“I think the era of move fast and break things is over. Trust is really important in any business, any long-term business doesn't work without trust. … Is it challenging to strike a balance between safety and speed? Absolutely. Should you relent or relax on safety because of speed? No, you got to do both. You got to run as fast as possible and you got to focus on safety.”

Newcomer Pod · Startups & Venture · November 2026

Context

Newcomer asked how hard it is to get AI founders to care about responsible AI when other venture firms tell them to do whatever they want. Chenault said his firm wants to back founders who share its values, and stated the position this way.

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Transcript

Newcomer Pod Around 1:03:35 into the episode

Ken Chenault

Yeah, I won't even comment. I won't comment on Andreessen. They

Eric Newcomer

like to do that. I know they do. Attacking your ad and everything. But

Ken Chenault

…say. At the end of the day, I think General Catalyst has offered people a very clear reason to work with us or not. And at the end of the day, we want to work with founders who share our beliefs and values. As I say in the book, I think the era of move fast and break things is over. Trust is really important in any business, any business, any long-term business doesn't work without trust. And is it challenging to strike a balance between safety and speed? Absolutely. Should you relent or relax on safety because of speed? No, you got to do both. You got to run as fast as possible and you got to focus on safety. Can I prescribe all the steps that need to take place at this point in time? No. But we can talk about some of them. And my view, I think one of the mistakes that technology has made, and I look at At countries, I look at America, I look at companies, where you get the most excitement in the public is you say, here's my aspiration. Here's a higher aspiration. What should the aspiration be for AI…

Eric Newcomer

here's my product, but here's what it means for society and what it means. It means to

Ken Chenault

society. And again, it doesn't mean I can't make money. I mean, I'm a proud capitalist. That's crazy, but there's a responsibility there. But also, if you really are focused on building an enduring company, you got to build trust. And you've got to excite people. What is it that, and let me be…

Eric Newcomer

We could talk for another hour. Hopefully, you know, Silicon Valley is equal to the task and America is. I really enjoyed your book and this conversation. Thank you so much, Ken, for coming. Well, thank you very much.

Speaker names come from our own diarization. The position is estimated from where the line sits in the episode.

More from Newcomer Pod

“Most people do a roll-up and they do AI, whether it's private equity or venture. It's ring the costs out, rinse and repeat. … I said, so is the objective that you're going to make these companies more productive, you're going to cut costs? What's the end game here? He said, no, Ken, … we actually want to achieve top-line growth. If we have to lay off many people, that means we failed at our strategy.” — Ken Chenault, Newcomer Pod

“Having lived through the internet bubble, one of the fundamental differences is the very voracious demand. It's real. I'm not saying the valuations of every company are right, but what I am saying is that the demand is outstripping the supply.” — Ken Chenault, Newcomer Pod