With students learning in more places and different ways than we have ever seen, the pace of change in education is dizzying. Can this progress narrow learning gaps exacerbated by COVID-19 or will it fuel divides? How can we make the most of this once-in-a-generation opportunity?Join our panelists from Khan Academy, PrismsVR, and Minecraft Education as we discuss the classroom of the future, and how important technologies including AI, XR, and gaming should play a role in it. Topics Covered:00:00 – The classroom of 202304:30 – Data on the current classroom05:40– Developing the next gen of STEM talent08:00 –  AI in the classroom 13:10 – The role of gaming in the classroom16:00 – Misconceptions of technology in classroom17:51 – The ways teachers and students use AI21:15 - The future role of a teacher24:25 – Personalization and ownership in education27:11 – Getting hardware into the classroom29:54 - Misconceptions of teacher’s abilities and appetite for tech31:25 – Why implement these changes now?36:05 – Call to action for the classroom of 2050 Resources:Find Sal Khan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/salkhanacademyFind Romy Drucker on Twitter: https://twitter.com/romydruckerFind Allison Matthews on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allison-matthews-4050677/Find Anurupa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anurupa-ganguly-92790379/Learn more about Khan Academy: https://www.khanacademy.org/Learn more about The Walton Family Foundation: https://www.waltonfamilyfoundation.org/Learn more about Minecraft Education: https://education.minecraft.net/en-usLearn more about Prisms VR: https://www.prismsvr.com/Watch more panel discussions from The Aspen Ideas Festival 2023: https://www.aspenideas.org/ Stay Updated: Find a16z on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16zFind a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16zSubscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.simplecast.com/Follow our host: https://twitter.com/stephsmithioPlease 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.

With students learning in more places and different ways than we have ever seen, the pace of change in education is dizzying. Can this progress narrow learning gaps exacerbated by COVID-19 or will it fuel divides? How can we make the most of this once-in-a-generation opportunity?Join our panelists from Khan Academy, PrismsVR, and Minecraft Education as we discuss the classroom of the future, and how important technologies including AI, XR, and gaming should play a role in it. Topics Covered:00:00 – The classroom of 202304:30 – Data on the current classroom05:40– Developing the next gen of STEM talent08:00 –  AI in the classroom 13:10 – The role of gaming in the classroom16:00 – Misconceptions of technology in classroom17:51 – The ways teachers and students use AI21:15 - The future role of a teacher24:25 – Personalization and ownership in education27:11 – Getting hardware into the classroom29:54 - Misconceptions of teacher’s abilities and appetite for tech31:25 – Why implement these changes now?36:05 – Call to action for the classroom of 2050 Resources:<ul><li>Find Sal Khan on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/salkhanacademy?lang=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/salkhanacademy</a></li><li>Find Romy Drucker on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/romydrucker" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/romydrucker</a></li><li>Find Allison Matthews on LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/allison-matthews-4050677/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/in/allison-matthews-4050677/</a></li><li>Find Anurupa on LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/anurupa-ganguly-92790379/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/in/anurupa-ganguly-92790379/</a></li><li>Learn more about Khan Academy: <a href="https://www.khanacademy.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.khanacademy.org/</a></li><li>Learn more about The Walton Family Foundation: <a href="https://www.waltonfamilyfoundation.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.waltonfamilyfoundation.org/</a></li><li>Learn more about Minecraft Education: <a href="https://education.minecraft.net/en-us" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://education.minecraft.net/en-us</a></li><li>Learn more about Prisms VR: <a href="https://www.prismsvr.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.prismsvr.com/</a></li><li>Watch more panel discussions from The Aspen Ideas Festival 2023: <a href="https://www.aspenideas.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.aspenideas.org/</a></li></ul> Stay Updated: Find a16z on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/a16z" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/a16z</a>Find a16z on LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z</a>Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: <a href="https://a16z.simplecast.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://a16z.simplecast.com/</a>Follow our host: <a href="https://twitter.com/stephsmithio" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/stephsmithio</a>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 <a href="http://a16z.com/disclosures" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">a16z.com/disclosures</a>.

Classroom 2050: Unleashing AI, XR, Gaming

With software becoming more important than ever, hardware is following suit.As the world generates more data, unlocking the full potential of AI means a constant need for faster and more resilient hardware. But how much does this all really cost? In this final segment of our AI hardware series, we tackle that question head on. Be sure to check part 1 and 2, where we explore the emerging architectures and the momentous competition for AI hardware. Topics Covered:00:00 – The cost of compute02:20 – Is this sustainable?03:23 – The cost to train a model05:39 – Computation requirements09:05  – The relationship between compute, capital, and technology11:15 – GPT4 commenting on the technology with help from ElevenLabs Resources: Find Guido on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/appenz/Find Guido on Twitter: https://twitter.com/appenz Stay Updated: Find a16z on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16zFind a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16zSubscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.simplecast.com/Follow our host: https://twitter.com/stephsmithioPlease 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.

