Dec 11, 2024 · 2h 39m · tbpn

How we became the fastest growing podcast (ep20)

John Coogan · 1h 11m spoken Jordi Hays · 1h 11m spoken
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In episode 20 of 'Technology Brothers,' co-hosts John and Jordy celebrate reaching 4,000 followers while delivering rapid-fire analysis on venture capital trends, artificial intelligence breakthroughs, defense tech developments, and trending social media debates. Blending sharp business commentary with cultural banter, the episode explores everything from self-custody Bitcoin lending and PE rollups to executive power dynamics and luxury automotive craftsmanship.

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Every chapter scored 0–10 on four independent dynamics. Hover any point for the reasoning behind the score. The hosts hold 99.6% of the talking time here. How this is scored →

The hosts as informed peer 5.8 Guest teaching 1.5 Guest disagreement 1.3 The hosts pushing back 1.4
05100:0020:0040:001:00:001:20:001:40:002:00:002:20:000:00–7:30 · The hosts as informed peer 6/10 Celebrating 4,000 Followers with Dom Pérignon and Ballet Banter John and Jordi open the show celebrating follower milestones with champagne and riffing on Tchaikovsky ballets and cultural metaphors before shifting into financial analysis. They break down Lava's $10M Series A financing led by Keith Rabois and Founders Fund, demonstrating firm domain knowledge on Bitcoin lending mechanics, self-custody, and the failures of past centralized lenders.7:30–12:07 · The hosts as informed peer 6/10 Breaking News: Friend.com Raises $5.4M for AI Companionship The hosts analyze Avi Schiffman's $5.4M seed round for Friend.com, discussing AI companion design philosophies and marketing mechanics. They evaluate the unit economics of purchasing premium domain names versus customer acquisition funnels, noting how interactive landing page design alters conversion rates.12:07–30:31 · The hosts as informed peer 7/10 Sequoia Capital Deep Dive: Alfred Lin and Changing VC Dynamics John and Jordi conduct an extensive review of Sequoia Capital's leadership transitions and Alfred Lin's track record across Airbnb and DoorDash. Jordi shares direct insights regarding Sequoia's consensus partnership model and contrasts it with Andreessen Horowitz and Founders Fund.30:31–37:20 · The hosts as informed peer 5/10 Listener Unboxing: Grip Strength Evaluators and Sequoia Media The hosts unbox grip strength trainers sent by a listener while examining Sequoia's marketing split between Roelof Botha's podcast and Shaun Maguire's high-velocity posting strategy. They discuss media traction dynamics in venture capital and answer listener mail regarding NDA etiquette.37:20–42:18 · The hosts as informed peer 3/10 Promoted Post: Ramp Financial Platform and Expense Consolidation Sponsored ad read segment for Ramp financial platform, illustrating spend consolidation versus fragmented software stacks, alongside brief banter about entrepreneurial vices and Mod Retro Game Boy remakes.42:18–47:15 · The hosts as informed peer 6/10 Timeline Reactions: Amex Wrapped and Gamifying Spending Data The hosts react to a viral post proposing Amex Wrapped, debating data gamification for consumer retention. They pivot to strategic sovereign industrial assets, analyzing foreign acquisition of US aluminum processing plants and supply chain vulnerabilities caused by tariffs.47:15–54:13 · The hosts as informed peer 5/10 Timeline Reactions: Claudette Dating App and Delegated Swiping Discussion centers on novel dating app mechanisms including Claude-based chat matching and delegated matchmaking. They also explore the post-merger liquidity mechanics of the PayPal mafia that enabled widespread angel investing across tech.54:13–1:00:00 · The hosts as informed peer 6/10 Timeline Reactions: Sports Betting Addiction and Gaming Regulations Reviewing a viral case on sports betting addiction, the hosts critique sportsbook VIP host retention tactics and regulatory arbitrage against tribal gaming rights, discussing uncapped downside risks in gambling apps.1:00:00–1:05:47 · The hosts as informed peer 6/10 Timeline Reactions: Wealthy Administrations and Government Remote Work The hosts discuss high-net-worth individuals in cabinet posts and the operational reality of federal remote work policies. Jordi details a personal private equity deal failure that incurred $100k in legal diligence costs, exploring how AI tooling will compress diligence timelines.1:05:47–1:14:17 · The hosts as informed peer 6/10 Timeline Reactions: Sam Altman's Koenigsegg and xAI Timeline Rivalry Hosts react to Sam Altman driving a Koenigsegg and the high-profile social media rivalry between xAI and OpenAI engineers. They discuss Gulfstream marketing aesthetics and the PR value of early-stage defense tech AI partnerships with OpenAI.1:14:17–1:22:24 · The hosts as informed peer 6/10 Timeline Reactions: The Correlation Between Persistent SDRs and Startup Scale Analyzing sales persistence metrics and SDR automation tools, the hosts evaluate outbound sales effectiveness. John playfully renames private equity venture roll-up strategies as 'Coogan's Giga Cycle' while Jordi explains Metropolis parking garage rollup mechanics.1:22:24–1:28:26 · The hosts as informed peer 6/10 Timeline Reactions: Tech Debt Deflation and OpenAI o1 Pro Coding Capabilities John and Jordi evaluate claims regarding o1 Pro coding performance and tech debt deflation. John explains technical details of OpenAI Mac app accessibility integrations bypassing IDE plugin restrictions, followed by commentary on robotics demonstrations.1:28:26–1:32:51 · The hosts as informed peer 5/10 Timeline Reactions: Handwritten Business Cards and Apple Photos Redesign Banter covers handwritten business cards, contact management utilities, and software regression in Apple's Photos app. The hosts briefly touch on breaking news and online speculation surrounding the UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter.1:32:51–1:38:10 · The hosts as informed peer 6/10 Timeline Reactions: The Nobility of Advertising and Ridge Wallet's Model Reflecting on Ridge Wallet's advertising playbook and creator economy unit economics, Jordi shares operational details from his past work with Ridge. Promoted post features a 2015 McLaren P1 with carbon bucket seat analysis.1:38:10–1:44:25 · The hosts as informed peer 7/10 Timeline Reactions: VC Meme Coin Trading vs Long-Term Returns The hosts debate Rick Zullo's criticism of venture funds trading meme coins. John outlines the legal LPA limits on secondary and alternative liquid assets alongside the regulatory trade-offs of converting standard VC funds into registered investment advisors (RIAs).1:44:25–1:51:38 · The hosts as informed peer 5/10 Timeline Reactions: The $5 Million Impression Trap and Large Wine Formats Banter covers Morgan Barrett's tweet on the purgatory of middle-tier reach, wine bottle volume scaling (Jeroboam/Nebuchadnezzar), and ski resort networking dynamics at Deer Valley and Aman resorts.1:51:38–1:56:47 · The hosts as informed peer 5/10 Timeline Reactions: Lindy AI and the Factorio Business Automation Paradigm Discussion focuses on Flo Crivello's Lindy AI and the Factorio abstraction for autonomous business operations, paired with a Tiffany engagement ring promotion and commentary on Marc Andreessen's US market performance charts.1:56:47–2:04:37 · The hosts as informed peer 7/10 Timeline Reactions: Building Cool Factories and Content Manufacturing Hosts critique hyper-optimization of personal health metrics and sleep trackers, with John sharing his 2013 quantified-self DIY sensor setup. They debate Peter Thiel's Zero to One thesis, contrasting strict monopoly theory against execution in highly competitive markets.2:04:37–2:10:31 · The hosts as informed peer 6/10 Timeline Reactions: Chad Hurley on Pickleball and Social Baiting Hosts discuss Chad Hurley's critique of pickleball and engagement baiting on X, before examining Gary Tan's quote from 'Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned.' Jordi challenges deterministic product planning while John highlights YC's open pivot culture.2:10:31–2:18:17 · The hosts as informed peer 5/10 Timeline Reactions: Automated CEO Weekly Status Agents Co-hosts explore autonomous CEO status-aggregation agents, the commercial reality of Thunderbolt 4 / USB-C standard fragmentation, and the brand equity of legacy internet platform Digg.2:18:17–2:21:54 · The hosts as informed peer 6/10 Timeline Reactions: François Chollet's ARC Prize and LLM Reasoning Benchmarks Hosts analyze Francois Chollet's ARC Prize reasoning benchmark, evaluating its resistance to LLM token memorization and distinguishing Chollet's thesis from Yann LeCun and Gary Marcus's critique frameworks.2:21:54–2:26:54 · The hosts as informed peer 5/10 Promoted Post: TAG Heuer Formula 1 Chronograph Promoted post for TAG Heuer Formula 1 Chronograph, congratulating producer Ben on Jiu Jitsu World League silver medal, and analyzing Michael Dell's first 16 years of compounding revenue growth.2:26:54–2:34:00 · The