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Following the announcement of a16z’s new fund, Andreessen Horowitz cofounder and general partner Ben Horowitz joined TBPN to discuss how Andreessen Horowitz has evolved its firm structure as technology becomes embedded across every sector of the economy. Ben reflects on which lessons from The Hard Thing About Hard Things still apply to founders, why entrepreneurship remains difficult at any scale, and how long-term partnerships shape decision-making inside the firm. He explains the move toward specialized, independent investment teams, how a16z evaluates new markets, and why AI represents a generational technology shift that changes how companies are built and how investors operate. The conversation also lessons from prior technology cycles and bubbles, the role of public policy in sustaining innovation ecosystems, and how founders can navigate modern media attention and public discourse while building durable, long-term companies. Resources: Follow Ben Horowitz on X: https://twitter.com/bhorowitz https://x.com/bhorowitz Follow John Coogan on X: https://twitter.com/johncoogan Follow Jordi Hays on X: https://twitter.com/jordihays Stay Updated: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends! Find a16z on X: https://x.com/a16z](https://x.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX Listen to the a16z Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://x.com/eriktorenberg](https://x.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see http://a16z.com/disclosures. STAY UPDATED: Find a16z on X https://x.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Show on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX?si=3E8B3qT9TyiwAHJ7JnaKbg Listen to the a16z Show on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
In this feed drop from , Jack Altman sits down with a16z co-founder Ben Horowitz to unpack the founding bet behind Andreessen Horowitz. VC should be a better product for entrepreneurs, built on real operating experience, real networks, and real support. Ben shares how he and Marc Andreessen have worked together for 30 years, how they make decisions, and what it takes to scale a venture firm without losing the edge that actually helps founders. They also dig into why boards matter, how platform teams can change what partners do day-to-day, and the difference between “heat-seeking” investing and conviction-driven company building, especially in sectors like AI and crypto. Timecodes: 00:00 Introduction 01:05 Ben Horowitz & Marc Andreessen’s Partnership 04:05 Building & Leading a16z 07:16 Managing High-Powered VCs 11:01 Boards, Governance & Founder Support 15:36 Platform Services & Recruiting 17:43 Scale vs. Concentration in Venture 20:57 Why Venture Can Scale 24:27 Platform Services: What Works and What Doesn’t 27:50 The Real Value of Board Membership 35:38 Media, Brand & Marketing Evolution 41:32 The Future of Media & Journalism 45:30 Limits on Venture Firm Size 49:13 Winning vs. Picking Deals 53:16 The Case Against Venture Scale 55:49 Hiring Operators & Rethinking the VC Product Resources: Follow Ben on X: https://twitter.com/bhorowitz Follow Jack on X: https://twitter.com/jaltma https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbGFmbVZMMHdSZVN3TURCSzNtV0ZJRnhwRXJLd3xBQ3Jtc0trVXI4U2UyZWVYTVkxX2gwU1pvRjFGQ05qNXVCTlkzVVBOUy1hQThTTXE3QWZZUjE4MVMtZDY4N0dOTkVOSXBiSFdlRllGZXFXZzFfTXRJNzcyRzhOLTN6end6ckRSMVljSERuTGFJSDliWDNwVFZCYw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fx.com%2Fjaltma&v=_OHeOZiij_M Watch more from Uncapped: https://www.altcap.com/ https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbHh0SUp6SWxWUUgtYVF6eFlsQ25FZFV1WDBSUXxBQ3Jtc0tsVlhVZWRXNERHZm8tNnNtQ0xHNjA4WDRpb1ROMVc1VlBlellyWVJvOTB2UG5wZktfTkJ5aFhOck42V3cwQk5rWGNQTThOMlg0T19MekZmM2RoTWdoRnVnT3YxOGlmSzB1R1JFUllBQ3plLU9LNjRSdw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.altcap.com%2F&v=_OHeOZiij_M Stay Updated: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends! Find a16z on X: https://twitter.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX Listen to the a16z Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. STAY UPDATED: Find a16z on X https://x.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Show on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX?si=3E8B3qT9TyiwAHJ7JnaKbg Listen to the a16z Show on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
In 2025, we saw the first glimpses of true AI agents. In 2026, every company will be rushing to get them into production, and they’ll need companies like Keycard to manage fleets of agents. In this conversation, a16z Partner Joel de la Garza sits down with Keycard Cofounder and CEO Ian Livingstone to discuss the continuum from copilots to agents, the security realities of tool-calling, why enterprises will adopt before consumers, and how to control your agents. Follow Joel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/3448827723723234/ Follow Ian on X: https://x.com/ianlivingstone Follow Keycard on X: https://x.com/keycardlabs Learn more about Keycard: https://www.keycard.sh/ STAY UPDATED: Find a16z on X https://x.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Show on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX?si=3E8B3qT9TyiwAHJ7JnaKbg Listen to the a16z Show on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