With software becoming more important than ever, hardware is following suit.As the world generates more data, unlocking the full potential of AI means a constant need for faster and more resilient hardware. But how much does this all really cost? In this final segment of our AI hardware series, we tackle that question head on. Be sure to check part 1 and 2, where we explore the emerging architectures and the momentous competition for AI hardware. Topics Covered:00:00 – The cost of compute02:20 – Is this sustainable?03:23 – The cost to train a model05:39 – Computation requirements09:05  – The relationship between compute, capital, and technology11:15 – GPT4 commenting on the technology with help from ElevenLabs Resources: <ul><li>Find Guido on LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/appenz/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/in/appenz/</a></li><li>Find Guido on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/appenz" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/appenz</a></li></ul> Stay Updated: Find a16z on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/a16z" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/a16z</a>Find a16z on LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z</a>Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: <a href="https://a16z.simplecast.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://a16z.simplecast.com/</a>Follow our host: <a href="https://twitter.com/stephsmithio" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/stephsmithio</a>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 <a href="http://a16z.com/disclosures" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">a16z.com/disclosures</a>.

The True Cost of Compute

With the world constantly generating more data, unlocking the full potential of AI means a constant need for faster and more resilient hardware.In this episode – the second in our three-part series – we explore the challenges for founders trying to build AI companies. We dive into the delta between supply and demand, whether to own or rent, where moats can be found, and even where open source comes into play.Look out for the rest of our series, where we dive into terminology and technology that is the backbone of the AI, how much the cost of compute truly costs! Topics Covered:00:00 – Supply and demand02:44 –  Competition for AI hardware04:32– Who gets access to the supply available06:16– How to select which hardware to use08:39– Cloud versus bringing infrastructure in house12:43– What role does open source play? 15:47– Cheaper and decentralized compute19:04– Rebuilding the stack20:29– Upcoming episodes on cost of compute Resources: Find Guido on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/appenz/Find Guido on Twitter: https://twitter.com/appenz Stay Updated: Find a16z on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16zFind a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16zSubscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.simplecast.com/Follow our host: https://twitter.com/stephsmithioPlease 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.

With the world constantly generating more data, unlocking the full potential of AI means a constant need for faster and more resilient hardware.In this episode – the second in our three-part series – we explore the challenges for founders trying to build AI companies. We dive into the delta between supply and demand, whether to own or rent, where moats can be found, and even where open source comes into play.Look out for the rest of our series, where we dive into terminology and technology that is the backbone of the AI, how much the cost of compute truly costs! Topics Covered:00:00 – Supply and demand02:44 –  Competition for AI hardware04:32– Who gets access to the supply available06:16– How to select which hardware to use08:39– Cloud versus bringing infrastructure in house12:43– What role does open source play? 15:47– Cheaper and decentralized compute19:04– Rebuilding the stack20:29– Upcoming episodes on cost of compute Resources: <ul><li>Find Guido on LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/appenz/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/in/appenz/</a></li><li>Find Guido on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/appenz" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/appenz</a></li></ul> Stay Updated: Find a16z on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/a16z" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/a16z</a>Find a16z on LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z</a>Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: <a href="https://a16z.simplecast.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://a16z.simplecast.com/</a>Follow our host: <a href="https://twitter.com/stephsmithio" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/stephsmithio</a>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 <a href="http://a16z.com/disclosures" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">a16z.com/disclosures</a>.

Chasing Silicon: The Race for GPUs

In 2011, Marc Andreessen said, “software is eating the world.” And in the last year, we’ve seen a new wave of generative AI, with some apps becoming some of the most swiftly adopted software products of all time.So if software is becoming more important than ever, hardware is following suit. In this episode – the first in our three-part series – we explore the terminology and technology that is now the backbone of the AI models taking the world by storm. We’ll explore what GPUs are, how they work, the key players like Nvidia competing for chip dominance, and also… whether Moore’s Law is dead?Look out for the rest of our series, where we dive even deeper; covering supply and demand mechanics, including why we can’t just “print” our way out of a shortage, how founders get access to inventory, whether they should own or rent, where open source plays a role, and of course… how much all of this truly costs! Topics Covered:00:00 – AI terminology and technology03:44 - Chips, semiconductors, servers, and compute04:48 - CPUs and GPUs06:07 - Future architecture and performance07:01 - The hardware ecosystem09:05 - Software optimizations12:23 - What do we expect for the future?14:35 - Upcoming episodes on market  and cost Resources: Find Guido on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/appenz/Find Guido on Twitter: https://twitter.com/appenz Stay Updated: Find a16z on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16zFind a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16zSubscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.simplecast.com/Follow our host: https://twitter.com/stephsmithioPlease 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.

