The Generalist

Is the AI community's faith in scaling laws weakening? A new religious war is brewing in AI, with profound implications for the future of the field. In our latest piece, the always brilliant Michael Dempsey dives into the schism between scaling law adherents like Sam Altman and skeptics like Ilya Sutskever. ?? Read more: https://lnkd.in/dm2hXTkX

"Anomalous outcomes come from anomalous people." After hundreds of conversations with legendary investors and founders, I've distilled 52 lessons about venture capital. This is number one. Read the full piece: ?? https://lnkd.in/eqhbUppr

Soft power is the secret weapon of top VCs. But how do you build it? In our latest piece, we break down the strategies used by 17 exceptional investors to create influence and attract deals. From writing to podcasting to community-building, learn how to construct your own "personal monopoly" as an investor. Jump into our 11,000-word guide here: https://lnkd.in/eVTtKVKu

avra is redefining growth-stage VC by operating an exclusive, secretive "school" for the world's best startup CEOs. Founded by ex-YC Continuity partner Anu Hariharan, it's quickly becoming an essential partner for scaling startups. Their unique model: educate first, invest later. Discover how Avra operates, what it teaches, and how it's changing the VC playbook in this +11,000 word case study: https://lnkd.in/eAzsar5e

"Disruption is driven by outsiders," says venture capitalist Vinod Khosla. His latest interview reveals why gifted novices often outperform experts in creating groundbreaking innovations. ??Uncover the paradox of expertise in tech in our latest letter: https://lnkd.in/eQJex2Us

The venture capital Power Law is well-known, but how do top VCs actually construct their portfolios? We've gathered insights from firms like Benchmark, Kleiner Perkins, Greylock, USV, CRV, and 20 others to show you: ?? How they balance concentration and diversification ?? Their approaches to reserves and recycling ?? Strategies for building progressive ownership in winners Get the inside scoop: https://lnkd.in/e2Y3RttT

How can VCs raise from institutional investors? We’ve spent months researching and interviewing 20 senior investors. Our latest piece pulls together all of their secrets, strategies, and best practices into a definitive 12,000 word-guide designed to help managers convince and close endowments, foundations, sovereign wealth funds, and other institutional LPs. It also includes: ??A private database of +140 LPs to target ??Recommended materials for an institutional raise ??Core strategies and sub-strategies …and a ton more. To access the full piece, jump in here: https://lnkd.in/gN3DJzPC Huge thanks to Ann Miura-Ko, Aydin Senkut, Benjamin Sun, Charles Hudson, Charley Ma, Edith Yeung, George Rzepecki, Hernan Kazah, Jesse Walden, Kanyi Maqubela, Kirsten Green, Lauren Kolodny, Logan Bartlett, Michael Dempsey, Nathan Benaich, Nikhil Basu Trivedi, Niki Scevak, Rex Woodbury, Zavain Dar, and Zoe Weinberg for sharing their insights!

Elon Musk is the most productive person on Earth. But how does he *actually* manage his companies? What does he *do* on a daily basis? I've spent the past 2 months digging into the principles and strategies Elon uses to build and grow Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink, and more. The result is a 12,000+ word playbook that goes against almost all traditional management advice. https://lnkd.in/euJF_83r

To understand the future, ask a historian. In The Generalist's latest piece, I interview Chris Miller, author of the fantastic book "Chip War." To hear Miller's thoughts on the growing risk of a great power conflict, our changing perception of Vladimir Putin, and the motivations of exceptional founders like Jensen Huang, jump into the piece. Here's the link: https://lnkd.in/dhfs2jsb

NEW: Between 1988 and 1998, Vinod Khosla went on one of the hottest streaks in venture capital history. That included making what may be the greatest VC investment of all-time, turning a few million dollars into $7 billion (!!) in returns, thanks to an early investment in Juniper Networks. In our latest edition of "Letters to a Young Investor," Vinod shares the story behind his multiple grand slams, and a stunning 2,500x return. https://lnkd.in/eeGApuWp