a16z co-founder and General Partner Marc Andreessen joins an AMA-style conversation to explain why AI is the largest technology shift he has experienced, how the cost of intelligence is collapsing, and why the market still feels early despite rapid adoption. The discussion covers how falling model costs and fast capability gains are reshaping pricing, distribution, and competition across the AI stack, why usage-based and value-based pricing are becoming standard, and how startups and incumbents are navigating big versus small models and open versus closed systems. Marc also addresses China’s progress, regulatory fragmentation, lessons from Europe, and why venture portfolios are designed to back multiple, conflicting outcomes at once. Resources: Follow Marc Andreessen on X: https://twitter.com/pmarca https://x.com/pmarca?lang=en Follow Jen Kha on X: https://twitter.com/jkhamehl https://x.com/jkhamehl Stay Updated: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends! Find a16z on X :https://twitter.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX Listen to the a16z Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg https://x.com/eriktorenberg](https://x.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. STAY UPDATED: Find a16z on X https://x.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Show on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX?si=3E8B3qT9TyiwAHJ7JnaKbg Listen to the a16z Show on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Dylan Field is the co-founder and CEO of Figma, a design software company that went public in July 2025. Founded in 2012, Figma transformed how people design, prototype, and build products together. After a $20 billion acquisition attempt by Adobe collapsed in 2022 because of regulators, Dylan helped Figma rebound stronger than ever. Just three years later, Figma listed its shares at nearly $20 billion and its stock price more than tripled on its first trading day. A few highlights: Expanding a sleepy market Merging of designers and product roles Counter-narrative to polarizing CEOs If models get better, we have to Remembering Brat Summer Resources: More on Dylan: https://www.figma.com/ https://X.com/zoink More on Jack: https://www.altcap.com/ https://x.com/jaltma https://linktr.ee/uncappedpod Email: friends@uncappedpod.com Stay Updated: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends! Find a16z on X: https://twitter.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX Listen to the a16z Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures http://a16z.com/disclosures. STAY UPDATED: Find a16z on X https://x.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Show on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX?si=3E8B3qT9TyiwAHJ7JnaKbg Listen to the a16z Show on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Originally published in June 2023, this conversation features a16z cofounder Marc Andreessen following the release of his nearly 7,000-word essay arguing that AI does not threaten our humanity. In a wide-ranging discussion with a16z General Partner Martin Casado, Andreessen expands on why he believes AI can dramatically amplify human potential, why its future should be shaped by open markets rather than regulation, and why fears of existential catastrophe are misplaced. Rather than destroying the world, he argues, AI may help save it. Read “Why AI Will Save the World”: https://a16z.com/2023/06/06/ai-will-save-the-world/ Resources: Follow Martin on X: https://x.com/martin_casado Follow Marc on X: https://x.com/pmarca Stay Updated: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends! Find a16z on X: https://twitter.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX Listen to the a16z Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. STAY UPDATED: Find a16z on X https://x.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Show on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX?si=3E8B3qT9TyiwAHJ7JnaKbg Listen to the a16z Show on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
In this exclusive conversation from a16z’s Bio and Health BUILD Summit, founding partner Ben Horowitz sits down with general partner Jorge Conde. Originally released in August 2023, the episode covers everything from the inspiration behind Ben’s book The Hard Thing About Hard Things and how the open internet was secured, to the difference between wartime and peacetime CEOs, what it really means to scale culture, and how bio and healthcare innovation differs from other forms of technology. Ben’s Book: https://www.amazon.com/Hard-Thing-About-Things-Building/dp/0062273205 Resources: Follow Ben on Twitter: https://x.com/bhorowitz Follow Jorge on Twitter: https://x.com/jorgecondebio Stay Updated: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends! Find a16z on X: https://twitter.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX Listen to the a16z Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. STAY UPDATED: Find a16z on X https://x.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Show on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX?si=3E8B3qT9TyiwAHJ7JnaKbg Listen to the a16z Show on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Originally aired in October 2023, this episode centers on Marc Andreessen’s essay The Techno-Optimist Manifesto, which lays out his vision for the future of technology. The piece sparked widespread discussion across traditional and social media by challenging the prevailing pessimistic narrative around technology and arguing instead that it can be a force for growth, progress, and abundance. In this one-on-one conversation, based on listener questions from X (formerly Twitter), a16z cofounder Ben Horowitz and Marc discuss how technological advances can improve quality of life, support marginalized communities, and shape how we think about humanity’s long-term future. Read the full manifesto: https://a16z.com/the-techno-optimist-manifesto/ Resources: Follow Marc Andreessen on X: https://x.com/pmarca Follow Ben Horowitz on X: https://x.com/bhorowitz Stay Updated: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends! Find a16z on X: https://twitter.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX Listen to the a16z Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. STAY UPDATED: Find a16z on X https://x.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Show on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX?si=3E8B3qT9TyiwAHJ7JnaKbg Listen to the a16z Show on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
