The Newcomer Podcast

Eric Newcomer | newcomer.co
  • 4.2 (34)
  • TECH NEWS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Join Eric Newcomer, Tom Dotan, and Madeline Renbarger to get the inside story on the biggest news in Tech, Silicon Valley, and Venture Capital.

  1. Yoni Rechtman Unfiltered on Trump, AI Roll-Ups & Why VCs Backed the Wrong Side

    4H AGO

    Yoni Rechtman Unfiltered on Trump, AI Roll-Ups & Why VCs Backed the Wrong Side

    Today on the Newcomer Podcast, we're joined by Yoni Rechtman, a partner at Slow Ventures and one of the most outspoken voices in venture capital right now. Rechtman doesn't hold back on Trump, the tech industry's political reckoning, or where the real opportunities in AI actually are. We talk about why Slow Ventures deliberately avoided foundation models despite the massive returns, where the second-order effects of AI create better investment opportunities, and how the firm is using "growth by buyout" to build billion-dollar companies in unsexy industries like parking lots. We also discuss Silicon Valley's response to the Trump administration, the Alex Pretti shooting, why Rechtman believes most venture capitalists are "amoral financiers" chasing momentum rather than principles, and what happens when the institutions that underpin entrepreneurial capitalism start to erode under authoritarian pressure. Rechtman shares his contrarian investment philosophy of finding "weird takes on important stories," why he thinks Git is structurally broken in the age of AI-generated code, and how AI is inverting every system built on scarce production and abundant attention. This conversation goes beyond typical VC talking points, addressing the uncomfortable questions about what the industry stands for when democracy itself is at stake. 🎙️ New episodes every week! Subscribe and turn on notifications to stay ahead of the next big story. 👇 Watch more from The Newcomer Podcast:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0Yg1id5olJMOyUnYF5AZnIo2ZXdyYd-L 🔗 Read more at newcomer.co 🐦 Follow us: @NewcomerMedia If you want honest, insider analysis from the heart of tech and venture capital…you’re in the right place.

    1h 2m
  2. Tony Fadell Unfiltered on Apple, OpenAI & the Next Big Device

    JAN 28

    Tony Fadell Unfiltered on Apple, OpenAI & the Next Big Device

    Today on the Newcomer Podcast, we’re joined by Tony Fadell, one of the most influential figures in modern hardware design. Fadell helped bring some of the most important consumer electronics to life and has shaped how people interact with technology.We talk about where the next major tech device might come from, whether it’s a pin, a pen, headphones, or the device already in your pocket, and how Apple and other major tech companies are approaching the future of hardware.We also discuss the rumors surrounding Fadell as a potential contender for the next CEO of Apple, what he would do if he were in that role, and how leadership decisions at that level actually get made. Fadell shares his view on why OpenAI is pursuing a strategy of becoming too big to fail, and what that signals about the next phase of the industry.This conversation goes beyond product launches and press releases, focusing instead on how power, scale, and design choices shape the tech ecosystem.This is the Newcomer Podcast.🎙️ New episodes every week! Subscribe and turn on notifications to stay ahead of the next big story.👇 Watch more from The Newcomer Podcast:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0Yg1id5olJMOyUnYF5AZnIo2ZXdyYd-L 🔗 Read more at newcomer.co🐦 Follow us: @NewcomerMediaIf you want honest, insider analysis from the heart of tech and venture capital…you’re in the right place.

    1h 4m
  3. What the AI Boom Means for Databases and Enterprise Software

    JAN 26

    What the AI Boom Means for Databases and Enterprise Software

    Today on the Newcomer Podcast, we’re at MongoDB.Local for a series of conversations on how enterprise AI is actually being built. MongoDB CEO CJ Desai joins the show 65 days into the role to explain why San Francisco is “back,” how MongoDB is repositioning itself for the AI era, and why unstructured data has made the company’s platform a natural foundation for AI-native applications. He shares his view on the AI hype cycle, the rapid rise of companies like OpenAI and Anthropic, and why MongoDB is staying model-agnostic as AI product cycles accelerate. We also sit down with Rippling’s Head of AI Ankur Bhatt to discuss how AI is being deployed inside a live enterprise system. The conversation covers building agents across payroll, IT, and finance, why agent identity and accountability matter, and how Rippling is approaching permissions, access control, and AI-driven productivity at scale. A grounded look at the enterprise AI stack, from the data layer to real-world deployment. MongoDB #Rippling #AIAgents #VentureCapital