hosts as informed peer 7/10 Quote Tweet Thread: The Global Elite Circuit and The Myth of 'Fuck You Money' John and Jordi deconstruct a multi-quote thread starting with Lucy Guo on elite global social circuits and ending with Marc Andreessen and Saagar Enjeti on why 'fuck you money' is an illusion. John articulates that wealth happiness correlates with the second derivative of growth rather than absolute net worth.2:34:00–2:36:03 · The hosts as informed peer 6/10 Promoted Post: DuPont Registry 2014 Ferrari LaFerrari Classiche Final segment features a DuPont Registry Ferrari LaFerrari promotion detailing Ferrari's Classiche certification process, concluding with a discussion on compute cluster scaling limits and next-generation model training frontiers.0:00–7:30 · Guest teaching 2/10 Celebrating 4,000 Followers with Dom Pérignon and Ballet Banter John and Jordi open the show celebrating follower milestones with champagne and riffing on Tchaikovsky ballets and cultural metaphors before shifting into financial analysis. They break down Lava's $10M Series A financing led by Keith Rabois and Founders Fund, demonstrating firm domain knowledge on Bitcoin lending mechanics, self-custody, and the failures of past centralized lenders.7:30–12:07 · Guest teaching 1/10 Breaking News: Friend.com Raises $5.4M for AI Companionship The hosts analyze Avi Schiffman's $5.4M seed round for Friend.com, discussing AI companion design philosophies and marketing mechanics. They evaluate the unit economics of purchasing premium domain names versus customer acquisition funnels, noting how interactive landing page design alters conversion rates.12:07–30:31 · Guest teaching 3/10 Sequoia Capital Deep Dive: Alfred Lin and Changing VC Dynamics John and Jordi conduct an extensive review of Sequoia Capital's leadership transitions and Alfred Lin's track record across Airbnb and DoorDash. Jordi shares direct insights regarding Sequoia's consensus partnership model and contrasts it with Andreessen Horowitz and Founders Fund.30:31–37:20 · Guest teaching 1/10 Listener Unboxing: Grip Strength Evaluators and Sequoia Media The hosts unbox grip strength trainers sent by a listener while examining Sequoia's marketing split between Roelof Botha's podcast and Shaun Maguire's high-velocity posting strategy. They discuss media traction dynamics in venture capital and answer listener mail regarding NDA etiquette.37:20–42:18 · Guest teaching 0/10 Promoted Post: Ramp Financial Platform and Expense Consolidation Sponsored ad read segment for Ramp financial platform, illustrating spend consolidation versus fragmented software stacks, alongside brief banter about entrepreneurial vices and Mod Retro Game Boy remakes.42:18–47:15 · Guest teaching 2/10 Timeline Reactions: Amex Wrapped and Gamifying Spending Data The hosts react to a viral post proposing Amex Wrapped, debating data gamification for consumer retention. They pivot to strategic sovereign industrial assets, analyzing foreign acquisition of US aluminum processing plants and supply chain vulnerabilities caused by tariffs.47:15–54:13 · Guest teaching 1/10 Timeline Reactions: Claudette Dating App and Delegated Swiping Discussion centers on novel dating app mechanisms including Claude-based chat matching and delegated matchmaking. They also explore the post-merger liquidity mechanics of the PayPal mafia that enabled widespread angel investing across tech.54:13–1:00:00 · Guest teaching 2/10 Timeline Reactions: Sports Betting Addiction and Gaming Regulations Reviewing a viral case on sports betting addiction, the hosts critique sportsbook VIP host retention tactics and regulatory arbitrage against tribal gaming rights, discussing uncapped downside risks in gambling apps.1:00:00–1:05:47 · Guest teaching 2/10 Timeline Reactions: Wealthy Administrations and Government Remote Work The hosts discuss high-net-worth individuals in cabinet posts and the operational reality of federal remote work policies. Jordi details a personal private equity deal failure that incurred $100k in legal diligence costs, exploring how AI tooling will compress diligence timelines.1:05:47–1:14:17 · Guest teaching 1/10 Timeline Reactions: Sam Altman's Koenigsegg and xAI Timeline Rivalry Hosts react to Sam Altman driving a Koenigsegg and the high-profile social media rivalry between xAI and OpenAI engineers. They discuss Gulfstream marketing aesthetics and the PR value of early-stage defense tech AI partnerships with OpenAI.1:14:17–1:22:24 · Guest teaching 2/10 Timeline Reactions: The Correlation Between Persistent SDRs and Startup Scale Analyzing sales persistence metrics and SDR automation tools, the hosts evaluate outbound sales effectiveness. John playfully renames private equity venture roll-up strategies as 'Coogan's Giga Cycle' while Jordi explains Metropolis parking garage rollup mechanics.1:22:24–1:28:26 · Guest teaching 1/10 Timeline Reactions: Tech Debt Deflation and OpenAI o1 Pro Coding Capabilities John and Jordi evaluate claims regarding o1 Pro coding performance and tech debt deflation. John explains technical details of OpenAI Mac app accessibility integrations bypassing IDE plugin restrictions, followed by commentary on robotics demonstrations.1:28:26–1:32:51 · Guest teaching 1/10 Timeline Reactions: Handwritten Business Cards and Apple Photos Redesign Banter covers handwritten business cards, contact management utilities, and software regression in Apple's Photos app. The hosts briefly touch on breaking news and online speculation surrounding the UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter.1:32:51–1:38:10 · Guest teaching 2/10 Timeline Reactions: The Nobility of Advertising and Ridge Wallet's Model Reflecting on Ridge Wallet's advertising playbook and creator economy unit economics, Jordi shares operational details from his past work with Ridge. Promoted post features a 2015 McLaren P1 with carbon bucket seat analysis.1:38:10–1:44:25 · Guest teaching 2/10 Timeline Reactions: VC Meme Coin Trading vs Long-Term Returns The hosts debate Rick Zullo's criticism of venture funds trading meme coins. John outlines the legal LPA limits on secondary and alternative liquid assets alongside the regulatory trade-offs of converting standard VC funds into registered investment advisors (RIAs).1:44:25–1:51:38 · Guest teaching 1/10 Timeline Reactions: The $5 Million Impression Trap and Large Wine Formats Banter covers Morgan Barrett's tweet on the purgatory of middle-tier reach, wine bottle volume scaling (Jeroboam/Nebuchadnezzar), and ski resort networking dynamics at Deer Valley and Aman resorts.1:51:38–1:56:47 · Guest teaching 1/10 Timeline Reactions: Lindy AI and the Factorio Business Automation Paradigm Discussion focuses on Flo Crivello's Lindy AI and the Factorio abstraction for autonomous business operations, paired with a Tiffany engagement ring promotion and commentary on Marc Andreessen's US market performance charts.1:56:47–2:04:37 · Guest teaching 3/10 Timeline Reactions: Building Cool Factories and Content Manufacturing Hosts critique hyper-optimization of personal health metrics and sleep trackers, with John sharing his 2013 quantified-self DIY sensor setup. They debate Peter Thiel's Zero to One thesis, contrasting strict monopoly theory against execution in highly competitive markets.2:04:37–2:10:31 · Guest teaching 2/10 Timeline Reactions: Chad Hurley on Pickleball and Social Baiting Hosts discuss Chad Hurley's critique of pickleball and engagement baiting on X, before examining Gary Tan's quote from 'Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned.' Jordi challenges deterministic product planning while John highlights YC's open pivot culture.2:10:31–2:18:17 · Guest teaching 1/10 Timeline Reactions: Automated CEO Weekly Status Agents Co-hosts explore autonomous CEO status-aggregation agents, the commercial reality of Thunderbolt 4 / USB-C standard fragmentation, and the brand equity of legacy internet platform Digg.2:18:17–2:21:54 · Guest teaching 2/10 Timeline Reactions: François Chollet's ARC Prize and LLM Reasoning Benchmarks Hosts analyze Francois Chollet's ARC Prize reasoning benchmark, evaluating its resistance to LLM token memorization and distinguishing Chollet's thesis from Yann LeCun and Gary Marcus's critique frameworks.2:21:54–2:26:54 · Guest teaching 1/10 Promoted Post: TAG Heuer Formula 1 Chronograph Promoted post for TAG Heuer Formula 1 Chronograph, congratulating producer Ben on Jiu Jitsu World League silver medal, and analyzing Michael Dell's first 16 years of compounding revenue growth.2:26:54–2:34:00 · Guest teaching 2/10 Quote Tweet Thread: The Global Elite Circuit and The Myth of 'Fuck You Money' John and Jordi deconstruct a multi-quote thread starting with Lucy Guo on elite global social circuits and ending with Marc Andreessen and Saagar Enjeti on why 'fuck you money' is an illusion. John articulates that wealth happiness correlates with the second derivative of growth rather than absolute net worth.2:34:00–2:36:03 · Guest teaching 1/10 Promoted Post: DuPont Registry 2014 Ferrari LaFerrari Classiche Final segment features a DuPont