This episode is a special replay from , featuring a conversation with a16z General Partner Martin Casado. Martin has lived through multiple tech waves as a founder, researcher, and investor, and in this discussion he shares how he thinks about the AI boom, why he believes we’re still early in the cycle, and how a market-first lens shapes his approach to investing. They also dig into the mechanics behind the scenes: why AI coding could become a multi-trillion-dollar market, how a16z evolved from a small generalist firm into a specialized organization, the growing role of open-source models, and why Martin believes AGI debates often obscure more meaningful questions about how technology actually creates value. Resources: Follow Mario Gabriele X: https://x.com/mariogabriele https://www.generalist.com/ Follow Martin Casado: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martincasado/ X: https://x.com/martin_casado The Generalist Substack: https://www.generalist.com/ The Generalist on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheGeneralistPodcast Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6mHuHe0Tj6XVxpgaw4WsJV Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-generalist/id1805868710 Stay Updated: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends! Find a16z on X: https://x.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX Listen to the a16z Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures http://a16z.com/disclosures](http://a16z.com/disclosures STAY UPDATED: Find a16z on X https://x.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Show on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX?si=3E8B3qT9TyiwAHJ7JnaKbg Listen to the a16z Show on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
As 2025 comes to a close, consumer AI is entering a new phase. A small number of products now dominate everyday use, multimodal models have unlocked entirely new creative workflows, and the big labs have pushed aggressively into consumer experiences. At the same time, it is becoming clearer which ideas actually changed user behavior and which ones did not. In this episode, a16z consumer investors Anish Acharya, Olivia Moore, Justine Moore, and Bryan Kim look back at the biggest product and model shifts of 2025 and then look ahead to what 2026 may bring. They discuss why consumer AI appears to be trending toward winner-take-most, how subtle product design choices can matter more than raw model quality, and why templates, multimodality, and distribution are shaping the next wave of consumer products. Where do startups still have room to win? How will the role of the big labs continue to change? And what will it actually take for consumer AI apps to break out at scale in 2026? Resources: Follow Anish: https://x.com/illscience Follow Olivia: https://x.com/omooretweets Follow Justine: https://x.com/venturetwins Follow Bryan: https://x.com/kirbyman01 Stay Updated: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends! Find a16z on X: https://x.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX?si=70ca2d87cf9342d9 Listen to the a16z Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://x.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. STAY UPDATED: Find a16z on X https://x.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Show on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX?si=3E8B3qT9TyiwAHJ7JnaKbg Listen to the a16z Show on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
New infrastructure primitives are creating entirely new rails for building. In this episode of Big Ideas 2026, we explore three foundational shifts that unlock new markets and workflows, not through incremental upgrades, but through primitives that compound over time. First, programmable money evolves beyond stablecoins into on-chain credit origination and synthetic financial products, offering lower operational costs and greater composability than traditional finance. Second, autonomy begins entering scientific research through collaborative labs, where AI reasoning models work alongside automation and robotics, and interpretability becomes essential for progress. Third, distribution itself becomes a primitive, as AI-native startups win early by selling to other startups at formation, then scale alongside the next generation of companies. You will hear from Guy Willette on the next phase of on-chain finance, Oliver Shu on autonomous labs and AI-assisted discovery, and James da Costa on the greenfield go-to-market strategy. Together, these ideas define what new infrastructure primitives really mean: the rails that enable entirely new systems to emerge, compound, and scale. Resources: Read more all of our 2026 Big Ideas Part 1: https://a16z.com/newsletter/big-ideas-2026-part-1 Part 2: https://a16z.com/newsletter/big-ideas-2026-part-2/ Part 3: https://a16z.com/newsletter/big-ideas-2026-part-3/ Crypto Big Ideas: https://a16zcrypto.com/posts/article/big-ideas-things-excited-about-crypto-2026/ Stay Updated: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends! Find a16z on X: https://twitter.com/a16z https://x.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX Listen to the a16z Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://x.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. STAY UPDATED: Find a16z on X https://x.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Show on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX?si=3E8B3qT9TyiwAHJ7JnaKbg Listen to the a16z Show on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
AI is moving into the physical economy. In this episode of Big Ideas 2026, we explore what changes when AI leaves the screen and becomes part of factories, construction sites, supply chains, and critical infrastructure. When the product is physical, reliability matters, real-world constraints appear quickly, and the advantage shifts from standalone software to end-to-end systems. You will hear from Erin Price-Wright on factory-first principles, Ryan McEntush on the electro-industrial stack, Zabie Elmgren on physical observability, and Will Bitsky on why data, not compute, determines who wins. Together, these ideas define what physical AI really means: not smarter chat, but deployable systems built for the real world, grounded in new operating models, industrial infrastructure, and defensible data collection. Resources: Follow Ryan McEntush on X: https://x.com/rmcentush Follow Erin Price-Wright on X: https://x.com/espricewright Follow Zabie Elmgren on X: https://x.com/zabie_e Follow Will Bitsky on X: https://x.com/willbitsky Read more all of our 2026 Big Ideas Part 1: https://a16z.com/newsletter/big-ideas-2026-part-1 Part 2: https://a16z.com/newsletter/big-ideas-2026-part-2/ Part 3: https://a16z.com/newsletter/big-ideas-2026-part-3/ Stay Updated: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends! Find a16z on X: https://twitter.com/a16z https://x.