Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Brendan Foody is the Founder and CEO @ Mercor, one of the leading data providers to the largest labs on the planet including OpenAI. In the last two years, Brendan has scaled the company to $1.5BN in ARR and a valuation of $10BN.
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Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
01:13 True or False: Mercor lost Meta & OpenAI as a customer with the hack?
05:52 Are We Entering a Golden Age of Cyber?
11:06 AI, Jobs & Layoffs: How Do Humans Fit Into the New Economy?
21:17 Rejecting a $30B Acquisition
27:39 The Fundraising Story: Helicopters, Ferraris & $10B Valuation
32:50 Infrastructure Will Win Over Application Layer
35:52 Is SaaS Dead? When Network Effects Are the Only True Moat
42:12 Token Spend on Agents Now Exceeds Employee Headcount
54:40 Competing for Talent When Meta Offers $20M Per Year
01:01:56 Do Sovereign AI Models Actually Matter?
01:07:17 Does HR Slow Companies Down? Brandon Pushes Back
01:09:31 Quick-Fire Round
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Subscribe on Spotify:
open.spotify.com/show/3j2KMcZTtgTNBKwtZBMHvl?si=85bc9196860e4466
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-twenty-minute-vc-20vc-venture-capital-startup/id958230465
Follow Harry Stebbings on X:
twitter.com/HarryStebbings
Follow Brendan Foody on X:
twitter.com/BrendanFoody
Follow 20VC on Instagram:
instagram.com/20vchq
Follow 20VC on TikTok:
tiktok.com/@20vc_tok
Visit our Website:
20vc.com
Subscribe to our Newsletter:
thetwentyminutevc.com/contact
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#20vc #harrystebbings #mercor #ai #ceo #aimodels #saas #cybersecurity #hiring
Brendan Foody is the Founder and CEO @ Mercor, one of the leading data providers to the largest labs on the planet including OpenAI. In the last two years, Brendan has scaled the company to $1.5BN in ARR and a valuation of $10BN.
-----------------------------------------------
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
01:13 True or False: Mercor lost Meta & OpenAI as a customer with the hack?
05:52 Are We Entering a Golden Age of Cyber?
11:06 AI, Jobs & Layoffs: How Do Humans Fit Into the New Economy?
21:17 Rejecting a $30B Acquisition
27:39 The Fundraising Story: Helicopters, Ferraris & $10B Valuation
32:50 Infrastructure Will Win Over Application Layer
35:52 Is SaaS Dead? When Network Effects Are the Only True Moat
42:12 Token Spend on Agents Now Exceeds Employee Headcount
54:40 Competing for Talent When Meta Offers $20M Per Year
01:01:56 Do Sovereign AI Models Actually Matter?
01:07:17 Does HR Slow Companies Down? Brandon Pushes Back
01:09:31 Quick-Fire Round
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subscribe on Spotify:
open.spotify.com/show/3j2KMcZTtgTNBKwtZBMHvl?si=85bc9196860e4466
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-twenty-minute-vc-20vc-venture-capital-startup/id958230465
Follow Harry Stebbings on X:
twitter.com/HarryStebbings
Follow Brendan Foody on X:
twitter.com/BrendanFoody
Follow 20VC on Instagram:
instagram.com/20vchq
Follow 20VC on TikTok:
tiktok.com/@20vc_tok
Visit our Website:
20vc.com
Subscribe to our Newsletter:
thetwentyminutevc.com/contact
-----------------------------------------------
#20vc #harrystebbings #mercor #ai #ceo #aimodels #saas #cybersecurity #hiring