Registry Ferrari LaFerrari promotion detailing Ferrari's Classiche certification process, concluding with a discussion on compute cluster scaling limits and next-generation model training frontiers.0:00–7:30 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Celebrating 4,000 Followers with Dom Pérignon and Ballet Banter John and Jordi open the show celebrating follower milestones with champagne and riffing on Tchaikovsky ballets and cultural metaphors before shifting into financial analysis. They break down Lava's $10M Series A financing led by Keith Rabois and Founders Fund, demonstrating firm domain knowledge on Bitcoin lending mechanics, self-custody, and the failures of past centralized lenders.7:30–12:07 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Breaking News: Friend.com Raises $5.4M for AI Companionship The hosts analyze Avi Schiffman's $5.4M seed round for Friend.com, discussing AI companion design philosophies and marketing mechanics. They evaluate the unit economics of purchasing premium domain names versus customer acquisition funnels, noting how interactive landing page design alters conversion rates.12:07–30:31 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Sequoia Capital Deep Dive: Alfred Lin and Changing VC Dynamics John and Jordi conduct an extensive review of Sequoia Capital's leadership transitions and Alfred Lin's track record across Airbnb and DoorDash. Jordi shares direct insights regarding Sequoia's consensus partnership model and contrasts it with Andreessen Horowitz and Founders Fund.30:31–37:20 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Listener Unboxing: Grip Strength Evaluators and Sequoia Media The hosts unbox grip strength trainers sent by a listener while examining Sequoia's marketing split between Roelof Botha's podcast and Shaun Maguire's high-velocity posting strategy. They discuss media traction dynamics in venture capital and answer listener mail regarding NDA etiquette.37:20–42:18 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Promoted Post: Ramp Financial Platform and Expense Consolidation Sponsored ad read segment for Ramp financial platform, illustrating spend consolidation versus fragmented software stacks, alongside brief banter about entrepreneurial vices and Mod Retro Game Boy remakes.42:18–47:15 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Timeline Reactions: Amex Wrapped and Gamifying Spending Data The hosts react to a viral post proposing Amex Wrapped, debating data gamification for consumer retention. They pivot to strategic sovereign industrial assets, analyzing foreign acquisition of US aluminum processing plants and supply chain vulnerabilities caused by tariffs.47:15–54:13 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Timeline Reactions: Claudette Dating App and Delegated Swiping Discussion centers on novel dating app mechanisms including Claude-based chat matching and delegated matchmaking. They also explore the post-merger liquidity mechanics of the PayPal mafia that enabled widespread angel investing across tech.54:13–1:00:00 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Timeline Reactions: Sports Betting Addiction and Gaming Regulations Reviewing a viral case on sports betting addiction, the hosts critique sportsbook VIP host retention tactics and regulatory arbitrage against tribal gaming rights, discussing uncapped downside risks in gambling apps.1:00:00–1:05:47 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Timeline Reactions: Wealthy Administrations and Government Remote Work The hosts discuss high-net-worth individuals in cabinet posts and the operational reality of federal remote work policies. Jordi details a personal private equity deal failure that incurred $100k in legal diligence costs, exploring how AI tooling will compress diligence timelines.1:05:47–1:14:17 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Timeline Reactions: Sam Altman's Koenigsegg and xAI Timeline Rivalry Hosts react to Sam Altman driving a Koenigsegg and the high-profile social media rivalry between xAI and OpenAI engineers. They discuss Gulfstream marketing aesthetics and the PR value of early-stage defense tech AI partnerships with OpenAI.1:14:17–1:22:24 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Timeline Reactions: The Correlation Between Persistent SDRs and Startup Scale Analyzing sales persistence metrics and SDR automation tools, the hosts evaluate outbound sales effectiveness. John playfully renames private equity venture roll-up strategies as 'Coogan's Giga Cycle' while Jordi explains Metropolis parking garage rollup mechanics.1:22:24–1:28:26 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Timeline Reactions: Tech Debt Deflation and OpenAI o1 Pro Coding Capabilities John and Jordi evaluate claims regarding o1 Pro coding performance and tech debt deflation. John explains technical details of OpenAI Mac app accessibility integrations bypassing IDE plugin restrictions, followed by commentary on robotics demonstrations.1:28:26–1:32:51 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Timeline Reactions: Handwritten Business Cards and Apple Photos Redesign Banter covers handwritten business cards, contact management utilities, and software regression in Apple's Photos app. The hosts briefly touch on breaking news and online speculation surrounding the UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter.1:32:51–1:38:10 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Timeline Reactions: The Nobility of Advertising and Ridge Wallet's Model Reflecting on Ridge Wallet's advertising playbook and creator economy unit economics, Jordi shares operational details from his past work with Ridge. Promoted post features a 2015 McLaren P1 with carbon bucket seat analysis.1:38:10–1:44:25 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Timeline Reactions: VC Meme Coin Trading vs Long-Term Returns The hosts debate Rick Zullo's criticism of venture funds trading meme coins. John outlines the legal LPA limits on secondary and alternative liquid assets alongside the regulatory trade-offs of converting standard VC funds into registered investment advisors (RIAs).1:44:25–1:51:38 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Timeline Reactions: The $5 Million Impression Trap and Large Wine Formats Banter covers Morgan Barrett's tweet on the purgatory of middle-tier reach, wine bottle volume scaling (Jeroboam/Nebuchadnezzar), and ski resort networking dynamics at Deer Valley and Aman resorts.1:51:38–1:56:47 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Timeline Reactions: Lindy AI and the Factorio Business Automation Paradigm Discussion focuses on Flo Crivello's Lindy AI and the Factorio abstraction for autonomous business operations, paired with a Tiffany engagement ring promotion and commentary on Marc Andreessen's US market performance charts.1:56:47–2:04:37 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Timeline Reactions: Building Cool Factories and Content Manufacturing Hosts critique hyper-optimization of personal health metrics and sleep trackers, with John sharing his 2013 quantified-self DIY sensor setup. They debate Peter Thiel's Zero to One thesis, contrasting strict monopoly theory against execution in highly competitive markets.2:04:37–2:10:31 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Timeline Reactions: Chad Hurley on Pickleball and Social Baiting Hosts discuss Chad Hurley's critique of pickleball and engagement baiting on X, before examining Gary Tan's quote from 'Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned.' Jordi challenges deterministic product planning while John highlights YC's open pivot culture.2:10:31–2:18:17 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Timeline Reactions: Automated CEO Weekly Status Agents Co-hosts explore autonomous CEO status-aggregation agents, the commercial reality of Thunderbolt 4 / USB-C standard fragmentation, and the brand equity of legacy internet platform Digg.2:18:17–2:21:54 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Timeline Reactions: François Chollet's ARC Prize and LLM Reasoning Benchmarks Hosts analyze Francois Chollet's ARC Prize reasoning benchmark, evaluating its resistance to LLM token memorization and distinguishing Chollet's thesis from Yann LeCun and Gary Marcus's critique frameworks.2:21:54–2:26:54 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Promoted Post: TAG Heuer Formula 1 Chronograph Promoted post for TAG Heuer Formula 1 Chronograph, congratulating producer Ben on Jiu Jitsu World League silver medal, and analyzing Michael Dell's first 16 years of compounding revenue growth.2:26:54–2:34:00 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Quote Tweet Thread: The Global Elite Circuit and The Myth of 'Fuck You Money' John and Jordi deconstruct a multi-quote thread starting with Lucy Guo on elite global social circuits and ending with Marc Andreessen and Saagar Enjeti on why 'fuck you money' is an illusion. John articulates that wealth happiness correlates with the second derivative of growth rather than absolute