In 2011, Marc Andreessen said, “software is eating the world.” And in the last year, we’ve seen a new wave of generative AI, with some apps becoming some of the most swiftly adopted software products of all time.So if software is becoming more important than ever, hardware is following suit. In this episode – the first in our three-part series – we explore the terminology and technology that is now the backbone of the AI models taking the world by storm. We’ll explore what GPUs are, how they work, the key players like Nvidia competing for chip dominance, and also… whether Moore’s Law is dead?Look out for the rest of our series, where we dive even deeper; covering supply and demand mechanics, including why we can’t just “print” our way out of a shortage, how founders get access to inventory, whether they should own or rent, where open source plays a role, and of course… how much all of this truly costs! Topics Covered:00:00 – AI terminology and technology03:44 - Chips, semiconductors, servers, and compute04:48 - CPUs and GPUs06:07 - Future architecture and performance07:01 - The hardware ecosystem09:05 - Software optimizations12:23 - What do we expect for the future?14:35 - Upcoming episodes on market  and cost Resources: <ul><li>Find Guido on LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/appenz/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/in/appenz/</a></li><li>Find Guido on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/appenz" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/appenz</a></li></ul> Stay Updated: Find a16z on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/a16z" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/a16z</a>Find a16z on LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z</a>Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: <a href="https://a16z.simplecast.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://a16z.simplecast.com/</a>Follow our host: <a href="https://twitter.com/stephsmithio" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/stephsmithio</a>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 <a href="http://a16z.com/disclosures" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">a16z.com/disclosures</a>.

AI Hardware, Explained

Despite the ease of product building, sustainable growth has become increasingly challenging as many traditional channels no longer deliver the same results.In these challenging times, we explore the remaining growth opportunities. How can we achieve a balance between efficiency, profitability, and growth? Which channels are still relevant and how can they be effectively mastered in 2023?Join us as we discuss these questions with three seasoned experts who have successfully navigated similar confusing times in the past: Gina Gotthilf, leading Latitud and renowned for her impressive tenure as the VP of Growth at Duolingo; Kieran Flanagan, a long-time SVP of Marketing at HubSpot; and Bryan Kim, Consumer Partner at a16z, who held various leadership roles during Snap's hypergrowth phase up to its IPO. Topics Covered:00:00 – What growth opportunities exist in 2023?03:00 – What still works in growth?05:02 – The fundamentals and framework of growth07:02 – Assessing growth potential and product lead growth09:33 – Distribution11:15 – Your moat and growth14:00 – Integrating AI for product lead growth16:23 –Trust as a moat17:23 – B2C growth - discovery and breaking through18:51 – Can you get ahead of the incumbents?22:03 – Examples of companies and products24:59 – How do you foster a growth culture?28:38 – Experimentation  34:20 – How companies using AI in distribution44:43 – Growth challenge: What would you do with $10K? Resources:Check out Latitud: https://go.latitud.com/Check out Zapier: https://zapier.com/Find Bryan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kirbyman01Find Kieran on Twitter :https://twitter.com/searchbratFind Gina on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ginag Stay Updated: Find a16z on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16zFind a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16zSubscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.simplecast.com/Follow our host: https://twitter.com/stephsmithioPlease 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.

Despite the ease of product building, sustainable growth has become increasingly challenging as many traditional channels no longer deliver the same results.In these challenging times, we explore the remaining growth opportunities. How can we achieve a balance between efficiency, profitability, and growth? Which channels are still relevant and how can they be effectively mastered in 2023?Join us as we discuss these questions with three seasoned experts who have successfully navigated similar confusing times in the past: Gina Gotthilf, leading Latitud and renowned for her impressive tenure as the VP of Growth at Duolingo; Kieran Flanagan, a long-time SVP of Marketing at HubSpot; and Bryan Kim, Consumer Partner at a16z, who held various leadership roles during Snap's hypergrowth phase up to its IPO. Topics Covered:00:00 – What growth opportunities exist in 2023?03:00 – What still works in growth?05:02 – The fundamentals and framework of growth07:02 – Assessing growth potential and product lead growth09:33 – Distribution11:15 – Your moat and growth14:00 – Integrating AI for product lead growth16:23 –Trust as a moat17:23 – B2C growth - discovery and breaking through18:51 – Can you get ahead of the incumbents?22:03 – Examples of companies and products24:59 – How do you foster a growth culture?28:38 – Experimentation  34:20 – How companies using AI in distribution44:43 – Growth challenge: What would you do with $10K? Resources:<ul><li>Check out Latitud: <a href="https://go.latitud.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://go.latitud.com/</a></li><li>Check out Zapier: <a href="https://zapier.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://zapier.com/</a></li><li>Find Bryan on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/kirbyman01" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/kirbyman01</a></li><li>Find Kieran on Twitter :<a href="https://twitter.com/searchbrat" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/searchbrat</a></li><li>Find Gina on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/ginag?lang=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/ginag</a></li></ul> Stay Updated: Find a16z on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/a16z" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/a16z</a>Find a16z on LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z</a>Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: <a href="https://a16z.simplecast.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://a16z.simplecast.com/</a>Follow our host: <a href="https://twitter.com/stephsmithio" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/stephsmithio</a>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 <a href="http://a16z.com/disclosures" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">a16z.com/disclosures</a>.

Growth vs Efficiency: Can You Have Both?

