Digg is coming back!

Author

Alex Wilhelm
March 05, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes

Top News

  • Digg is coming back! Popular Web 2.0 social property Digg is coming back to life thanks to investors Kevin Rose (Digg’s original founder) and Alexis Ohanian (the former Reddit co-founder). In today’s era of algorithmically-tuned doomscrolling, a site like Digg could prove more than a mere nostalgia machine; the market might lap up a refreshed social news link-sharing service.

  • OpenAI has big agentic goals: Why are so many AI companies enthused about agentic AI? Apart from the underlying technology and improvements thereof, money. The Information reports that OpenAI has plans to charge several thousand dollars per month for the agentic equivalent of a knowledge worker. Or $10,000 per month for a software developing agent. Given what developers cost today, you can see why some companies might jump at the lower price point. But if OpenAI does intend to charge that much, it had best have the gooods.

  • Darwinbox raises $140M: Darwinbox offers a suite or HR services including payroll and onboarding, putting it in competition with companies like Gusto, Deel, and Rippling. And with a fresh mega-round, it has the cash to go after them. The new funds, rasied from KKR and Partners Group, are earmarked for international expansion, including the United States, TechCrunch reports.

TWiST500 Come hang with Jason!

Normally I’d talk your ears off about TWiST500 company Scale AI’s new deal with the government to help it bring artificial intelligence into the department of defense. But today is not a normal day. Nope, it’s SXSW season. And that means we’re gathering founders and hanging out.

So if you are in Austin on Wednesday, March 12th, come down to the “All-In x This Week in Startups Meetup,” featuring a live Q&A with Jason himself. If you are attending the conference proper, you might see the TWiST founder in action. But to make sure, head to the Cosmic Pickle in Austin on the 12th, from 4 PM to 6:30 PM.

Our goal is to bring together All In and TWiST listeners, everyone local who takes part in Founder Fridays, LAUNCH portcos, and everyone else in our orbit. Come have fun with us! — Alex


A message from OpenPhone

Create business phone numbers for you and your team that work through an app on your smartphone or desktop. TWiST listeners can get an extra 20% off any plan for your first 6 months at https://www.openphone.com/twist⁠

This Week in Startups

E2093: Jason and Alex cover CoreWeave’s filing for a $35 billion IPO after explosive revenue growth. But with 77% of its revenue coming from just two customers, is it built to last? Meanwhile, AVRide is bringing autonomous Hyundai robotaxis to Uber in Dallas, pushing the self-driving revolution forward as Waymo scales to 200,000 weekly rides. And finally, Digg is back!

E2092: Jason and Alex are back on an all new This Week in Startups, talking about a US Crypto Reserve. Do we need one? How is this going to work? Should we fund it with a Crypto Tax? One that’s out of the way, there’s still time to talk Ramp’s big raise, Jason’s ETF pitch, a potential CoreWeave IPO, PLUS a brand new Founder Hack.

E2091: On a busy, news-heavy Friday, Jason and Alex break down the SEC’s head-scratching memecoin ruling, which seemingly codifies pump-and-dump schemes into law. Plus a chat with GRIN co-founder and former CEO Brandon Brown, a look at the rise of AI-driven startups, Tesla’s latest challenge to Google’s Waymo, Jason’s response to Palmer Luckey, and much much more.

TWiST Partner Offers

  • Lemon.io - Hire pre-vetted remote developers, get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist

  • Horatio: Customer experience can make or break your business. Horatio provides top-tier outsourcing solutions to support and delight your customers, so you can focus on growth. Visit https://www.hirehoratio.com/twist and get $2,000 off your initial set up.

  • Northwest Registered Agent: Starting your business should be simple. With Northwest Registered Agent, you can form your entire business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes. From LLCs to trademarks, domains to custom websites, they’ve got you covered. Get more privacy, more options, and more done—visit https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/twist today!


Angel University

Angel University is back! Jason and Mike, President at LAUNCH, are hosting our next live Angel.University workshop in person on Wednesday, April 23rd, in NYC. Jason will be teaching the strategies he’s used to invest $100M+ in 300+ startups over the past decade. Register at: angel.university.

Founder University

Applications are open for Founder University Cohort 10, a 12-week remote pre-accelerator program tailored towards navigating early-startup practices, building an MVP, and growing traction. Submit your application at Founder University— Cohort 10 will kick off Spring 2025!

The TWiST500 newsletter is the new, updated, and improved TWiST Ticker.