William Hockey - Building the Operating System for the Dollar and Silicon Valley Heresy - [Invest Like the Best, EP.463]

William Hockey, founder of Column and co-founder of Plaid, discusses building Column without venture capital, his contrarian views on Silicon Valley, and the importance of understanding the global financial system. Hockey emphasizes the need for founders to take on significant personal risk and to focus on solving boring but valuable problems. He contrasts the consensus-driven culture of Silicon Valley with the creativity fostered by constraints in emerging markets, using Kinshasa as an example. Hockey also touches on the surprising strength and importance of the U.S. dollar in international trade and national security, even among countries with strained relationships. He advocates for maintaining U.S. dominance in financial services and leveraging AI to improve the user experience while combating fraud.