Bill Gurley Not to Be Trusted
Fund: Benchmark Capital
Posted by Top CEO on 2010-10-30
I have past experience working with Bill Gurley on the board in one of their most successful companies and saw his performance as a director and representative of Benchmark Capital. I worked with the founding team who always had somewhat of a gut feel that he is somehow "false". I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt. Today I am clear that I would never work with him again and do second several private reviews' feedback of "reading your terms carefully" or he will screw you. He may talk the talk on all sorts of things but does not walk the walk. Do not trust him.
Bill Gurley has zero operational experience, which shows in key judgment calls. He has weak knees easily, in part as a result of that. Bill Gurley may have been great as an analyst on Wall Street and he is a prolific blogger too -- but building companies of real value is something else. Work with the guys at Adreessen Horowitz (at least read their blogs because these blog items speak volumes about the shortcomings of Benchmark Capital) or Sequoia or KPCB (at least they behave honestly there). The mindset at Benchmark is still very much Ariba -- hype up and sell before crash. Life's too short for that for any serious entrepreneur.
PRIVATE: Members Only