Dave Karpf: This should be front-and-center in every “hey why are so many VCs backing Trump this time” article. Joe Biden has spent 3.5 years rebuilding administrative capacity. We now have regulators actually saying “hey knock it off that’s illegal.” The VCs would much prefer autocracy to accountability.

This should be front-and-center in every “hey why are so many VCs backing Trump this time” article. Joe Biden has spent 3.5 years rebuilding administrative capacity. We now have regulators actually saying “hey knock it off that’s illegal.” The VCs would much prefer autocracy to accountability.

The Federal Trade Commission, of all entities, is out here writing absolute bangers about AI snake oil. www.ftc.gov/business-gui...

Yes, sure, the Trump administration might jail me for writing mean things on the Internet. Their climate policy will boil the ocean. Their tariff plans will be a macroeconomic nightmare. But regulators asleep at the wheel are *great* for Marc Andreessen’s investment portfolio.

Just put a blonde comb over and a shiny red tie on him....

Entrepreneurs regularly disparage the administrative state. "Why can't I grab what I want and leave my trash for someone else to clean up?" It's a what's-good-for-me/too-bad-for-thee attitude that's metaphorically salting the earth for billions so the few can "live their best lives." Gah!

The legacy of 2010s VC (Uber, Airbnb, etc) was basically “you can scoop out a ton of money by building unregulated competitors to regulated industries.” That entire investment model crumbles of the FTC/FCC/SEC etc are staffed by people who are empowered to say “heywaitaminute” and mean it.

Came across a new area they are "disrupting". In California, landlord tenant relationship is heavily regulated. Some clients I have were living in a place that was essentially a fancy SRO but the agreement stated that it was not a lease for property but a "license" to sleep at the property.

Landlord believed that this meant none of the tenant protection statutes applied. It was a bunch of Stanford graduate students living there.

People really think words are magic spells.

Did you know that vcs are trying to set up a new stock exchange in Texas so they can loosen up the rules on foreign corporations being listed on American exchanges?

On the one hand this is probably being used for evil, but on the other hand I have to admit I kind of admire the legal creativity. Based on my, very limited, knowledge of CA courts I can't imagine this will fly if put to the test, but I can see it working in less tenant-friendly jurisdictions.

It absolutely will not fly. Contracts that are against public policy are unenforceable. Palo Alto told the landlord they needed to shut it down.

Interesting. I would have guessed that the courts would read the contract and find it created a landlord/tenant relationship - no matter what the language of the contract said. Do you think they'll find that there was some oral rental contract, or just that no enforceable contract exists?

Wait! How are you and Law Talkin' Guy not the same person? Nearly identical handles, nearly identical avatars. Or did you set up two accounts to pretend to talk to each other?

Real estate and landlords are pretty much the skeeviest, cheapest, evilest people you'll meet.

Does that include the takeover of our mail by UPS, FedEx, Amazon, and DHL? Or are they considered "regulated"?

"the dumbest..." jessicapressler.com/dumbest-pers...

“The Dumbest Person in Your Building Is Passing Out Keys to Your Front Door!” - JESSICA PRESSLERjessicapressler.com One morning a few months ago, New Yorkers opened their eyes to a city that, seemingly overnight, had been blanketed in advertisements for a company calledAirbnb. Bright white and crisp as newly fallen...

I always find it strange how puzzled people are or pretend to be as to why a bunch of ultra wealthy people prefer the Republican candidate. It is 2024.

💯 Venture capital has become an exercise in regulatory speed running. And the dominant thesis of late stage investing is now “spend your competition into submission In order to gain pricing power,” which assumes nonexistent antitrust enforcement.

it's so wild how the NEWS AND INFORMATION BUSINESS just doesn't think this is worthwhile context in every story they write about VCs and politics

Hmm, like a particular Eastern European autocratic oligarchy that definitely doesn't have any influence on a certain wing of US politics

The chair woman is absolute tigress abcnews.go.com/Politics/lin...

What to know about Lina Khan, the youngest-ever chair of the Federal Trade Commissionabcnews.go.com The vocal faultfinder of Big Tech is now its top regulator.

Most rich people firmly believe the police state can control a far high proportion of the population before everything falls apart. They are dangerously wrong.

honest people perhaps don't appreciate dishonest people have lot of skin in the game right now

The VCs would absolutely positively prefer autocracy to accountability.

These people need to keep in mind what putin does to the second rung oligarchs who fall out of his favor for one reason or another. Under fascism the leader decides who is allowed to prosper and can take it away on a whim.

And just like that, trump talks about business leaders that don't support him being fired.

But some of them will have net worths of 8 billion instead of 7 billion. To them, it's worth the risk.

It is pathetic that the morbidly rich & corporations will sacrifice our democracy just so they can pollute more & pay less taxes. Greed has no heart.

Also venture capitalists seem to be really really dim as a whole.

This is an astute observation. More practically though, these VCs rely on investments from billionaires, and they get those investments by wining, dining, and flattering those billionaires. They're probably saying whatever it takes to get those big checks.

There are plenty of VCs that are liberal or neutral. There may be a bit of "room in the market" to be an out-there ultraconservative VC, and take investment from ultraconservative billionaires.

Very, very good point. The Libertarians don't like anybody looking over their shoulder.

Just you wait until Trump uses eminent domain to take their land for his latest seaside resort.

They'll just buy more

@kylewoodley.bsky.social

I have no argument here!

I don't know why we don't call these people oligarchs.

Autocracy is corruption. VC’s business model is corruption. They go together.

Exactly!!

he's also VERY stupid and would be a lot more likely to give out like 50 billion dollar govt contracts to "do an AI for the army" or some such

The irony is that AI could probably replace VCs easier than replacing the person on the factory floor.

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