net worth.2:34:00–2:36:03 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Promoted Post: DuPont Registry 2014 Ferrari LaFerrari Classiche Final segment features a DuPont Registry Ferrari LaFerrari promotion detailing Ferrari's Classiche certification process, concluding with a discussion on compute cluster scaling limits and next-generation model training frontiers.0:00–7:30 · The hosts pushing back 1/10 Celebrating 4,000 Followers with Dom Pérignon and Ballet Banter John and Jordi open the show celebrating follower milestones with champagne and riffing on Tchaikovsky ballets and cultural metaphors before shifting into financial analysis. They break down Lava's $10M Series A financing led by Keith Rabois and Founders Fund, demonstrating firm domain knowledge on Bitcoin lending mechanics, self-custody, and the failures of past centralized lenders.7:30–12:07 · The hosts pushing back 1/10 Breaking News: Friend.com Raises $5.4M for AI Companionship The hosts analyze Avi Schiffman's $5.4M seed round for Friend.com, discussing AI companion design philosophies and marketing mechanics. They evaluate the unit economics of purchasing premium domain names versus customer acquisition funnels, noting how interactive landing page design alters conversion rates.12:07–30:31 · The hosts pushing back 2/10 Sequoia Capital Deep Dive: Alfred Lin and Changing VC Dynamics John and Jordi conduct an extensive review of Sequoia Capital's leadership transitions and Alfred Lin's track record across Airbnb and DoorDash. Jordi shares direct insights regarding Sequoia's consensus partnership model and contrasts it with Andreessen Horowitz and Founders Fund.30:31–37:20 · The hosts pushing back 1/10 Listener Unboxing: Grip Strength Evaluators and Sequoia Media The hosts unbox grip strength trainers sent by a listener while examining Sequoia's marketing split between Roelof Botha's podcast and Shaun Maguire's high-velocity posting strategy. They discuss media traction dynamics in venture capital and answer listener mail regarding NDA etiquette.37:20–42:18 · The hosts pushing back 0/10 Promoted Post: Ramp Financial Platform and Expense Consolidation Sponsored ad read segment for Ramp financial platform, illustrating spend consolidation versus fragmented software stacks, alongside brief banter about entrepreneurial vices and Mod Retro Game Boy remakes.42:18–47:15 · The hosts pushing back 2/10 Timeline Reactions: Amex Wrapped and Gamifying Spending Data The hosts react to a viral post proposing Amex Wrapped, debating data gamification for consumer retention. They pivot to strategic sovereign industrial assets, analyzing foreign acquisition of US aluminum processing plants and supply chain vulnerabilities caused by tariffs.47:15–54:13 · The hosts pushing back 1/10 Timeline Reactions: Claudette Dating App and Delegated Swiping Discussion centers on novel dating app mechanisms including Claude-based chat matching and delegated matchmaking. They also explore the post-merger liquidity mechanics of the PayPal mafia that enabled widespread angel investing across tech.54:13–1:00:00 · The hosts pushing back 1/10 Timeline Reactions: Sports Betting Addiction and Gaming Regulations Reviewing a viral case on sports betting addiction, the hosts critique sportsbook VIP host retention tactics and regulatory arbitrage against tribal gaming rights, discussing uncapped downside risks in gambling apps.1:00:00–1:05:47 · The hosts pushing back 2/10 Timeline Reactions: Wealthy Administrations and Government Remote Work The hosts discuss high-net-worth individuals in cabinet posts and the operational reality of federal remote work policies. Jordi details a personal private equity deal failure that incurred $100k in legal diligence costs, exploring how AI tooling will compress diligence timelines.1:05:47–1:14:17 · The hosts pushing back 1/10 Timeline Reactions: Sam Altman's Koenigsegg and xAI Timeline Rivalry Hosts react to Sam Altman driving a Koenigsegg and the high-profile social media rivalry between xAI and OpenAI engineers. They discuss Gulfstream marketing aesthetics and the PR value of early-stage defense tech AI partnerships with OpenAI.1:14:17–1:22:24 · The hosts pushing back 2/10 Timeline Reactions: The Correlation Between Persistent SDRs and Startup Scale Analyzing sales persistence metrics and SDR automation tools, the hosts evaluate outbound sales effectiveness. John playfully renames private equity venture roll-up strategies as 'Coogan's Giga Cycle' while Jordi explains Metropolis parking garage rollup mechanics.1:22:24–1:28:26 · The hosts pushing back 2/10 Timeline Reactions: Tech Debt Deflation and OpenAI o1 Pro Coding Capabilities John and Jordi evaluate claims regarding o1 Pro coding performance and tech debt deflation. John explains technical details of OpenAI Mac app accessibility integrations bypassing IDE plugin restrictions, followed by commentary on robotics demonstrations.1:28:26–1:32:51 · The hosts pushing back 1/10 Timeline Reactions: Handwritten Business Cards and Apple Photos Redesign Banter covers handwritten business cards, contact management utilities, and software regression in Apple's Photos app. The hosts briefly touch on breaking news and online speculation surrounding the UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter.1:32:51–1:38:10 · The hosts pushing back 1/10 Timeline Reactions: The Nobility of Advertising and Ridge Wallet's Model Reflecting on Ridge Wallet's advertising playbook and creator economy unit economics, Jordi shares operational details from his past work with Ridge. Promoted post features a 2015 McLaren P1 with carbon bucket seat analysis.1:38:10–1:44:25 · The hosts pushing back 2/10 Timeline Reactions: VC Meme Coin Trading vs Long-Term Returns The hosts debate Rick Zullo's criticism of venture funds trading meme coins. John outlines the legal LPA limits on secondary and alternative liquid assets alongside the regulatory trade-offs of converting standard VC funds into registered investment advisors (RIAs).1:44:25–1:51:38 · The hosts pushing back 1/10 Timeline Reactions: The $5 Million Impression Trap and Large Wine Formats Banter covers Morgan Barrett's tweet on the purgatory of middle-tier reach, wine bottle volume scaling (Jeroboam/Nebuchadnezzar), and ski resort networking dynamics at Deer Valley and Aman resorts.1:51:38–1:56:47 · The hosts pushing back 1/10 Timeline Reactions: Lindy AI and the Factorio Business Automation Paradigm Discussion focuses on Flo Crivello's Lindy AI and the Factorio abstraction for autonomous business operations, paired with a Tiffany engagement ring promotion and commentary on Marc Andreessen's US market performance charts.1:56:47–2:04:37 · The hosts pushing back 2/10 Timeline Reactions: Building Cool Factories and Content Manufacturing Hosts critique hyper-optimization of personal health metrics and sleep trackers, with John sharing his 2013 quantified-self DIY sensor setup. They debate Peter Thiel's Zero to One thesis, contrasting strict monopoly theory against execution in highly competitive markets.2:04:37–2:10:31 · The hosts pushing back 2/10 Timeline Reactions: Chad Hurley on Pickleball and Social Baiting Hosts discuss Chad Hurley's critique of pickleball and engagement baiting on X, before examining Gary Tan's quote from 'Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned.' Jordi challenges deterministic product planning while John highlights YC's open pivot culture.2:10:31–2:18:17 · The hosts pushing back 1/10 Timeline Reactions: Automated CEO Weekly Status Agents Co-hosts explore autonomous CEO status-aggregation agents, the commercial reality of Thunderbolt 4 / USB-C standard fragmentation, and the brand equity of legacy internet platform Digg.2:18:17–2:21:54 · The hosts pushing back 2/10 Timeline Reactions: François Chollet's ARC Prize and LLM Reasoning Benchmarks Hosts analyze Francois Chollet's ARC Prize reasoning benchmark, evaluating its resistance to LLM token memorization and distinguishing Chollet's thesis from Yann LeCun and Gary Marcus's critique frameworks.2:21:54–2:26:54 · The hosts pushing back 1/10 Promoted Post: TAG Heuer Formula 1 Chronograph Promoted post for TAG Heuer Formula 1 Chronograph, congratulating producer Ben on Jiu Jitsu World League silver medal, and analyzing Michael Dell's first 16 years of compounding revenue growth.2:26:54–2:34:00 · The hosts pushing back 2/10 Quote Tweet Thread: The Global Elite Circuit and The Myth of 'Fuck You Money' John and Jordi deconstruct a multi-quote thread starting with Lucy Guo on elite global social circuits and ending with Marc Andreessen and Saagar Enjeti on why 'fuck you money' is an illusion. John articulates that wealth happiness correlates with the second derivative of growth rather than absolute net worth.2:34:00–2:36:03 · The hosts pushing back 1/10 Promoted Post: DuPont Registry 2014 Ferrari LaFerrari Classiche Final segment features a DuPont Registry Ferrari LaFerrari promotion detailing Ferrari's Classiche certification process, concluding with a discussion on compute cluster scaling limits and next-generation model training frontiers.

