🎵 Denn alles Fleisch es ist wie Gras 🎵
Joined March 2008
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Matt Cohler retweeted
The death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person. The common good can be safeguarded and the requirements of justice can be met without recourse to capital punishment: effective systems of detention have been developed that protect citizens while at the same time do not completely deprive those who are guilty of the possibility of redemption. #NoDeathPenalty
Matt Cohler retweeted
A lot of otherwise smart people on Twitter seem 100% convinced AI risks are all fake and stupid and part of some marketing ploy. What is surprising is that some of these people seemingly also believe that AI’s positive uses are on an incredible trajectory of increasing capability with no end in sight. VC Twitter is particularly infected by this pattern. It’s not really coherent.
Most positive use cases for AI have a corresponding “dark version”. If you are super human at coding, you are also super human at hacking. If you are superhuman at structural engineering you are likely superhuman at finding structural flaws to knock buildings down. If you are superhuman at designing drugs, you are superhuman at designing novel undetectable poisons. If you can cure viruses, you can create them. Some of these “dark versions” are not so bad, and some are actually pretty scary. Either way these are real societal and technical problems that need to be solved to get the good stuff and avoid the bad stuff. We’re experiencing the first of these with coding and computer security which is the most advanced, but that won’t be the last. I think we’ll be able to solve these problems, but they aren’t solved yet and if you believe in continued AI progress they are surely coming.
But “bad people using AI” is not the only problem. Uncontrolled AI autonomously doing bad things, despite sounding kind of nutty, is also something we should be concerned about. AI “killing us all” is not the most likely outcome, but the chance of a major civilization-wide catastrophe doesn’t have to be very high for it to be a concern. Again, this is only a problem if capabilities advance to a point that AI can do really crazy things on their own, which hasn’t happened yet, but I think the Hugging Face incident is a good example of the outline of how things can go wrong when capabilities outpace alignment. We should be glad that the only available bad thing right now is hacking, which isn’t all that bad. It’s clear that as you get to superhuman capabilities you need a level of alignment and control that is correspondingly superhuman. Humans have plenty of misalignment problems themselves (serial killers, mass shooters, tyrants, etc), but it’s a manageable problem because most humans can’t do that much damage and we’ve developed systems to prevent dangerous humans from getting too much power.
Talking about these issues is just common sense. It’s not a sign of some kind of neuroticism or pessimism. These are just hard problems that it’s very important to solve for AI to have a positive impact. I’m pretty confident we will solve them. But we haven’t solved them yet, and to my mind we are clearly on a trajectory of rapidly increasing capabilities which means this is important. Mocking people who are worried about this or talking about it, without anything substantive to say about how we can be sure these problems won’t arise, is not really a very helpful contribution.
Matt Cohler retweeted
You guys sure you don’t want more data centers?
This is freaking huge: For the first time, a AI-assisted personalized mRNA cancer treatment has succeeded in a Phase 3 trial.
Moderna and Merck sequence each patient’s tumor and compare it with their healthy DNA. AI then helps identify which of the tumor’s mutations are most likely to trigger an immune response.
From those targets, Moderna produces an individual mRNA treatment encoding up to 34 neoantigens, The earlier Phase 2 trial followed patients with surgically removed high-risk melanoma for five years:
- 68.8% remained cancer-free, compared with 49.1% on Keytruda alone
- 49% lower risk of recurrence or death
- 59% lower risk of distant metastasis or death
Now the much larger Phase 3 trial involving 1,137 patients has also succeeded.
Absolutely incredible. Dario was right: cancer will be cured in just a few years!
Matt Cohler retweeted
The largest, frontier OAI model at nearly 750 tps on Cerebras!
"We're also launching GPT‑5.6 Sol on Cerebras at up to 750 tokens per second in July, bringing frontier intelligence to customers at unprecedented speed."
Introducing a limited preview of GPT-5.6 Sol, our next generation frontier model, as well as GPT-5.6 Terra, a balanced model for efficient, everyday work, and GPT-5.6 Luna, a fast and affordable model for high-volume work.
openai.com/index/previewing-…
Historic news for music and for San Francisco! I couldn’t have put it any better than @itselimchan herself - “It’s freaking amazing”
thetimes.com/culture/classic…
Matt Cohler retweeted
I’m so fucking proud of this team.
