I talked to a fair share of late stage VCs and they like to think of themselves as “category king makers” - the term itself reflects the general sense of humbleness in the VC community. Besides the “venture predation” described in the paper “category king making” also entails cutting off potential competitors from funding. The theory is that once a Softbank or Sequoia have chosen their horse other VCs will be discouraged to invest in the same category as it “is taken”. And many times the VCs actually act behind the scenes and actively discourage their peers to seek an investment in a competitor of their “category king”. It truly is a disgusting game to watch once you have been close enough. VCs for better or worse are the essence of the tech ecosystem. Make the world a better place. my a* :)