speaking balance: gold is the hosts, purple is the guest (3 minute bins)

0:00 · the hosts 100% · guest 0%0:00 · the hosts 100% · guest 0%3:00 · the hosts 99.9% · guest 0.1%3:00 · the hosts 99.9% · guest 0.1%6:00 · the hosts 99.9% · guest 0.1%6:00 · the hosts 99.9% · guest 0.1%9:00 · the hosts 99.9% · guest 0.1%9:00 · the hosts 99.9% · guest 0.1%12:00 · the hosts 99.6% · guest 0.4%12:00 · the hosts 99.6% · guest 0.4%15:00 · the hosts 99% · guest 1%15:00 · the hosts 99% · guest 1%18:00 · the hosts 99.7% · guest 0.3%18:00 · the hosts 99.7% · guest 0.3%21:00 · the hosts 99.7% · guest 0.3%21:00 · the hosts 99.7% · guest 0.3%24:00 · the hosts 99.6% · guest 0.4%24:00 · the hosts 99.6% · guest 0.4%27:00 · the hosts 99.9% · guest 0.1%27:00 · the hosts 99.9% · guest 0.1%30:00 · the hosts 97.6% · guest 2.4%30:00 · the hosts 97.6% · guest 2.4%33:00 · the hosts 98.8% · guest 1.2%33:00 · the hosts 98.8% · guest 1.2%36:00 · the hosts 99.7% · guest 0.3%36:00 · the hosts 99.7% · guest 0.3%39:00 · the hosts 99.9% · guest 0.1%39:00 · the hosts 99.9% · guest 0.1%42:00 · the hosts 99% · guest 1%42:00 · the hosts 99% · guest 1%45:00 · the hosts 99.9% · guest 0.1%45:00 · the hosts 99.9% · guest 0.1%48:00 · the hosts 99.2% · guest 0.8%48:00 · the hosts 99.2% · guest 0.8%51:00 · the hosts 99.5% · guest 0.5%51:00 · the hosts 99.5% · guest 0.5%54:00 · the hosts 99.9% · guest 0.1%54:00 · the hosts 99.9% · guest 0.1%57:00 · the hosts 99.5% · guest 0.5%57:00 · the hosts 99.5% · guest 0.5%1:00:00 · the hosts 100% · guest 0%1:00:00 · the hosts 100% · guest 0%1:03:00 · the hosts 100% · guest 0%1:03:00 · the hosts 100% · guest 0%1:06:00 · the hosts 99.2% · guest 0.8%1:06:00 · the hosts 99.2% · guest 0.8%1:09:00 · the hosts 99.8% · guest 0.2%1:09:00 · the hosts 99.8% · guest 0.2%1:12:00 · the hosts 99.6% · guest 0.4%1:12:00 · the hosts 99.6% · guest 0.4%1:15:00 · the hosts 99.2% · guest 0.8%1:15:00 · the hosts 99.2% · guest 0.8%1:18:00 · the hosts 99.4% · guest 0.6%1:18:00 · the hosts 99.4% · guest 0.6%1:21:00 · the hosts 99.4% · guest 0.6%1:21:00 · the hosts 99.4% · guest 0.6%1:24:00 · the hosts 99.5% · guest 0.5%1:24:00 · the hosts 99.5% · guest 0.5%1:27:00 · the hosts 99.1% · guest 0.9%1:27:00 · the hosts 99.1% · guest 0.9%1:30:00 · the hosts 99.9% · guest 0.1%1:30:00 · the hosts 99.9% · guest 0.1%1:33:00 · the hosts 99.9% · guest 0.1%1:33:00 · the hosts 99.9% · guest 0.1%1:36:00 · the hosts 99.9% · guest 0.1%1:36:00 · the hosts 99.9% · guest 0.1%1:39:00 · the hosts 99.8% · guest 0.2%1:39:00 · the hosts 99.8% · guest 0.2%1:42:00 · the hosts 99.9% · guest 0.1%1:42:00 · the hosts 99.9% · guest 0.1%1:45:00 · the hosts 99.5% · guest 0.5%1:45:00 · the hosts 99.5% · guest 0.5%1:48:00 · the hosts 99.9% · guest 0.1%1:48:00 · the hosts 99.9% · guest 0.1%1:51:00 · the hosts 99.8% · guest 0.2%1:51:00 · the hosts 99.8% · guest 0.2%1:54:00 · the hosts 99.9% · guest 0.1%1:54:00 · the hosts 99.9% · guest 0.1%1:57:00 · the hosts 99.8% · guest 0.2%1:57:00 · the hosts 99.8% · guest 0.2%2:00:00 · the hosts 99.7% · guest 0.3%2:00:00 · the hosts 99.7% · guest 0.3%2:03:00 · the hosts 99.4% · guest 0.6%2:03:00 · the hosts 99.4% · guest 0.6%2:06:00 · the hosts 100% · guest 0%2:06:00 · the hosts 100% · guest 0%2:09:00 · the hosts 99.6% · guest 0.4%2:09:00 · the hosts 99.6% · guest 0.4%2:12:00 · the hosts 99.8% · guest 0.2%2:12:00 · the hosts 99.8% · guest 0.2%2:15:00 · the hosts 99.8% · guest 0.2%2:15:00 · the hosts 99.8% · guest 0.2%2:18:00 · the hosts 99.9% · guest 0.1%2:18:00 · the hosts 99.9% · guest 0.1%2:21:00 · the hosts 99.7% · guest 0.3%2:21:00 · the hosts 99.7% · guest 0.3%2:24:00 · the hosts 99.7% · guest 0.3%2:24:00 · the hosts 99.7% · guest 0.3%2:27:00 · the hosts 99.3% · guest 0.7%2:27:00 · the hosts 99.3% · guest 0.7%2:30:00 · the hosts 100% · guest 0%2:30:00 · the hosts 100% · guest 0%2:33:00 · the hosts 99.7% · guest 0.3%2:33:00 · the hosts 99.7% · guest 0.3%2:36:00 · the hosts 99.6% · guest 0.4%2:36:00 · the hosts 99.6% · guest 0.4%2:39:00 · the hosts 100% · guest 0%2:39:00 · the hosts 100% · guest 0%
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 2:07:40 Pushing back against planned objectives in VC

