Sam Nadler (00:23):
Hey everyone and welcome to another episode of Built This Week, the podcast where we share what we’re building, how we’re building it, and what it means for the world of AI and startups. I’m Sam Nadler, co-founder here at Ryz Labs, and each week I’m joined by my friend and business partner, Jordan Metzner.
Jordan Metzner (00:45):
Yo, Sam — episode 17! Can you believe we’ve made it this far? Every week gets crazier. The pace of AI innovation just keeps compounding — new tools, new models, nonstop launches. Super excited to dive in.
Sam Nadler (01:04):
Yeah, we’ve got a full docket today. First, a new internal tool we built using the Sora 2 API, letting our teams generate AI videos in seconds. Then, a deep dive into N8N, one of the hottest AI automation platforms out there. And finally, a look at this week’s biggest AI news — from Walmart x OpenAI to Apple’s M5 chip.
Jordan Metzner (02:18):
So, Sora 2 has made quite a storm. It’s not just an app — it’s OpenAI’s new video generation platform and model. You can use the Sora API directly to generate your own content with prompts, reference images, and even control over format and duration.
Jordan Metzner (03:14):
I built a small Sora 2 tool that lets you choose between horizontal or vertical video, add reference images, and remove the watermark. Let’s test it — I prompted: two capybaras hosting the Built This Week podcast, saying “like and subscribe,” and something funny and unexpected happens at the end.
Sam Nadler (04:18):
That’s a solid prompt. I like that you added the “something unexpected” twist — always helps with virality.
Jordan Metzner (05:16):
Yeah, and while Sora is great, I also wanted to compare it to Google Veo 3.1 Fast, which just launched. I plugged in the same capybara prompt using our standard Ryz Labs video generator. Honestly — the Veo output looked better and generated faster.
Sam Nadler (06:11):
The competition’s heating up — Sora, Veo, Runway. Each week we get higher-quality results. It’s becoming almost impossible to tell what’s AI-generated.
Jordan Metzner (08:39):
Totally. This is the start of full-scale video automation. Soon, you’ll be able to produce commercials, trailers, or even short films with multiple AI models — generating, remixing, and editing all in minutes.
Sam Nadler (10:42):
Yeah, and I think it’s going to change how creators and small teams produce content. What used to take weeks and a full studio can now happen on a laptop with an API key.
Jordan Metzner (11:29):
Exactly. Speaking of automation — let’s jump into N8N, one of the tools we’ve been experimenting with. It’s kind of like Zapier, but AI-native. We’ve been using it to automate workflows across sales, marketing, and operations.
Sam Nadler (11:59):
Right, it’s becoming super popular. I’ve been hearing about it nonstop for the last year. Even though it’s technically no-code, there’s still a learning curve — but with Claude we’ve been able to generate 90% of workflows automatically.
Jordan Metzner (12:40):
Yeah, for example, one of our N8N workflows researches Russell 2000 companies using Perplexity AI, finds executive contacts through a data API, merges it all with ChatGPT, then formats it into a Google Sheet and auto-sends personalized outreach emails. It’s a full AI-powered outbound system.
Sam Nadler (14:10):
That’s incredible. And the fact that you can execute everything in one click — it’s wild.
Jordan Metzner (15:34):
Exactly. Once the workflows are connected, they run daily, pulling new data, generating custom content, and shipping emails. It’s the kind of automation that used to take months to code.
Sam Nadler (18:04):
Let’s switch gears — AI news of the week. First up: Walmart partners with OpenAI to enable in-app shopping directly through ChatGPT.
Jordan Metzner (18:49):
Yeah, I think it’s fascinating. Chat is becoming the new search. People are starting product discovery right inside ChatGPT. And now Walmart gets to be the first major retailer to sell directly there — ahead of Amazon.
Sam Nadler (19:43):
Exactly. Amazon’s always been cautious about sharing too much data with Google, but if users shift their buying behavior toward ChatGPT, it could reshape where e-commerce searches start.
Jordan Metzner (21:07):
Right. And if ChatGPT becomes a real sales channel, every retailer — Amazon, Expedia, everyone — will have to integrate just to keep up.
Sam Nadler (22:04):
Next story — Anthropic is reportedly on track for $9 billion ARR by the end of this year, and could double or triple by 2026.
Jordan Metzner (22:52):
It’s insane growth. No software companies have scaled this fast. And honestly, we’re completely dependent on OpenAI and Anthropic — our entire business runs on their APIs.
Sam Nadler (23:31):
Yeah, if they went down, we couldn’t function. And it’s not just us — the whole AI ecosystem runs on their infrastructure, which depends on Nvidia chips, TSMC, and energy costs. It’s a massive chain.
Jordan Metzner (24:45):
I think growth will continue. There’s still so much whitespace — so many companies haven’t implemented AI yet. That’s where the next wave of adoption will come from.
Sam Nadler (25:20):
Final story — Apple just rolled out its new M5 chip across the MacBook Pro, Vision Pro, and iPad. Supposedly 4x faster for AI workloads, and priced surprisingly low.
Jordan Metzner (25:51):
Yeah, it’s like the old “one more blade” joke — every chip is 4x faster than the last. But the real question is: does it matter for developers? They haven’t even released the Pro line yet, so for now, M4 Pro is actually still more powerful.
Sam Nadler (26:45):
Exactly. And while the performance bump is nice, there aren’t any new features — and that’s what people care about. I think Apple’s playing catch-up on AI, while companies like Meta and OpenAI are moving faster.
Jordan Metzner (28:18):
Yeah, overall it’s been another huge week. Between the Walmart partnership, Anthropic’s revenue surge, and Apple’s AI chips, there’s no slowdown in sight.
Sam Nadler (28:46):
Totally. Tons of capital flowing, tons of partnerships, and every week something new. Excited for episode 18 — we’ll have even more AI news to break down.
Jordan Metzner (29:05):
Same here. Thanks for listening, everyone. Don’t forget to like and subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts. See you next week.
