The Newcomer Podcast The Secret to Raising $9B
13 snips
Dec 19, 2025 Explore the incredible journey of a fund that quietly raised $9 billion while avoiding the hype of Silicon Valley. Discover the evolving dynamics between Amazon and OpenAI, and the implications of shifting alliances in tech. Learn what makes a mega fund and the unique strategies that set Lightspeed apart from its competitors. Delve into the risks of concentration in AI investment and the future of startups amidst mega funds. This insightful discussion reveals the hidden mechanics of the tech economy and the stakes for its key players.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Cloud Providers Are Power Players
- Big cloud providers are actively reshaping AI alliances to secure compute and customers.
- Shifting partnerships (Amazon, Microsoft, Google) show compute access drives strategic deals.
Chips Drive Strategic Deals
- Amazon is trying to push its own chips and win OpenAI as a customer to diversify off NVIDIA.
- Internal chips like Trainium are widely seen as inferior, so Amazon uses deals to drive adoption.
Funding Creates A Compute Feedback Loop
- Cloud firms fund model builders partly to keep spending on compute and validate their products.
- This creates a feedback loop where cloud providers bankroll models that in turn buy their infrastructure.