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX Listen to the a16z Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://x.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. STAY UPDATED: Find a16z on X https://x.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Show on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX?si=3E8B3qT9TyiwAHJ7JnaKbg Listen to the a16z Show on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Voice is becoming one of the fastest paths for AI to do real work, especially in regulated environments where accuracy and compliance matter. In this episode, we look at voice agents replacing and augmenting phone-based workflows, what trust and measurement look like when AI runs sensitive interactions, and how healthcare and consumer products shift toward continuous monitoring and deeper connection. The throughline is simple: as AI enters higher-stakes moments, the winners will be the systems people can trust and actually rely on. Resources: Follow Olivia Moore on X: https://x.com/omooretweets Follow Bryan Kim on X: https://x.com/kirbyman01 Follow Julie Yoo on X: https://x.com/julesyoo Read more all of our 2026 Big Ideas Part 1: https://a16z.com/newsletter/big-ideas-2026-part-1 Part 2: https://a16z.com/newsletter/big-ideas-2026-part-2/ Part 3: https://a16z.com/newsletter/big-ideas-2026-part-3/ Stay Updated: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends! Find a16z on X: https://twitter.com/a16z https://x.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX Listen to the a16z Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://x.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. STAY UPDATED: Find a16z on X https://x.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Show on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX?si=3E8B3qT9TyiwAHJ7JnaKbg Listen to the a16z Show on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
AI is becoming the orchestration layer inside the enterprise. In this episode of Big Ideas 2026, we explore the shift from isolated AI copilots to coordinated multi-agent systems that plan, analyze, and execute work across teams and tools. This is not a new feature, but a new way workflows run inside large organizations. You will hear from Seema Amble on context extraction and coordinated agent teams, Angela Strange on why unified data and parallel workflows accelerate core replacement, Alex Immerman on multiplayer AI and execution boundaries, and David Haber on what makes these systems commercially defensible. Together, these perspectives define the enterprise orchestration layer: not a chatbot and not a standalone tool, but a coordinated system of agents that runs the workflow and delivers real outcomes across the business. Resources: Follow Angela Strange on X: https://x.com/astrange Follow David Haber on X: https://x.com/dhaber Follow Alex Immerman on X: https://x.com/aleximm Follow Seema Amble on X: https://x.com/seema_amble Read more all of our 2026 Big Ideas Part 1: https://a16z.com/newsletter/big-ideas-2026-part-1 Part 2: https://a16z.com/newsletter/big-ideas-2026-part-2/ Part 3: https://a16z.com/newsletter/big-ideas-2026-part-3/ Stay Updated: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends! Find a16z on X: https://twitter.com/a16z https://x.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX Listen to the a16z Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://x.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. STAY UPDATED: Find a16z on X https://x.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Show on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX?si=3E8B3qT9TyiwAHJ7JnaKbg Listen to the a16z Show on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
AI is moving from chat to action. In this episode of Big Ideas 2026, we unpack three shifts shaping what comes next for AI products. The change is not just smarter models, but software itself taking on a new form. You will hear from Marc Andrusko on the move from prompting to execution, Stephanie Zhang on building machine-legible systems, and Sarah Wang on agent layers that turn intent into outcomes. Together, these ideas tell a single story. Interfaces shift from chat to action, design shifts from human-first to agent-readable, and work shifts to agentic execution. AI stops being something you ask, and becomes something that does. Resources: Follow Marc Andrusko on X: https://x.com/mandrusko1 Follow Stephanie Zhang on X: https://x.com/steph_zhang Follow Sarah Wang on X: https://x.com/sarahdingwang https://x.com/sarahdingwang?lang=en Read more all of our 2026 Big Ideas Part 1: https://a16z.com/newsletter/big-ideas-2026-part-1 Part 2: https://a16z.com/newsletter/big-ideas-2026-part-2/ Part 3: https://a16z.com/newsletter/big-ideas-2026-part-3/ Stay Updated: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends! Find a16z on X: https://twitter.com/a16z https://x.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX Listen to the a16z Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://x.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see http://a16z.com/disclosures. STAY UPDATED: Find a16z on X https://x.