I quit Meta and left a comfortable salary to build a startup. Leaving wasn't easy, but now my AI receptionist answers millions of calls.

Tech Insider : Business
headshot of a man with a black background
Ruchir Baronia.

Courtesy of Ruchir Baronia

Three best friends built an AI startup — and made a pact to drink one beer if it all collapses

Tech Insider : Business
Raylu cofounders AI startup
Nathan Ondracek (left), Ali Dastjerdi (middle), and Samuel Ilkka (right) are three friends who founded Raylu, an AI startup that builds agents to help private-market investors automate sourcing work.

Raylu

An AI startup's viral LinkedIn story and the 'fake it till you make it' approach

Tech Insider : Business, Style, Technology
Photo collage of a man, someone tying, and a Linkedin logo
Two AI startup founders who started Fireflies.ai said that they initially pretended to be AI to validate their product idea.

Getty Images; Tyler Le/BI

Meet the 21-year-old former MrBeast staffer building an AI startup to help creators make viral videos

Tech Insider : Business, Economy, Technology
Palo cofounders Shivam Kumar (30) and Jay Neo (21).
Palo cofounders Shivam Kumar (30) and Jay Neo (21).

Jack Willingham

This top young VC reunited with his former colleague to deploy an unusually bold strategy for investing in AI startups

Tech Insider : Business, Style
Brian Zhan
Brian Zhan has joined Striker Venture Partners

Carla D.A.

I'm a female solo founder of an AI startup. It can be lonely, and I have to work hard to be taken seriously, but it's given me mental resilience.

Tech Insider : Business
Annie Liao
Annie Liao says it would be nice to have a cofounder to share the highs and lows with.

Annie Liao

Pope Leo XIV asks the AI industry to 'cultivate moral discernment'

Tech Insider : Business, Economy, Technology
Pope Leo XIV during the General Audience on November 5, 2025, in St. Peter's Square.
Pope Leo XIV has thoughts about AI.

Vatican/Getty Images

I left a VP-level role in Big Tech and now I work with startups. It's more unpredictable, but startup life is invigorating.

Tech Insider : Business, Environment, Style
Robert E. Williams sitting in a chair and smiling
Robert E Williams left a career in Big Tech after 15 years to work with startups.

Robert E. Williams

Phoebe Gates and her Phia cofounder raised $8 million at 23 years old, and it taught them 3 big lessons

Tech Insider : Business, Technology
Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni
Phoebe Gates (right) and Sophia Kianni (left) met at Stanford University.

Zhamak Fullad/Phia

I moved from Australia to San Francisco to build my startup from a hacker house. It's been humanizing and comforting.

Tech Insider : Business, Travel
Annie Liao, Build Club founder, sitting with a laptop at a cafe.
Startup founder Annie Liao said she's always wanted to live in San Francisco.

Photo courtesy Annie Liao

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