Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Anthropic just pulled the plug on Claude subscriptions for OpenClaw and every third-party agentic tool. So Jason and Lon welcome back three of our top TWiST OpenClaw experts to break down what it means, how much it will cost now, and whether this is truly the end of the subsidized AI era.
And they all brought demos! We’re checking out ClawChief from Ryan Carson, Alex Finn’s agent, Henry, and Yazin Alirhayim’s Sidecast protocol, inspired by a special request from JCal!
Hosts
Jason Calacanis: http://x.com/jason
Lon Harris: https://x.com/lons
Guests
Ryan Carson: https://x.com/ryancarson
Clawchief: github.com/snarktank/clawchief
Alex Finn: https://x.com/AlexFinn
Creator Buddy: creatorbuddy.io
Yazin Alirhayim: https://x.com/yazins
OpenOats / Sidecast: github.com/yazinsai/OpenOats
Further Reading
The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande: amazon.com/Checklist-Manifesto-How-Things-Right/dp/0312430000
Marc Andreessen on AI job loss: https://x.com/pmarca/status/2040919227641856307
OpenAI acquires TBPN: openai.com/index/openai-acquires-tbpn
Notable Quotes
"If it's actually doing valuable work for you — chief of staff, marketing manager — and you have to pay three grand a month, it's nothing. The value you're getting out of that compared to a human is astronomical." — Ryan Carson
"The people who are ripping Claude out of their OpenClaw now are making a tremendous mistake. Opus 4.6 is clearly the best model for OpenClaw. Anyone who's used ChatGPT or Kimi knows it is a downgrade." — Alex Finn
"The entire industry and all the most powerful experiences in it are massive losses. It makes the losses of the Uber and Lyft competition when they were subsidizing rides look silly." — Jason Calacanis
This Week In Startups is made possible by:
Gusto - Gusto.com/twist
Vanta - vanta.com/twist
Shopify - shopify.com/twist
Plaud - Plaud.ai/twist
Today’s show:
Timestamps:
0:00 Welcome back to TWiST
0:32 Jason thinks Andor is as good as The Empire Strikes Back…
1:45 Plaud: If your work depends on conversations — interviews, meetings, calls — you need a Plaud NotePin. You can check it out at Plaud.ai/twist and use code TWIST for 10% off!
2:07 Check out the checklist manifesto! amazon.com/Checklist-Manifesto-How-Things-Right/dp/0312430000
5:17 Our guests Ryan Carson, Alex Finn, and Yazin Alirhayim join the show
9:44 Gusto - Check out the online payroll and benefits experts with software built specifically for small businesses and startups. Try Gusto today and get three months FREE at Gusto.com/twist.
9:27 People are automating their coworkers and getting them fired…
15:25 The AI boomerists vs the doomerists
17:13 Anthropic Bans OpenClaw
19:21 Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at vanta.com/twist
22:47 How "caveman talk" makes AI work better
26:12 Alex thinks $2000/ month subscription plans are inevitable for AI.
28:12 Why is nobody using the leaked Anthropic Model?
29:46 Shopify: Turn those What-Ifs into sales with the ecommerce platform powering millions of businesses. Sign up for your $1-per-month trial today at shopify.com/twist
31:18 Open models have been 6 months behind for the past few years
34:34 Why did OpenAI acquire TBPN?
40:42 Tactical/ Practical: The product itself is the most important thing
43:12 Demo or Die! Yazin is back to show off OpenOats
53:46 Ryan's "Claw Chief" github.com/snarktank/clawchief/blob/main/skills/executive-assistant/SKILL.md?plain=1
1:00:55 Alex's big announcement, "Henry intelligent machines."
1:11:14 Alex Finn DESTROYS Higgsfield's marketing strategy
1:14:16 Throwback to "Pay Per Post."
Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: ticker.thisweekinstartups.com
Check out the TWIST500: 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: linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm
Follow Jason:
X: twitter.com/Jason
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis
Check out all our partner offers: partners.launch.co
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: substack.com/@calacanis
Follow TWiST:
Twitter: twitter.com/TWiStartups
YouTube: youtube.com/thisweekin
Instagram: instagram.com/thisweekinstartups
TikTok: tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups
Substack: twistartups.substack.com
Anthropic just pulled the plug on Claude subscriptions for OpenClaw and every third-party agentic tool. So Jason and Lon welcome back three of our top TWiST OpenClaw experts to break down what it means, how much it will cost now, and whether this is truly the end of the subsidized AI era.