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Show on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX?si=3E8B3qT9TyiwAHJ7JnaKbg Listen to the a16z Show on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Fintech went from a full-blown surge to a near standstill in just two years. At its peak, about 25 percent of all venture dollars were pouring into the category. By late 2022, that number had collapsed to almost zero. In this conversation, a16z General Partner David Haber and Plaid cofounder and CEO Zach Perret unpack what actually happened during that cycle and why the market is heating up again. We explore how the industry moved from the explosive growth of 2020 and 2021 into a deep freeze, and why we are now seeing real momentum return. We also dig into the forces reshaping fintech today: AI’s outsized impact on fraud and underwriting, incumbents finally embracing external software, the renewed importance of deposits, and the rise of embedded finance across entirely new categories. Zach shares how Plaid has navigated these shifts, what the company is building now, and how he sees the next phase of fintech taking shape. Resources: Find Zach on X: https://x.com/zachperret Find David on X: https://x.com/dhaber Stay Updated: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends! Find a16z on X: https://twitter.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX Listen to the a16z Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see http://a16z.com/disclosures http://a16z.com/disclosures](http://a16z.com/disclosures . STAY UPDATED: Find a16z on X https://x.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Show on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX?si=3E8B3qT9TyiwAHJ7JnaKbg Listen to the a16z Show on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
In this episode, we’re sharing a conversation with David George, General Partner at a16z on the firm’s growth investing team. David has been involved in backing many of the defining companies of this era and is now investing behind a new wave of AI startups. This discussion goes deep into how the a16z growth practice operates: how the team hires and develops a “Yankees-level” culture, how investment decisions get made without traditional committees, and how they build long-term relationships with founders years before investing. A major focus is AI. David talks through how the team is investing across the stack and why he believes this period could create some of the largest companies ever built. He also walks through the models that guide his thinking: why markets often misprice consistent growth, what makes “pull” businesses so durable, why many important markets become winner-take-all, and what he’s learned from studying exceptional founders — especially the “technical terminators” he’s drawn to. Resources: Follow Harry Stebbings on X: https://twitter.com/HarryStebbings Follow David George on X: https://twitter.com/DavidGeorge83 Stay Updated: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends! Find a16z on X: https://twitter.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX Listen to the a16z Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures](http://a16z.com/disclosures http://a16z.com/disclosures](http://a16z.com/disclosures. STAY UPDATED: Find a16z on X https://x.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Show on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX?si=3E8B3qT9TyiwAHJ7JnaKbg Listen to the a16z Show on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
What if America tried to eliminate crime instead of just reacting to it? Not with slogans, but with staffing, technology, and strategy scaled to the problem. In this episode, Erik Torenberg speaks with Garrett Langley, founder and CEO of Flock Safety, and Ben Horowitz, cofounder of a16z, about what is happening in the cities that are trying. Flock now works with over 5,000 communities to detect crime, recover missing children, and close cases faster than ever. Ben has been closely involved in Las Vegas, where Flock technology, drones, and community policing have raised clearance rates while reducing use of force. They outline what a real national crime-reduction strategy could look like: solving the police staffing crisis, using intelligence to make policing safer, understanding why clearance rates have collapsed, and how public–private partnerships are filling gaps cities cannot. They also tackle the hard questions around privacy, criminal justice failures, and the hidden role of organized crime in everyday offenses. TIMECODES: 0:00 — Introduction and the Cost of Crime 1:09 — Technology, Privacy, and Trust in Policing 1:22 — Eliminating Crime: A National Strategy 2:54 — People: Staffing, Culture, and Recruitment 8:45 — Products: Technology in Modern Policing 9:41 — Policy: Accountability and Prosecution 20:11 — Community Policing and Clearance Rates 25:16 — Case Study: Las Vegas and Public-Private Partnerships 32:00 — Criticisms, Privacy, and Trust 35:23 — Economic Mobility, Safety, and Social Impact 36:44 — Reform, Recidivism, and Alternative Approaches 52:14 — Organized Crime and Policy Challenges 54:32 — The Future of Policing: Intelligence and Precision 57:24 — Success Stories and Conclusion RESOURCES: Follow Garrett on X: https://twitter.com/glangley Follow Ben on X: https://twitter.com/bhorowitz STAY UPDATED: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends! Find a16z on X: https://twitter.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX Listen to the a16z Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://x.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details, please see a16z.com/disclosures. STAY UPDATED: Find a16z on X https://x.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Show on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX?si=3E8B3qT9TyiwAHJ7JnaKbg Listen to the a16z Show on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Ryo Lu spent years watching his designs die in meetings. Then he discovered the tool that lets designers ship code at the speed of thought: Cursor, the company where Ryo is now Head of Design. In this episode, a16z General Partner Jennifer Li sits down with Ryo to discuss why "taste" is the wrong framework for understanding the future, why purposeful apps are "selfish," how System 7 holds secrets about AI interfaces, and the radical bet that one codebase can serve everyone if you design the concepts right instead of the buttons. Timecodes: 00:01:45 - Design Becomes Approachable to Everyone 00:02:36 - From Years to Minutes: Product Feedback Loops Collapse 00:07:54 - "Each role used their own tool...their own lingo" 00:13:15 - "If you don't have an opinion, you’ll get AI slop" 00:17:18 - The Lost Art of Being a Complete Builder 00:21:42 - Design Is Not About Aesthetics 00:28:57 - User-Centric vs System-Centric Philosophy 00:34:00 - AI as Universal Interface, Not Chat Box 00:38:42 - "Simplicity is the Biggest Constraint" 00:43:42 - "I Don't Sit in Figma All Day Making Mocks" 00:46:33 - RyoOS: Building A Personal Operating System 00:48:45 - "We've been doing the same thing since 1984" Resources: Follow Ryo Lu on X: https://x.com/ryolu_ https://x.com/ryolu_ Follow Jennifer Li on X: https://x.com/JenniferHli https://x.com/JenniferHli Follow Erik Torenberg on X: https://x.com/eriktorenberg https://x.com/eriktorenberg Stay Updated: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends! Find a16z on X: https://x.com/a16z https://x.