Meta

Fireworks CEO: AI Startups Are Scaling Into Bankruptcy (And How to Fix It)

Sep 27, 2026 · 57:46

Lin Qiao, co-founder and CEO of Fireworks AI, argues AI companies are scaling into bankruptcy because product-market fit no longer means a durable business, and that specialized intelligence built on private data cuts costs five to ten times. She explains product is no longer a moat now coding agents make it easy to copy, making accumulated customer data the real moat. Lin shares her framework for owning intelligence: invest 10-20% of AI spend in training to cut total cost of ownership four to eight times. She traces Fireworks' growth from Cursor at $2M ARR to 40 trillion tokens a day, while doubling from 150 to 300 people each quarter with seven co-founders. She also recounts lessons from Jensen Huang, joining Meta in 2015 to learn, and Fireworks' zero data retention policy.

The Youngest Female BILLIONAIRE Told Us THIS

Sep 7, 2025 · 49:02

Lucy Guo, co-founder of Scale AI and founder of Passes, shares her journey from high-school entrepreneur to youngest self-made female billionaire and her vision for the creator economy. She explains why she pivoted from food delivery and healthcare apps to Scale AI, emphasizing the importance of early co-founder communication to avoid conflict. At Passes, she outlines a 0% take rate on marketplace products and a 10% blended fee, arguing creators must own their audiences for sustainable businesses. She identifies AI's potential for digital twins and script generation but fears deepfake misuse. Guo also predicts self-driving cars will enable suburban living and advises founders to invest in top engineers, citing her early bet on Ramp.