Business models

The Model-Agnostic AI Platform Betting That No Single Lab Will Win

The Model-Agnostic AI Platform Betting That No Single Lab Will Win

Stanislas Polu, co-founder of Dust, shares his journey from Stripe to OpenAI and his motivations for building Dust. He discusses Dust's model-agnostic approach, the challenges of fundraising in an environment dominated by Frontier Labs, the strategic decision to build in France, and critical insights into pricing models and defensibility for AI product companies amidst commoditized intelligence.

Late-Stage Investing in an AI-Driven Market

Late-Stage Investing in an AI-Driven Market

David George (General Partner, a16z) discusses how AI is fundamentally reshaping late-stage private markets. He covers the unprecedented scale of infrastructure investment, evolving business models and monetization strategies, why AI-native companies are staying private longer, and how this new paradigm changes the calculus for durability, value creation, and long-term growth.

Satya Nadella – How Microsoft is preparing for AGI

Satya Nadella – How Microsoft is preparing for AGI

Satya Nadella discusses Microsoft's massive AI infrastructure build-out, the transition to AI-driven business models, and the company's multi-pronged strategy for navigating competition, in-house model development, and the geopolitical landscape of AGI.

"Is there an AI bubble?” Gavin Baker and David George

"Is there an AI bubble?” Gavin Baker and David George

Gavin Baker, CIO of Atreides Management, and David George, General Partner at a16z, provide a macro view of the AI landscape. They discuss the trillion-dollar data center buildout, compare the current AI boom to the 2000 telecom bubble, analyze the competitive dynamics in AI infrastructure between Nvidia and Google, and explore the evolving business models for AI applications and the future of SaaS.

Software is Eating Labor

Software is Eating Labor

Alex Rampell of a16z explains how software is evolving from digitizing records to performing labor, shifting the industry's focus from the $300 billion SaaS market to the $13 trillion labor market. This transition, accelerated by AI, is forcing a change in business models from seat-based pricing to outcome-based pricing, creating new opportunities and expanding the total addressable market.

No Priors Ep. 134 | With Palo Alto Networks CEO Nikesh Arora

No Priors Ep. 134 | With Palo Alto Networks CEO Nikesh Arora

Nikesh Arora, CEO of Palo Alto Networks, discusses the transformative impact of AI on search, enterprise business models, and cybersecurity. He explores the shift from search to agentic AI, the challenges and opportunities for enterprise adoption, and how AI is fundamentally compressing cyberattack timelines while enabling new, data-centric defense strategies.