Jordi directly challenges John's framing of startup requests, citing Kenneth Stanley's thesis that deliberate planning stifles outlier discoveries.

Hardest push from the hosts ▶ 26:09 Dissecting VC partnership governance models

Jordi clarifies the strict consensus requirements at Sequoia compared to unilateral check-writing dynamics at Founders Fund and Andreessen Horowitz.

Biggest teaching moment ▶ 2:21:00 Distinguishing Chollet, LeCun, and Marcus

John corrects Jordi's confusion between Francois Chollet and Yann LeCun, clarifying Chollet's distinct framework on reasoning benchmarks.

The host holds their own ▶ 1:38:55 LPA regulatory rules on VC liquid asset allocations

John demonstrates superior regulatory expertise by explaining the 20 percent non-qualifying asset bucket in VC LPAs and RIA registration burdens.

the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
ChapterTopicThe hosts as informed peerGuest teachingGuest disagreementThe hosts pushing backWhy
Celebrating 4,000 Followers with Dom Pérignon and Ballet Banter 6211 John and Jordi open the show celebrating follower milestones with champagne and riffing on Tchaikovsky ballets and cultural metaphors before shifting into financial analysis. They break down Lava's $10M Series A financing led by Keith Rabois and Founders Fund, demonstrating firm domain knowledge on Bitcoin lending mechanics, self-custody, and the failures of past centralized lenders.
Breaking News: Friend.com Raises $5.4M for AI Companionship 6111 The hosts analyze Avi Schiffman's $5.4M seed round for Friend.com, discussing AI companion design philosophies and marketing mechanics. They evaluate the unit economics of purchasing premium domain names versus customer acquisition funnels, noting how interactive landing page design alters conversion rates.
Sequoia Capital Deep Dive: Alfred Lin and Changing VC Dynamics 7322 John and Jordi conduct an extensive review of Sequoia Capital's leadership transitions and Alfred Lin's track record across Airbnb and DoorDash. Jordi shares direct insights regarding Sequoia's consensus partnership model and contrasts it with Andreessen Horowitz and Founders Fund.
Listener Unboxing: Grip Strength Evaluators and Sequoia Media 5111 The hosts unbox grip strength trainers sent by a listener while examining Sequoia's marketing split between Roelof Botha's podcast and Shaun Maguire's high-velocity posting strategy. They discuss media traction dynamics in venture capital and answer listener mail regarding NDA etiquette.
Promoted Post: Ramp Financial Platform and Expense Consolidation 3000 Sponsored ad read segment for Ramp financial platform, illustrating spend consolidation versus fragmented software stacks, alongside brief banter about entrepreneurial vices and Mod Retro Game Boy remakes.
Timeline Reactions: Amex Wrapped and Gamifying Spending Data 6212 The hosts react to a viral post proposing Amex Wrapped, debating data gamification for consumer retention. They pivot to strategic sovereign industrial assets, analyzing foreign acquisition of US aluminum processing plants and supply chain vulnerabilities caused by tariffs.
Timeline Reactions: Claudette Dating App and Delegated Swiping 5111 Discussion centers on novel dating app mechanisms including Claude-based chat matching and delegated matchmaking. They also explore the post-merger liquidity mechanics of the PayPal mafia that enabled widespread angel investing across tech.
Timeline Reactions: Sports Betting Addiction and Gaming Regulations 6211 Reviewing a viral case on sports betting addiction, the hosts critique sportsbook VIP host retention tactics and regulatory arbitrage against tribal gaming rights, discussing uncapped downside risks in gambling apps.
Timeline Reactions: Wealthy Administrations and Government Remote Work 6222 The hosts discuss high-net-worth individuals in cabinet posts and the operational reality of federal remote work policies. Jordi details a personal private equity deal failure that incurred $100k in legal diligence costs, exploring how AI tooling will compress diligence timelines.
Timeline Reactions: Sam Altman's Koenigsegg and xAI Timeline Rivalry 6111 Hosts react to Sam Altman driving a Koenigsegg and the high-profile social media rivalry between xAI and OpenAI engineers. They discuss Gulfstream marketing aesthetics and the PR value of early-stage defense tech AI partnerships with OpenAI.
Timeline Reactions: The Correlation Between Persistent SDRs and Startup Scale 6212 Analyzing sales persistence metrics and SDR automation tools, the hosts evaluate outbound sales effectiveness. John playfully renames private equity venture roll-up strategies as 'Coogan's Giga Cycle' while Jordi explains Metropolis parking garage rollup mechanics.
Timeline Reactions: Tech Debt Deflation and OpenAI o1 Pro Coding Capabilities 6122 John and Jordi evaluate claims regarding o1 Pro coding performance and tech debt deflation. John explains technical details of OpenAI Mac app accessibility integrations bypassing IDE plugin restrictions, followed by commentary on robotics demonstrations.
Timeline Reactions: Handwritten Business Cards and Apple Photos Redesign 5111 Banter covers handwritten business cards, contact management utilities, and software regression in Apple's Photos app. The hosts briefly touch on breaking news and online speculation surrounding the UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter.
Timeline Reactions: The Nobility of Advertising and Ridge Wallet's Model 6211 Reflecting on Ridge Wallet's advertising playbook and creator economy unit economics, Jordi shares operational details from his past work with Ridge. Promoted post features a 2015 McLaren P1 with carbon bucket seat analysis.
Timeline Reactions: VC Meme Coin Trading vs Long-Term Returns 7222 The hosts debate Rick Zullo's criticism of venture funds trading meme coins. John outlines the legal LPA limits on secondary and alternative liquid assets alongside the regulatory trade-offs of converting standard VC funds into registered investment advisors (RIAs).
Timeline Reactions: The $5 Million Impression Trap and Large Wine Formats 5111 Banter covers Morgan Barrett's tweet on the purgatory of middle-tier reach, wine bottle volume scaling (Jeroboam/Nebuchadnezzar), and ski resort networking dynamics at Deer Valley and Aman resorts.
Timeline Reactions: Lindy AI and the Factorio Business Automation Paradigm 5111 Discussion focuses on Flo Crivello's Lindy AI and the Factorio abstraction for autonomous business operations, paired with a Tiffany engagement ring promotion and commentary on Marc Andreessen's US market performance charts.
Timeline Reactions: Building Cool Factories and Content Manufacturing 7322 Hosts critique hyper-optimization of personal health metrics and sleep trackers, with John sharing his 2013 quantified-self DIY sensor setup. They debate Peter Thiel's Zero to One thesis, contrasting strict monopoly theory against execution in highly competitive markets.
Timeline Reactions: Chad Hurley on Pickleball and Social Baiting 6222 Hosts discuss Chad Hurley's critique of pickleball and engagement baiting on X, before examining Gary Tan's quote from 'Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned.' Jordi challenges deterministic product planning while John highlights YC's open pivot culture.
Timeline Reactions: Automated CEO Weekly Status Agents 5111 Co-hosts explore autonomous CEO status-aggregation agents, the commercial reality of Thunderbolt 4 / USB-C standard fragmentation, and the brand equity of legacy internet platform Digg.
Timeline Reactions: François Chollet's ARC Prize and LLM Reasoning Benchmarks 6222 Hosts analyze Francois Chollet's ARC Prize reasoning benchmark, evaluating its resistance to LLM token memorization and distinguishing Chollet's thesis from Yann LeCun and Gary Marcus's critique frameworks.
Promoted Post: TAG Heuer Formula 1 Chronograph 5111 Promoted post for TAG Heuer Formula 1 Chronograph, congratulating producer Ben on Jiu Jitsu World League silver medal, and analyzing Michael Dell's first 16 years of compounding revenue growth.
Quote Tweet Thread: The Global Elite Circuit and The Myth of 'Fuck You Money' 7222 John and Jordi deconstruct a multi-quote thread starting with Lucy Guo on elite global social circuits and ending with Marc Andreessen and Saagar Enjeti on why 'fuck you money' is an illusion. John articulates that wealth happiness correlates with the second derivative of growth rather than absolute net worth.
Promoted Post: DuPont Registry 2014 Ferrari LaFerrari Classiche 6111 Final segment features a DuPont Registry Ferrari LaFerrari promotion detailing Ferrari's Classiche certification process, concluding with a discussion on compute cluster scaling limits and next-generation model training frontiers.

Statements from this episode (75)

