Sequoia’s "AI Assent" Event & Analysis
Just in case you missed it, on May 2nd, 2025, Sequoia Capital—one of the world's top VC firms—hosted the "AI Ascent" conference, assembling 100 elite founders and researchers who are driving AI forward. With unparalleled access to premier founders, startup CEOs, fellow venture leaders, top enterprises, and other industry kingmakers, they consistently deliver the most prescient market and industry intelligence while making the best venture bets.
I strongly recommend viewing the YouTube videos on the "AI Assent" site, including presentations from Sam Altman from OpenAI, Bret Taylor from Sierra, Mike Krieger from Anthropic, Jim Fan from NVIDIA, Jeff Dean from Google, the Open Source panel, and many others.
The Net-Net
Sequoia positions AI as a transformational shift 10 times larger than the cloud boom, targeting both software and services markets simultaneously while benefiting from unprecedented global connectivity that enables instant viral distribution to 5.6 billion users. The firm emphasizes that while foundation models are powerful, the real value lies at the application layer where startups must focus on specific users and workflows rather than going broad. Building successful AI companies requires 95% traditional company-building skills and only 5% AI-specific expertise, with founders needing to move fast to capture market opportunities before competitors do. Sequoia sees the future evolving toward an "agent economy" where AI systems collaborate in networks to complete complex tasks, requiring new technical solutions for identity, communication, and security, while demanding a "stochastic mindset" that embraces unpredictability and high-leverage uncertainty as the new normal for managing intelligent systems rather than simple code execution.
I also urge you to read prior "Lessons" posts based on Sequoia analyses: Generative AI: Ao1 and The Big Correction of 2022: R.I.P. Good Times (Again) to get a sense of Sequoia’s insightful analyses.