Bret Taylor: Why Pre-Training is for Morons & Companies Will Build Their Own Software | E1209

ℹ️ EPISODE INFO

Released

October 2, 2024

Duration

1h 16m

Channel

The Twenty Minute VC

Watch on YouTube

▶ Open ↗

📝 EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Bret Taylor is CEO and Co-Founder of Sierra, a conversational AI platform for businesses. Previously, he served as Co-CEO of Salesforce. Prior to Salesforce, Bret founded Quip and was CTO of Facebook. He started his career at Google, where he co-created Google Maps. Bret serves on the board of OpenAI. ----------------------------------------------- Timestamps: (00:00) Intro (06:46) Are We in Peak AI? (12:48) The Threat of AI Models Replacing Traditional Software (18:14) AI Services Companies & Their Role in Next-Gen Applications (29:05) Balancing AGI Pursuit and Product Development (34:04) Sustainable AI Business Models Amidst Commoditization & High Costs (41:35) Is There Ever a Stop to the Escalating Costs in AI Development? (44:36) AI Agents & the Future: The Decision to Build Sierra (54:38) Unanticipated Challenges in Building Sierra (55:38) Transitioning from Software Rules to Guardrails (01:04:37) Content Verification & Trust: Concerns in a Misinformation-Driven Era (01:08:55) Quick-Fire Round ----------------------------------------------- In Today’s Discussion with Bret Taylor:

1. The Biggest Misconceptions About AI Today: Does Bret believe we are in an AI bubble or not? Why does Bret believe it is BS that companies will all use AI to build their own software? What does no one realise about the cost of compute today in a world of AI?

1. Foundation Models: The Fastest Depreciating Asset in History? As a board member of OpenAI, does Bret agree that foundation models are the fastest depreciating asset in history? Will every application be subsumed by foundation models? What will be standalone? How does Bret think about the price dumping we are seeing in the foundation model landscape? Does Bret believe we will continue to see small foundation model companies (Character, Adept, Inflection) be acquired by larger incumbents?

1. The Biggest Opportunity in AI Today: The Death of the Phone + Website: What does Bret believe are the biggest opportunities in the application layer of AI today? Why does Bret put forward the case that we will continue to see the role of the phone reduce in consumer lives? How does AI make that happen? What does Bret mean when he says we are moving from a world of software rules to guardrails? What does AI mean for the future of websites? How does Bret expect consumers to interact with their favourite brands in 10 years?

1. Bret Taylor: Ask Me Anything: Zuck, Leadership, Fundraising: Bret has worked with Zuck, Tobi @ Shopify, Marc Benioff and more, what are his biggest lessons from each of them on great leadership? How did Bret come to choose Peter @ Benchmark to lead his first round? What advice does Bret have to other VCs on how to be a great VC? Bret is on the board of OpenAI, what have been his biggest lessons from OpenAI on what it takes to be a great board member? ----------------------------------------------- Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3j2KMcZTtgTNBKwtZBMHvl?si=85bc9196860e4466 Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-twenty-minute-vc-20vc-venture-capital-startup/id958230465 Follow Harry Stebbings on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HarryStebbings Follow Bret Taylor on Twitter: https://twitter.com/btaylor Follow 20VC on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/20vchq Follow 20VC on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@20vc_tok Visit our Website: https://www.20vc.com Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://www.thetwentyminutevc.com/contact ----------------------------------------------- #20vc #harrystebbings #brettaylor #sierra #openai #ai #venturecapital #founder #boardmember #fundraising #zuckerberg

🎤 SPEAKERS

• Bret Taylor

  guest

• Harry Stebbings

  host

• Narrator

  other

🧾 EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of The Twenty Minute VC, featuring Bret Taylor and Harry Stebbings, Bret Taylor: Why Pre-Training is for Morons & Companies Will Build Their Own Software | E1209 explores bret Taylor Explains AI Bubbles, Agents, And Why Models Commoditize Bret Taylor discusses the current AI boom, arguing it is a bubble that “rhymes” with the dot‑com era—wildly excessive in places yet still producing multiple trillion‑dollar and enduring enterprise companies.

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