Board Talk Empire with GRIN's Brandon Brown, Founder Hacks & SEC Memecoin Clarity? | E2091

Today’s show: Jason and Alex break down the latest head-scratching SEC ruling on meme coins—did they just legalize pump-and-dumps to protect Trump’s token? Plus, they dive into why venture debt can destroy startups, the rise of AI-driven companies, and how Tesla is gearing up to challenge Waymo in the self-driving car race. Then, Brandon Brown from GRIN joins the show to talk about scaling to 8-figure revenue, surviving brutal market corrections, and why he’s stepping down as CEO after a decade. This one’s packed with insights for founders, investors, and anyone watching the future of crypto, startups, and AI unfold.* Timestamps: (0:00) Jason and Alex kick off the show!(1:39) Palmer Luckey feud, and supporting Trump in Silicon Valley(9:36) AI's impact on startup growth and job displacement (10:11) Paddle. Go to https://www.paddle.com/twist to get started with your exclusive listener fee-free period.(12:20) Product market fit and Salesforce productivity(15:01) Howey Test and its application to cryptocurrencies (20:07) LinkedIn Ads. Get a $100 LinkedIn ad credit at http://www.linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups (26:13) Jason's libertarian views on meme coins (31:13) Hubspot for Startups. Get up to 75% off plus 3 months of Perplexity AI for free. Go to https://www.hubspot.com/startups (32:16) Meme coin regulation and political implications(37:22) GRIN's Brandon Brown interview and company evolution(46:10) Leadership changes and challenges at GRIN(53:28) Venture debt risks and business cycle preparedness(59:00) Leadership skills and defining reality(1:04:13) Updates on Waymo and autonomous rides(1:09:06) Tesla and the global autonomous vehicle market * 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 * Check out GRIN: https://grin.co/ Checkout Angel University with Jason Calacanis & Mike Savino: https://www.angel.university/ Check out the Founder Friday City Competition: https://www.founderfridays.tech/city-competition * Follow Brandon X: https://x.com/Brandon_Brown LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-brown-0898731/ * 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: (10:11) Paddle. Go to https://www.paddle.com/twist to get started with your exclusive listener fee-free period.(20:07) LinkedIn Ads. Get a $100 LinkedIn ad credit at http://www.linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups (31:13) Hubspot for Startups. Get up to 75% off plus 3 months of Perplexity AI for free. Go to https://www.hubspot.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