# THE 2025 TWISTY AWARDS! Biggest Trends, Best Guests, Top Name Drops, and more | E2229

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKlEpc49gik
Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/sKlEpc49gik
Generated: 2025-12-30T18:02:15.562+00:00

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## Quick Overview

The 2025 Twisty Awards, celebrating the best moments from the year, recognized the F1 event name-drops, particularly those involving Sergey Brin, Tony Robbins, and Timothee Chalamet, as the Best Name Drop of the year, while AI job displacement and the arrival of humanoid robots were highlighted as major trends alongside the return of M&A activity.

**Key Points:**
- The Best Name Drop of 2025 was awarded to the clip detailing the F1 event, which included mentions of Sergey Brin, Tony Robbins, and multiple mentions of Timothee Chalamet, with one judge calling it a "deluxe name drop."
- The second nominee for Best Name Drop involved courtside Knicks seats, where Jason claimed friendship with Ben Stiller and Timothee Chalamet, alongside his brother Josh.
- The biggest trends of 2025 included the return of M&A activity following the "wrath of Lena Kahn," which one host felt landed most acutely in 2025.
- AI job displacement was identified as a critical trend, with discussion focusing on job destruction in knowledge-heavy industries and the possibility that employers avoid training young people because automation is easier.
- The arrival of humanoid robots was declared a top trend, with Jason boldly predicting Optimus will become the greatest product ever created by humanity, surpassing even the wheel.
- The Best Jason Anecdote involved Jason confronting a person who doxxed him based on a tree line photo from his backyard, culminating in the doxxer revealing he had a four-week-old child.
- The anecdote concluded with Jason telling the doxxer to apologize to his wife, Cece, resulting in an apology letter from the couple, which was deemed "the most interesting and useless piece of information that has ever been given out on this show."

**Context:** This episode, titled "The Twisty Awards 2025," functions as a year-end review for the podcast "This Week in Startups," hosted by Jason along with Lon Harris and Alex Willem. The hosts review and award the best moments, trends, name drops, and anecdotes that occurred throughout the year 2025, often involving discussions about technology, celebrities, and business figures, while also featuring several sponsor plugs for HubSpot, Squarespace, and LinkedIn Ads.

## Detailed Analysis

The hosts presented the 'Twisty Awards 2025,' beginning with the Best Name Drops, where the F1 event story won due to the density of high-profile mentions including Nico Rosberg, Sergey Brin, Tony Robbins, and Timothee Chalamet, who received double shout-outs. The second major segment covered the Biggest Trends of 2025, which included the resurgence of M&A deals following the end of regulatory scrutiny associated with Lena Kahn, AI job displacement causing tension for recent graduates, and the critical mass reached by humanoid robot projects like Optimus. Jason strongly advocated for Optimus being the most successful product in history, potentially making Tesla cars a footnote. The final major category discussed was the Best Jason Anecdote, focusing on a story where Jason was doxxed via a reverse image search of his backyard tree line; Jason retaliated by identifying the doxxer's employer, leading to a tense phone call where the doxxer mentioned his four-week-old baby, prompting Jason to demand an apology letter from the doxxer and his wife, Cece.

### Twisty Awards Categories

- Best Name Drops decided
- Biggest Trends of 2025 reviewed
- Best Jason Anecdote analyzed

### Best Name Drop Reveal

- F1 event story won
- Courtside Knicks seats with Ben Stiller and Timothee Chalamet was runner-up
- XAI visit with Elon Musk ranked third

### Top Trends Analysis

- M&A return confirmed as a landing trend for 2025
- AI job destruction impacts white-collar and entry-level jobs
- Humanoid robots, specifically Optimus, predicted to be the greatest product ever created

### Jason's Doxxing Anecdote

- Doxxing originated from a two-year-old photo of a tree line reversed-searched on LinkedIn
- Jason used security protocols and CEO contacts to identify and confront the doxxer
- Confrontation ended with the doxxer mentioning his four-week-old child, leading to a demanded apology from the doxxer and his wife, Cece