Assertion Not checkable as stated
Hays: Russia's entire economy is now war-based
“Their whole economy is now war based.”
Jordi Hays Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 2:26
Assertion Supported
Khosla Ventures and Founders Fund invest $10M Series A in Lava
“Coastal Ventures, led by none other than Keith Raboi, has teamed up with Founders Fund to throw a ten million dollar Series A pass to Lava, a Bitcoin lending platform out of New York.”
John Coogan Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 4:13
Assertion Partly supported
Lava charges a 7.5% interest rate and origination fee
“Lava's service comes with a seven and a half percent interest rate and an origination fee.”
Jordi Hays Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 5:27
Insight
Hays: Investors should never sell Bitcoin and just ride out volatility
“If people have learned anything from the last decade, it's that you pretty much never want to sell your Bitcoin, and you just want to ride the volatility, ah, as much as you can, and just hold and stack, so.”
Jordi Hays Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 6:42
Assertion Supported
Coogan: Friend.com raises $5.4M led by Pace Capital
“Friend.com, the bold AI companionship platform, just secured 5.4 million in fresh funding from Jordan Cooper at Pace Capital.”
John Coogan Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 7:52
Assertion Contradicted
Hays: Friend AI companion pendant launches in January with all-day battery
“The Friend Pendant is set to launch in January, giving users a physical connection to their AI companions. A microphone, sensors, and an all-day battery pack into a sleek, customizable necklace.”
Jordi Hays Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 9:06
Assertion Supported
Sequoia Netted Over $20B from Airbnb and DoorDash IPOs
“And he worked on Airbnb and DoorDash, which netted the firm over twenty billion dollars. Isn't that crazy when they went public in December of 2020?”
John Coogan Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 15:19
Assertion Supported
Sequoia Has Generated Over $70 Billion in Cumulative Gains
“Over the years, it's made its limited partners and its own rainmakers who pocket around a quarter of the gains plus a management fee a total of over seventy billion dollars, thanks to early bets. On future tech darlings like Airbnb, Apple, Google, and Nvidia.”
John Coogan Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 20:00
Assertion Contradicted
Sequoia-Backed Companies Represent 33% of Nasdaq Market Value
“Sequoia has helped capitalize companies that now represent 3.3 trillion of market value. 33% of the Nasdaq.”
John Coogan Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 20:40
Assertion Supported
Hays: Sequoia Made Only $6 Million on Its Apple Investment
“Yeah, but somebody, I think Shiel pointed out they actually only made six million on Apple.”
Jordi Hays Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 20:54
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Hays: Sequoia Capital Still Operates as a Consensus Partnership
“So they still have a consensus partnership.”
Jordi Hays Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 26:09
Insight
Hays: Top Fundraising Startups and Funds Are Best at Storytelling
“The people raising the most money, both funds and startups are the ones that are best at storytelling. They oftentimes back that up with great, you know, products But it matters matters quite a lot.”
Jordi Hays Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 27:49
Assertion Supported
Hays: Shaun Maguire Led Sequoia's Investment into X
“He led the deal into X from Sequoia. Yep. Has a very close relationship with Elon.”
Jordi Hays Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 28:37
Opinion
Coogan: Sequoia's Roelof Botha podcast failed to break into cultural zeitgeist
“The other half of the Sequoia marketing strategy is this podcast hosted by Roloff Bota called Crucible Moments, and they actually get incredible guests. They've had Chesky and all these like huge CEOs on and they've done some promotion for it, but it just hasn…”
John Coogan Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 32:22
Insight
Hays: Content quality has nothing to do with audience growth
“The pure quote unquote quality. Yeah. Depth of content has nothing to do with how quick, how big of an audience it gets. It doesn't even necessarily deserve a big audience, because to deserve a big audience, you actually need, you got to have multiple things g…”
Jordi Hays Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 33:09
Insight
Hays: Founders should not ask VCs for NDAs before pitching
“I think he knows that you're not supposed to ask for an NDA before you pitch somebody something. At least in the venture world. Cause at this point it's like, you know, you asked for an NDA and then what if we already had that idea? And then it becomes this so…”
Jordi Hays Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 33:58
Assertion Partly supported
Hays: Germany forces startup founders to sign deal documents in person
“Germany, like forces their founders to do this, but it's a great photo opportunity.”
Jordi Hays Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 35:33
Assertion Supported
Hays: ModRetro has a partnership with GameStop
“Mod Retro actually has a partnership with GameStop.”
Jordi Hays Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 41:06
Opinion
Hays: Modern analog retro gaming consoles can reach $100M in revenue
“Yeah, if there's a case for, like, basically creating all these different Analog versions of historically significant gaming platforms. It's probably like a hundred million dollar revenue business there to be built.”
Jordi Hays Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 42:05
Insight
Hays: Copying successful formats across categories yields massive alpha
“There's so much alpha and just taking a format that works well in another category and just recreating it in your category.”
Jordi Hays Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 43:54
Assertion Contradicted
Coogan: Only One Tin Smelting Plant Remains in the US
“There's only, I think there's only one tin smelting plant in the United States anymore.”
John Coogan Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 46:16
Assertion Contradicted
Coogan: US Sugar Tariffs Drove Gum Manufacturing to Canada and Mexico
“Like every gum manufacturer went to Canada and Mexico because of the sugar tariff.”
John Coogan Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 46:21
Prediction Not checkable as stated
Hays: Claude-based dating app Claudette will over-index heavily on men
“I think they're going to have the same problem that most dating apps have, which is like massive over index on men.”
Jordi Hays Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 47:30
What-if
Coogan: PayPal Would Be Worth $1 Trillion If Musk or Thiel Stayed
“Run the counterfactual where Peter or Elon is running PayPal. It's a FinTech giant worth a trillion dollars, like no doubt.”
John Coogan Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 50:59
Insight
Hays: At Musk or Thiel's Scale, Government Alignment Is Highest Leverage
“You get to a scale, like, Teal scale or Elon scale. And yeah, the highest and best use of your energy is making sure the government is, is, is working in your interests and towards the same goals.”
Jordi Hays Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 51:48
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Coogan: The US still lacks an American equivalent to DJI
“We still don't have an American DJI.”
John Coogan Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 52:39
Assertion Supported
Hays: Sports betting apps assign account managers to induce more gambling
“These big sports betting and gambling companies, they have account managers whose entire job is to get the users to gamble more money by introducing them to new products, becoming their friend, like having this dialogue and it's super dark.”
Jordi Hays Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 55:20
Prediction Not checkable as stated
Hays: Sports betting has hit peak deregulation as tribes push for limits
“Over the next couple election cycles, both at the state level and the national level, I think we'll see that play out where the tribes have a big incentive and they have big balance sheets that they can go and start lobbying the government to say, Hey, we need…”
Jordi Hays Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 57:04
Assertion Supported
Coogan: Sports betting apps ban players who consistently win money
“The other interesting thing is that if you are actually good at sports betting, they kick you off the platform because they know they're going to lose money on you because you have an edge”
John Coogan Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 58:12
Opinion
Hays: Remote teams do not work as hard or as many hours
“Everybody that has hired a remote team in the past knows that remote teams do not work as hard. They do not work as many hours.”
Jordi Hays Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 1:01:48
Insight
Coogan: Cutting government staff without deregulation will stall projects
“It just also needs to be paired with like deregulation and changing the actual laws, because if there's a law that says in order to build a road, you need a rubber stamp and they fire everyone who does the rubber stamps, well then it will still be illegal to b…”
John Coogan Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 1:02:33
Disclosure
Hays: Lost over $100,000 in legal fees on failed UK acquisition
“I had spent over a 100,000 dollars on legal bills that would have been prorated among me and the other investors for the deal. But because we didn't close, I was stuck with the bill. So I had to spend a 100,000 dollars for a deal that just didn't happen.”
Jordi Hays Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 1:04:09
Prediction Not checkable as stated
Hays: AI will accelerate PE deal velocity and slash diligence costs
“This is something that AI is actually going to solve because imagine when you can take a data room and even ingest like in, in, in my case, there was 30 years worth of physical records for the business. And we only really had to pay attention to the last like …”
Jordi Hays Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 1:04:38
Opinion
Hays: San Francisco is currently very undervalued
“Sam will not rest until you can street park a Koenigsegg. So that is why SF is very undervalued right now.”
Jordi Hays Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 1:06:01
Insight
Hays: Startups should announce OpenAI partnerships for PR upside
“If you can launch a partnership as in become a customer of open AI and make a press moment out of it, do it. There's not a lot of downside and there's like tons of potential.”
Jordi Hays Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 1:13:38
Insight
Hays: Sales reps aren't doing their job until prospects say yes or stop
“Until you're getting people to say, either get on a call with you or engage with your product or saying like, please stop emailing me. You're not doing your job as like a, as a sales rep.”
Jordi Hays Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 1:15:13
Disclosure
Coogan: Onboarding Ramp required persistent SDR follow-ups despite knowing founders
“I was close with the ramp founders and wanted to onboard and it still took a persistent sales rep to actually be at the top of my email regularly for me to do the internal tasks just to make it happen.”
John Coogan Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 1:15:25
Assertion Contradicted
Coogan: Brian Singerman is not raising his own fund
“Brian Singerman is not raising his own fund.”
John Coogan Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 1:17:24
Assertion Partly supported
Hays: Venture Capital Has Funded Pool, Auto Body, and CPA Rollups
“In the last, like, six months, we've seen venture-funded pool service clean roll-up. We've seen venture-funded auto body shop roll-ups. We've seen venture-funded accounting CPA roll-ups.”
Jordi Hays Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 1:20:07
Assertion Supported
Hays: Metropolis Bought a Major Garage Operator to Monetize Parking SaaS
