The Twenty Minute VC (20VC): Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch 20VC: Benchmark's Newest General Partner Ev Randle on Why Margins Matter Less in AI | Why Mega Funds Will Not Produce Good Returns | OpenAI vs Anthropic: What Happens and Who Wins Coding | Investing Lessons from Peter Thiel and Mamoon Hamid
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Nov 10, 2025 
Ev Randle, General Partner at Benchmark and former investor at top firms, dives into the dynamics of AI and venture capital. He shares crucial lessons from Peter Thiel, highlighting the importance of trust in intuition. Randle argues for focusing on gross profit per customer over margins, discussing how this shift impacts investment decisions. He reveals why AI labs pose a threat to application companies and critiques the limitations of mega funds in achieving high returns. Lastly, he reflects on his painful miss with OpenAI and the enduring potential of AI-driven growth.
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Mary Meeker's Narrative-Led Models
- Mary Meeker uses quantitative models as a way to visualize a company's long-term narrative and future market penetration.
- Ev learned to let numbers drive story, not replace qualitative judgment.
Truth-Seeking Culture Spurs Better Decisions
- Founders Fund culture encourages blunt truth-seeking and open debate; intense IC arguments are seen as constructive.
- That environment tests ideas hard and rewards candid challenge among teammates.
Thiel's Conviction-Testing Architecture
- Peter Thiel designs firm incentives to test conviction, like encouraging partners to co-invest alongside the fund.
- Ev learned that these mechanisms reveal true conviction and align decision-making.