YC takes a bite out of PearAI, and French startups have a new home | Equity Podcast

Podcast Introduction and Host Updates

• The podcast episode is presented by Mercury, a fintech company that simplifies operations for over 200,000 businesses. (0s)
• The hosts of the podcast are Kirsten Korosec, Devin Coldewey, and Margo McCall, who discuss the arrival of October and upcoming events like Disrupt, where they will have a live show. (18s)
• Kirsten mentions she will be going on an adventure without internet or cell service, leaving Devin and Margo in charge of the podcast during her absence. (1m50s)
• Marianne, another team member, is on leave due to family matters, and the hosts express their hope for her return. (2m29s)

California's AI Bill (SB 1047) and Its Fallout

• The podcast discusses recent legislative actions by California Governor Gavin Newsom, who has signed numerous AI and tech-related laws. However, he vetoed SB 1047, a controversial bill concerning AI disclosure and kill switches, suggesting it needed to be more comprehensive. (2m59s)
• California State Senator Scott Wiener, who proposed SB 1047, expressed frustration over misinformation and a propaganda campaign against the bill, blaming figures in the tech industry like Andreessen Horowitz and others. (3m36s)
• A misinformation campaign was discussed, which falsely claimed that a certain bill would lead to severe consequences like jail time. The bill was ultimately not passed into law, and there was significant opposition to it. (3m59s)
• There is a belief among some in Silicon Valley that there is a "shadow campaign" by adversaries to halt AI development, although this is seen as ironic given the public nature of the bill in question. (4m59s)
• The bill's failure is seen as a mixed blessing, as future legislation may be more targeted and include more models, according to Newsom. (5m29s)

Investments and Developments in Electric Air Taxis

• Toyota has invested an additional $500 million into Joby Aviation, bringing their total investment to $894 million. Joby Aviation is developing electric air taxis, which some argue are essentially private helicopters. (6m9s)
• There is debate within the future of flight industry about the terminology used for electric air taxis, with some preferring to call them private helicopters rather than flying cars. (6m36s)
• The aviation industry is undergoing a lengthy FAA type 2 certification process, which no company has completed yet. Joby is in the fourth of five stages, and the process involves significant cash burn and a long timeline before commercial launch, where the business model will be tested. (7m46s)
• The future of transportation, particularly in aviation and space, was a major focus at the recent UPSummit. Key themes included the importance of having strategic and defense customers and the significant distance from commercialization. (8m29s)
• Archer Aviation, a competitor to Joby, is also deep in the FAA certification process. The company has faced challenges convincing US cities to build necessary infrastructure for commercial use, while the UAE has been more receptive, signing deals with both Joby and Archer. (9m5s)
• The UAE is open to new technologies, including autonomous vehicles, with less restrictive regulations compared to the FAA. The real test will be when these technologies move from pilot projects to commercial launches. (9m58s)

Salient Motion Funding and Anduril Lawsuit

• Salient Motion, a defense tech startup founded by three individuals, announced a $12 million funding round. The company aims to revolutionize manufacturing for specialized, low-volume aerospace parts by reusing code to reduce engineering costs and speed up production. (10m59s)
• A lawsuit was filed by Anduril against a company, accusing them of stealing intellectual property and misleading investors by holding meetings at Anduril's offices to imply approval. The lawsuit has since been settled. (11m48s)
• Andreessen Horowitz invested in both companies involved in the lawsuit, initially in the pre-seed round and later in the seed round, indicating they were not deterred by the legal issues. (12m21s)
• Despite the lawsuit, the company in question raised $12 million and received support from Andreessen Horowitz partner Kathern Bole, who has connections to both companies. (12m45s)
• The legal battle resulted in the departure of two of the three founders, with one of them now suing the company for not covering his legal costs. (13m36s)
• The company managed to close their seed round three months after the lawsuit was settled, suggesting they navigated the legal challenges while securing investor confidence. (14m43s)
• The company's future challenge is obtaining FAA certification for their parts, which is crucial for their business model and value proposition. (15m5s)

