Grok 4.5 and GLM-5.2 kick off Token Price Wars | E22

2026-07-16

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This Week In Startups is made possible by:PAYPAL OPENToday’s show:The price of tokens keeps tumbling down, and it’s changing who controls AI.Grok 4.5 and GLM-5.2 landed within two weeks of one another, offering powerful alternatives at a fraction of frontier prices. But are SpaceXAI’s latest offering and open weight models truly ready to replace Opus, GPT-5.5, and Fable? Are enterprises finally ready to stop renting and start owning their intelligence?On TWiAI Episode 22, Jason and Lon welcome three top founders — Sara Hooker (Adaption Labs), Manu Sharma (Labelbox), and Spiros Xanthos (Resolve AI) — to break down the global AI price war...

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PAYPAL OPEN

Today’s show:

The price of tokens keeps tumbling down, and it’s changing who controls AI.

Grok 4.5 and GLM-5.2 landed within two weeks of one another, offering powerful alternatives at a fraction of frontier prices. But are SpaceXAI’s latest offering and open weight models truly ready to replace Opus, GPT-5.5, and Fable? Are enterprises finally ready to stop renting and start owning their intelligence?

On TWiAI Episode 22, Jason and Lon welcome three top founders — Sara Hooker (Adaption Labs), Manu Sharma (Labelbox), and Spiros Xanthos (Resolve AI) — to break down the global AI price war, and what it means for the frontier labs and customers alike. Plus Denis Hassabis’ call for an AI Standards Body, Uber and Waymo duke it out over DC robotaxis, and is SpaceXAI really going to put data centers in orbit any time soon?

Guests:

Sara Hooker on X: https://x.com/sarahookr

Adaption Labs: https://adaptionlabs.ai/

Manu Sharma on X: https://x.com/manuaero

Labelbox: https://labelbox.com/

Spiros Xanthos on X: https://x.com/spirosx

Resolve AI: https://resolve.ai/

Relevant Links

Introducing Grok 4.5**:** https://x.ai/news/grok-4-5

GLM from Z.ai: https://z.ai

Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index: https://artificialanalysis.ai/

Demis Hassabis: “A Framework for Frontier AI and the Dawning of a New Age”: https://x.com/demishassabis/status/2076957440109625718

Cerebras: https://www.cerebras.ai/

Austin Allred post cited by Jason: https://x.com/Austen/status/2076745226387902925

TechCrunch coverage of DC autonomous driving bill: https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/13/ubers-robotaxi-lobbying-effort-has-put-it-on-a-collision-course-with-waymo/

DoorDash: Meet Dot: https://about.doordash.com/en-us/dot

TechCrunch coverage of orbital data center debate: https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/13/sam-altmans-space-data-center-trash-talk-is-what-most-experts-already-believe

Falcon 9 booster’s record 36th flight: https://spaceflightnow.com/2026/07/09/live-coverage-spacex-to-launch-falcon-9-rocket-on-record-breaking-36th-flight/

Timestamps:0:00 A new generation of lower-cost models

4:10 Enterprises want their own intelligence stack

6:10 Frontier vs. open source: where does the value go?

10:03 Is enterprises destined to go small?

30:04 Self-improvement as the real fix

31:52 Should the AI industry regulate itself?

47:14 Uber vs. Waymo in DC

1:03:53 Can AI data centers in space really work?

1:14:47 You get a plug! Everyone gets a plug!

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X: https://x.com/lons

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