Episode Details
Back to EpisodesDanny Bernstein left Big Tech to fund farm-bots | E2310
Description
This Week In Startups is made possible by:
NetSuite https://NetSuite.ai/TWIST
Squarespace https://squarespace.com/twist
YSecurity https://YSecurity.io/TWIST
Today's show:
*America posted 400,000 farm jobs last year, and fewer than 1% got a single domestic applicant. Danny Bernstein of Reservoir believes it's time to start automating this backbreaking labor, like picking stone fruit in 110°F temperatures. So he built the world's first on-farm robotics incubator on 40 acres of California farmland. Here's why he argues that automating farms isn't just a new opportunity, it's a national security issue.
PLUS Jason responded to Gal Shir's viral "AI beat me at design" tweet, got into a kerfuffle with Figma CEO Dylan Field, and wound up making a brand new J-Trade. AND we're talking about the Dept. of Education's new "do no harm" policy, the Brown University AI cheating chart that's blowing up social media, and Lon has fresh streaming recommendations in an all-new Off Duty.
Guest:
Danny Bernstein on X: https://x.com/bernsteind
Reservoir Farms: https://reservoir.co/
Reservoir VC: https://reservoir.vc/
Relevant Links:
Bonsai Robotics: https://bonsairobotics.ai/
Root AI acquired by AppHarvest: https://www.therobotreport.com/root-ai-acquired-by-appharvest-for-60m/
John Deere: https://www.deere.com/en-us/
Western Growers Association: https://www.wga.com/
Tanimura & Antle: https://www.taproduce.com/
Naturipe Berry Growers: https://www.naturipefarms.com/
Driscoll's: https://www.driscolls.com/
Taylor Farms: https://www.taylorfarms.com/
The Wonderful Company: https://www.wonderful.com/
Capital Factory: https://www.capitalfactory.com/
Gal Shir "quitting design" post: https://x.com/galshirart/status/2074854464729629060
Dylan Field response to Gal Shir: https://x.com/zoink/status/2075290218660298807
JCal response to Field and "J-Trade": https://x.com/Jason/status/2075481565115654305
Figma: https://www.figma.com/
Dept. of Education: "Do No Harm" policy announcement: https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/us-department-of-education-issues-final-rule-hold-all-colleges-and-universities-accountable-low-earning-programs
NPR coverage on Dept. of Education earnings test: https://www.npr.org/2026/06/30/nx-s1-5835631/turner-camhi-do-no-harm-college-loans
Paul Graham "cheat