‘Eerie Valley’: Anthropic’s Lawsuit With DOD, Military Memes, and AI Threatening Venture Capital Positions

Brian Barrett: The irony stands out to me because venture capitalists act as if they are unaffected by AI, believing they are uniquely special and that surely a machine can—

Zoë Schiffer: It’s about art, not just science.

Brian Barrett: Exactly. It’s art, not science. While machines may take on various jobs, they won’t replace us. The ladder seems to halt just shy of VC for them, which is both amusing and intriguing. I’m curious to know how many individuals are truly utilizing this now, especially since many venture capitalists seem skeptical. Who’s the target audience? Is it gaining actual traction?

Zoë Schiffer: Right. ADIN operates by sending scouts to discover potential deals, allowing those scouts to profit from them. Thus, VCs might not adopt the network themselves, and perhaps people will work around them, making their role less essential. There’s also another layer of irony noted by Arielle in her article: if you can launch a company just with yourself and a few AI agents, you’re essentially vibe coding your way to success. Do you even need all that venture capital funding to start?

Leah Feiger: I’m uncertain. There seems to be immense fear regarding AI taking jobs. Every article echoes concerns: “And these individuals are anxious.” Brian’s point stands, as it’s amusing that those who have fully embraced AI are still waiting for it to replace jobs. Has it happened? Will it?

Zoë Schiffer: Indeed. Recent research suggests otherwise. I spoke with Will Knight, one of our exceptional AI reporters, who indicated that evidence isn’t robust yet across many industries. The hype has, as often happens, outpaced the actual data. We don’t truly know if AI is replacing jobs. However, being in San Francisco, I’m hearing many voice concerns, especially regarding bloated engineering teams. Agents can handle much of the workload, and while humans are still needed for oversight, it’s feasible to reduce teams by 50 to 80 percent. I believe we will witness more AI-related job reductions, starting with engineering, followed by other fields.

Brian Barrett: Marc Andreessen, a well-known venture capitalist and co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz, discussed this in a recent podcast. Listen to his perspective on how unique he believes his profession is.

Marc Andreessen, archival audio: Throughout the past 70 years, every notable venture capitalist has overlooked most of the significant companies of their era. If it were purely a science, one could eventually find someone who consistently gets 8 out of 10 correct, but real life doesn’t work that way. It’s essentially a fluke business. An element of intangibility exists—taste, relationships, psychology. I don’t want to be conclusive, but it’s feasible that this aspect might be timeless. When AI is handling everything else, this could remain one of the last fields still reliant on human involvement.