John Kushner bet $1.3 billion on OpenAI, then the company almost fired founder Sam Altman
About Josh Kushner
Joshua Kushner, founder and managing partner of Thrive Capital, has spoken about his firm's approach to hiring and investment. He said that when he started the firm at age 26, he chose to hire "young hungry" people willing to "run through walls" rather than experienced candidates, because he believed experienced talent would not want to work for someone his age. He described the firm's strategy as aggregating smart people from his own network and teaching them the firm's methods. Kushner also discussed his temperament during crises, stating that he is "calm and collected" and that his framing is "every problem has the solution" and there is "nothing you can gain from freaking out." Kushner has commented on Thrive Capital's investment philosophy, saying the firm aims to be unconstrained by stage or sector and to use a long-term time horizon as a competitive advantage. He noted that the firm invested in Zoom at its IPO because it believed the company was still early in its lifecycle. Regarding the healthcare industry, Kushner said that the U.S. healthcare system has "so much waste" and that health insurance companies have not prioritized consumers because they have historically focused on corporations. He stated that his co-founded health insurance company Oscar aims to create a consumer experience that he would want for himself, and that he hopes others will copy the model to raise the standard of care.