TBPN Podcast Summary — SaaSpocalypse Cancelled, Palantir’s $17M Jet Bill, WBD x Netflix Latest | Special Guests

Date: February 19, 2026
Hosts: John Coogan & Jordi Hays
Featured Guests: Dylan Field (Figma), Saagar Enjeti (Breaking Points), Sigil Wen (Web 4.0), Peter Morales (Code Metal), Erik Palitsch (Freeform), Ljubisa Bajic (Talas)

Overview

This episode of TBPN, broadcast live from “the fortress of finance,” ranges from the end (or transformation) of the so-called "SaaSpocalypse," the impact of AI on SaaS and creative industries, and deep dives into the exploding AI agent, infrastructure, and hardware ecosystem. Notable industry leaders dissect tech controversies, startup wins, and viral moments, with sharp and often humorous commentary.

Major Topics & Key Insights

1. SaaSPocalypse Cancelled? (00:54–13:19)

Theme:
The much-hyped “SaaSpocalypse”—the idea that SaaS businesses would be broadly disrupted or destroyed by AI—has fizzled. Instead, we’re seeing clear divergence between AI-adaptive and lagging SaaS companies.

Highlights:

• The hosts declare the end (or at least, mutation) of the SaaSpocalypse:

  “We’re canceling the SaaS apocalypse. It occurred from January 2026 to February 2026 and it’s over now. We’re declaring it over.” —John Coogan (01:02)

  • But: “In many ways, it’s just getting started.”
• Certain SaaS companies have proven to be “unsloppable” by rapidly adopting AI or due to strong lock-ins and entrenched business models (Google, Meta, Shopify, Roblox, Salesforce, Figma).
• Disruption is not uniform; AI is a transformational—not just sustaining—innovation for SaaS.
• “Agentic” AI tools threaten companies with heavy seat-based models; companies with core business-model resilience survive.
• Example: Anthropic’s need for a Salesforce admin, despite all the "vibe coding can replace SaaS" hype, is cited as evidence of enduring need for robust, structured platforms.

Notable Quote:

“The SaaS apocalypse was always a little bit of an indiscriminate hammer...it just kind of hit every company. But I think we will soon be finding out what companies are truly unsloppable and actually benefit in the AI future.” —John Coogan (05:41)

2. Creative AI and the Entertainment Industry (16:48–24:30)

Theme:
AI's infiltration of music, voices, and celebrity likeness sparks new business models and intellectual property debates.

Key Moments:

• Soulja Boy AI Activation: Bland launches “Soulja AI”—first rapper to license his voice for business use.
  • “The entire premise is you can have Soulja Boy answer your business phone calls, which is pretty... which is extremely differentiated.” —Jordi (18:49)
• Legacy & Celebrity Voices: 11Labs licensing the voices of deceased or iconic figures—should they promote Michael Caine’s AI more?
• Creative Pushback:
  • Ice-T supports AI for cheap music videos. Matthew McConaughey advises artists to own and trademark their likeness and voice for future-proofing.
  • “There’s too much money to be made and it’s too productive...own yourself, voice, likeness, etc.” —Matthew McConaughey, quoted by Jordi (22:03)
• Legal/IP Hurdles:
  • Decades of legal precedent exist; true cooperation from platforms remains uneven.
• Audience Reaction:
  • The market is flooded with AI-generated content, but top content still wins on quality and authenticity.

3. Viral Consumer Tech & Hardware (27:46–34:38)

Theme:
Simplicity, authenticity, and nostalgia dominate new consumer hardware viral moments.

Key Moments:

• Pure Steel Coffee Maker: A viral $80 plastic-free coffee maker from a SpaceX finance alum draws praise, skepticism, and accusations of design plagiarism.
• “If you’ve tried to make coffee without plastic, it’s incredibly hard...so this product makes a lot of sense.” —Jordi (28:54)
• Discussion of underpriced first runs, DTC strategies, and pitfalls around viral virality (“no way this costs $80”).
• General longing for “dumb simple appliances”—winner for functionality and peace of mind over bloat and unnecessary internet-connected features.

4. Corporate Spending & CEO Private Jet Scandals (38:35–42:27)

Theme:
Palantir CEO Alex Karp racks up $17M in executive travel expenses, dwarfing peer CEOs and sparking debate.

TL;DR:

• Karp’s expenses equate to ~13–28% of the year in flight hours, far exceeding other major tech CEOs.
  • “$17.2 million...appears elevated relative to peers. With Meta’s CEO spending $1.8 million...” —Jordi (39:00)
• Hosts defend the spend, noting Karp’s globe-trotting dealmaking, while mocking the armchair “jet cost analysts.”

Memorable Moment:

“He’s flying every meeting in the air, literally one-on-ones. Hop in, we’re going, we’re doing laps.” —John (41:46)

5. Massive AI Funding & Market Moves (46:17–51:18, 118:15+)

Theme:

• Ongoing mega-funding rounds—OpenAI's new raise to top $100B, and high-stakes M&A in the streaming wars (Netflix vs. Paramount for Warner Bros).
• M&A Battle: Netflix, Paramount, and others fight over legacy media IP; linear TV's future in question.
  • Netflix reportedly ready to up its bid for Warner Bros. Discovery (47:47)

6. Societal Shifts: Social Media, Wealth, Housing, Labor (53:47–89:16)

Theme:
Tech impacts on youth, wealth distribution, and the American Dream.