Poolside's Funding and the AI Coding Landscape

• Poolside, an AI coding startup, has raised $500 million from major investors including eBay and Nvidia. This funding highlights the interest in specialized AI applications, particularly in coding, where immediate value is being found. (15m41s)
• The discussion contrasts two approaches in the AI industry: large companies like OpenAI offering multiple products versus smaller companies focusing on a single product and expanding from there. Poolside represents the latter approach, with significant investment betting on its success in the coding space. (16m37s)
• There is a debate about the performance of smaller, open-source models compared to larger models like GPT-4. While larger models currently have an edge due to their broader coverage, smaller models are showing potential to perform comparably in specific tasks, though this is not yet the case in coding. (17m50s)
• The quality of code generated by AI models is subjective and varies across different programming languages and tasks. Larger models currently maintain an advantage, but smaller models are demonstrating that they do not have to be fundamentally inferior, suggesting potential for future parity. (18m2s)
• Polaris Market Research forecasts that the AI coding tools market could be worth $27 billion by 2032, highlighting the potential for AI coders to create new ecosystems and capture significant market value. (19m20s)

PearAI Controversy and Y Combinator's Due Diligence

• The discussion touches on the competitive nature of AI startups, with companies often replicating each other's work, as seen with a Y Combinator-backed startup named PearAI, which was criticized for being a clone of a competitor. (21m2s)
• The AI ecosystem is characterized by the reuse of code, but the controversy around PearAI suggests there are acceptable and unacceptable ways to do this, raising questions about Y Combinator's selection process. (22m21s)
• PearAI, an open-source AI code editor, faced criticism for being secretive about cloning existing technology, which was overlooked by Y Combinator (YC) during their due diligence process. (23m2s)
• There is a standard industry practice to check open-source licenses when investing in companies, and the oversight by YC in this case raises questions about their due diligence procedures. (23m38s)
• The incident has sparked discussions about the effectiveness of YC's due diligence, especially given the large number of startups they handle, and whether this oversight indicates broader issues within the organization. (24m1s)
• YC has been experimenting with the size and frequency of their cohorts, moving from two to four cohorts a year and adjusting the number of startups per batch, which has led to frustration and scrutiny from the community. (25m27s)
• The changes and challenges faced by YC under new leadership, particularly Gary Tan, have led to questions about whether the organization is experiencing structural flaws or simply evolving. (25m48s)

Venture Capital and Startup Ecosystems: Global Perspectives

• YC's large cohorts and scrutiny have led to increased attention on other accelerators, such as Motier Ventures, which has unveiled a community space for the French Tech ecosystem. (26m46s)
• Motier Ventures, an early-stage investment firm, has launched a startup hub in Paris, similar to other emerging startup hubs like Uplabs, which announced a new venture lab with a corporate partner. (27m11s)
• Venture firms often use creative methods to access deal flow and nurture successful companies, as seen with Founders Fund, which incubates and invests in companies started by its partners. (28m1s)
• Regional venture firms, like those in France, should develop their own startup ecosystems rather than relying on US-based accelerators, allowing them to cater to local cultures and needs. (28m43s)
• Lisan, a new initiative, will host 12 early-stage startups in Paris, providing a physical space for events like demos and hackathons, reminiscent of early French Tech hubs like The Family. (29m31s)
• There is a discussion about the challenges faced by startups from regions like Latin America and Africa when they participate in Y Combinator, as they often need to explain local problems to an American audience that may not be familiar with them. (30m24s)
• The conversation highlights the issue of startups needing to come to the United States to access venture capital, despite the presence of strong startup communities in their home countries. (30m51s)
• The episode concludes with a sentiment that there is enough venture capital in the U.S., and it would be beneficial to direct financial resources to other regions where they are needed. (31m3s)

Podcast Credits and Closing

• The podcast episode ends with thanks to participants Margot and Devon, and mentions that Equity will return next week. (31m12s)
• Equity is produced by Teresa Lo, edited by Kell Bryce Durban, with illustrations by Bryce Durban, and supported by the audience development team and Henry Pet, who manages TechCrunch audio products. (31m29s)