Ben Gilbert: recommendation

Transcript context

…And then the biggest exit in Sequoia's history to that point in time. Wilf says, let me get this straight. He says to Jensen, you're going to go build these graphics cards, and just like you were saying there, Ben, who's going to use these and what for? He's like, well, they're going to be on PCs, they're for gaming, they're for a bunch of kids. Wilf hones in on the critical question. He's like, well, who makes PC games? Is there a developer ecosystem for this? That's kind of like, we think if we build it, they'll come. Remember, he was at Fairchild. He's felt like he knows when to make silicon for specific applications. Wilf says, all right, you'll be back, I'm going to hold your desk. But in the meantime, before you go, I'm going to call up Don. You've done good work for me, I'm going to call up Don. He calls up Don and he's like, Don, I got a kid who's going to come see you, stand by. This is a lesson for all founders and aspiring founders out there. Getting a reference from the CEO of a portfolio company is a really good way to come in with a venture capitalist already leaning toward investing, especially if you're referred to by the top performing company of all time in their portfolio. It's kind of hard for Jensen to mess up this pitch with the recommendation that he's coming in with. It's literally impossible because he goes to see Don. You know Don. Don sits down and he's like, so? And Jensen completely botches the pitch. He gets really nervous.…

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