Mark Cuban

Today’s episode is with Mark Cuban, founder of multiple businesses, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, one of the sharks on Shark Tank, and cofounder of the Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company. He is joined by Vijay Pande, founding partner of a16z Bio + Health. Together, they talk market forces in healthcare, the importance of trust to patients, and Mark’s ideas to tackle the Gordian knot that is American healthcare. Listen to our last two episodes on Healthcare x Fintech:When Two Giants Intersect: Healthcare Meets FintechHow Fintech is Reshaping Our $4T Healthcare Industry Stay Updated: Find a16z on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16zFind a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16zSubscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.simplecast.com/Follow our host: https://twitter.com/stephsmithioPlease 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.

Today’s episode is with Mark Cuban, founder of multiple businesses, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, one of the sharks on Shark Tank, and cofounder of the Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company. He is joined by Vijay Pande, founding partner of a16z Bio + Health. Together, they talk market forces in healthcare, the importance of trust to patients, and Mark’s ideas to tackle the Gordian knot that is American healthcare. Listen to our last two episodes on Healthcare x Fintech:<ul><li><a href="https://a16z.simplecast.com/episodes/when-two-giants-intersect-healthcare-meets-fintech" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">When Two Giants Intersect: Healthcare Meets Fintech</a></li><li><a href="https://a16z.simplecast.com/episodes/how-fintech-is-reshaping-our-4t-healthcare-industry" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">How Fintech is Reshaping Our $4T Healthcare Industry</a></li></ul> Stay Updated: Find a16z on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/a16z" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/a16z</a>Find a16z on LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z</a>Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: <a href="https://a16z.simplecast.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://a16z.simplecast.com/</a>Follow our host: <a href="https://twitter.com/stephsmithio" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/stephsmithio</a>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 <a href="http://a16z.com/disclosures" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">a16z.com/disclosures</a>.

Curing the Trust Problem with Mark Cuban

Remote work is a big, divisive topic right now. Some think it’s the future, while others think it was an experiment gone wrong.But it’s also not the only way to attract top talent. And the equation for doing so has only gotten more confusion as a myriad of trends intersect, from layoffs to emerging technologies like AI.So how can companies navigate this storm and truly attract the talent that matters? Listen in to find out.Topics Covered:00:00 – Introduction03:26 – What it takes to attract top talent in 202306:36 – What employees really care about14:13 – Positives and negatives of benefits17:32 – Generational differences27:44 – Will the return to office work?34:35 – Differentiating through benefits38:35 – Advice to attract top talent44:16 – Closing thoughtsResources:A-Team study referenced:https://www.a.team/mission/college-grads-surveyiCIMS study referenced: https://www.dropbox.com/s/2q3hepreozaurte/iCIMS-Class-of-2021-Report.pdfMost recent iCIMS study: https://www.icims.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/iCIMS-2023-Workforce-Report-FINAL.pdfFind AJ on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ItsAJThomasFind Rob on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RobFrohweinFind Hung on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HungLeeCheck out Keep Financial: https://keepfinancial.com/Check out Recruiting Brainfood: https://www.recruitingbrainfood.com/

Remote work is a big, divisive topic right now. Some think it’s the future, while others think it was an experiment gone wrong.But it’s also not the only way to attract top talent. And the equation for doing so has only gotten more confusion as a myriad of trends intersect, from layoffs to emerging technologies like AI.So how can companies navigate this storm and truly attract the talent that matters? Listen in to find out.Topics Covered:<ul><li>00:00 – Introduction</li><li>03:26 – What it takes to attract top talent in 2023</li><li>06:36 – What employees really care about</li><li>14:13 – Positives and negatives of benefits</li><li>17:32 – Generational differences</li><li>27:44 – Will the return to office work?</li><li>34:35 – Differentiating through benefits</li><li>38:35 – Advice to attract top talent</li><li>44:16 – Closing thoughts</li></ul>Resources:<ul><li>A-Team study referenced:<a href="https://www.a.team/mission/college-grads-survey" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.a.team/mission/college-grads-survey</a></li><li>iCIMS study referenced: <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/2q3hepreozaurte/iCIMS-Class-of-2021-Report.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.dropbox.com/s/2q3hepreozaurte/iCIMS-Class-of-2021-Report.pdf</a></li><li>Most recent iCIMS study: <a href="https://www.icims.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/iCIMS-2023-Workforce-Report-FINAL.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.icims.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/iCIMS-2023-Workforce-Report-FINAL.pdf</a></li><li>Find AJ on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/ItsAJThomas" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/ItsAJThomas</a></li><li>Find Rob on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/RobFrohwein" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/RobFrohwein</a></li><li>Find Hung on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/HungLee" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/HungLee</a></li><li>Check out Keep Financial: <a href="https://keepfinancial.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://keepfinancial.com/</a></li><li>Check out Recruiting Brainfood: <a href="https://www.recruitingbrainfood.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.recruitingbrainfood.com/</a></li></ul>

