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Anthropic’s Money Machine, “Slop” Degrees & the Meat Proxy | TWiAI Ep 37

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This Week In Startups is made possible by:
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Today’s show:
Anthropic’s S-1 is finally out and it’s a beast: $16.3 billion in revenue in the first half of this year, up from $1.2 billion in 2025. Plus a $1.6 billion adjusted operating profit!
Anthropic’s already at the front of a very fast-moving train, but Runlayer CEO Andy Berman points out that this journey’s just getting started. Only 2-3% of major enterprises are using AI as much as you’d think (at least, if you listen to this podcast), and everyone’s dragging their heels on connecting models to the kind of real-world business data that’s needed to truly super-charge results.
Andy and Norm Ai founder John Nay join Jason and Lon to break down the filing, the agent explosion coming just over the horizon, and what happens to entry-level jobs and recent grads when intelligence is on tap?
PLUS how to avoid becoming a “meat proxy,” why Andy suggests browser use is already solved, and why Reddit’s r/opensource community banned not just AI projects but non-native English speakers.
Guests
John Nay on X: https://x.com/johnjnay
Norm Ai: https://www.norm.ai/
Andy Berman on X: https://x.com/berman66
Runlayer: https://www.runlayer.com/
Relevant Links:
Anthropic's S-1 (SEC): https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/2130357/000162828026067168/anthropicpbc-sx1.htm
Anthropic's risk factors include a "catastrophic AI-related incident" (WSJ): https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/stock-market-today-dow-sp-500-nasdaq-10-26-2026/card/anthropic-s-risk-factors-include-catastrophic-ai-related-incident--aAwPiJrvIG5OHdQGAo1n
Gallup's AI indicator: https://www.gallup.com/699797/indicator-artificial-intelligence.aspx
Microsoft offers voluntary buyouts to 60,000 employees (CNBC): https://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/26/microsoft-msft-voluntary-buyouts.html
Students at an A.I. School Were Supposed to Learn Faster. Many Aren't. (NYT): https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/23/us/alpha-school-ai-education-parents.html?unlocked_article_code=1.K1E.IcJn.2l4XIQK5gQsl
Meat Proxy: https://meatproxy.me/
r/opensource just banned AI, non-English speakers, and more (The Verge): https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/1018217/reddit-opensource-ai-ban
When AI comes for your purpose in life, with Steven Strogatz (NYT): https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/13/podcasts/the-daily/mathematicians-problem-ai-jobs.html
Peter Thiel says AI will be "worse" for math people than word people (Fortune): https://fortune.com/2026/03/07/peter-thiel-ai-math-vs-word-skills-banks-smaller-headcounts/
Timestamps:
0:00 PayPal - Pay zero processing fees on your first $100K in eligible PayPal payment volume. Learn more at https://paypal.launch.co
1:43 What we learned from Anthropic's S-1
9:30 Why only 2-3% of companies are really using AI
18:03 Jason's "reverse to-do list" agent
23:23 Will AI labs evolve beyond charging per token?
32:36 Browser use is basically solved
41:24 Are colleges giving performative "slop" degrees?
53:00 Why r/opensource banned AI projects
59:39 So what happens to the junior lawyers and analysts?
1:06:01 Peter Thiel's "math people vs. word people" binary
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