Rory O'Driscoll(@rodriscoll):Whatnot raising at a 20 billion valuation doing live shopping shouldn’t surprise anyone. Shopping + Fun equals big bucks. QVC and the home shopping network ran the same exact model on TV for decades, and people loved it. eBay auctions were the same thing online in the 90s and it’s still worth 45 billion today. There is more to life and venture than LLMs.

2026.08.17 14:59

Whatnot raising at a 20 billion valuation doing live shopping shouldn’t surprise anyone. Shopping + Fun equals big bucks. QVC and the home shopping network ran the same exact model on TV for decades, and people loved it. eBay auctions were the same thing online in the 90s and it’s still worth 45 billion today. There is more to life and venture than LLMs.