SEQUOIA'S OWN-VS-RENT FRAMEWORK: HOW COMPANIES ARE BUILDING THEIR OWN INTELLIGENCE

Summary from the TLDR Founders newsletter

Sequoia advises its portfolio companies to own their AI models down to the weights for better performance. Open-weight models like Qwen and GLM allow companies to start near the performance frontier and improve from there. Sequoia's framework outlines a four-step roadmap for deciding which parts of the AI stack to own versus rent, emphasizing cost, speed, and control.