Latest Interviews
Showing 1–10 of 10 transcripts.
Clear all filters- All-In Podcast1h 21m
OpenAI Misses Targets, Codex vs Claude, Elon vs Sam Trial, Big Hyperscaler Beats, Peptide Craze
Elon, Sam, Friedberg, Jason Calacanis, David Sacks, Chamath Palihapitiya
OpenAI faces mounting structural tensions as it misses 2025 revenue and user targets while CEO Sam Altman pushes for an IPO against CFO Sarah Fryer's caution amidst $600 billion in future compute commitments. The company currently maintains a compute advantage over rivals like Anthropic through excess data center capacity, even as the broader AI sector grapples with power grid bottlenecks and a record $725 billion in hyperscaler capital expenditures for 2026. Concurrently, Elon Musk pursues a $150 billion lawsuit alleging a breach of charitable trust following internal documents revealing plans to remove him before the entity's conversion to for-profit status.
- Sequoia Capital37 min
AI integration for enterprise ft. CJ Desai of ServiceNow
CJ Desai, Chirantan "CJ" Desai, Sonya, Sam, Arthur, Daniela, Pat, Andy, Jensen, Doug Leone, Frank Slutman, Jess, Fred Luddy, Bill, Allen, Tim, Michelle, Charlie, Peter, Fabio
ServiceNow, the third-largest global SaaS provider with a $155 billion market cap, achieved $10 billion in annual recurring revenue through strict organic growth under the leadership of CEO Bill McDermott and COO CJ Nayak. The company is currently executing "Act Two" by integrating small, cost-efficient AI models and expanding into new sectors like public safety, while maintaining an 82% gross margin through disciplined financial constraints. With 8,000 enterprise customers led by CIOs demanding specific return on investment, ServiceNow prioritizes workflow automation and outcome-based selling over generic technology adoption to sustain its 26% annual growth rate.
- Sequoia Capital37 min
Making AI accessible with Andrej Karpathy and Stephanie Zhan
Andrej Karpathy, Stephanie Zhan, Brian Halligan, Alex, Sam, Peter, Michael
Andrej Karpathy outlines a future where the Large Language Model serves as a central CPU for a new "LLM OS," treating text, images, and audio as interchangeable peripherals within a decentralized startup ecosystem. He emphasizes that while massive scale drives current capabilities, the industry must overcome significant engineering and energy inefficiency barriers by adopting new hardware architectures and shifting from imitation learning toward self-correcting reinforcement loops. Drawing on lessons from Elon Musk’s management style, Karpathy advises founders to prioritize high-performance products, maintain technical rigor against organizational bloat, and foster a "coral reef" of vertical-specific applications rather than relying on monolithic corporate dominance.
- Y Combinator59 min
Carolynn Levy and Kirsty Nathoo - Startup Investor School Day 1
Carolynn Levy, Kirsty Nathoo, Jeff, Sam
The Simple Agreement for Future Equity (SAFE) is a non-debt convertible security designed for early-stage startups to facilitate rapid fundraising through a streamlined five-page document governed by valuation caps or discount rates. While lacking traditional creditor rights like interest or repayment, the instrument converts into preferred stock during priced rounds or liquidity events, with investor returns determined by complex pre-money conversion mechanics and pro rata participation rights. Best practices for execution involve rapid e-signature processing via platforms like Clerky and strict adherence to Y Combinator's handshake protocols to secure high upside potential while avoiding unnecessary legal complexity.
- Y Combinator48 min
How to Design Hardware Products with Hosain Rahman (How to Start a Startup 2014: Lecture 17)
Jawbone positions itself as a full-stack creator of invisible, high-quality hardware that functions as a central context engine within the fragmented Internet of Things landscape. By aligning slow hardware cycles with agile software development through cross-functional pods and frameworks like "Track, Understand, Act," the company successfully launched the Jambox and evolved its Up fitness tracker into a data-driven behavioral guide. This integrated approach enables Jawbone to shift market focus from individual connected objects to the user, aiming to automate interactions across a unified smart home ecosystem.
- Y Combinator50 min
How to Be a Great Founder with Reid Hoffman (How to Start a Startup 2014: Lecture 13)
This analysis challenges the "super-founder" myth by advocating for small, complementary co-founder teams that prioritize high-trust dynamics and constructive conflict over individual panopticons of skill. It outlines a strategic framework where founders select locations based on specific network needs rather than defaulting to Silicon Valley, while balancing rigid long-term visions with the agility to pivot on intelligent risks. The discussion further emphasizes that successful ventures require an informed contrarian thesis and the ability to manage paradoxes such as simultaneous belief and paranoia to navigate the critical intersection of product distribution and financing.
- Y Combinator50 min
Competition is for Losers with Peter Thiel (How to Start a Startup 2014: 5)
A seminal presentation argues that sustainable wealth creation requires building monopolies rather than competing in saturated markets, asserting that true value capture depends on proprietary technology, network effects, and economies of scale. The speaker advocates for a strategy of entering small, niche segments to achieve dominant market penetration before expanding concentrically, citing examples like PayPal and Facebook while warning against the illusion of "middle ground" businesses. By prioritizing the durability of these monopolies and rejecting conventional low-risk career paths, innovators can secure the substantial long-term value necessary to offset the intense competition that typically erodes profits in large, established industries.
- Y Combinator24 min
Chad Rigetti at Startup School SV 2016
Founded in 2013 by Yale alumnus Chad Rigetti, Rigetti Quantum Computing has rapidly evolved from a Y Combinator participant with no physical assets into a Berkeley-based full-stack hard tech firm employing over 35 staff members, including more than 20 PhDs. The company is currently engineering superconducting qubit systems designed to outperform classical supercomputers like Tianhe 2 in energy efficiency while targeting breakthrough applications in quantum chemistry and artificial intelligence. By integrating custom chip fabrication, advanced control electronics, and cloud-based software, Rigetti aims to establish a proprietary vertical that defines the next two decades of high-performance computing.
- Milken Institute1h 0m
My Edited Video
This panel discussion examines the evolution of marketplace lending from a retail-focused model to one dominated by institutional capital, driven by advanced underwriting data and operational agility that bypass traditional banking constraints. Participants highlight key industry shifts, including the transition to "offer-first" application processes, the rejection of regulatory arbitrage, and the growing reliance on holistic data points rather than FICO scores to assess risk for both consumers and small businesses. With projections indicating a surge in online lending volume to $20 billion, the dialogue addresses how platforms are democratizing access while navigating regulatory complexities and competing against established banks and international markets like China.
- Y Combinator29 min
Jim Goetz and Jan Koum at Startup School SV 2014
WhatsApp founder Jan Koum and Sequoia Capital's Jim Goetz detailed the company's strategic evolution from a failed status app to a global messaging giant that achieved financial independence through a $1 iOS fee before securing a unique partnership with Facebook. Koum emphasized how his tenure at Yahoo informed critical decisions to maintain an ad-free product, utilize minimal staffing with high-tech efficiency, and preserve operational autonomy following a $19 billion acquisition. The session highlighted a disciplined growth philosophy that prioritized server stability and global connectivity over rapid monetization, ultimately enabling WhatsApp to serve hundreds of millions of users with a lean team and zero marketing spend.