Inside the 2023 Talent Tsunami: Layoffs, Remote Work & More

Self-driving cars have been on the horizon for quite some time. But, they might actually be here.We got to ride around in one all over San Francisco with Waymo’s Chief Product Officer, Saswat Panigrahi.We discussed so much, including the five levels of autonomy, the infamous LIDAR vs video debate, regulation, UX, and the role of AI in fine-tuning these models. But most importantly, if autonomy is here… now what?!Topics Covered:00:00 - Introduction03:20 - A first look at Waymo05:21 - 5 levels of autonomy09:45 - Technology challenges14:32 - LiDAR vs video debate18:19 - How Waymo differentiates19:01 - Technological unlocks on the horizon20:39 - The role of AI in autonomous vehicles25:37 - How Waymo views safety32:05 - Collaborating with regulators37:26 - Learnings from the first 2m miles39:45 - Driving user retention43:47 - Waymo’s expansion strategy47:00 - Changing regulation47:41 - Societal unlocks enabled by autonomy52:21 - Will self-driving cars replace humans?52:58 - Closing thoughtsResources:Check out Waymo: https://waymo.com/Check out Waymo's Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@WaymoFind Saswat on Twitter: https://twitter.com/saswat101Check out a16z's 8-part series on the autonomous vehicle ecosystem: https://a16z.com/2018/02/03/autonomy-ecosystem-frank-chen-summit/Stay Updated: Find a16z on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16zFind a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16zSubscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.simplecast.com/Follow our host: https://twitter.com/stephsmithioPlease 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.

Self-driving cars have been on the horizon for quite some time. But, they might actually be here.We got to ride around in one all over San Francisco with Waymo’s Chief Product Officer, Saswat Panigrahi.We discussed so much, including the five levels of autonomy, the infamous LIDAR vs video debate, regulation, UX, and the role of AI in fine-tuning these models. But most importantly, if autonomy is here… now what?!Topics Covered:<ul><li>00:00 - Introduction</li><li>03:20 - A first look at Waymo</li><li>05:21 - 5 levels of autonomy</li><li>09:45 - Technology challenges</li><li>14:32 - LiDAR vs video debate</li><li>18:19 - How Waymo differentiates</li><li>19:01 - Technological unlocks on the horizon</li><li>20:39 - The role of AI in autonomous vehicles</li><li>25:37 - How Waymo views safety</li><li>32:05 - Collaborating with regulators</li><li>37:26 - Learnings from the first 2m miles</li><li>39:45 - Driving user retention</li><li>43:47 - Waymo’s expansion strategy</li><li>47:00 - Changing regulation</li><li>47:41 - Societal unlocks enabled by autonomy</li><li>52:21 - Will self-driving cars replace humans?</li><li>52:58 - Closing thoughts</li></ul>Resources:Check out Waymo: <a href="https://waymo.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://waymo.com/</a>Check out Waymo's Youtube channel: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@Waymo" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/@Waymo</a>Find Saswat on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/saswat101" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/saswat101</a>Check out a16z's 8-part series on the autonomous vehicle ecosystem: <a href="https://a16z.com/2018/02/03/autonomy-ecosystem-frank-chen-summit/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://a16z.com/2018/02/03/autonomy-ecosystem-frank-chen-summit/</a>Stay Updated: Find a16z on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/a16z" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/a16z</a>Find a16z on LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z</a>Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: <a href="https://a16z.simplecast.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://a16z.simplecast.com/</a>Follow our host: <a href="https://twitter.com/stephsmithio" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/stephsmithio</a>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 <a href="http://a16z.com/disclosures" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">a16z.com/disclosures</a>.

The Road to Autonomous Vehicles: Are We There Yet?

with @skominers @smc90In this deep dive and tour through key business concepts, from theory to practice, we cover the topics of strategy, competitive advantage,  network effects, moats, and more -- covering both both basic foundations, as well as the tricky nuances in a new world of open source, including web3.  In the first half of this discussion, we cover foundational business concepts and questions -- such as the nature of competition, and how it *really* changes in web3; as well as how network effects really work -- and then, in the second half (in case you want to skip ahead), we cover mindsets and general guidance for builders…Our expert guest -- in conversation with editor in chief and host Sonal Chokshi -- is a16z crypto research partner Scott Duke Kominers, who is also a professor at Harvard Business School; a faculty affiliate in Harvard’s Department of Economics; and advises several companies on marketplace development, incentive design, and more; as well as advises, and is directly involved, in several NFT communities. Scott also teaches on these topics -- both at Harvard and also recently at our Crypto Startup School -- so be sure to subscribe to our playlist for those talks on the a16z crypto YouTube channel to get the latest updates as we release more videos from the 2023 cohort.  Listen to web3 with a16z: https://web3-with-a16z.simplecast.com/related links // see also:Can web3 bring back competition to digital platforms? by Christian Catalini and Scott Duke KominersWhy build in web3 by Jad Esber and Scott Duke KominersVampire attacks: A theory (and thread) on 'blood sucking' platform competition by John William Hatfield and Scott Duke KominersWhy NFT creators are going cc0 by Flashrekt and Scott Duke KominersDecentralized identity: Your reputation travels with you by Scott Duke Kominers and Jad EsberIncreasing returns and the new world of business (1996) by W. Brian ArthurNetwork effects, origin Stories, and the evolution of tech with W. Brian Arthur, Marc Andreeessen, and Sonal ChokshiThe five competitive forces that shape strategy (2008 reformulation of 1979 paper) by Michael PorterStrategies for two-sided markets (2006) by Tom Eisenmann, Geoffrey Parker, and Marshall Van Alstyne Stay Updated: Find a16z on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16zFind a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16zSubscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.simplecast.com/Follow our host: https://twitter.com/stephsmithioPlease 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.

