00:00 Intro01:34 Grammarly raises $1B17:07 Rhode acquired by e.l.f27:35 VC invests in AI rollups

The hosts of Get the Check kick off another episode by talking about a weekend run, which is misleading, since they’ve only run twice. They debrief the Bay to Breakers run where half the crowd is in costume and the other is naked. This week they talk about three major product launches: OpenAI’s Codex, Airbnb’s experiences and services features, and Uber’s route share.The hosts discuss a trio of recent tech launches, starting with OpenAI’s Codex, which is a model fine tuned for software engineering use cases. They compare it to tools like Cursor, Windsurf, and even Devin, and explain why Codex’s “one-shot” approach might work better for fast bug fixes or product tweaks, but not for collaborative workflows. Next, they pivot to Airbnb’s mid-life identity crisis, where Brian Chesky wants the app to evolve from vacation rentals to your next plumber and maybe even boyfriend being from Airbnb. Finally, they discuss Uber’s route share program, which users on X are calling “a bus” lol.Finally the hosts dive into Trump’s trip to the Middle East. Trump brought an ensemble of tech moguls like Sam Altman and Jensen Huang. The hosts break down Saudi Arabia’s $600 billion pledge toward data centers, defense, and AI, the UAE’s $1.4 trillion investment plan. Of course there’s no such thing as a free lunch (or datacenter), so they also talk about what the US is doing in return including giving gulf states access to the newest Nvidia chips. They briefly discuss why they agree with Trump’s decision to lift sanctions on Syria post the end of the Assad regime. Finally, the hosts zoom out and have a conversation about Trump’s overall Middle East strategy.We are almost at 10K on TikTok :) follow us if you haven’t already @getthecheckpod.00:00 Intro02:58 This week’s launches: Codex, Airbnb’s rebrand, Uber route share33:37 Trump’s Middle East trip: AI investments and lifting sanctions on Syria

The hosts kick off by recapping their run club experience because honestly, are you even in your 20s living in a big city if you haven’t gone to a run club yet?This week, Maya, Anika, and Priya dive into two main stories: Hims & Hers’ new partnership with Novo Nordisk and their upcoming earnings, plus OpenAI’s GPT update and how it ties into the viral “AI 2027” doomsday paper.Hims & Hers, the public telehealth company, is making headlines after teaming up with Novo Nordisk to offer branded weight loss drugs at a steep discount. The hosts break down the company’s business model, including how they were previously selling generic versions thanks to a supply shortage loophole that just closed. They also get into what Hims’ focus on price transparency could mean for the future of healthcare access in the U.S.Then, they get into the chaotic GPT update that made the model start glazing everyone, so much so that Sam Altman had to hop on X and say “will fix.” The hosts explain what caused the change, how user feedback and model memory played a role, and why no one caught it before release. They also connect the incident to the “AI 2027” paper, which outlines how AI could go off the rails if its incentives aren’t aligned with human values.The episode wraps with Maya crashing out over what her life means if she can’t be a software engineer. To make her feel better, follow us @getthecheckpod on socials and give us 5 stars :)00:00 Intro04:38 Hims & Hers’ Novo Nordisk partnership24:08 GPT update and the viral “AI 2027” paper

Merge recently launched Merge MCP helping AI apps understand everything about their customers. Today, Anika sits down with Shensi, co-founder and CEO of Merge, to dive into: 💡 How AI is unlocking more use cases for Merge 🛠️ Why she still codes as a non-technical founder who never worked as a software engineer 📩 How she and her co-founder Gil personally reached out to 10,000+ people to find their first engineering hires 🧠 What the Chief of Staff role actually means in a startup and how it prepared her to be a founder 💬 A raw and honest take on what it’s like to be a woman founder in tech 00:00 Introduction 01:18 Founding Merge 04:24 Founder philosophies around leadership and hiring 14:44 Understanding Merge's product and AI's impact 25:23 Hot seat