They took an extraordinarily difficult technical swing with wafer-scale and connected on the first try.
Then they spent years grinding through packaging, cooling, compilers, frameworks, early customers, and everything else required to turn a technical breakthrough into a real company — swinging and missing and learning and trying again.
Most importantly, they stayed clear-eyed about what they had (a technical marvel) and what they didn’t (enough advantage in training), saw the opportunity emerging in inference, and adapted.
That kind of persistence — not to be confused with stubbornness — is incredibly hard to describe, but absolutely essential in the unstable substrate of AI.
The requirements of AI today will not be the requirements of AI tomorrow. But this team will keep figuring it out.
And I’m here for it.
Matt Cohler retweeted
I’m really excited to share that I’m joining Benchmark.
The past two years as a full time investor have been the most rewarding of my career. I really love venture capital, which is not something I ever imagined I’d say when I was kid, but here we are.
I love new ideas and being part of a team with a mission. I love getting to be there for people who are struggling towards goals they really care about. I love learning from people who are better CEOs than I ever was. I love the texture of the work, the competition, and the way the job lets you invest in relationships.
I love it so much that I’ve even turned into a little venture nerd with a podcast who goes around harassing great investors and founders, trying to learn as much as I can as fast as possible. I’ve certainly learned what I care most about, and what kind of investor I want to be.
What I’ve realized is that I love investing at the Series A, when there’s enough going on that an investor can be useful but not so much that you can’t have an impact. I think there are many amazing ways to practice venture, it’s just the way that most speaks to me. And as I came to realize that, I started to think about how to best set myself up to do that craft as well as possible. It became clear to me there is nowhere better for this than Benchmark; the way they’re structured, their principles, their overall approach to investing, and their track record all create an environment that I believe will let me do my best work as an investor and help founders the most I possibly can.
As I’ve gotten to know the team at Benchmark I’ve come to admire so much about each of them. Peter is truly playing his own game. A lot of what he says sounds like poetry at first, but as the ideas roll around in your head for a while you realize how much depth they have. I first heard about Eric many years ago from my friend Saji at Benchling while I was building Lattice, who described him as the most amazing board member and attributed him with a lot of the company’s success. That’s the kind of partner I want to be one day. Chetan is brilliant and truly thinks for himself; I’ve realized over time what a courageous guy he is. And then there’s my friend Ev, whose skills complement mine and who I just love to be around. I can’t wait to have him as a partner in crime.
When given the chance to work with this group I just knew I had to go.
One of my motivating north stars with Alt Capital was to build a firm and be a partner that I most would have wanted as an entrepreneur. Although I haven’t gotten everywhere I want to be yet, I’m proud of the work so far. And now I’m excited to build on that work at Benchmark, where I hope to increase my rate of learning and get armed with the power of a partnership so I can help founders reach their dreams even more.
Thank you to the companies who’ve let me invest with them at Alt Cap. I’m keeping all my board seats and supporting everyone just the same as before.
Thank you to the LPs who’ve backed me as well. I am so excited about the portfolio we have and am grateful I can stick with all those companies.
And finally thank you to my teammates, Bala, Vivek, and Nate. Bala took a bet on me and started investing with me before it was remotely obvious, and we’ve been able to grow so much figuring it out together as investors. I credit Nate with helping Alt start feeling like a firm. He joined us from First Round over a year ago and made everything run smoothly. And while Vivek joined just a little while ago, even in the short time we’ve worked together he’s had a meaningful impact on how we think and invest. They’re all joining Benchmark with me.
So pumped for this chapter.
We are thrilled to share that @jaltma is joining Benchmark as our newest General Partner.
The Benchmark partnership is built on a shared commitment to the craft of venture capital, where our work is defined by the depth of service and commitment to the founders we work with. We believe this work does not scale and is best practiced where we win as a team of partners. By operating as a true partnership rather than a collection of individual franchises, we ensure that every founder we back benefits from our combined experience and a singular, shared commitment to their success.
