# Episode #65: I See Dead VCs, Tech Media Echo Chambers, VC-Backed Startups' Status Collapse

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Podcast: [The Learning Corner by Precursor](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-learning-corner-by-precursor-7030204)
Published: 2026-02-05T20:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://the-learning-corner-by-precursor.onpodcastai.com/episodes/McJf1lLrUyp
Audio file: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.podcastai.com/episodes/McJf1lLrUyp.mp3?u=1770322501
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Duration seconds: 1559

## Resource

This week features Beezer Clarkson from Sapphire Partners discussing her analysis on venture's first substantial firm contraction in 20+ years, with fewer than half of existing VC firms actively investing. We examine Om Malik's critique of access journalism dominating tech media, where velocity trumps substance. Finally, Michael Dempsey's essay argues that VC-backed startups have undergone the same status collapse as investment banking, becoming the unremarkable default path for ambitious talent rather than a signal of contrarian vision.

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## Transcript

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