The pod is back from their travels and are talking tariffs in the best episode yet. They also breakdown Anthropic’s Model Context Protocol (MCP), which is a new standard that helps LLMs and applications communicate. Finally, the hosts deep dive into Base Power, which is a hot new energy startup everyone is talking about.First up: Trump’s surprise rollout of “reciprocal” tariffs aren’t actually reciprocal. The hosts debrief the details of the tariffs, the partial reversal, and the math behind the tariff equation, which is allegedly from ChatGPT. The pod gets into how tariffs are impacting international trade, U.S. China relations, and the market (rip the 2024 gains). The hosts also zoom out to contextualize today’s tariffs in comparison to Trump’s first term tariffs and America’s history with tariffs.Next, they get into Anthropic’s Model Context Protocol (MCP a standard that was announced in November, but is creating buzz now after OpenAI, GitHub, AWS, and more announced their adoption. They discuss how it works, what it means for agents and tool integration, and how it builds a universal language between LLMs, apps, and data sources. The hosts also talk about the implications of Google’s new Agent to Agent protocol and how it could lead to a company team that’s all AI agents.For the first time ever, there’s a company that would “Get the Check”: Base Power. This Texas based battery startup just raised $200 million from a16z to tackle rising power outages and growing electricity distribution costs. Their strategy is to install home batteries, charge them during low-demand hours, and sell energy back to the grid when demand spikes, capturing a huge spread. Consumers benefit too by staying powered during outages and getting electricity at or below market prices the rest of the time.00:00 Intro 01:33 Trump's tariffs and partial reversal 35:37 Anthropic's Model Context Protocol (MCP)43:52 A16z's $200M check into Base Power

Billions of people use email every single day. For the first time in decades, it’s been reimagined. Say hello to Notion Mail.Today, Priya sits down with Andrew to talk about:🤖 How Notion AI is redefining the inbox🚀 The story behind Andrew’s company Skiff joining Notion📝 Marketing 101: How Notion Mail used their waitlist to generate hype💰 Andrew on being a Sequoia Scout📧 Does Andrew live in inbox chaos or inbox zero world?00:00 Intro02:02 Founding Skiff and joining Notion06:36 Email as a product08:11 How Notion Mail uses Notion AI10:58 Building the product15:41 Launching the product22:46 Andrew’s pilots license25:17 Working as a Sequoia Scout28:25 Hot Seat

🚀 Big moves from @Glean! Last month, they announced that any employee across any department can now build AI agentsToday, @Maya sits down with @Matt Kix, CMO of @Glean, to dive into:🔍 How he has spotted the next big tech trend 3x in his career🤖 Why Glean is empowering everyone to use AI, not just developers📈 The shift from AI boosting productivity to AI driving revenue and code velocity🏢 When AI-powered workplace search will become table stakes for every company00:00 Trailer00:40 Intro + Early Career06:20 Staying adaptable07:28 Building useful AI technology 14:05 Being the horizontal work AI platform 21:21 Measuring ROI for Glean's customers 30:07 The price of intelligence going down 35:09 The nature of roles in a Glean-powered workplaces

