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Ahmed Reza's avatar

Very well articulated and insightful. One of the most eye opening books on the subject is “Pattern Breakers” by Mike Maples Jr. One thing that concerns me is that the second order effect of this may actually be less good innovation for the US innovation ecosystem. A bit like killing the goose that laid the golden eggs.

Freedom Lover's avatar

Why is less good innovation for the US innovation ecosystem - the second order effect of this? What is “this”?

The real threat to innovation is government bailout of failure like banks in 2008-2009. By the father of business cycle and entrepreneurial capitalism theories, to whom, incorrectly, term “creative destruction“ is credited: https://www.amazon.com/Capitalism-Socialism-Democracy-Perennial-Thought/dp/0061561614/ref=mp_s_a_1_1

Freedom Lover's avatar

Thank you, Ruben, for another thought provoking piece. There is one thing that you could do better.

I don’t know who your target audience is, but in order to understand your piece and (dis)agree with it, you MUST define terms.

In my experience:

1. Even many experts differ in their understanding of terms.

2. Most startup founders have little to NO clue when it comes to business disciplines be it strategy, marketing, operations, or finance.

So, how do you define, or what definition do you use for VC, please?

What is RIA?

Again, thank you for the good work you do.

Declan Mercer's avatar

A $100M fund can survive on one Notion that takes eight years to find product-market fit. A $5B fund needs three Notions per year just to return capital, which means you're not hunting for hidden alpha, you're paying premium prices for obvious winners and praying they 10x fast enough. Honestly, what it comes down to is that it just became too expensive to stay venture.

Freedom Lover's avatar

How is this related to the topic of the discussion or Cash Flow?

Cash Flow Collective's avatar

It’s called social media, freedom lover.

Cash Flow Collective's avatar

A fresh YouGov poll (Jan 26, 2026, conducted right after the Minneapolis events) shows 46% of Americans now support abolishing ICE (vs. 41% who oppose) — up from earlier January polls where it was roughly split or slightly negative. A majority (58%) also say ICE's tactics are "too forceful," and 57% disapprove of how the agency is handling its job. This differs from Rasmussen's higher Trump approval numbers because those polls often capture broader approval trends that lag behind breaking news cycles like Minneapolis.

Full breakdown here if you're interested: https://today.yougov.com/politics/articles/53939-more-americans-support-than-oppose-abolishing-ice-immigration-minneapolis-shooting-poll

Freedom Lover's avatar

Your polls showed Trump losing election by a lot. How did that worked out for you, comrade?

Cash Flow Collective's avatar

Thanks for the feedback, Freedom Lover! We don't have to agree — and that's fine. I have every right to publish analysis based on what's actually happening right now (Jan 29, 2026): DOJ raid on Fulton County ballots, Sen. Collins confirming ICE ended its enhanced surge in Maine, court rebukes of ICE, AG Ellison's oversight, FAFO coalition exploring state prosecutions, Liam Rojas' health decline in detention, etc. All drawn from official statements, court docs, senator announcements, and reporting. Readers can judge the facts themselves.

On the polls: Thanks for sharing, but they're lagging — these events only hit wide public view very recently. Polls take time to reflect real-time shifts in narrative and sentiment.

Back to VC vs. consensus capital — that's the core topic here! Happy to discuss definitions, second-order effects, Schumpeter, etc. What stood out to you in the post?

Best,

Cash Flow Collective

❤️😆😂😊❤️😂😆❤️

Freedom Lover's avatar

You MAY have every right to PUBLISH, but you don’t have right to shamelessly exploit social media, COMRADE.

Get lost, COMRADE troll.