This is one of those times when Silicon Valley needs to step aside its rhetoric. In this case, Bill wasn't a mentor or a VC - he was a friend and confidant. And

This is one of those times when Silicon Valley needs to step aside its rhetoric. In this case, Bill wasn't a mentor or a VC - he was a friend and confidant. And Ben's pain isn't from losing a mentor or a business parent - it's from losing a friend. This isn't a conversation about valuations, board positions, or startup tactics. It's a conversation about the loss of a great man. My warmest wishes go out to the Horiwitz and the Campbell families.