This week the pod covers Google’s acquisition of Wiz, Pepsi’s acquisition of Poppi (two deals in one pod wow M&A is so back!), and key announcements from Nvidia’s GTC conference.Google just made history with its biggest acquisition ever dropping $32 billion in an all-cash deal to acquire Wiz, which is a cloud security startup. We break down Wiz’s founding story and how this deal fits into Google’s broader cloud strategy. The hosts also debate if the FTC let this acquisition go through.Next, they dive into Pepsi’s $1.65 billion buyout of Poppi, the influencer-backed prebiotic soda that took over TikTok. From angel investors like Alex Earle securing massive payouts to Poppi’s legal drama over misleading health claims, they unpack the rapid rise (and possible risks) of trendy consumer brands.Finally, the hosts break down the biggest announcements from NVIDIA’s GTC, which Jensen Huang calls the “AI Super Bowl.” From the Blackwell GPUs promising massive efficiency gains, to NVIDIA’s move into personal AI supercomputers that could put serious computing power in the hands of individual researchers and startups, the hosts discuss what these advances mean for the future of AI. They also debrief Nvidia’s new human-like robots.In this week’s would not “Get the Check” segment, they talk about the wild legal battle between Rippling and Deel, including corporate espionage, Slack channel traps, and a dramatic office raid (complete with a suspect allegedly flushing his phone down the toilet).If you aren’t already follow us on social media @getthecheck and leave 5 stars on our Spotify, Apple, or like our YouTube video!00:00 Google acquires Wiz for $32B16:18 Pepsi acquires Poppi29:38 Nvidia’s GTC conference highlights52:09 Rippling alleges Deel is conducting corporate espionage

A decade ago when you got equity at your cool new tech startup you would get an envelope in the mail with a ledger. Now you just log in to Carta. Today CPO of Carta Vrushali Paunikar sits down with Anika Mirza and Priya Kamdar to discuss how Carta disrupted the equity management space and where they are headed next, they dive into:🎉 The lore behind Carta confetti💰 Why West Coast VCs passed on Carta’s Series A👨‍💻 How Carta is now building the NetSuite of private capital🪜 How Vrushali became CPO when she stopped focusing on promotions and started focusing on product⭐ Why GTM people make the best PMs00:00 Intro01:00 Product as a career06:18 Almost leaving Carta09:38 Carta’s founding story28:15 Carta confetti31:04 Hot seat

In this episode of Get the Check, the hosts cover TSMC’s massive $100 billion investment in US chip facilities, Anthropic’s new Claude 3.7 Sonnet model, and Trump’s bold move to create a strategic Bitcoin reserve.TSMC is doubling down on US manufacturing, adding $100 billion on top of their previous $65 billion investment in Arizona. While Trump’s camp claims this is thanks to his tariff threats, the hosts break down the bigger picture, including how initiatives like the CHIPS Act have been pushing for domestic TSMC manufacturing long before Trump got involved. They also explore what this means for Taiwan’s “silicon shield,” the idea that TSMC’s dominance in chip production helps protect Taiwan from invasion. Curious about the odds of a Chinese invasion? The hosts share their predictions.Next up, they dive into Anthropic’s Claude 3.7 Sonnet release — a hybrid reasoning model that combines foundational AI capabilities with advanced reasoning. Unlike OpenAI, which has traditionally released separate models for these tasks, Anthropic is combining the two. The hosts explore why they might have taken this approach and what it could mean for the future of AI. They also break down how Claude 3.7 is designed to excel at agentic workflows.Finally, Trump’s latest executive order is all about Bitcoin. The hosts unpack his plan to create a strategic Bitcoin reserve and digital asset stockpile, which includes auditing the 200,000 Bitcoin the US government already holds and allowing the purchase of more Bitcoin, if it’s budget-neutral. The hosts debate what having a crypto king in office might mean for the US dollar.Oh, and Lucy Guo’s startup Passes would not “Get the Check”. They discuss how the Scale AI co-founder’s attempt at building a monetization platform for creators allegedly took a dark turn and is now being sued for exploitation from a former creator.Don’t forget to follow us, @getthecheck wherever you like to doom scroll lol :)00:00 TSMC pledges $100B to expand US chip manufacturing16:07 Anthropic launches Claude 3.7 Sonnet31:09 Strategic Bitcoin Reserve49:46 Lucy Guo’s Passes