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX Listen to the a16z Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://x.com/eriktorenberg https://x.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures http://a16z.com/disclosures. STAY UPDATED: Find a16z on X https://x.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Show on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX?si=3E8B3qT9TyiwAHJ7JnaKbg Listen to the a16z Show on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
AI models feel smarter than their real-world impact. They ace benchmarks, yet still struggle with reliability, strange bugs, and shallow generalization. Why is there such a gap between what they can do on paper and in practice In this episode from The Dwarkesh Podcast, Dwarkesh talks with Ilya Sutskever, cofounder of SSI and former OpenAI chief scientist, about what is actually blocking progress toward AGI. They explore why RL and pretraining scale so differently, why models outperform on evals but underperform in real use, and why human style generalization remains far ahead. Ilya also discusses value functions, emotions as a built-in reward system, the limits of pretraining, continual learning, superintelligence, and what an AI driven economy could look like. Resources: Transcript: https://www.dwarkesh.com/p/ilya-sutsk... https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbmV4blBwREpGRl82dl9Pb1ZlU0lmNHM2dk9JZ3xBQ3Jtc0tuQUx6dVo3NkxBdndUaDNJRDQ2Ukc2ZnVsaENLbGxFU2pDLVlWYWNWWE1tWl9fd1dBbzI0TTJqY0J0cm1hUWpHbWRGcmxRUFlyaDY3bktTOVhnUGlIRHNxXzIyRVFyUnZrYnZtVGJXb3JQbUJ4eTlCdw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dwarkesh.com%2Fp%2Filya-sutskever-2&v=aR20FWCCjAs Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbEE3c0dVbGpxYzdpR3I2NmlveTQ4OXd2VUwzd3xBQ3Jtc0tsdlZJZGozcFZtek91NmlRdnY0eW45b1VOb0ZYbEhJaGc0RG1DSUdsRWV5SkRtclNsaWpacWxRVUZjUjAwdjU1RVBLaWtNM3h0LVM1WEtYZmh1RTdNb3VDZ0pPLThkc2ZBUTNQY21BeElTUHgyODU2WQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fus%2Fpodcast%2Fdwarkesh-podcast%2Fid1516093381%3Fi%3D1000738363711&v=aR20FWCCjAs Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7naO... https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqa0plM195aVRBNU9DT1NaOVg0UGZEUWRRYnQ1d3xBQ3Jtc0tsTHpWSDJaWUpSak9PNlpSZWh1WE91cGw1TC1HR040R2xuZG1MVUE4bHN4aE05NHd5WS1CRWU2NEc4amdOMEpYZEtibGJ3NElGSlA5S05ydy1JcWpLV1drdjByZ0xOeXlDSEd5OU1YRzNhNDdRQW5SZw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fopen.spotify.com%2Fepisode%2F7naOOba8SwiUNobGz8mQEL%3Fsi%3D39dd68f346ea4d49&v=aR20FWCCjAs Stay Updated: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends! Find a16z on X: https://x.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX Listen to the a16z Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://x.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures](http://a16z.com/disclosures http://a16z.com/disclosures](http://a16z.com/disclosures. STAY UPDATED: Find a16z on X https://x.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Show on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX?si=3E8B3qT9TyiwAHJ7JnaKbg Listen to the a16z Show on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
AI is reshaping the tech landscape, but a big question remains: is this just another platform shift, or something closer to electricity or computing in scale and impact? Some industries may be transformed. Others may barely feel it. Tech giants are racing to reorient their strategies, yet most people still struggle to find an everyday use case. That tension tells us something important about where we actually are. In this episode, technology analyst and former a16z partner Benedict Evans joins General Partner Erik Torenberg to break down what is real, what is hype, and how much history can guide us. They explore bottlenecks in compute, the surprising products that still do not exist, and how companies like Google, Meta, Apple, Amazon, and OpenAI are positioning themselves. Finally, they look ahead at what would need to happen for AI to one day be considered even more transformative than the internet. Resources: Follow Benedict on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benedictevans/ Stay Updated: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends! Find a16z on X: https://x.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX Listen to the a16z Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://x.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see http://a16z.com/disclosures. STAY UPDATED: Find a16z on X https://x.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Show on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX?si=3E8B3qT9TyiwAHJ7JnaKbg Listen to the a16z Show on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
