Nvidia's $68 Billion Quarter, the $109 Million AI Lobbying War, and the Fintech Infrastructure Company You've Never Heard Of
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Show Notes
Four Insights — Episode 004 | Show Notes
Episode Title: Nvidia's $68 Billion Quarter, the AI Lobbying War, and the Fintech Infrastructure Company You've Never Heard Of
Host: Matt Parker — Founder & CEO, ModernTax | 3x Founder
Date: February 28, 2026
Runtime: ~15 minutes
[0:00] Introduction & Show Overview Matt introduces the show, his background as a three-time founder and CEO of ModernTax, and previews the three segments: Nvidia earnings, AI policy and lobbying, and a deep dive on Column.
[1:30] Segment 1 — Nvidia's $68 Billion Quarter & China Chip Standoff Nvidia posted $68.1B in Q4 revenue, up 73% YoY. They received a US license to export H200 chips to China, but the CFO confirmed zero chips have been sold. CoreWeave's $67B in backlogged bookings signals a supply chain bottleneck. Square's 4,000 layoffs and 24% stock jump illustrate AI's displacement of knowledge work. Matt discusses the shift from "is AI real" to "who controls the supply chain" and connects it to infrastructure geopolitics.
[7:30] Advisory CTA Matt invites listeners and readers who are building or allocating in AI infrastructure to compare notes on supply chain risk. Reply with "NVIDIA" or email [email protected].
[8:00] Segment 2 — The $109 Million AI Lobbying War Tech and AI companies spent $109M on lobbying in 2025—a record. Meta led at $26M+, Nvidia increased 7x to $4.9M. The $100M Leading the Future super PAC (a16z, Greg Brockman, Ron Conway, Joe Lonsdale, Perplexity) is targeting 2026 midterm candidates. David Sacks serves as White House AI czar. Matt connects this to his public policy background and recommends The Wolves of K Street. He argues that regulatory frameworks are competitive moats in regulated industries.
[11:00] Premium CTA Matt previews an upcoming premium breakdown on AI regulatory frameworks, key players, and implications for founders and investors. Reply with "PREMIUM" for early access.
[11:30] Segment 3 — Column: The Most Important Fintech Company You've Never Heard Of Alex Conrad at Upstarts Media profiled Column—William Hockey's (Plaid co-founder) fintech infrastructure company. Key numbers: $200M revenue, $100M free cash flow, 110 employees, zero VC, ~$6B estimated valuation. Powers Bilt, Brex, Ramp, Mercury, Wise, and Plaid. Controls ~40% of Bay Area tech money movement. Matt discusses Hockey's second act, the personal details revealed in the profile, and how Column fits into the broader fintech infrastructure thesis and the "financial Cold War" between the US and China.
[14:30] Close Sponsorship mention and sign-off. Matt invites operators, engineers, and companies building in AI infrastructure, fintech, or developer tools to connect at [email protected].
* Email: [email protected]
* LinkedIn: Matt Parker
* X: @mattaparker
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