The 12-month window | TechCrunch
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A lot of AI startups exist partly because the foundation models haven't expanded into their category yet. As many jokingly acknowledge, that won't last forever.
In Brief Posted: 12:30 PM PDT · April 19, 2026 Image Credits:Kimberly White for TechCrunch / Flickr (opens in a new window) Connie Loizos The 12-month window In a recent episode of “No Priors” — the excellent podcast co-hosted by AI investors Sarah Guo and Elad Gil — Gil made a point about exit timing that’s undoubtedly familiar to founders who’ve spent time with him, but seems particularly useful in this moment of go-go dealmaking. For most companies, Gil said, there’s roughly a 12-month period where the business is at its peak value, “and then it crashes out” and the window closes. The companies that capture generational returns are often the ones where someone spies that moment instead of assuming the good times will get even better. Lotus, AOL, and Mark Cuban’s Broadcast.com all sold at or near the top, and all are held up by Gil as examples of outfits that foresaw what was coming and smartly pulled the ripcord. Oh great and powerful @DarioAmodei – builder of minds, father of Claude. I humbly request you leave payroll to us at Deel. We are but simple folk who process paystubs and chase compliance deadlines. But if you do come for us, call me first 🙏— Alex Bouaziz (@Bouazizalex) April 17, 2026 To catch that window, Gil offered a practical suggestion: pre-schedule a board meeting once or twice a year specifically to discuss exits. If it’s a standing calendar item, it drains the emotion out of the equation. This matters more now than it might have a few years ago. A lot o...