The Twenty Minute VC (20VC): Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch 20VC's Big Fat Quiz of the Year: Founder, Fund and Breakout Company of 2025 | Predictions for 2026: The Company to Buy, The Biggest Short | Why Salesforce Could Win 2026 and The Tailwinds NVIDIA Will Face
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Dec 22, 2025 
In this engaging discussion, Jason Lemkin, SaaS entrepreneur and founder of SaaStr, and Rory O'Driscoll, a seasoned venture capitalist, delve into their predictions for 2026. They highlight Dario Amodei as a standout founder and discuss the impact of companies like Salesforce and Databricks. The duo explores the biggest surprises of 2025, including talent wars, and share insights on top tech stocks to watch. They also debate the potential impacts of AI on employment and speculate on upcoming IPOs, making for a thought-provoking and entertaining conversation.
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B2B Firms Must Ride The AI Wave
- If you're a B2B company, ride the AI wave by integrating AI into core products to reaccelerate growth.
- Failure to do so should be graded harshly as a missed strategic year.
Talent Became The Primary Acquisition Target
- 2025 saw an aggressive talent war where big tech paid enormous amounts just to secure people and teams.
- Companies prioritized acquiring talent (and people-focused deals) over preserving social conventions around acquisitions.
No Ceiling On Private Outcomes
- There appears to be no practical ceiling on private venture outcomes today, which reshapes return math and fundraising strategies.
- Large late-stage checks and extended private lifetimes are shifting more upside to private investors.
