In a recent episode of âNo Priorsâ â the excellent podcast co-hosted by AI investors Sarah Guo and Elad Gil â Gil made a point about exit timing thatâs undoubtedly familiar to founders whoâve spent time with him but seems particularly useful in this moment of go-go dealmaking. â The companies that capture generational returns are often the ones where someone spies that moment instead of assuming the good times will get even better. com all sold at or near the top, and all are held up by Gil as outfits that foresaw what was coming and smartly pulled the ripcord.
To catch that window, Gil offered a practical suggestion: pre-schedule a board meeting once or twice a year specifically to discuss exits. If itâs a standing calendar item, it drains the emotion out of the equation. This matters more now than it might have a few years ago.
A lot of AI startups exist partly because the foundation models havenât expanded into their category yet. But as many founders â like Deel CEO Alex Bouaziz âhave jokingly begun to acknowledge, that wonât last forever. Oh great and powerful @DarioAmodei â builder of minds, father of Claude.
I humbly request you leave payroll to us at Deel. We are but simple folk who process paystubs and chase compliance deadlines. But if you do come for us, call me first đ As Gil put it: âAs you see shift[s] in differentiation and defensibility and all the rest, itâs a good time to ask, âHey, is this my moment?
