This is one reason I’m bearish on companies like Brud, which are creating virtual influencers (yes, it’s a thing). Gen Z has a strong “authenticity detector” and I’m skeptical that digitally-created influencers will replace real, tangible, relatable people.
Mike Moritz was our board member from Sequoia. Anyone who has ever met Mike or read his writing knows that he has a special way with words. In this meeting, he delivered a simple and devastating message: if we didn’t change – immediately – we would go out of business. It was the single worst meeting of my career.