with @skominers @smc90In this deep dive and tour through key business concepts, from theory to practice, we cover the topics of strategy, competitive advantage,  network effects, moats, and more -- covering both both basic foundations, as well as the tricky nuances in a new world of open source, including web3.  In the first half of this discussion, we cover foundational business concepts and questions -- such as the nature of competition, and how it *really* changes in web3; as well as how network effects really work -- and then, in the second half (in case you want to skip ahead), we cover mindsets and general guidance for builders…Our expert guest -- in conversation with editor in chief and host Sonal Chokshi -- is a16z crypto research partner Scott Duke Kominers, who is also a professor at Harvard Business School; a faculty affiliate in Harvard’s Department of Economics; and advises several companies on marketplace development, incentive design, and more; as well as advises, and is directly involved, in several NFT communities. Scott also teaches on these topics -- both at Harvard and also recently at our Crypto Startup School -- so be sure to subscribe to our <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjQ9HCQMu_8ywq3VUso7i_-TOx6RKXQeQ" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">playlist for those talks</a> on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTHq3W46BiAYjKUYZq2qm-Q" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">a16z crypto YouTube channel</a> to get the latest updates as we release more videos from the 2023 cohort.  Listen to web3 with a16z: <a href="https://web3-with-a16z.simplecast.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://web3-with-a16z.simplecast.com/</a>related links // see also:<ul><li><a href="https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=62077" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Can web3 bring back competition to digital platforms?</a> by Christian Catalini and Scott Duke Kominers</li><li><a href="https://hbr.org/2022/05/why-build-in-web3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Why build in web3</a> by Jad Esber and Scott Duke Kominers</li><li><a href="https://a16zcrypto.com/content/article/vampire-attacks-competition/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Vampire attacks: A theory (and thread) on 'blood sucking' platform competition</a> by John William Hatfield and Scott Duke Kominers</li><li><a href="https://a16zcrypto.com/content/article/cc0-nft-creative-commons-zero-license-rights/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Why NFT creators are going cc0</a> by Flashrekt and Scott Duke Kominers</li><li><a href="https://a16zcrypto.com/content/article/decentralized-identity-on-chain-reputation/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Decentralized identity: Your reputation travels with you</a> by Scott Duke Kominers and Jad Esber</li><li><a href="https://hbr.org/1996/07/increasing-returns-and-the-new-world-of-business" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Increasing returns and the new world of business</a> (1996) by W. Brian Arthur</li><li><a href="https://future.com/podcasts/network-effects-increasing-returns-trends/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Network effects, origin Stories, and the evolution of tech</a> with W. Brian Arthur, Marc Andreeessen, and Sonal Chokshi</li><li><a href="https://hbr.org/2008/01/the-five-competitive-forces-that-shape-strategy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The five competitive forces that shape strategy</a> (2008 reformulation of 1979 paper) by Michael Porter</li><li><a href="https://hbr.org/2006/10/strategies-for-two-sided-markets" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Strategies for two-sided markets</a> (2006) by Tom Eisenmann, Geoffrey Parker, and Marshall Van Alstyne</li></ul> Stay Updated: Find a16z on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/a16z" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/a16z</a>Find a16z on LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z</a>Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: <a href="https://a16z.simplecast.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://a16z.simplecast.com/</a>Follow our host: <a href="https://twitter.com/stephsmithio" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/stephsmithio</a>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 <a href="http://a16z.com/disclosures" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">a16z.com/disclosures</a>.

Network Effects, Moats, & the Business of web3

Marc Andreessen

Martin Casado

This week, a16z’s own cofounder Marc Andreessen published a nearly 7,000-word article that aimed to dispel fears over AI's risks to our humanity – both real and imagined. Instead, Marc elaborates on how AI can "make everything we care about better." In this timely one-on-one conversation with a16z General Partner Martin Casado, Marc discusses how this technology will maximize human potential, why the future of AI should be decided by the free market, and most importantly, why AI won’t destroy the world. In fact, it may save it. Read Marc’s full article “Why AI Will Save the World” here: https://a16z.com/2023/06/06/ai-will-save-the-world/ Resources:Marc on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pmarca Marc’s Substack: https://pmarca.substack.com/ gptplaysminecraft - Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/gptplaysminecraftWhy AI Will Save the World: https://a16z.com/2023/06/06/ai-will-save-the-world/Youtube discussion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wIUK0nsyUg Stay Updated: Find a16z on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16zFind a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16zSubscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.simplecast.com/Follow our host: https://twitter.com/stephsmithioPlease 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.