We first met Jack as a founder of Lattice over a decade ago. We followed Jack as he built Lattice into a leader in its category and navigated the turbulence that every software company faced in 2020. We admired Jack’s character and the way he prioritized transparency and authenticity to build a great team. That same value system defined his transition to founding a venture capital firm, Alt Cap, where he has made a familiar commitment to craft and service over capital.
As an investor, Jack has partnered with some of the most ambitious founders of the generation with his investments in Legora, Rogo, Owner, Avoca, Rippling, and many others. Founders told us “I call Jack first to work through the toughest problems,” “He is my most trusted partner on the board,” and “Jack provides steady and grounded support that is rooted in having been a founder himself.” He combines relentless energy, deep intellectual curiosity, and a competitiveness to see founders win, all anchored by high integrity.
We have always believed that our firm’s strength lies in its equal partnership: a small, focused group of individuals who operate with the same authority, responsibility, and singular mission to support entrepreneurs from the earliest stages. By joining our partnership, Jack brings a fresh perspective that will help us continue this mission.
Welcome to Benchmark, Jack.
– Ev, Chetan, Eric, Peter
Matt Cohler retweeted
New episode of Uncapped with the full Benchmark partnership.
They're arguably the best early stage venture firm of all time and have retained a model and approach that very few others have.
I learned a ton, hope you enjoy.
Matt Cohler retweeted
Max and the entire Legora team are building one of the most spectacular AI applications in the world today. They’ve accomplished so much since our seed in Mar 2024 and launch in Oct 2024. Listen to this excellent podcast.
The story of Legora is absolutely nuts.
A couple of kids from Sweden decide to upend the AI legal market.
Raise $50K in angel funding and the journey begins.
@ycombinator beckons and with the advice of @gustaf they raise a stellar “seed” round from @chetanp @benchmark
In a matter of weeks, they raise a Series A from @loganbartlett @redpoint
Then, the first board meeting comes and they tell their VCs, one thing, we will not be selling anything for the next 6 months. NOTHING.
Today, less than two years later:
$2BN valuation
$200M+ raised from top VCs
$50M+ ARR (latest reported)
300 employees in US and Europe
The best shows are art (storytelling) and science (frameworks). This has both off the charts.
Spotify 👉 open.spotify.com/episode/0I1…
Youtube 👉 youtu.be/ZjwrXqjr59A
Apple Podcasts 👉 podcasts.apple.com/us/podcas…
My 6 takeaways with @MaxJunestrand 👇
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
02:56 Why Does Everyone Think Harvey When They Hear Legal AI?
08:31 Why OpenAI is Toast? Switching to Anthropic!
14:57 24 Months: Which Foundation Models Will Win?
22:19 Lessons Scaling from Europe into the US
29:43 Why Seat Models Are Not Dead in SaaS?
34:04 How to Use Competition To Drive a Fire in Your Team?
40:26 Is Legal AI a Winner-Take-All Market? How Does It End?
52:41 The Future of Law Firms: Do Juniors Get Fired?
59:55 How We Raised $200M and 3 Rounds with No Deck
01:01:33 Quick-Fire Round: Best Advice, Closest Mentor, Biggest Mindset Shift
Matt Cohler retweeted
Manus was acquired by Meta. This remarkable group of people created a product that was the fastest ever to go $0 to $100M ARR and changed how consumers used AI to get things done. It was an extraordinary privilege for me and Benchmark to have invested in this incredible company pre-launch earlier this year and to have been on the board with Red and Pan.
To @Red_Xiao_, Pan, @peakji, @hidecloud, CZ, and Henry: thank you! You are an amazing group of founders with a unique combination of brilliance, resilience, grit, vision, execution, and kindness. You’ve built one of the greatest technical teams in the world. You and your team will do great things at Meta.
There’s so much more to share about this company and I’m sure we will over time. For now, I’m overwhelmed with the feeling of awe and gratitude. Thank you!
Manus is entering the next chapter: we’re joining forces with Meta to take general agents to the next level.
Full story on our blog: manus.im/blog/manus-joins-me…
Matt Cohler retweeted
A remarkable team building a remarkable AI application. They've set a new speed record for $0 to $100M ARR in 8 months. They are not only the best technical team in Singapore, but one of the best in the world. Thrilled to have backed this sensational group of people pre-launch.
