Why OpenAI Should Buy Off the World’s Top Mathematicians | E32

This Week In Startups is made possible by:PayPal - Pay zero processing fees on your first $100K in eligible PayPal payment volume. Learn more at https://paypal.launch.coToday’s show:OpenAI is claiming to have solved more than 100 math problems on top of Navier-Stokes, and guest Richard Socher thinks it's absurd for mathematicians to push back on AI solving their problems too quickly. Jason and Lon are also joined by Guy Podjarny of Tessl and Jake Loosararian of Gecko Robotics to argue over who wins when AI agents start collaborating with, and potentially replacing, academics and scholars.Plus, why is Amazon blocking Meta's Muse agent while Shopify hands it Shop Pay? Should we trust Anthropic’s new wet lab? And what’s so exciting about Typesafe’s new text-less model Jev?Guests:Guy Podjarny on X: https://x.com/guypod Tessl: https://tessl.io/Richard Socher on X: https://x.com/RichardSocher?lang=en You.com: https://you.com/Jake Loosararian on X: https://x.com/jakeloosy Gecko Robotics: https://www.geckorobotics.com/Relevant Links:The Eureka Machine by Richard Socher → https://shop.hachettebookgroup.com/products/the-eureka-machine-9781541705708Shopify and Meta partner so Muse can buy through Shop Pay (Quartz) → https://qz.com/shopify-meta-muse-ai-agent-shop-pay-checkout-092226Meta’s standoff with Amazon over Muse — https://www.cnbc.com/2026/09/23/metas-standoff-with-amazon-over-muse-comes-ahead-of-meta-connect.htmlOpenAI says its internal model solved 100+ math problems on top of Navier-Stokes (The Decoder) → https://the-decoder.com/openai-says-its-internal-model-solved-over-100-long-standing-math-problems-after-just-a-month-of-training/OpenAI's IAS-hosted advisory group, with Timothy Gowers and Edward Witten (Business Standard) → https://www.business-standard.com/technology/tech-news/openai-s-model-solves-100-maths-problems-company-forms-advisory-group-126092200561_1.htmlTimestamps:0:00 OpenAI claims 100+ solved math problems after Navier-Stokes0:41 Welcome back to This Week in AI1:04 Meet the guests: Guy Pigeon, Richard Socher, and Jake Lucier2:54 Shopify and Meta team up so Muse can check out with Shop Pay6:19 Why Amazon blocked Muse: ads, habit, and owning the front door15:13 Do coupons and ads survive one-shot agent shopping?18:04 OpenAI's internal model resolves 100+ longstanding math problems26:07 Jason's pitch: pay the top 50 mathematicians $100M each34:29 Why scientists should be as famous as NBA players37:41 Anthropic's biology wet lab: can we trust it?40:59 Why biology is the field AI will transform most54:22 AI's trust problem and the wealth gap57:29 The AI Tax and Work Protection Act1:01:29 Will AI unemployment show up in the data?1:11:47 TypeSafe AI's Jev: fast, calibrated decisions for softwareSubscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.comCheck out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.comSubscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcpFollow Lon:X: https://x.com/lonsFollow Jason:X: https://twitter.com/JasonLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanisCheck out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/Great TWIST interviews: Will Guid