# What Surprised Us Most In 2025

**Author:** Y Combinator
**Type:** Video
**URL:** https://www.ycombinator.com/library/NB-what-surprised-us-most-in-2025
**YouTube ID:** cqrJzG03ENE

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2025 was the year AI stopped feeling chaotic and started feeling buildable. In this Lightcone episode, the YC partners
break down the surprises of the year, from shifting model dominance to why the real opportunity is moving back to the
application layer, and why the next wave of AI startups may be just getting started.

