Newcomer Pod Yoni Rechtman Unfiltered on Trump, AI Roll-Ups & Why VCs Backed the Wrong Side
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Feb 7, 2026 Yoni Rechtman, partner at Slow Ventures known for contrarian VC takes, weighs in on Trump-era risks and tech’s political responsibilities. He discusses why Slow skipped foundation models, how AI creates second-order investment opportunities, and their growth-by-buyout roll-up playbook for mundane industries. The conversation probes VC motives, creator-focused investing, and how AI reshapes scarce-production businesses.
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Bet On Weird, High-Conviction Theses
- Find founders with weird but important theses that feel wrong at first and grow on you over time.
- Yoni Rechtman says those non-consensus 'if true' stories create unique inputs for power-law outcomes.
Focus On AI's Second-Order Effects
- Slow avoided foundation models and instead focuses on AI's second-order effects across industries.
- Rechtman believes model progress alone isn't the core opportunity; deployment and consequential workflows are.
Abundant Output Breaks Review Systems
- AI inverts systems built on scarce production and abundant attention, creating overload in review processes.
- Rechtman highlights code review as a new bottleneck as generated output explodes.