Here’s a roundup of interesting startup links I came across today:
The “Are You Sure?” Problem: Why Your AI Keeps Changing Its Mind | Dr. Randal S. Olson
Even when these systems have access to correct information from company knowledge bases or web search results, they’ll still defer to user pressure over their own evidence. The problem isn’t a knowledge gap. It’s a behavior gap.
Portland’s economy is in bad shape, chamber study finds – Portland Business Journal
Peter Hulseman, the city of Portland’s economist, said in December that Portland has “essentially” been in recession since 2023. “I’d remove ‘essentially’ and say we’re in a recession,” Wilkerson said.
Oregon has a long history of economic development resets – Portland Business Journal
“No one wanted economic development anymore,” Wyse said. “It was NIMBYism and no real interest by the electeds or anybody — ‘growth? We’ve done that. It’s over.’ And then guess what happened? We had a recession. All of a sudden, economic development was the rage again.”
Oregon looks to regulate AI chatbots • Oregon Capital Chronicle
After ‘missing the boat’ on social media regulation, an Oregon senator cites mental health concerns, youth access as key issues with unregulated AI use
Who will be Oregon’s next governor? First poll of 2026 names this candidate – oregonlive.com
The poll shows Kotek leading by at least five percentage points when matched head-to-head against state Sen. Christine Drazan of Canby, state Rep. Ed Diehl of Scio and former Portland Trail Blazer Chris Dudley. The three are considered top contenders to win the Republican nomination.
January Delivers Highest New Unicorn Count In More Than 3 Years
A total of 31 companies joined The Crunchbase Unicorn Board in January, the largest count of companies to join in a single month since June 2022. Collectively, those companies added $9.3 billion in funding and $58.5 billion in value to the board.
PE Is No Longer Coming to the Rescue. And That Probably Means No One Will. | SaaStr
The PE escape hatch is closed for most. You can’t build to $20M ARR or even $200M ARR and assume someone will buy you. That floor is gone. You need to build a company that can stand on its own—or has a genuinely compelling strategic angle.
Waiting is the new interruption
When AI takes 10 seconds, 30 seconds, or two minutes to respond, the herky-jerky rhythm invites distraction. The problem isn’t individual willpower—it’s a mismatch between how the tools behave and what humans can actually sustain.
I Didn’t Want AI to Be Good at This | Robby on Rails
I’ve built a consultancy around the idea that software is heavy. Context is fragile. Continuity takes intention. We’ve helped organizations maintain and evolve applications that other teams walked away from.
‘I’m tired of that narrative’: Seattle VC pushes back on tech exodus talk – GeekWire
Enough with the hot takes about Seattle’s tech downfall. That’s the message from Jacob Colker, managing director at the AI2 Incubator, who published a LinkedIn post Thursday pushing back on what he described as a “breathless narrative” that Seattle is one tax bill away from decline.
More Oregon startup news
