AI Is Eroding Venture Capital's Rule Against Backing Rivals

Benchmark partners Eric Vishria, Chetan Puttagunta and Peter Fenton said at TechCrunch Disrupt that AI is eroding venture capital's pact against funding direct competitors. Fenton called backing rivals 'kryptonite' and the firm's toughest problem. Vishria pointed to rapid pivots, or strategy shifts, making conflicts inevitable; Puttagunta pointed to near-zero software costs pushing startups onto each other's turf.