TBPN Benchmark’s Ship of Theseus, OpenAI Kills Sora, SpaceX $2T IPO Buzz | Diet TBPN
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Mar 25, 2026 A spicy debate about whether a famous venture firm can ever escape the shadow of the Uber fallout. Speculation on OpenAI folding Sora into ChatGPT and why AI video never became the social juggernaut people expected. Plus Fiverr’s AI-director gamble, a weird airline lie-flat workaround, and buzz that a SpaceX IPO could expose xAI’s economics.
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Benchmark May Eventually Become A New Firm
- John Coogan argues Benchmark may eventually become a venture Ship of Theseus as most partners from the 2017 Uber fight cycle out.
- Only Eric Vishria and Peter Fenton remain from the six-partner roster; Chetan Puttagunta, Everett Randle, and Jack Altman joined after the scandal.
Benchmark Likely Acted From Panic Not Principle
- John Coogan's strongest defense of Benchmark is financial panic, not principle: Uber was such a power-law outcome that partners feared losing billionaire-making gains.
- He says nonstop hit pieces, Lyft pressure, and boycott narratives likely pushed them to salvage the asset and rush toward public-market safety.
Sora Failed As A Network More Than A Tool
- OpenAI killing the Sora app does not kill AI video; John Coogan sees it as consolidation into ChatGPT and a sign of disciplined product pruning.
- Sora could make cool clips, but creators still posted MP4s to TikTok or Instagram, where existing networks already owned reach and attention.