This week, a16z’s own cofounder Marc Andreessen published a nearly 7,000-word article that aimed to dispel fears over AI's risks to our humanity – both real and imagined. Instead, Marc elaborates on how AI can "make everything we care about better." In this timely one-on-one conversation with a16z General Partner Martin Casado, Marc discusses how this technology will maximize human potential, why the future of AI should be decided by the free market, and most importantly, why AI won’t destroy the world. In fact, it may save it. Read Marc’s full article “Why AI Will Save the World” here: <a href="https://a16z.com/2023/06/06/ai-will-save-the-world/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://a16z.com/2023/06/06/ai-will-save-the-world/</a> Resources:Marc on Twitter: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&amp;redir_token=QUFFLUhqa252TnhaS2ZIb2M2TVU4Sk5sQ3VUNXIyNktyQXxBQ3Jtc0ttTW9yOGZtTXlDa2ptVjA1RXBUcDFMcWxfdWNWU0xTbkZzZktGVWxJQVRxeVhrZWxycXVOYWRfaEZLVV93RDl4cVpTRi02aU9IZFNCNEhTb3k3NUtrTkwzbFZUV0pOalppWUxCMDBxSjE3VnhMaklVQQ&amp;q=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fpmarca&amp;v=0wIUK0nsyUg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/pmarca</a> Marc’s Substack: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&amp;redir_token=QUFFLUhqbmxIbGo0a1hKMXh5Nk9Kcmpob3dObmpRZnVXZ3xBQ3Jtc0ttdTFleEU4QS1FRGM4bVNrSjNCMU01OHY0Mm8wbFlVZUpJOTdCMHhHcXFiaWNWZ295T2tlaWx1MzU4WXRMemtzZ0FFY0lZYXpsV1JjamVKN1VEMmhHb2VUZGZzYXJoNmJKWVl5NHZzYVNIZG92TkZ4WQ&amp;q=https%3A%2F%2Fpmarca.substack.com%2F&amp;v=0wIUK0nsyUg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://pmarca.substack.com/</a> gptplaysminecraft - Twitch: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&amp;redir_token=QUFFLUhqa1ZKOTN2Q3RJYUZtTGhJeGpERGtYd2had2hnUXxBQ3Jtc0ttR0k4R2pBOFBndHhoSm1sLV9CRDZ2ckpnWTR5NFh2S0VRTVBCbERNelVJbWE4Q3c0SnFzR3FTWFRpSWlxYWNTVG1UQlhBbnVWa1R0akUzVGUzOGpSVWh3bEYxNjNwaTBGZkFCZ1UzSjl1cVpmNnNiaw&amp;q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.twitch.tv%2Fgptplaysminecraft&amp;v=0wIUK0nsyUg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.twitch.tv/gptplaysminecraft</a>Why AI Will Save the World: <a href="https://a16z.com/2023/06/06/ai-will-save-the-world/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://a16z.com/2023/06/06/ai-will-save-the-world/</a>Youtube discussion: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wIUK0nsyUg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wIUK0nsyUg</a> Stay Updated: Find a16z on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/a16z" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/a16z</a>Find a16z on LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z</a>Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: <a href="https://a16z.simplecast.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://a16z.simplecast.com/</a>Follow our host: <a href="https://twitter.com/stephsmithio" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/stephsmithio</a>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 <a href="http://a16z.com/disclosures" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">a16z.com/disclosures</a>.

AI Will Save The World with Marc Andreessen and Martin Casado

The a16z Podcast discusses tech and culture trends, news, and the future – especially as ‘software eats the world’. It features industry experts, business leaders, and other interesting thinkers and voices from around the world. This podcast is produced by Andreessen Horowitz (aka “a16z”), a Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm. Multiple episodes are released every week; visit a16z.com for more details and to sign up for our newsletters and other content as well!

I’m really enjoying this series. The host is well informed and the guests (and their studies) are really interesting. Keep it up 🙌

Loving the Journal Club

Guest selection is great, and I like the balance and interviewer / guest dynamics

Consistently excellent

The a16z Podcast discusses tech and culture trends, news, and the future – especially as ‘software eats the world’. It features industry experts, business leaders, and other interesting thinkers and voices from around the world. This podcast is produced by Andreessen Horowitz (aka “a16z”), a Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm. Multiple episodes are released every week; visit <a href="http://a16z.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">a16z.com</a> for more details and to sign up for our newsletters and other content as well!

