This Week In Startups is made possible by:
Conservation Fund
https://conservationfund.org
how old a movie has to be for me to be able to show a part of it on youtube
Generally 10 seconds or less of a film clip can fall under fair use for commentary or criticism — which is how most podcasts and talk shows use clips without issue. But there's no hard legal rule based on age.
What actually matters more than age is fair use, which considers:
Purpose — commentary, criticism, education = stronger fair use case
Amount used — shorter = safer; a 5-10 second clip for reaction/discussion is generally fine
Effect on market — your clip shouldn't replace the original
In practice for YouTube specifically:
Most major studios have Content ID systems that will flag clips regardless of movie age — even 100-year-old films if the rights holder has registered them
Public domain is the real safe zone — films from 1927 or earlier are generally in the public domain in the US. Some films from the 1928-1963 range are also public domain if copyright wasn't renewed
Disney, Warner Bros., Universal etc. actively enforce even very old films
For a show like TWiST showing a short reaction clip — 5-10 seconds with clear commentary context is the industry standard and rarely gets actioned. But age alone won't protect you.
Today's show:
*A humanoid robot ran the 100m in 9.39, breaking the human Usain Bolt's world record, while an entire stadium cheered. Jason thinks Beijing's World Humanoid Robot Games aren't a science fair, or a fun exhibition, but the best AI PR campaign on Earth. While Americans debate the data centers that train the robot brains, China is already turning them into a spectacle and world-class entertainment.
Find out what Jason thinks America can do to catch up… and why he believes there will be 1 billion Optimus robots deployed by the year 2036.
PLUS on an all-news TWiST, hot takes on the potential $13B Hugging Face sale (to a mystery buyer), why founders should always "buy the threat," analyzing Sam Altman's "I'm listening and I hear you" face, and are kill drones already in operation around the world? We're digging in to how close the real world is to mirroring the "Terminator" films.
Relevant Links
CBS coverage of World Humanoid Robot Games: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/china-robot-usain-bolt-sprint-run-record-faster/
Bloomberg coverage of World Humanoid Robot Games: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lsrUAdcPPE
X-Humanoid: https://www.x-humanoid.com/
Tesla Optimus on X: https://x.com/Tesla_Optimus
Trailer for Spielberg's "A.I. Artificial Intelligence": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_19pRsZRiz4
Bloomberg: Hugging Face exploring sale: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-23/hugging-face-gauging-interest-for-potential-sale-business-insider-says
Fortune: Stripe acquires OpenRouter: https://fortune.com/2026/08/16/stripe-7-billion-deal-ai-firm-openrouter-acquisition/
InfoWorld: OpenAI acqui-hires OPenClaw founder: https://www.infoworld.com/article/4132731/openai-hires-openclaw-founder-as-ai-agent-race-intensifies-2.html
David Senra podcast w/ Sam Altman: https://www.davidsenra.com/episode/sam-altman
Harvey Tenet Research Preview: https://www.harvey.ai/blog/post-training-update-harvey-tenet
David Sacks comments on Harvey's Tenet (from X): https://x.com/DavidSacks/status/2090790063047168473
CNBC: Iran linked to UK cyberattack: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/23/small-uk-power-plant-shut-down-after-iran-linked-cyberattack-report.html
NYT: A drone killed 3 Ukrainians: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/24/world/europe/russia-drones-autonomous-ai-kill-ukraine-war.html
Forbes: Eric Schmidt secretly testing AI drones: https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahemerson/2024/06/06/eric-schmidt-is-secretly-testing-ai-military-drones-in-a-wealthy-silicon-valley-suburb/
Restream: https://restream.io/
Kimbal Musk's Nova Sky Stories: https://novaskystories.com/
IKEA: Plug-in Solar Panels: https://www.ikea.com/be/en/energy-services/plug-in-solar/
Deadline: "Mandalorian and Grogu" box office: https://deadline.com/2026/08/star-wars-mandalorian-grogu-disney-release-date-1237040464/
THR: Dave Filoni leading Lucasfilm: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/star-wars-mandalorian-grogu-box-office-franchise-low-1236604973/
Star Wars: Starfighter first look: https://www.starwars.com/news/star-wars-starfighter-ryan-gosling
Star Wars Theory: "Vader" fan series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ey68aMOV9gc
Timestamps:
0:00 Jason got a fresh Optimus demo
1:35 Robots are breaking human sports records
3:39 America's messaging problem vs. China's elite PR machine
11:07 Odoo - The all-in-one business platform. Your first app is free! Get started today at https://Odoo.com/twist
12:08 Jason got a fresh Optimus demo
19:21 Quo (formerly OpenPhone) - Quo gives you a clean, modern way to handle every customer call, text, and thread all in one place. Try it free and get 20% off your first 6 months at https://quo.com/TWiST
28:09 Who's going to buy Hugging Face and why?
28:56 Conservation Fund - Find out more about how the Conservation Fund is protecting land, wildlife, and our shared access to the great outdoors while also providing economic opportunities. Visit https://conservationfund.org
31:35 How OpenAI killed OpenClaw
39:08 Sam Altman wants to make a platform, not a product
41:19 The "Castles and Keeps" metaphor for sovereign AI
49:27 UBI isn't happening but we could raise the minimum wage
58:47 Embracing redundancy and self-reliance
1:10:53 Is Star Wars at a historic low point (and Lon's Worst Take)
Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com
Check out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.com
Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp
Follow Lon:
Follow Jason:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis
Check out all our partner offers: https://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: https://substack.com/@calacanis
Follow TWiST:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups
Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com