“So Yoni and Slow's big bet was Metropolis. Which was a SAS company for parking garages. And they sort of realized that they realized that there was sort of like a terminal sort of value for their business. And they were like, why don't we just become an operat…”
Jordi Hays Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 1:20:24
Assertion Partly supported
Coogan: OpenAI Mac app leverages accessibility features to edit code across editors
“They use the accessibility features on the Mac app so that they don't need VS codes or text edits permission to go in there and rewrite the code. They just are able to read everything out, rewrite it, and just act as a AI assistant in there.”
John Coogan Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 1:23:43
Opinion
Hays: Agentic activity is happening in ChatGPT and Claude, not standalone startups
“All of that agentic activity that people have been betting on is happening With ChatGPT, with Claude.”
Jordi Hays Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 1:24:21
Prediction Not checkable as stated
Hays: Firearms industry will benefit from humanoid robotics proliferation
“I weirdly think the firearms industry is going to benefit a lot from the robotics movement, because in a world where humanoid robots walk the earth, and if you are a criminal, and you can now, from the comfort of your own home, use humanoid robots to commit cr…”
Jordi Hays Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 1:25:33
Assertion Supported
Hays: Taliban Members Are Trading Meme Coins
“No, I also saw that the Taliban have been trading meme coins.”
Jordi Hays Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 1:27:18
Opinion
Hays: Apple destroyed the iOS Photos app with redesign
“But Apple is too focused on just destroying the Photos app.”
Jordi Hays Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 1:29:26
Opinion
Hays: Silicon Valley promotes psychedelics despite severe schizophrenia risks
“There's huge, huge, huge downsides to those substances, and there's too much in Silicon Valley, like, at least when I was in college, Tim Ferriss would be promoting, like, various psychedelics on his show to the super wide audience, and these are really, reall…”
Jordi Hays Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 1:31:52
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Hays: Ridge generates more revenue and EBITDA than most Series C startups
“They do significantly more revenue than most Series C startups. That's true. And infinite more EBITDA, so.”
Jordi Hays Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 1:33:52
Insight
Hays: Advertisers should allocate 5% of their budget without expecting direct ROI
“If you're an advertiser, take five percent of your budget and spend it with spend it with groups that, you know, maybe don't have a direct ROI, but can give back to the world and entertain you and your team in some way.”
Jordi Hays Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 1:36:06
Assertion Contradicted
Hays: The average crypto fund has outperformed top 20% VC funds
“Historically, The average crypto fund has outperformed the average venture fund, or basically, no, the average crypto fund has outperformed, like, the top 20% venture fund.”
Jordi Hays Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 1:39:45
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Hays: Multi-billion digital asset fund 3x'd 2021 fund on Ethereum alone
“I know a, you know, multi-billion dollar AUM digital asset fund who has three X their twenty-twenty-one fund just on Ethereum alone.”
Jordi Hays Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 1:40:22
Prediction Not checkable as stated
Hays: Traditional VCs will hold the bag for crypto VCs
“I do think it'll be sort of the irony of The traditional venture capital firms that were sort of dunking on the crypto VC funds generate all these crazy returns. And then the traditional venture funds come in and like basically bag holes for all the crypto VCs…”
Jordi Hays Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 1:40:35
Opinion
Hays: A solo sci-fi analysis podcast could generate $5M annually
“If you just want to make five million dollars a year, having the founders podcast for sci-fi is a very, potentially a very efficient way to do that. You can have no team. Just you, a microphone, a computer, you can make five million dollars a year, basically M…”
Jordi Hays Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 1:42:13
Insight
Hays: Side hustles do not become great without full-time dedication
“Great things have come from side hustles, but side hustles don't become great things.”
Jordi Hays Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 1:43:00
Assertion Not publicly verifiable
Hays: Cornell reply guy gained follows from Marc Andreessen and major VCs
“So Baldo less than two weeks ago, relatively unknown Cornell student starts aggressively replying to our posts. And last time I checked, he was followed by Mark Andreessen, Turner, Novak, Yoni at slow. So many major Fund managers.”
Jordi Hays Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 1:43:30
Insight
Coogan: Sub-$2M seed rounds are no longer competitive in venture capital
“The mango seed round for anything over like two million, and there was a big question about like, Oh, is it dangerous because, like, you have too much money and the valuation's too high for the seed? Now it's like, if you're not doing a mango seed round, you'r…”
John Coogan Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 1:44:10
Insight
Hays: Midweek ski resort laps are a prime channel for VC networking
“Midweek, Laps at your local, you know, ski resort are a great way to meet LPs, other investors, some later stage founders, maybe.”
Jordi Hays Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 1:47:04
Opinion
Coogan: Multi-billion-dollar founders hang out at Amangiri, not Blue Bottle
“Where do you think the founders are of these multi-billion dollar companies that need to raise two billion dollars for their next Series F? They're not hanging out at Blue Bottle. They're hanging out at Amangiri.”
John Coogan Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 1:47:20
Assertion Supported
Coogan: Kevin Hartz's stealth startup Sauron builds residential defense tech
“Sauron, which is their home defense company. Anderil for your home. Palantir for your home.”
John Coogan Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 1:48:57
Opinion
Coogan: VR escapism and wireheading are bigger civilization risks than nuclear war
“I think the risk is we all go into VR and we never explore the stars because we have this unending Pleasure dome, this wire heading future. that's the world that I'm most worried about. Not nuclear war, not the world that I'm about killing us.”
John Coogan Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 1:50:16
Opinion
Hays: Letting sleep tracker scores dictate your day is bad
“Anybody who's living their life based on their eight sleep score and, oh, I didn't sleep well and letting that dictate their day. That's bad.”
Jordi Hays Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 1:58:45
Disclosure
Coogan: Built a custom DIY sleep tracker using an accelerometer in 2013
“In 2013, I was so into the quantified self stuff. I basically invented my own eight sleep. I took an accelerometer Hooked it to an Arduino. Strapped it to the edge of my bed, and it could track the movement of the bed, and then I'd have that talk to the intern…”
John Coogan Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 1:58:55
Assertion Supported
Coogan: Thiel Said Straussian Takeaway of 'Zero to One' Is Avoiding Entrepreneurship
“Somebody asked him, what's the Straussian reading of Zero to One, and he said, don't become an entrepreneur.”
John Coogan Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 2:02:19
Insight
Coogan: Do Not Raise Capital Unless Business Has Monopoly Power
“A lot of the good takeaway from zero to one is understanding how important monopoly power is for raising money. And if you love a business and you're destined to build some business, Actually understand, does this have monopoly power? And if it doesn't, don't …”
John Coogan Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 2:03:05
Opinion
Coogan: Pickleball is the new work-life balance engagement bait
“Pickleball is the new like work-life balance bait. You can just say the most aggressive thing about Pickleball, boom, one K likes, no problem.”
John Coogan Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 2:04:53
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Coogan: Y Combinator is extremely supportive of founders pivoting mid-batch
“NYC has always been extremely friendly. Two pivots mid session. Like you can just walk into an office hours and be like, we're doing something completely different. And there's no like hate. It's amazing. It's like such a welcoming environment.”
John Coogan Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 2:09:31
Insight
Hays: Founders should only pivot when a thesis is critically wrong, not because it gets hard
“Companies are really hard when things get hard. Don't just pivot. You pivot because you've realized that some element of your thesis was critically wrong and you need to do something else, but sometimes you just need to not pivot and just force You know, force…”
Jordi Hays Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 2:10:17
Assertion Supported
Coogan: AI ARC Prize completion rates rose from 33% to over 50% in 2024
“Over the course of twenty-twenty-four, I believe the ArcPrize like, completion rate went from, I believe, 33% to about fifty-something percent, and a human can do, like, a hundred percent of these.”
John Coogan Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 2:18:40
Opinion
Coogan: OpenAI's o1 Pro is the best reasoning model and will see massive adoption
“This week OpenAI launched ChatGPT for a one pro and it's like the best model at reasoning and it should be, and I mean, like, let's just be clear. Like it's incredibly impactful. Like it's a great product. People are going to use it a ton.”
John Coogan Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 2:20:12
Assertion Supported
Hays: Michael Dell's son is building a Thrive-backed grid hardware startup
“And I think, so his son has, like, a pretty cool hard, Like hardware company in the I think Thrive backed that's based in, in Texas right now. That's building power banks and integrating into the grid.”
Jordi Hays Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 2:25:11
Insight
Hays: Google Never Needed Good Marketing Due to Dominant Distribution
“Google, Google's basically never had to be, they've never had to be good at marketing because they have the greatest distribution channel of all time.”
Jordi Hays Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 2:26:06
Assertion Supported
Hays: Founders Fund Generally Avoids Taking Board Seats
“This is why founders fund doesn't take board seats. Generally doesn't.”
Jordi Hays Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 2:33:02
Insight
Coogan: Financial Happiness Depends on the Second Derivative of Wealth
“Money is not happiness. It's the second derivative of money that is happiness. It's not the absolute amount of money you have. It's the rate of acceleration.”
John Coogan Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 2:33:33
Opinion
Hays: Ferrari LaFerrari and Daytona SP3 are top hard asset investments
“I really think, well, I really think LaFerraris are like one of the best hard assets that you can buy right now, because it's the, it is that and the Daytona SB three are just so clearly the, they're going to be the iconic cars of this You know, era.”
Jordi Hays Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 2:35:36
Assertion Contradicted
Coogan: OpenAI o1 is built on the GPT-4 foundation model
“The foundation model, yeah, it's still running GPT-IV, but obviously there's a lot of there's a lot of training to have that happens on top and a lot of UI stuff.”
John Coogan Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 2:36:12
Opinion
Coogan: Next-gen AI training requires bespoke hundred-thousand-GPU data centers
“I think we're in, like, the custom data center era, where, like, it has to be bespoke, it has to be hundreds of thousands of GPUs.”
John Coogan Dec 11, 2024 ▶ 2:38:07
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