Survival of the Fittest: Startups in the Current Landscape

As the startup graveyard gets crowded, the Morins and the Lessins talk about when companies should quit and reminisce about failed investments. Plus, a More or Less debate on U.S. China tech policy and evolving views of LLMs.

Articles and books discussed:
https://www.theinformation.com/articles/storage-startup-clutter-running-out-of-cash-sells-itself-at-steep-discount?rc=hwneun
https://www.theinformation.com/articles/yieldstreet-nears-a-deal-to-buy-real-estate-tech-startup-cadre?rc=hwneun
https://www.theinformation.com/articles/venture-capital-firms-struggle-to-raise-funds-in-china?rc=hwneun
https://www.amazon.com/Quit-Power-Knowing-When-Walk/dp/B09PVR6YK5/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=quit+annie+duke&qid=1692292549&sr=8-1

Show Notes:

[0:00:00] Introduction - The hosts discuss their health status.

[0:00:23] Venture Capital, Startup Trends, and Choosing When to Quit - The group discusses past startup trends like the "Uber for X" era and how changing market conditions are coming home to roost.

[0:09:09] China and the Digital Trade Imbalance - The group discusses recent executive orders restricting US investment in Chinese companies and ask questions around why we only discuss the trade of atoms and not bits in the digital era.

[0:19:23] TikTok Ban Debate - The hosts debate whether the TikTok app should be banned in the US.

[0:35:00] Vision of American Digital Citizenship - Dave and Sam discuss their vision for expanding American digital identity globally.

[0:44:39] Supply Chain Impacts of COVID - Dave notes the pandemic highlighted supply chain vulnerabilities which influenced how everyone thinks about entrepreneurial risk.

[0:47:09] Large Language Model Perspectives - The hosts share their evolving views of AI, LLMs and regulatory risks.