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Alfred Lin: AI market is not zero-sum because intelligence generates revenue

Alfred Lin · Sequoia’s Alfred Lin: $10T Companies Are Coming · Sourcery with Molly O'Shea · Mar 9, 2026 · at 24:20

Alfred Lin, partner at Sequoia Capital, explains why companies buy multiple AI models rather than standardizing on a single provider.

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“Our view is that it's not a zero sum game. And part of that is, there is really no price on intelligence. You, if you're more intelligent, if your system is more intelligent, if your product is more intelligent, is your company more intelligent and makes better decisions, you're gonna make more money. And so, so long as that's true, you're gonna continue to consume more and more of these tools.”

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