A) Social Media Bans for Kids (120:45+)

• Parents, governments, and platforms wrestle with banning/regulating youth access.
• Tech addiction is likened to drugs—friction matters.
• Reading physical books and modeling offline behaviors as a cultural counterweight.

“The results (of social media bans in schools) have been extraordinary for the people who are doing it.” —Saagar (123:40)

B) Wealth Transfer and the Aging US Population (82:31+)

• Boomers control ~39% of equities (up from 22% in 2007).
• Small business “Silver Tsunami” expected as retirees pass on their businesses.

C) Labor & AI

• Freelancers and content creators increasingly threatened by agentic AI.
• Fiverr and Upwork crushed in market cap despite flat-to-growing revenues; companies shifting spend dramatically from freelance labor to AI (67:21+).

7. Lightning Rounds: Startup Announcements & AI Agent Wave (102:00+)

Sigil Wen: Web 4.0 & AI Agents (102:00–116:41)

• Vision: The internet is moving into a phase where AI, not humans, are primary end users—AI agents with wallets, able to act and transact independently.
• Practical impact: “Automatons” (fully self-sovereign AI agents) are multiplying, buying servers, paying for compute, optimizing themselves, and even making money in the wild.
• Open questions: How AI agents will make money, how society manages this transition, and the need for open/safe experimentation.
• “If existence requires compute and compute costs money, then agentic sociology...is there’s no free existence” —Sigil Wen (109:30)

Startup Wins: Code Metal, Freeform, Talas (174:05+)

• Code Metal: $125m Series B. Automates verification of AI-generated code for high-assurance systems (F35, defense, etc.).
• Freeform: $67m Series B. Advanced automated metal manufacturing.
• Talas: Announces $169m+ raise. Model-specific, ultrafast, ultra-cheap AI inference chips—can render 100,000 words in milliseconds (ChatJimmy AI).

8. Figma’s Surge & The Impact of AI on Design (153:03–173:45)

Guest: Dylan Field, Figma CEO

• Figma posts 40% YoY growth and growing usage outside core design audiences—Make users up 70% QoQ; 60% of new file creators are non-designers.
• New feature: “Claude code to Figma pathway” for round-trip agentic code/design experience.
• Discussion: “Taste” in the age of generative UIs and infinite agents.
• “If an agent can do it for you, then unless you’ve got some amazing, sophisticated prompting...an agent can do it for someone else.” —Dylan Field (164:42)

Notable Quotes (with Timestamps)

• “We’re canceling the SaaS apocalypse. It occurred from January 2026 to February 2026 and it’s over now. We’re declaring it over.” – John Coogan (01:02)
• “The reason this breaks through is because there’s a video of Soulja Boy. It’s a real video and it’s funny and he’s like, good on camera.” – John Coogan (18:49)
• “I’m surprised you can patent this. This is just like a thing.” – John Coogan, discussing Meta’s “dead user” AI patent (54:22)
• “If existence requires compute and compute costs money, then agentic sociology…there’s no free existence” – Sigil Wen (109:30)
• “Taste is the ultimate differentiator. Otherwise, you’re gonna have a hard time.” – Dylan Field (173:19)
• “You have to work for what you can prove is possible. Relentless pursuit—that’s what I learned at SpaceX.” – Erik Palitsch, Freeform (190:38)
• “You don’t need access to the network, bro. Just put the beans. Just put the coffee in the cup.” – John, on IoT coffee makers (34:30)

Timestamps of Key Segments

• 00:54–13:19: SaaSpocalypse discussion & industry assessments
• 16:48–24:30: AI in music, voice, and legal/IP questions
• 27:46–34:38: Viral hardware (Pure Steel coffee maker) and consumer simplicity
• 38:35–42:27: Palantir CEO jet spending
• 46:17–51:18, 118:15: Streaming wars (Netflix, Paramount, Warner Bros) & OpenAI mega-round
• 53:47–89:16: Social media, generational wealth, labor, and market shifts
• 102:00–116:41: Sigil Wen & Web 4.0—AI agents as Internet users
• 153:03–173:45: Dylan Field (Figma) on AI, design, and company growth
• 174:05–201:42: Lightning round: Startups (Code Metal, Freeform, Talas)

Memorable Moments

• Viral Meme Discussed: Goodwill Hunting SaaS bear (14:43)
• Hosts Humorous Riff: On wealthy lawyers (“Congratulations for saying the biggest number.”) (78:15)
• Fast AI Hardware Demo: “ChatJimmy AI is faster than my eyes can process.” (201:24)

Conclusion

This TBPN episode hit on the transformational, not catastrophic, nature of AI’s impact on SaaS, creative industries, hardware, and even legal and regulatory spheres. The “apocalypse” narrative gives way to nuanced, technical, and cultural realignments—where adaptability, taste, and first-principles thinking separate winners from flameouts.
The rise of agentic AI, infrastructure acceleration, and business stratification in a new technological era is met with both optimism and caution by founders, analysts, and policy observers alike.

For more, listen to the full episode on Spotify or follow TBPN for future deep dives at the intersection of tech, finance, and culture.