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Are Burn Multiples BS in an AI World? & Sam Altman Needs $1TRN of Energy

Jason Lemkin is one of the leading SaaS investors of the last decade with a portfolio including the likes of Algolia, Talkdesk, Owner, RevenueCat, Saleloft and more. Rory O’Driscoll is a General Partner @ Scale where he has led investments in category leaders such as Bill.com (BILL), Box (BOX), DocuSign (DOCU), and WalkMe (WKME), among others. ----------------------------------------------- In Today’s Episode We Discuss: 00:00 Intro 00:47 Understanding Burn Multiples and Capital Efficiency in an AI World 12:57 What Metrics Founders Need to Focus on in a World of AI 20:59 The Role of Kingmakers in Venture Capital: Harvey, Abridge, Profound 33:50 Klarna, Figma, Stubhub, all Down: Are Public Markets Turning? 42:35 How Can We Fund the $1TRN Sam Altman Needs for Energy 01:00:44 FiveTran and DBT: Is the Wave of Consolidation About to Begin? 01:09:04 Does Private Equity Need to Change in a World of AI 01:16:52 Political Expression and Corporate Responsibility ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3j2KMcZ... Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Follow Harry Stebbings on X: / harrystebbings Follow Jason Lemkin on X: / jasonlk Follow Rory O’Driscoll on X: / rodriscoll Follow 20VC on Instagram: / 20vchq Follow 20VC on TikTok: / 20vc_tok Visit our Website: https://www.20vc.com Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://www.thetwentyminutevc.com/con... ----------------------------------------------- #20vc #harrystebbings #roryodriscoll #jasonlemkin #openai #klarna #figma #ai #burnmultiples

Rory O’DriscollguestJason LemkinguestHarry Stebbingshost
Oct 2, 20251h 24mWatch on YouTube ↗

Episode Details

EPISODE INFO

Released
October 2, 2025
Duration
1h 24m
Channel
The Twenty Minute VC
Watch on YouTube
▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Jason Lemkin is one of the leading SaaS investors of the last decade with a portfolio including the likes of Algolia, Talkdesk, Owner, RevenueCat, Saleloft and more. Rory O’Driscoll is a General Partner @ Scale where he has led investments in category leaders such as Bill.com (BILL), Box (BOX), DocuSign (DOCU), and WalkMe (WKME), among others. ----------------------------------------------- In Today’s Episode We Discuss: 00:00 Intro 00:47 Understanding Burn Multiples and Capital Efficiency in an AI World 12:57 What Metrics Founders Need to Focus on in a World of AI 20:59 The Role of Kingmakers in Venture Capital: Harvey, Abridge, Profound 33:50 Klarna, Figma, Stubhub, all Down: Are Public Markets Turning? 42:35 How Can We Fund the $1TRN Sam Altman Needs for Energy 01:00:44 FiveTran and DBT: Is the Wave of Consolidation About to Begin? 01:09:04 Does Private Equity Need to Change in a World of AI 01:16:52 Political Expression and Corporate Responsibility ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3j2KMcZ... Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Follow Harry Stebbings on X: / harrystebbings Follow Jason Lemkin on X: / jasonlk Follow Rory O’Driscoll on X: / rodriscoll Follow 20VC on Instagram: / 20vchq Follow 20VC on TikTok: / 20vc_tok Visit our Website: https://www.20vc.com Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://www.thetwentyminutevc.com/con... ----------------------------------------------- #20vc #harrystebbings #roryodriscoll #jasonlemkin #openai #klarna #figma #ai #burnmultiples

SPEAKERS

  • Rory O’Driscoll

    guest

    Venture capitalist and partner at Scale Venture Partners focused on SaaS and growth investing.

  • Jason Lemkin

    guest

    Founder and CEO of SaaStr and a longtime B2B SaaS operator and investor.

  • Harry Stebbings

    host

    Founder of 20VC and host of the 20VC podcast.

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of The Twenty Minute VC, featuring Rory O’Driscoll and Jason Lemkin, Are Burn Multiples BS in an AI World? & Sam Altman Needs $1TRN of Energy explores aI growth warps metrics, funding dynamics, and trillion-dollar energy ambitions AI-native companies can look more capital-efficient by burn multiple despite worse cash flow margins because extreme growth swamps burn in the ratio.

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