Bill Maris: How Google Could Crush AI Competitors, Why Small Funds Win, and AI's Atari Stage

With Bill Maris, Jason Calacanis, David Sacks · Sunday, June 14, 2026

Bill Maris, founder of Section 32 and former CEO of Google Ventures, shares four lessons from his entrepreneurial and investing career, ranging from early startup struggles to Google's data-driven venture strategy. He argues for the outperformance of smaller VC funds, speculates on Google's potential to dominate the AI market through token pricing, and discusses the future of AI and investing in its foundational infrastructure.

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Key takeaways

AI is in its 'Atari command line stage': Bill Maris, founder of Section 32 and former CEO of Google Ventures, argues that current AI feels rudimentary, like early text-based video games. It's clunky, inconsistent, and often lacks memory. Read more →
Venture capital funds smaller than $750 million delivered an average return of 4.76x, significantly outpacing funds over $1 billion which only managed 2.42x. Read more →
Companies staying private longer concentrates wealth generation among a select group of early investors, excluding the broader public from early gains. Read more →
Bill Maris, founder of Section 32 and former CEO of Google Ventures, argues Google could strategically cut AI token prices by a shocking 80%. Read more →
Google Ventures, under Bill Maris and Rich Miner, ditched intuition for a "machine learning" (ML) approach to venture investing. Read more →

5 articles from this episode

Bill Maris: AI is Atari. Win in 5 Years by Building the PS10's "Machinery.

Bill Maris, ex-Google Ventures CEO, says AI is at its 'Atari stage.' He explains why smart money will invest in foundational AI infrastructure, not just bigger models, to win a PlayStation 10-level future in 5 years.

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Bill Maris: Small VC Funds Outperform By 2x. Why It Matters.

Google Ventures founder Bill Maris reveals why VC funds under $750M average 4.76x returns, doubling larger funds. Target focused capital, not just big names.

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Private Longer? You're Disadvantaging 401k Holders

Bill Maris and Jason Calacanis argue keeping companies private too long funnels wealth to a few, leaving public investors to "bag hold." Founders, re-evaluate your IPO strategy.

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