This episode is a special replay of David George’s conversation with Harry Stebbings on 20VC. David is a General Partner on a16z’s growth team, and in this discussion he breaks down how he thinks about breakout growth investing: why great business models are now table stakes, where real edge comes from non-consensus views on TAM, and how to underwrite upside in a world of higher prices and increasing competition. They also dig into the mechanics behind the scenes: unit economics at growth, “pull vs push” products, winner-take-most market structures, and how David decides when to double or triple down on a company. Along the way, they touch on SPACs, the rise of crossover funds, single-trigger decision making, and how David manages fear, pressure, and performance over the long arc of an investing career. Resources: Learn more about 20VC: https://www.thetwentyminutevc.com/ Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@20VC Follow Harry on X: https://x.com/HarryStebbings Follow David on X: https://x.com/DavidGeorge83 Stay Updated: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends! Find a16z on X: https://x.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX Listen to the a16z Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://x.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures](http://a16z.com/disclosures http://a16z.com/disclosures](http://a16z.com/disclosures. STAY UPDATED: Find a16z on X https://x.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Show on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX?si=3E8B3qT9TyiwAHJ7JnaKbg Listen to the a16z Show on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Jonathan Swanson has built two rare successes: Thumbtack, the home-services marketplace, and Athena, the fast-growing platform that pairs ambitious people with world-class personal assistants. Today he runs a 4,000-person company, invests on the side, and raises four kids — all by designing his life around leverage. a16z General Partner, Erik Torenberg, sits down with Jonathan to unpack what that actually looks like. They discuss how elite assistant culture shaped his philosophy, why delegation is a skill most founders never truly learn, and how the combination of humans and AI is redefining personal productivity. Jonathan explains why he believes ambition grows with leverage, not the other way around, and breaks down how he delegates everything from scheduling to search processes to entire life systems. They also get into the future of work, the rise of machine-generated delegation, the expanding role of chiefs of staff, and how founders can design their time around the few things that matter most. It’s a conversation about work, life, and the systems that allow people to operate at scale. Resources: Follow Jonathan on X: https://x.com/swaaanson Follow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg Stay Updated: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends! Find a16z on X: https://twitter.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX](https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX Listen to the a16z Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see http://a16z.com/disclosures http://a16z.com/disclosures](http://a16z.com/disclosures) . STAY UPDATED: Find a16z on X https://x.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Show on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX?si=3E8B3qT9TyiwAHJ7JnaKbg Listen to the a16z Show on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
AI coding is already actively changing how software gets built. a16z Infra Partners Yoko Li and Guido Appenzeller break down how "agents with environments" are changing the dev loop; why repos and PRs may need new abstractions; and where ROI is showing up first. We also cover token economics for engineering teams, the emerging agent toolbox, and founder opportunities when you treat agents as users, not just tools. Resources: Follow Yoko on X: https://x.com/stuffyokodraws Follow Guido on X: https://x.com/appenz Stay Updated: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends! Find a16z on X: https://x.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX Listen to the a16z Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://x.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see http://a16z.com/disclosures STAY UPDATED: Find a16z on X https://x.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Show on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX?si=3E8B3qT9TyiwAHJ7JnaKbg Listen to the a16z Show on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Naveen Rao is cofounder and CEO of Unconventional AI, an AI chip startup building analog computing systems designed specifically for intelligence. Previously, Naveen led AI at Databricks and founded two successful companies: Mosaic (cloud computing) and Nervana (AI accelerators, acquired by Intel). In this episode, a16z’s Matt Bornstein sits down with Naveen at NeurIPS to discuss why 80 years of digital computing may be the wrong substrate for AI, how the brain runs on 20 watts while data centers consume 4% of the US energy grid, the physics of causality and what it might mean for AGI, and why now is the moment to take this unconventional bet. Stay Updated: If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends. Follow Naveen on X: https://x.com/NaveenGRao Follow Matt on X: https://x.com/BornsteinMatt Follow a16z on X: https://twitter.com/a16z Follow a16z on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Follow the a16z Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX Follow the a16z Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details, please see http://a16z.com/disclosures. STAY UPDATED: Find a16z on X https://x.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Show on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX?si=3E8B3qT9TyiwAHJ7JnaKbg Listen to the a16z Show on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Fei-Fei Li is a Stanford professor, co-director of Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, and co-founder of World Labs. She created ImageNet, the dataset that sparked the deep learning revolution. Justin Johnson is her former PhD student, ex-professor at Michigan, ex-Meta researcher, and now co-founder of World Labs. Together, they just launched Marble—the first model that generates explorable 3D worlds from text or images. In this episode Fei-Fei and Justin explore why spatial intelligence is fundamentally different from language, what's missing from current world models (hint: physics), and the architectural insight that transformers are actually set models, not sequence models. Resources: Follow Fei-Fei on X: https://x.com/drfeifei Follow Justin on X: https://x.com/jcjohnss Follow Shawn on X: https://x.com/swyx Follow Alessio on X: https://x.com/fanahova Stay Updated: If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends. Follow a16z on X: https://x.com/a16z Follow a16z on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Follow the a16z Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX Follow the a16z Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details, please see http://a16z.com/disclosures. STAY UPDATED: Find a16z on X https://x.