Y Combinator Startup Podcast

Y Combinator
  • 4.7 (40)
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • UPDATED FORTNIGHTLY
Y Combinator Startup Podcast

We help founders make something people want.

  1. Cursor CEO: Going Beyond Code, Superintelligent AI Agents And Why Taste Still Matters

    11 JUN

    Cursor CEO: Going Beyond Code, Superintelligent AI Agents And Why Taste Still Matters

    Michael Truell, co-founder and CEO of Anysphere, the company behind Cursor, joins Garry to talk about building one of the fastest-growing startups of all time—and why he's betting on a future beyond code. He walks through the early insights that led his team to leave a promising AI-powered CAD project and instead chase a bigger dream: reinventing how software is written. From years of false starts and rewrites to Cursor's breakthrough moment, Michael explains what it takes to build a tool that could eventually replace programming as we know it. He also reflects on their first 10 hires, why taste still matters and how the decade ahead will unlock a new kind of creativity for builders everywhere.

    37 min
  2. Fusion Energy Is Tech's Next Big Unlock

    6 JUN

    Fusion Energy Is Tech's Next Big Unlock

    Fusion may still sound like science fiction— but it might not be for much longer. With AI pushing demand for clean power to new highs, a breakthrough may finally be close. For Decoded, YC General Partner Gustaf Alstromer traces the history of fusion, the physics behind it, and the engineering challenges that stalled it for nearly a century. He also looks at how Helion is approaching the problem differently, as they develop a new fusion system expected to deliver power to Microsoft by 2028.

    8 min
  3. AI Apps Are Broken — Here's How To Fix Them

    23 MAY

    AI Apps Are Broken — Here's How To Fix Them

    In this episode of The Breakdown, Tom and Dave are joined by fellow YC General Partner Pete Koomen to lay out a new vision for how AI should actually work: not as a chatbot bolted onto legacy software, but as a customizable tool that helps people offload the work they don't want to do. From editable system prompts to agents that act more like collaborators, they dig into what it means to build AI-native software—and why the future belongs to products that let users teach machines how to think.

    30 min
  4. How AI Coding Agents Will Change Your Job

    9 MAY

    How AI Coding Agents Will Change Your Job

    Coding agents are no longer a distant idea—they're already starting to reshape how we work. YC's Tom Blomfield and David Lieb discuss how AI coding tools are transforming software development, why small, high-agency teams will be able to do what once took armies of engineers, and why there's never been a better time to start something new. They explore the bigger picture too: a future where there's abundance, knowledge work becomes more accessible, and founders have more leverage than ever before. If you're thinking about building, there's no better moment than right now.

    19 min
  5. How To Get The Most Out Of Vibe Coding | Startup School

    25 APR

    How To Get The Most Out Of Vibe Coding | Startup School

    AI can't yet one-shot an entire product—but with the rise of vibe coding, it's getting close. YC's Tom Blomfield has spent the last month building side projects with tools like Claude Code, Windsurf, and Aqua, seeing just how far you can push modern LLMs. From writing full-stack apps to debugging with a single paste of an error message, AI is becoming a legit collaborator in the dev process. This is a playbook for anyone who wants to get the most out of vibe coding and build faster.

    17 min
  6. How Zepto Became India’s Fastest Growing Startup

    18 APR

    How Zepto Became India’s Fastest Growing Startup

    Imagine ordering groceries and having them show up at your doorstep in just 10 minutes. That’s the promise of Zepto, the fastest-growing e-commerce company in India. In this episode of How To Build The Future, Garry sits down with Aadit Palicha, the co-founder and CEO of Zepto, to discuss how they got started in a Whatsapp group, what it’s like going up against incumbents like Amazon and Zomato and how the future of e-commerce is changing in the age of intelligence.

    38 min
  7. Why America Stopped Innovating - And How We Can Start Again

    4 APR

    Why America Stopped Innovating - And How We Can Start Again

    Not long ago, America led the world in building and innovation. But over the past 50 years, bureaucracy and red tape have made it nearly impossible to get big things done. Still, there’s a growing movement to turn that around — to build faster, smarter, and better than ever before. In this episode of The Main Function, Garry sits down with Atlantic staff writer and Plain English podcast host Derek Thompson to discuss his new book Abundance (co-authored with Ezra Klein). They discuss how we got here, what needs fixing, and what a bold, more prosperous 2050 could look like.

    34 min
  8. What Founders Can Do To Improve Their Design Game

    28 MAR

    What Founders Can Do To Improve Their Design Game

    In this special episode of Design Review, Aaron sits down with Raphael Schaad, the Head of Calendar at Notion to discuss his leap from designer to founder, why illustration is an important first step when building a new product, and what ultimately makes designers uniquely qualified to start a company today.

    21 min
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4.7
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