And they all brought demos! We’re checking out ClawChief from Ryan Carson, Alex Finn’s agent, Henry, and Yazin Alirhayim’s Sidecast protocol, inspired by a special request from JCal!
Hosts
Jason Calacanis: http://x.com/jason
Lon Harris: https://x.com/lons
Guests
Ryan Carson: https://x.com/ryancarson
Clawchief: github.com/snarktank/clawchief
Alex Finn: https://x.com/AlexFinn
Creator Buddy: creatorbuddy.io
Yazin Alirhayim: https://x.com/yazins
OpenOats / Sidecast: github.com/yazinsai/OpenOats
Further Reading
The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande: amazon.com/Checklist-Manifesto-How-Things-Right/dp/0312430000
Marc Andreessen on AI job loss: https://x.com/pmarca/status/2040919227641856307
OpenAI acquires TBPN: openai.com/index/openai-acquires-tbpn
Notable Quotes
"If it's actually doing valuable work for you — chief of staff, marketing manager — and you have to pay three grand a month, it's nothing. The value you're getting out of that compared to a human is astronomical." — Ryan Carson
"The people who are ripping Claude out of their OpenClaw now are making a tremendous mistake. Opus 4.6 is clearly the best model for OpenClaw. Anyone who's used ChatGPT or Kimi knows it is a downgrade." — Alex Finn
"The entire industry and all the most powerful experiences in it are massive losses. It makes the losses of the Uber and Lyft competition when they were subsidizing rides look silly." — Jason Calacanis
This Week In Startups is made possible by:
Gusto - Gusto.com/twist
Vanta - vanta.com/twist
Shopify - shopify.com/twist
Plaud - Plaud.ai/twist
Today’s show:
Timestamps:
0:00 Welcome back to TWiST
0:32 Jason thinks Andor is as good as The Empire Strikes Back…
1:45 Plaud: If your work depends on conversations — interviews, meetings, calls — you need a Plaud NotePin. You can check it out at Plaud.ai/twist and use code TWIST for 10% off!
2:07 Check out the checklist manifesto! amazon.com/Checklist-Manifesto-How-Things-Right/dp/0312430000
5:17 Our guests Ryan Carson, Alex Finn, and Yazin Alirhayim join the show
9:44 Gusto - Check out the online payroll and benefits experts with software built specifically for small businesses and startups. Try Gusto today and get three months FREE at Gusto.com/twist.
9:27 People are automating their coworkers and getting them fired…
15:25 The AI boomerists vs the doomerists
17:13 Anthropic Bans OpenClaw
19:21 Vanta - Get $1000 off your SOC 2 at vanta.com/twist
22:47 How "caveman talk" makes AI work better
26:12 Alex thinks $2000/ month subscription plans are inevitable for AI.
28:12 Why is nobody using the leaked Anthropic Model?
29:46 Shopify: Turn those What-Ifs into sales with the ecommerce platform powering millions of businesses. Sign up for your $1-per-month trial today at shopify.com/twist
31:18 Open models have been 6 months behind for the past few years
34:34 Why did OpenAI acquire TBPN?
40:42 Tactical/ Practical: The product itself is the most important thing
43:12 Demo or Die! Yazin is back to show off OpenOats
53:46 Ryan's "Claw Chief" github.com/snarktank/clawchief/blob/main/skills/executive-assistant/SKILL.md?plain=1
1:00:55 Alex's big announcement, "Henry intelligent machines."
1:11:14 Alex Finn DESTROYS Higgsfield's marketing strategy
1:14:16 Throwback to "Pay Per Post."
Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: ticker.thisweekinstartups.com
Check out the TWIST500: 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: linkedin.com/in/alexwilhelm
Follow Jason:
X: twitter.com/Jason
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis
Check out all our partner offers: partners.launch.co
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: substack.com/@calacanis
Follow TWiST:
Twitter: twitter.com/TWiStartups
YouTube: youtube.com/thisweekin
Instagram: instagram.com/thisweekinstartups
TikTok: tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups
Substack: twistartups.substack.com
