Uber co-founder Travis Kalanick estimates the proportion of venture capitalists who manage to avoid harming their portfolio companies versus those who provide genuine value.
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More from Travis Kalanick
Opinion
Kalanick: Founders definitely should not raise capital from Benchmark Capital
“You definitely shouldn't raise from benchmark capital.”
Travis KalanickAug 16, 2026▶ 58:34Excellence Is the Capacity To Take Pain | Travis Kalanick, Founder of Uber
AssertionNot checkable as stated
Kalanick: Benchmark ran an activist war room creating weekly crises at Uber
“Benchmark was running a war room. They were an unspoken activist investor that was creating a once a week crisis.”
Travis KalanickAug 16, 2026▶ 59:00Excellence Is the Capacity To Take Pain | Travis Kalanick, Founder of Uber
Opinion
Kalanick: Lyft remains smaller because Uber executed better on network efficiency
“This is why, you know, like Lyft is smaller than Uber because we were better at this part of this, the thing, and people don't really know that's what it takes.”
Travis KalanickAug 16, 2026▶ 22:16Excellence Is the Capacity To Take Pain | Travis Kalanick, Founder of Uber
AssertionContradicted
Kalanick: Uber never passed anti-competitor regulations or donated to political campaigns
“We had never at Uber, we never
Got a regulation passed that would hurt a competitor.
We never would do that.
That's just not how we rolled.
We never donated to a campaign.
Ever.
To try to get something passed.”
Travis KalanickAug 16, 2026▶ 32:27Excellence Is the Capacity To Take Pain | Travis Kalanick, Founder of Uber
Insight
Kalanick: Elite founders are grandmasters; VCs are just enthusiasts checking in quarterly
“The way I think about it is an operator who's running a company is a, if they're good, is a grandmaster of chess. The VC, and by the way, that grandmaster of chess, this operator, entrepreneur, Is playing this chess match somewhere between 60 and 80 hours a we…”
Travis KalanickAug 16, 2026▶ 1:04:56Excellence Is the Capacity To Take Pain | Travis Kalanick, Founder of Uber
“Like if an antelope limps in the Serengeti, the lion will take it down even if it's not hungry. Can't even fucking help it. It's just what is, what he does. And that's kind of the nature of most VCs. This, the nature of it is they will, if the, if you are on t…”
Travis KalanickAug 16, 2026▶ 1:07:05Excellence Is the Capacity To Take Pain | Travis Kalanick, Founder of Uber
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