$0 → $100M ARR in 8 months.
Since we launched in March:
-147 trillion tokens processed
-80M+ virtual computers created
-Total revenue run rate over $125M
Thank you to everyone building with us.
manus.im/blog/manus-100m-arr
Matt Cohler retweeted
Today, @everettrandle joins Benchmark as our newest General Partner.
Benchmark was founded in 1995 by venture capitalists and entrepreneurs in their 30s. It has been re-founded by the same phenotype many times in the last 30 years. Benchmark has held fast to a simple truth: exceptional teams are built by those who place collective success above individual recognition. We seek partners who resist the industry's pull toward diluted relationships, who maintain direct, unmediated connections with founders, and who approach this work not as a career but as a decades-long calling.
We’ve known Ev as a fellow venture capitalist for years and it was the consistent praise from entrepreneurs that truly set him apart. Time and again, founders told us: "Ev is my first call when working through challenges," "His collaboration comes from genuine humility," "He delivers the highest return on my cap table," and "His Midwestern approach, excellence without ego, is inspiring." Most compelling was how deeply founders connected with Ev's authentic commitment to serving them and their missions.
Ev's track record of investing in Rippling, Huntress, SpaceX, Mirage, Flock Safety, Stord, Chainguard, and others demonstrates exceptional judgment. But beyond the track record, he brings insatiable curiosity, genuine intellectual humility, and a quiet competitive fire that elevates everyone around him.
At Benchmark, our structure remains intentionally flat: equal partners, each with identical authority, responsibility, and ownership. When we encounter someone who embodies the gravity of a founder of Benchmark, the recognition is immediate and mutual.
Welcome to Benchmark, Ev.
– Chetan, Eric, Peter
Matt Cohler retweeted
I have written my first book! A passion project of almost 10 years, Runnin' Down a Dream aims to give people both the motivation & the methods for thriving in a career they actually love. Put a lot of heart and soul into this - hope you ❤️ it. Pre-order: a.co/d/5APYleb
Matt Cohler retweeted
Congratulations to Benchmark’s @erikyw26 for having his paper accepted to NeurIPS 2025 in San Diego!
Benchmark is hosting an incredible dinner in San Diego on 12/4 with the brightest researchers & engineers in AI working on the frontier. Reach out to Erik if you’d like to join!
Matt Cohler retweeted
Witnessing @btaylor, @claybavor, and the team take @SierraPlatform from @benchmark's founding Series A in May 2023 to a $10B valuation today is a true 6-sigma event. It's the perfect entrepreneurial storm: generational founders meeting humanity's AI inflection point with a product that delivers immediate value with limitless potential to grow.
Find every opportunity to use their products, work with their team, and learn from their strategy. Proverbial master-class in excellence.
Matt Cohler retweeted
We’re thrilled to welcome @GeorgeHuSF to Benchmark as a Venture Partner! George has an extraordinary track record across Salesforce and Twilio. We’ve collaborated with George for years and he’s a remarkable partner to founders as they scale their companies.
Matt Cohler retweeted
Thrilled to welcome @erikyw26 to Benchmark as a researcher-in-residence before he starts his PhD at Oxford. Excited for Erik to help us and our broader portfolio connect with the forefront of AI research!
Matt Cohler retweeted
The man is too humble to say it but everything @victoralazarte touches turns to gold.
As a Founder, he scaled Wildlife Studios to 4B+ downloads. Bootstrapped.
As an angel, he was the first ever investor in Brex (latest valuation $12.3BN)
As a VC with @benchmark he led rounds in HeyGen ($60M ARR) and Mercor ($100M ARR in 11 months).
This is a masterclass from the man with the Midas touch.
My 7 key takeaways 👇
I’m nonpartisan, and imho the federal govt does some good things and some bad things. I’m close enough to the climate work at NOAA to say with confidence that it’s one of the best things the federal govt does. It provides a huge bang for the buck. Shutting it down would be a really, really bad idea
The reported plan by the Trump Administration to end climate research at NOAA is disturbing and would have massive repercussions to the vital research we rely on for human and climate health. “It wouldn’t just gut it. It would shut it down.”
science.org/content/article/…
