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SaaSpocalypse Revisited, Singer x Louis Vuitton, Aman vs Ryan Walker | Igor Babuschkin, Brannin McBee, Garret Langley, Sonya Huang, Sean Cole

Aug 13, 2026 · 2h 11m

Summary

The hosts revisit their canceled "SaaSpocalypse" thesis, arguing that while AI disrupts some software, companies with strong network effects like Shopify and cybersecurity firms like Palo Alto Networks remain resilient. They discuss Yahoo’s departure from Meta to launch a new venture and critique the tacky Louis Vuitton-Singer car collaboration. The episode also covers a Wall Street Journal investigation into North Korea’s secret IT workforce in the US and a viral dispute between a YouTuber and the Aman hotel group.

Topics discussed

Intro and the SaaS market recovery AI threats to SaaS and Spotify's moat CrowdStrike, Palo Alto, and golf club economics AI infrastructure, Twilio, and vibe coding Mark Zuckerberg's new venture and Instagram rebrand Instagram logo critique and Louis Vuitton Porsche collab Sheep as an investment alternative to cars North Korean cyber workforce infiltrating US jobs Aman resort controversy and YouTuber Brian Walker McDonald's customer data privacy report Interview: Ibar Bushkin on AI labs and gaming benchmarks Interview: Brandon McPhee on CoreWeave and compute demand Interview: Flock AI on surveillance and privacy backlash Interview: Sequoia on owning intelligence and AI startups Interview: Prasma on training brain cells for compute Outro: Elon Musk, emojis, and the future of AI
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