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Podcast on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX?si=3E8B3qT9TyiwAHJ7JnaKbg Listen to the a16z Podcast on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Recently, a16z General Partner Anish Acharya joined Ollie Forsyth on NEW ECONOMIES. They talked about why consumer tech is surging again, how AI is enabling 100M-user products at unprecedented speed, and what founders need to understand heading into 2026 — from distribution shifts to founder mindset to the mechanics behind the fastest product cycle in tech history. Resources: Follow Ollie: https://x.com/ollieforsyth Follow Anish: https://x.com/illscience Stay Updated: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends! Find a16z on X: https://x.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX Listen to the a16z Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://x.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see http://a16z.com/disclosures. STAY UPDATED: Find a16z on X https://x.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Podcast on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX?si=3E8B3qT9TyiwAHJ7JnaKbg Listen to the a16z Podcast on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
a16z General Partners David Haber, Alex Rampell, and Erik Torenberg discuss why 19 out of 20 AI startups building the same thing will die - and why the survivor might charge $20,000 for what used to cost $20. They expose the "janitorial services paradox" (why the most boring software is most defensible), explain why OpenAI won't compete with your orthodontic clinic software despite having 800 million weekly users, and reveal how non-lawyers are building the most successful legal AI companies. Plus: the brutal truth about why momentum isn't a moat, but without it, you're already dead. Resources: Follow David on X: https://x.com/dhaber Follow Alex on X: https://x.com/arampell Follow Erik on X: https://x.com/eriktorenberg Stay Updated: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends! Find a16z on X: https://x.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX Listen to the a16z Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://x.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see http://a16z.com/disclosures. STAY UPDATED: Find a16z on X https://x.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Podcast on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX?si=3E8B3qT9TyiwAHJ7JnaKbg Listen to the a16z Podcast on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
A16Z co-founder Ben Horowitz joins Shaan Puri and Sam Parr on My First Million to talk about how to be a great leader. Resources: Follow Ben on X: https://x.com/bhorowitz Follow Shaan on X: https://x.com/ShaanVP Follow Sam on X: https://x.com/thesamparr Stay Updated: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends! Find a16z on X: https://x.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX Listen to the a16z Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://x.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see http://a16z.com/disclosures. STAY UPDATED: Find a16z on X https://x.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Podcast on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX?si=3E8B3qT9TyiwAHJ7JnaKbg Listen to the a16z Podcast on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Russ Fradin sold his first company for $300M. He’s back in the arena with Larridin, helping companies measure just how successful their AI actually is. In this episode, Russ sits down with a16z General Partner Alex Rampell to reveal why the measurement infrastructure that unlocked internet advertising's trillion-dollar boom is exactly what's missing from AI, why your most productive employees are hiding their AI usage from management, and the uncomfortable truth that companies desperately buying AI tools have no idea whether anyone's actually using them. The same playbook that built comScore into a billion-dollar measurement empire now determines which AI companies survive the coming shakeout. Timecodes: 0:00 — Introduction 2:15 — Early Career, Ad Tech, and Web 1.0 3:09 — Attribution Problems in Ad Tech & AI 4:30 — Building Measurement Infrastructure 6:49 — Software Eating Labor: Productivity Shifts 8:51 — The Challenge of Measuring AI ROI 14:54 — The Productivity Baseline Problem 18:46 — Defining and Measuring Productivity 21:27 — Goodhart’s Law & the Pitfalls of Metrics 22:41 — The Harvey Example: Usage vs. Value 25:18 — Surveys vs. Behavioral Data 28:38 — Interdepartmental Responsiveness & Real-World Metrics 31:00 — Enterprise AI Adoption: What the Data Shows 33:59 — Employee Anxiety & Training Gaps 38:31 — The Nexus Product & Safe AI Usage 42:08 — The Future of Work: Job Loss or Job Creation? 44:40 — The Competitive Advantage of AI 53:45 — The Product Marketing Problem in AI 55:00 — The Importance of Specific Use Cases Resources: Follow Russ Fradin on X: https://x.com/rfradin Follow Alex Rampell on X: https://x.com/arampell Stay Updated: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends! Find a16z on X: https://x.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX Listen to the a16z Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://x.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see http://a16z.com/disclosures. STAY UPDATED: Find a16z on X https://x.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Podcast on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX?si=3E8B3qT9TyiwAHJ7JnaKbg Listen to the a16z Podcast on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
