Bill Gurley

General partner at Benchmark, Benchmark

Search every verified Bill Gurley interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Bill Gurley, a general partner at Benchmark, has been vocal about what he describes as a dangerous funding bubble in artificial intelligence. In a July 2026 podcast appearance, he stated that most venture capitalists are so focused on AI that non-AI companies cannot raise money at any valuation, creating a "massive black-white have-have-not situation." He warned that taking large amounts of cash when it is not needed leads to higher burn rates, which he views as risk, and makes it harder to understand unit economics. Gurley also said that while real technological waves cause bubbles, he is seeing "actions and activity that looks speculative" in AI. Gurley has also spoken about regulatory capture and its effects on innovation. In a May 2026 talk, he argued that regulation often benefits incumbent companies, citing the Telecommunications Act of 1996 as an example of legislation that he said failed to promote competition or innovation. He expressed concern that the AI industry is lobbying for regulation, comparing Anthropic's early lobbying efforts to those of FTX. Gurley has advocated for policies such as stablecoins and instant digital transfers, which he said outperform the traditional banking system. In a TED talk, he argued that career excellence is driven by fascination rather than passion, and that obsessive, continuous learning is an output of that fascination.