Krishna Subramanian

Changing the advertising world: Captiv8 Co-Founder, Mobclix Co-Founder, Velti CMO, BlueLithium Co-Founder, Burrp Co-Founder, all things mobile...

[Patrick OShaughnessy @patrick_oshag]

Neil Movva (@neilmovva) started his career at Nvidia, working on GPUs and kernels, and has an unusually deep understanding of inference, from software to chips to power.

We spend a lot of time on each of those layers, how they connect, and where the important tradeoffs are.

What makes this conversation special is how detailed it is (like a 401-level class), yet Neil makes it remarkably clear and easy to follow.

Today he runs Sail Research, a company building infrastructure for agents to make tokens as cheap as possible.

We discuss:
- Latency versus throughput
- Why there are no bad chips, only bad pricing
- The end of kernel engineering
- Buying chips and power no one else wants
- New chip architectures
- Nvidia lore + his contrarian view of the company
- Open source and the frontier labs

I learned a ton. Enjoy!

TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Intro
0:38 Building a “Token Factory”
4:21 The Future of Background Agents
13:09 Nvidia and the GPU Stack
23:27 Chips, Memory, and Transformers
36:14 The Future of AI Training Data
44:32 Chip Scarcity and Compute Arbitrage
52:44 Reinventing the AI Data Center
59:01 Power and the “Scavenger Strategy”
1:10:10 Open vs. Closed AI

[Parker Conrad @parkerconrad]

We launched Rippling Data Cloud today - an all-in-one rebuild of the modern data stack, with AI deeply integrated throughout.

Why would you want an org-and-employee-centric data stack? Well, here’s how I used Rippling Data Cloud to help with token burn and cut AI slop. 1/

https://t.co/2rhp8x3KVn

[Parker Conrad @parkerconrad]

Rippling AI was the most successful launch we've ever done. On the heels of this launch, Rippling's revenue is now growing 78% YoY (at ARR over $1 Billion). And this growth rate has now increased, every quarter, for three straight quarters.

[Alfred Lin @Alfred_Lin]

A CEO from one of our portfolio companies shared this with their team. I’m re-sharing it with their permission, because it resonated and reflects what all founders and CEOs should be communicating.

--
We are living through a period of compounding change. And in moments like this, the biggest risk is no longer making the wrong decision. It is moving too slowly while the world moves around you.

There are two paths. We can play defense:
- Protect what we have
- Optimize what works
- Wait for clarity

It feels safe. It isn’t.

Or we can play offense:
- Learn faster than the environment changes
- Use new tools to solve old problems in better ways
- And create entirely new strategies and businesses

That’s where the opportunity is.

Challenge yourself to do things faster and better than you have ever attempted. Stay uncomfortable. Stay on the front foot.

[Parker Conrad @parkerconrad]

Leave California before the series B.

[Brian Halligan @bhalligan]

One of the smartest things @PaloAltoNtwks CEO @nikesharora said about M&A on the pod had nothing to do with price.

When Palo Alto acquires a company, they don’t “integrate” it the traditional way. They flip the org chart.

If the founders beat you with fewer people and less capital, why would you put them under your bureaucracy?

Nikesh’s rule is simple: they run it.

That one decision helps explain why their M&A actually works - and why most corporate acquisitions quietly die.

If you’re a founder thinking about selling, or a CEO thinking about buying, his is a masterclass in how talent (not technology) is the real asset.

[Yas @yas_moaven]

I’ve been quiet for a minute. Quick update:

Capital✔️
Customers✔️
Revenue✔️

All in under 9 months. ~$1T market opportunity. Still in stealth and just getting started…

[Chamath Palihapitiya @chamath]

Really well said.

In the near future, the true balance sheet of a company will be its code base. And due diligence will look like code review.

You should start preparing.

[Chamath Palihapitiya @chamath]

In the attention economy, MrBeast is the attention unicorn of unicorns. 🦄

[Ad Age @adage]

Why long-term brand strategy still drives the most value https://t.co/94Sde79AqX

[Publicis Groupe @PublicisGroupe]

Publicis Groupe annonce l’acquisition de Captiv8, la plus grande plateforme mondiale dédiée au marketing d’influence, réunissant 95% des créateurs de contenus ayant plus de 5.000 abonnés.

https://t.co/QGQ2GELCNv

[Publicis Groupe @PublicisGroupe]

Publicis Groupe announces the acquisition of Captiv8, the largest influencer technology marketing platform in the world, covering 95% of influencers with 5000+ followers.

https://t.co/FE2BxKD8vq

[Krishna Subramanian @ksub15]

Now, we begin a bold new chapter: joining forces with Publicis Groupe to build the world’s most connected, data-powered influencer platform.

To our customers and creators, thank you for growing with us. For your trust, your ideas, your partnership. You’ve helped us evolve.

[Krishna Subramanian @ksub15]

Today, I begin with immense gratitude as we announce that @Captiv8labs has been acquired by @PublicisGroupe.

Ten years ago, we started with a simple belief that creators weren’t just media – they were the future of storytelling, commerce, and culture.

[Krishna Subramanian @ksub15]

We built Captiv8 to bring clarity to a fragmented space. To help brands and creators connect with purpose. To build trust. To drive results. And maybe most importantly, to create something that mattered.

[Ad Age @adage]

New Svedka work from DCX Growth Accelerator is slated to launch in February. https://t.co/R3gG60rOKK

[Ad Age @adage]

Paramount Global shares rise as streaming losses narrow. https://t.co/byTmv9yuvi

[Ashley Acosta @ashleyacosta75]

Approached a surgeon in grad school to build a medical device.

"That's cute, sweetie. But you're not technical"

I pushed back. We built a prototype.

10 years later, I was on founding teams of two unicorns & funded as a non-technical solo founder.

Never accept the status quo.

[Chamath Palihapitiya @chamath]

Silicon Valley is about gang warfare.

It’s one gang (aka startup) vs everyone else for dominance. It’s about extreme outcomes. While failure is celebrated, mediocrity isn’t. Silicon Valley requires complete commitment and, even then, the odds of success are minuscule. You need to work 12-15 hours a day and most weekends.

Why?

Because in order to create a market or exploit an opportunity for a big outcome you need to find the RIGHT solution. The right solution is not obvious. You find it by iterating through all the wrong solutions as quickly but methodically as possible. Every wrong solution increases your knowledge until you make it. This takes time and there is no way around it.

Now obviously all of this changes once a startup finds success but then so does the compensation and the upside…

So don’t move here if what you want is to work at a startup thinking you will make a fortune while also trying to find work life balance, have Thursday night reservations at Lazy Bear and a well rounded friend group to go on group hikes with.

Fortunes are made by grinders. Not 9-5ers.

Happy 4th of July!!! Go 🇺🇸!!!!

[James Clarke @jamesclarkeCA]

Had a blast speaking with Bayer's @rfitz4, Nestlé's @LizLovesFarms, IBM's @billyseabrook & Captiv8's @ksub15 as part of @BrandInnovators' @Cannes_Lions activation at the glamorous Armani Caffe. 🕶 ☕ 🇫🇷 #PepsiCoProud #PepsiCoCannes #CannesLions2023