a16z podcast: Mike Volpi on Cisco's 70+ acquisition playbook and the AI buildout
a16z · x · 2026-11-12
a16z released a podcast with Hanabi Capital GP Mike Volpi, former Cisco exec, joined by Raghu Raghuram and Guido Appenzeller.
Key points:
- Volpi's Cisco team did 70+ acquisitions that came to generate about half the company's revenue; he sees AI driving a new infrastructure boom even more compelling than the internet buildout
- His core thesis: the infrastructure being built will remain useful even if its owners change
- Topics span financing the buildout, why older GPUs are holding value, Cisco's M&A playbook and advice for Nvidia, making acquisitions integrate, and when founders should sell
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