Microsoft just lost $650 billion in market value after investors questioned whether the company is actually delivering on its AI promise. But what does Microsoft’s story have to do with startups?

In this episode of the Two Founders Podcast, Anna and Matteo discuss:

• Why Microsoft’s AI narrative may have gotten ahead of reality

• What the market expects from Microsoft, Copilot, Azure and OpenAI

• Why startups need to deliver on the promises they make

• Who the world’s top angel investors are and what they have in common • Why many successful angel investors were operators and founders themselves

• Whether you should start selling your startup before your product is finished • Why talking to customers early can be more valuable than building the “perfect” MVP

• How to structure pilots and payments when your product is still evolving

• Why branding and building an online presence can make startup sales easier

The big lesson? A compelling story can get you attention—but eventually, the story has to match reality.

And for founders: go out there and sell.

🎙️ Welcome to Two Founders, where we talk startups, sales, company building, investors and the lessons we learn along the way.

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Follow Matteo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matteo-ghetti/

This week we're diving into three of the biggest stories in tech and startups.

🚨 Anthropic under fire: We unpack the controversy around Anthropic's latest AI model, why the US government stepped in, Amazon's surprising role in the story, and what it means for AI safety, regulation, and the company's upcoming IPO. We also take a closer look at Anthropic founder Dario Amodei, his journey from OpenAI to building one of the fastest-growing AI companies in history, and why enterprise customers are flocking to Claude.

🚀 SpaceX becomes a $2 trillion company: Anna finally bought a SpaceX share (despite knowing it's probably terrible timing 😅), which leads us into a discussion about Elon Musk, SpaceX's astonishing valuation, Starlink, Mars, and why investors keep betting on Musk's vision. We also explore whether SpaceX's valuation is justified or simply "the Elon Musk multiplier."

🤖 Jeff Bezos enters the AI race: While everyone is focused on chatbots, Bezos is quietly building Prometheus AI—a company aiming to revolutionize robotics, warehouses, and logistics. Could physical AI become the next trillion-dollar opportunity?

💰 We also debate:

• Will AI create the world's first €1M-per-year employees?
• Why is Sam Altman worth less than Dario Amodei?
• Can AI ever balance innovation with safety?

❓Listener Q&A: Matthias asks whether posting on LinkedIn is actually worth the effort if your customers aren't there. We share our thoughts on personal branding, sales, investors, and why an active LinkedIn profile can still pay off.

If you're interested in startups, AI, entrepreneurship, investing, and the biggest stories shaping the future of technology, this episode is for you.

👍 Like, subscribe, and let us know in the comments: Would you rather own a share of SpaceX or Anthropic?

Should companies stop putting profit first? Is building your own infrastructure a genius move—or a billion-dollar mistake? And do founders really need to work seven days a week to succeed?

In this episode, we tackle three of the biggest debates in startups today.

🌍 Mission over profit? Inspired by Eric Ries' new book, we explore whether companies should be built around a mission instead of maximizing shareholder value. We discuss Anthropic's unusual governance model, Wikipedia's success as a mission-driven organization, and whether startups can realistically prioritize ethics while raising venture capital.

💻 When should startups invest in infrastructure? Mistral AI wants to build its own AI chips—but is it too early? We compare the stories of Snapchat, Dropbox, and Zynga to answer one critical question: When does owning your infrastructure save millions, and when does it become an expensive distraction? Matteo shares a simple framework every scaling startup should know: "Own the base, rent the spike."

🔥 Do founders need to work 7 days a week? We react to the claim that every $5B founder works around the clock. Is relentless hustle the secret to success, or just survivorship bias? We discuss burnout, sustainable entrepreneurship, and when it's actually worth putting in those extra hours.

❓ Listener Q&A: Ida asks what to do when a large enterprise customer wants a custom solution that doesn't fit her SaaS pricing model. Should founders say yes to the big contract—or stay focused on their core business? We break down how to evaluate one-off enterprise deals, price custom work, and avoid getting distracted from your long-term strategy.

If you're building a startup, raising funding, or trying to scale without losing sight of your mission, this episode is packed with practical insights and founder debates.

👍 Like, subscribe, and let us know in the comments:

Would you build a mission-first company—even if it meant slower growth?