Newcomer Pod

How does one of the most established venture capital firms in the world think about the so called “SaaS apocalypse”? Jeremy Levine of Bessemer Venture Partners joins the Newcomer Podcast to discuss the SaaS repricing, the acceleration of AI, and why venture capital remains a long game.We unpack whether SaaS is broken or simply reset after years of excess, and why AI companies are scaling faster than anything we have seen before. Jeremy shares his perspective on foundation model giants like Anthropic, the coming wave of robotics, and the unsolved manipulation problem that could define the next decade.We also discuss scale in venture capital, how AI is changing investing, and why, in Jeremy’s words, this is ultimately a patient person’s game.

Today on the Newcomer Podcast, we're joined by Yoni Rechtman, a partner at Slow Ventures and one of the most outspoken voices in venture capital right now. Rechtman doesn't hold back on Trump, the tech industry's political reckoning, or where the real opportunities in AI actually are.We talk about why Slow Ventures deliberately avoided foundation models despite the massive returns, where the second-order effects of AI create better investment opportunities, and how the firm is using "growth by buyout" to build billion-dollar companies in unsexy industries like parking lots.We also discuss Silicon Valley's response to the Trump administration, the Alex Pretti shooting, why Rechtman believes most venture capitalists are "amoral financiers" chasing momentum rather than principles, and what happens when the institutions that underpin entrepreneurial capitalism start to erode under authoritarian pressure.Rechtman shares his contrarian investment philosophy of finding "weird takes on important stories," why he thinks Git is structurally broken in the age of AI-generated code, and how AI is inverting every system built on scarce production and abundant attention.This conversation goes beyond typical VC talking points, addressing the uncomfortable questions about what the industry stands for when democracy itself is at stake.🎙️ New episodes every week! Subscribe and turn on notifications to stay ahead of the next big story.👇 Watch more from The Newcomer Podcast:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0Yg1id5olJMOyUnYF5AZnIo2ZXdyYd-L 🔗 Read more at newcomer.co🐦 Follow us: @NewcomerMediaIf you want honest, insider analysis from the heart of tech and venture capital…you’re in the right place.

Today on the Newcomer Podcast, we’re at MongoDB.Local for a series of conversations on how enterprise AI is actually being built.MongoDB CEO CJ Desai joins the show 65 days into the role to explain why San Francisco is “back,” how MongoDB is repositioning itself for the AI era, and why unstructured data has made the company’s platform a natural foundation for AI-native applications. He shares his view on the AI hype cycle, the rapid rise of companies like OpenAI and Anthropic, and why MongoDB is staying model-agnostic as AI product cycles accelerate.We also sit down with Rippling’s Head of AI Ankur Bhatt to discuss how AI is being deployed inside a live enterprise system. The conversation covers building agents across payroll, IT, and finance, why agent identity and accountability matter, and how Rippling is approaching permissions, access control, and AI-driven productivity at scale.A grounded look at the enterprise AI stack, from the data layer to real-world deployment.MongoDB #Rippling #AIAgents #VentureCapital

The AI boom is hitting real limits. In this episode, the Newcomer team breaks down why data centers are running out of power, what is really happening inside OpenAI after its latest shakeup, and why neocloud players like CoreWeave may be heading toward a financial crunch.Eric Newcomer, Tom Dotan, and Maline Renberg explain the investor panic behind the scenes, the brutal GPU economics, and what these cracks mean for the future of AI infrastructure.

How do you quietly raise $9 billion in a world obsessed with hype? In today’s episode, we break down the rise of Lightspeed Venture Partners: the ultra-successful, strangely under-the-radar mega-fund shaping the next decade of AI, enterprise, and consumer tech. Lightspeed has posted huge exits this year while sidestepping the froth of the AI bubble… so what are they doing differently?But first, we dig into the new rift between Amazon and OpenAI, and how shifting alliances in Big Tech are reshaping the AI economy. Why is Amazon repositioning now? What does it signal for OpenAI, Anthropic, and the broader AI stack? And who actually benefits when tech giants redraw the map?This episode goes deep on: • What makes a mega fund — and why so few succeed • How Lightspeed raised $9B without becoming a public personality cult • Amazon’s evolving AI strategy and why it matters for everyone • Whether the “AI bubble” is real — and who’s insulated if it pops • Who really controls the future of the AI economyIf you want to understand power in Silicon Valley right now, this is the episode.

In this episode, we break down the revelations around David Sacks, the venture capitalist now serving as the Trump administration’s de-facto AI czar, while simultaneously holding deep financial ties across the AI industry he’s helping shape.Following the New York Times’ recent reporting, we examine how Sacks positioned himself at the center of both AI policy and AI investing, and what happens when the person influencing federal AI strategy is also betting on the companies affected by those decisions.Is this a historic conflict of interest? A new model of tech-government entanglement? Or simply the inevitable outcome of Silicon Valley’s growing political power?We dig into:- How Sacks became the administration’s key voice on AI- The scale of his investments in AI companies- What “no conflict, no interest” looks like in practice- Why industry insiders are divided on whether this is savvy or dangerous- What this means for AI regulation, startups, and U.S. competitiveness

Reid Hoffman Breaks Silence on Epstein Emails & AI PowerToday on the Newcomer Podcast, Reid Hoffman joins me for a wide-ranging conversation on AI power, regulation, politics, and the future of the tech economy. We get into everything — AGI timelines, Sam Altman’s real competition, AI policy, and why Reid says we’re not in a bubble. We also cover his political involvement this year, the Epstein email revelations, and his views on crypto’s future in Washington.This is a fast, sharp, insider conversation with one of tech’s most influential voices.

Buckle up—today's episode takes you inside the war on AI slop and Anthropic's bold plan to fix artificial intelligence's biggest problems. We kick things off at the Cerebral Valley AI Summit, where Anthropic CPO Mike Krieger shares why AI needs to be truth-seeking and what their team is doing to fight misinformation and "brainrot." From explosive funding announcements to real talk about the future of agentic AI, you're getting all the behind-the-scenes intel.Then, Max Child sits down with Mati Stunashevsky, CEO of ElevenLabs, for a fresh take on how voice AI is taking over everything from customer support and gaming to wild celebrity voice clones. It’s all about authenticity, safety, and vertical-specific innovation—plus, why voice might just be your next favorite interface.As always, we're diving deep into the industry, serving up candid conversations, and making sense of the latest AI trends, so you can stay ahead in the game.MongoDB.local San Francisco is happening on January 15th. Learn more and register here → http://mdb.link/sf-dot-local