Jason’s H-1B pitch, the latest on the TikTok deal, and Howie’s first ad | E2182

Today’s show: New proposal on H-1B visas… and it’s pretty similar to Jason’s pitch from last month! On a new TWiST, Jason and Lon wonder if the White House is watching the pod and borrowing some of our best ideas! Specifically, the new $100K H-1B visa proposal sounds a lot like Jason’s suggestion from August… with a few significant tweaks. PLUS we’re looking at the latest news about the US TikTok entity, why Jason’s not concerned about the new algorithm, the explosion of major data centers in Scandinavia, the European Commission’s scaling back of anti-cookie regulations, AND the first big marketing push from virtual assistant startup Howie! That’s a packed show! Timestamps: (0:00) Alex is out today so Jason and Lon introduce the show. (04:11) Did they borrow their new H-1B visa proposal from JCal? (10:10) Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST (11:28) Show Continues… (19:21) Public - Take your investing to the next level with Public. Build a multi-asset portfolio and earn 4.1% APY on your cash—with no fees or minimums. Start now at public.com/twist (20:28) Show Continues… (26:42) Answering YOUR pressing H-1B questions. (30:13) Stripe Startups - Stripe Startups offers early-stage, venture-backed startups access to Stripe fee credits and more. Apply today on stripe.com/startups . (31:30) Show Continues… (32:51) The Murdochs are likely joining the TikTok deal… (34:38) Why Jason’s not concerned about TikTok being in the hands of mostly Trump allies (39:29) A look inside the Nordic data center boom and why it’s happening (01:03:32) Checking out Howie’s first ad… how much did it cost to make? Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com Check out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.com Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp Follow Lon: X: https://x.com/lons Follow Alex: X: https://x.com/alex LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm Follow Jason: X: https://twitter.com/Jason LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis Thank you to our partners: Squarespace - Use offer code TWIST to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain at https://www.Squarespace.com/TWIST Public - Take your investing to the next level with Public. Build a multi-asset portfolio and earn 4.1% APY on your cash—with no fees or minimums. Start now at public.com/twist Stripe Startups - Stripe Startups offers early-stage, venture-backed startups access to Stripe fee credits and more. Apply today on stripe.com/startups . Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe , Steve Huffman , Brian Chesky , Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie , Sophia Amoruso , Reid Hoffman , Frank Slootman , Billy McFarland Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis Follow TWiST: Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@founderuniversity1916