Jeffkom Story

Sequoia Capital is rewriting one of Silicon Valley’s oldest rules. The legendary venture firm is reportedly investing in Anthropic, the AI startup behind Claude, despite already backing OpenAI and Elon Musk’s xAI. Traditionally, VCs avoided funding direct rivals, choosing one winner per category to limit conflicts. In AI, that rule is clearly fading. Anthropic’s funding round is massive. Led by GIC and Coatue, the company is targeting $25 billion or more at a reported $350 billion valuation—more than double its valuation from just four months ago. Microsoft and Nvidia are also in, committing up to $15 billion combined. An IPO could follow as soon as this year. The move is especially striking given OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s earlier comments that investors with access to confidential information could lose that access if they actively back competitors. Yet Sequoia appears comfortable navigating those boundaries. This marks a sharp shift from Sequoia’s past. In 2020, the firm walked awa...

“College dropout” has become a strange badge of honor in the startup world. Thanks to legends like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg, leaving college early is often seen as proof of boldness. Even today, during the AI startup boom, this myth is stronger than ever. At events like Y Combinator Demo Days, many founders openly mention dropping out. Not as a weakness. But as a signal. A signal of conviction. A signal of speed. A signal that they are all in. AI has created a fear of missing out. Many young founders believe the opportunity window is small. Waiting even one year feels risky. So they choose to build now and figure out the rest later. But the reality is more balanced. Most successful founders still have degrees. Investors rarely punish someone for finishing college, especially if they are close to graduating. What really matters is execution, learning speed, and understanding the market. College also offers hidden value. Networks. Credibility. Brand. Some investors eve...

TikTok has taken a decisive step to protect its future in the United States. After years of regulatory pressure, the short-video giant has agreed to shift meaningful control of its U.S. business to American investors. Under the new plan, TikTok will create TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC , a separate entity responsible for U.S. operations. This includes data protection, algorithm security, content moderation, and software assurance. The message is clear: U.S. user data and platform governance will now sit under American oversight. Ownership will also change. American investors will hold 45% of the U.S. business, while ByteDance will retain just under 20% , with the rest shared among partners. The investor group includes Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX. Oracle will play a key role as TikTok’s trusted security partner, auditing compliance with U.S. national security standards. The deal directly addresses long-standing concerns from U.S. regulators about data privacy and foreign i...

Even three years after the generative AI boom began, one truth stands out: most AI startups still make their real money from businesses, not everyday consumers. While tools like ChatGPT reached millions almost overnight, most consumer-focused AI apps haven’t managed to build lasting engagement or defensible growth. According to leading venture capitalists, the reason is simple — consumer AI is still too early. The “Flashlight App” Problem in Consumer AI At TechCrunch’s StrictlyVC event, Chi-Hua Chien, co-founder of Goodwater Capital, compared today’s consumer AI apps to flashlight apps in the early iPhone era . They were: Exciting Useful Short-lived Once Apple added a flashlight directly into iOS, those apps instantly became irrelevant. Chien believes many consumer AI startups face the same risk today. Early tools for video, audio, and image generation looked promising. But as powerful platforms like OpenAI’s Sora and open-source models spread rapidly, entire startup ...

  The recent spotlight on Waymo’s robotaxis —after reports of repeatedly passing stopped school buses in Austin—shows how fast innovation can collide with real-world safety expectations. With federal regulators demanding answers and local school officials pushing for operational pauses, this moment is more than just a PR challenge. It’s a blueprint for how startups should operate when stakes are high. For founders, the lesson is clear: transparency builds trust. When something goes wrong, hiding behind technical jargon won’t help—open communication will. Waymo rolled out software updates, but regulators want proof, not promises. That’s a reminder that measurable impact matters more than quick fixes. In safety-critical industries like mobility, AI, or health tech, your product must work every time—especially in unpredictable situations. And never underestimate the influence of local communities. Even global giants must adapt to neighborhood realities. Waymo’s situation...

Abu Dhabi just took a bold step into the future. Uber and WeRide have officially launched the region’s first fully driverless robotaxi service — no backup drivers, no safety operators, just true autonomous mobility on Yas Island. After a year of successful pilot runs, the service is now open to the public through Uber’s app. Riders can choose the “Autonomous” option and experience a WeRide-powered robotaxi for the first time in the Middle East. This rollout follows WeRide’s federal permit approval, making it the first company outside the U.S. and China to operate fully driverless commercial services. For Uber, this isn’t an isolated upgrade — it’s part of a global push. With over 20 autonomous tech partners worldwide (including Waymo, May Mobility, and Volkswagen), Uber is building a massive AV ecosystem across ride-hailing, delivery, and self-driving trucks. The goal? Deploy autonomous vehicles in 10+ cities by 2026 . Together, Uber and WeRide plan to scale to 15 cities across the Mid...