Kevin Ryan, the Godfather of NYC Tech, on AI in the Decade Ahead
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BY
Alexa von Tobel
,
The Inspired Team
Founder & Managing Partner
January 28, 2026
Kevin Ryan is known as the godfather of New York City tech. Over three decades, he's founded or backed companies worth more than $40 billion combined, including DoubleClick (acquired by Google), MongoDB (now valued at $30 billion), Business Insider (sold for $450 million), and Gilt Group. As founder of AlleyCorp, Kevin has spent his career building category-defining companies and correctly predicting major technology shifts before they happened. From betting on the internet in 1996 to understanding AI's trajectory today, Kevin shares his framework for seeing what's next and why speed executed properly changes everything.
What You'll Learn: • The two categories Kevin is betting on: vertical AI applications and deep science breakthroughs • Why winning the first four years matters more than anything else • How to compete for top 0.1% talent in today's market • Kevin's 2036 predictions for work, NYC vs SF, and where technology is headed
Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 02:10 Kevin's Childhood 05:00 Reflecting on His Entrepreneurship Journey 08:30 Speed Matters 11:15 The Feeling When You Know a Company Is the One 14:58 Why You Need Top 0.1% Talent 17:00 Two Categories Kevin Is Betting On 20:00 Drawing the Defensibility Line in Vertical AI 22:22 Thinking About the Product 23:10 Acceleration of Science and When Kevin's Antenna Goes Up 25:08 What the World Looks Like in 2036 27:00 Job Loss and AI Displacement 32:00 San Francisco vs New York City 38:18 What Kevin Hopes for NYC Tech 40:50 Interesting Topics Kevin Is Exploring 42:36 Quickfire Round