    29 min
  4. Katie Benner on Meritocracy, Race, and American Education Reform

    JAN 16

    Katie Benner on Meritocracy, Race, and American Education Reform

    Today on the podcast, we’re joined by an old friend, New York Times correspondent Katie Benner.We look back on our days covering tech together at The Information and our old podcast Dead Cat, before diving into her new book, Miracle Children: Race, Education, and a True Story of False Promises. The book examines a school reform experiment that claimed a 100 percent college acceptance rate, and what happened when the pressure to prove success overtook reality. Benner’s reporting traces how race, politics, and institutional incentives shaped decisions that ultimately left students paying the price. We talk about how incentives shape outcomes, why well intentioned systems often fail the people they are meant to serve, and what this story reveals about meritocracy, power, and institutional decision making in America. This conversation is not about ideology. It is about how systems behave when results matter more than reality.

    1h 9m
  5. 2026 Predictions: AI Grammy Winner, OpenAI Buying Pinterest, and MORE

    JAN 9

    2026 Predictions: AI Grammy Winner, OpenAI Buying Pinterest, and MORE

    The AI boom is hitting real limits. In this episode, the Newcomer team breaks down why data centers are running out of power, what is really happening inside OpenAI after its latest shakeup, and why neocloud players like CoreWeave may be heading toward a financial crunch. Eric Newcomer, Tom Dotan, and Maline Renberg explain the investor panic behind the scenes, the brutal GPU economics, and what these cracks mean for the future of AI infrastructure.

    42 min
  6. The Tech Quotes That Defined 2025

    12/31/2025

    The Tech Quotes That Defined 2025

    What do Sam Altman, Jensen Huang, Reid Hoffman, Marc Andreessen, and Elon Musk actually believe about the future of tech? In this episode of the Newcomer Podcast, we break down the quotes that defined tech in 2025. From OpenAI and Anthropic to venture capital, regulation, and Silicon Valley power, these are the moments where powerful people said the quiet part out loud. Rather than reacting to headlines, we look at the specific lines that revealed how AI companies think about compute and money, how venture capital is consolidating power, and why tech and politics are now inseparable. We cover: What Sam Altman and OpenAI revealed about scale and compute How VC giants like Andreessen Horowitz and Lightspeed talk about power and access Why AI regulation looks very different in public than it does in private The quotes that mattered more than any keynote or earnings call This is a year-in-review told through the words that shaped it.

    1h 12m
  7. The Secret to Raising $9B

    12/19/2025

    The Secret to Raising $9B

    How do you quietly raise $9 billion in a world obsessed with hype? In today’s episode, we break down the rise of Lightspeed Venture Partners: the ultra-successful, strangely under-the-radar mega-fund shaping the next decade of AI, enterprise, and consumer tech. Lightspeed has posted huge exits this year while sidestepping the froth of the AI bubble… so what are they doing differently? But first, we dig into the new rift between Amazon and OpenAI, and how shifting alliances in Big Tech are reshaping the AI economy. Why is Amazon repositioning now? What does it signal for OpenAI, Anthropic, and the broader AI stack? And who actually benefits when tech giants redraw the map? This episode goes deep on: • What makes a mega fund — and why so few succeed • How Lightspeed raised $9B without becoming a public personality cult • Amazon’s evolving AI strategy and why it matters for everyone • Whether the “AI bubble” is real — and who’s insulated if it pops • Who really controls the future of the AI economy If you want to understand power in Silicon Valley right now, this is the episode.

    43 min
  8. IF NETFLIX WINS WITH WARNER BROS... They’ll STILL Lose to YouTube

    12/12/2025

    IF NETFLIX WINS WITH WARNER BROS... They’ll STILL Lose to YouTube

    The bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery is over…for now. Netflix shocked Hollywood by announcing a deal to acquire the storied studio and its crown jewel, HBO Max, beating out a massive $108 billion hostile bid from Paramount. But in this episode, we argue that the $87 billion mega-deal is nothing more than a desperate move by Hollywood to consolidate power. David Zaslav’s WBD was a "fiasco," and the merger of "prestige" content like Succession with Netflix's data-driven content has the industry freaking out. The real threat to Hollywood isn't a rival studio, but Silicon Valley. We explain why Netflix and Paramount are fighting each other while the true watch time beast is YouTube and TikTok.

    25 min
See All (179)

4.2
out of 5
34 Ratings

About

Join Eric Newcomer, Tom Dotan, and Madeline Renbarger to get the inside story on the biggest news in Tech, Silicon Valley, and Venture Capital.

Information

  • Creator
    Eric Newcomer | newcomer.co
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    179
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Eric Newcomer | newcomer.co
  • Show Website
    The Newcomer Podcast

You Might Also Like