If you live in America, experts say your leading cause of death is what you eat. There’s one company changing that.Today CEO and co-founder Sammy Faycurry sits down with Anika for a tell-all episode on Fay, a marketplace for dietitians, and one of the fastest growing health and wellness companies ever. They just raised a $50M Series B at a $500M valuationThey dive into:🫶 Fay's origin story as a family business🏥 Why are dietitians overlooked in healthcare, even though they are one of the most critical providers of care🤖 How Fay became the Harvey AI of the nutrition space💡 The best path forward for health insurance companies to gain Americans' trust and how Fay is acting as a partnerThey might even drop some information on Fay’s secret launch happening in 24 days 🤫00:00 Series B leaked03:38 Intro04:19 Founder journey09:11 Finding product market fit14:53 Waiting to raise VC money17:45 Anika joining Fay19:42 Health insurance companies25:27 Vertical AI32:08 Validating the care model35:05 Insurance prescribing food36:53 Founder philosophies52:02 Speed roundIf you haven’t yet, follow us @getthecheckpod on TikTok, Instagram, and X

In this episode of Get the Check the hosts get political by diving into Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and then get technical by breaking down Microsoft’s new chip the Majorana 1, which is a huge break through for quantum computing. Maya, Anika, and Priya discuss the sweeping layoffs DOGE has instated at key agencies like the FAA and Department of Defense. They debate DOGE’s approach to government efficiency including the controversy around the agencies young engineers, and how to balance increasing efficiency without compromising the impact of programs like USAID. Next they cover Microsoft’s new chip the Majorana 1. The hosts talk about what quantum computing is good at in comparison to classical computing. They also break down the technical achievement of Microsoft creating a new state of matter and why that is important for quantum computing, as well as the differing approach competitors like Google are taking.Finally they announce this week’s company that would NOT get their check…Humane AI. The hosts talk about why this company was sold to HP for less than their venture funding added up to.Follow us @getthecheckpod. If you have any episode feedback we always love hearing from you at getthecheckpod@gmail.com :)00:00 DOGE updates37:20 Microsoft’s Majorana 1 chip1:00:02 HP acquires Humane

In this episode of Get the Check, Anika, Maya, and Priya discuss the Super Bowl, focusing on the brands running ads and Robinhood’s attempt to offer Super Bowl sports contracts through Kalshi. The hosts also dive into Stargate, a $500 million AI infrastructure initiative led by SoftBank, OpenAI, Oracle, and MGX. Finally, they cover Apple Invites, Apple's new version of Partiful.The hosts predict that tech companies like Ramp will dominate this year’s Super Bowl ad space. They also debate Perplexity’s strategy of skipping a traditional Super Bowl ad and instead running a giveaway where users can win $1 million by asking five questions in the app. Next, they discuss Robinhood’s attempt to partner with Kalshi on Super Bowl event contracts, which the CFTC shut down after Robinhood had already rolled it out to 1% of their users. Despite this, Kalshi will still allow users nationwide to bet (wait, sorry, we mean trade!) the outcome of the game. The hosts break down Robinhood and Kalshi’s partnership, weighing the pros and cons of Kalshi using Robinhood as a brokerage versus being their own. They also discuss what a potential Trump-led CFTC could mean for event contracts. Plus, they share how Kalshi’s social media intern just earned a $6,900 bonus (hint: it has to do with Elon).The conversation then shifts to Stargate, an initiative aiming to position the U.S. as the global AI superpower and create over 100,000 jobs. While the initiative has raised concerns over its environmental impact, particularly CO2 emissions from new data centers, efforts are underway to make the centers more sustainable. The hosts also debate the government’s role in regulating AI safety and ethics, especially in light of Trump reversing Biden’s AI executive orders and implementing his own.Finally, the hosts discuss Apple Invites, a new app that rips off Partiful. While they acknowledge that Partiful still has the stronger product, they argue that Apple Invites exposes Partiful's lack of a technical moat and a clear path to profitability.Follow us on social media @getthecheckpod, and please rate us on Spotify or Apple—your support helps us reach more listeners!00:00 Super Bowl ads06:26 Robinhood attempts Super Bowl events contracts36:12 The Stargate project  49:53 Company that wouldn’t get our check: Partiful