a16z Podcast

There are some common tropes that can kill your company culture -- whether it's that corporate values can be weaponized; "fake it til you make it"; the "reality distortion fields" of visionaries vs. liars; and so on. All of this just reveals the confusing, sometimes blurry line between the yellow zones and red zones of behavior, because the very things that are strengths can also become weaknesses (and vice versa!). The fact is, in any complex adaptive system (which is what a company is), even the seemingly smallest behaviors will move the culture where the loudest proclamations do not.That's why so much of culture -- whether building and setting it or fixing and changing it -- comes down to the difference between actions and words, to the tacit vs. the explicit, to the difference between what you do vs. what you say (and what employees see vs. what they hear). So in this episode of the a16z Podcast, based on a conversation that recently took place at the Computer History Museum in Silicon Valley, Sonal Chokshi interviews Ben Horowitz about his new book, What You Do Is Who You Are, probing on all the tricky nuances of the themes covered in it -- and also how to practically apply principles from it to the tech industry and beyond.Are mistakes of omission more important than mistakes of commission, when it comes to ethical lines? What can employees, not just leaders, do when it comes to culture? Where does the idea of "culture fit" come in? What happens when startups go from being the pirates to being the navy? Drawing on examples of culture as code from a thousand years ago to today -- spanning empires, wars, revolutions, prisons, and even hip-hop -- Horowitz shares the power of song and story. Including even violent, "shocking" ones that reset cultures... because they make you ask, WHY?!100% of the proceeds from the book will go to anti-recidivism, and to making Haiti great again

There are some common tropes that can kill your company culture -- whether it's that corporate values can be weaponized; "fake it til you make it"; the "reality distortion fields" of visionaries vs. liars; and so on. All of this just reveals the confusing, sometimes blurry line between the yellow zones and red zones of behavior, because the very things that are strengths can also become weaknesses (and vice versa!). The fact is, in any complex adaptive system (which is what a company is), even the seemingly smallest behaviors will move the culture where the loudest proclamations do not.That's why so much of culture -- whether building and setting it or fixing and changing it -- comes down to the difference between actions and words, to the tacit vs. the explicit, to the difference between what you do vs. what you say (and what employees see vs. what they hear). So in this episode of the a16z Podcast, based on a conversation that recently took place at the Computer History Museum in Silicon Valley, Sonal Chokshi interviews Ben Horowitz about his <a href="https://a16z.com/2019/10/10/ben-horowitz-what-you-do-is-who-you-are-proceeds/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">new book</a>, What You Do Is Who You Are, probing on all the tricky nuances of the themes covered in it -- and also how to practically apply principles from it to the tech industry and beyond.Are mistakes of omission more important than mistakes of commission, when it comes to ethical lines? What can employees, not just leaders, do when it comes to culture? Where does the idea of "culture fit" come in? What happens when startups go from being the pirates to being the navy? Drawing on examples of culture as code from a thousand years ago to today -- spanning empires, wars, revolutions, prisons, and even hip-hop -- Horowitz shares the power of song and story. Including even violent, "shocking" ones that reset cultures... because they make you ask, WHY?!100% of the proceeds from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/What-You-Do-Who-Are/dp/0062871331/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">the book</a> will go to anti-recidivism, and to making Haiti great again

The Stories and Code of Culture Change

In this special episode of Bio Eats World -- which aired right after the FDA authorized Moderna's mRNA vaccine for emergency use -- Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel tells the story of not just the vaccine’s development, but the machine that made the vaccine: the platform, the technology, and the moves behind the vaccine’s development.How does this new technology that uses mRNA work; why is this such a fundamental shift in the world of drug development; and where will this technology go next? https://a16z.com/2020/12/18/moderna-covid-vaccine-mrna-technology/

In this special episode of Bio Eats World -- which aired right after the FDA authorized Moderna's mRNA vaccine for emergency use -- Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel tells the story of not just the vaccine’s development, but the machine that made the vaccine: the platform, the technology, and the moves behind the vaccine’s development.How does this new technology that uses mRNA work; why is this such a fundamental shift in the world of drug development; and where will this technology go next? <a href="https://a16z.com/2020/12/18/moderna-covid-vaccine-mrna-technology/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://a16z.com/2020/12/18/moderna-covid-vaccine-mrna-technology/</a>

The Machine That Made the Vaccine: Company, Platform, Innovation

On social audio app Clubhouse, Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz are hosting a new live show called "One on One with A and Z", where they go deep on questions submitted via Twitter. The show is based in part by a newspaper column that Andy Grove did in the 80s, where readers sent in questions for him to answer in his column. In this mega-episode of the a16z Podcast, we've combined their first two episodes into almost three hours of discussion and debate about some of the most important topics in entrepreneurship, tech, and culture. Each of these episodes also initially aired on our new show, a16z Live, which captures and share many of the live discussions and events featuring, hosted, or co-hosted by a16z partners (with outside voices too) on Clubhouse and beyond. 

On social audio app Clubhouse, Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz are hosting a new live show called "One on One with A and Z", where they go deep on questions submitted via Twitter. The show is based in part by a newspaper column that Andy Grove did in the 80s, where readers sent in questions for him to answer in his column. In this mega-episode of the a16z Podcast, we've combined their first two episodes into almost three hours of discussion and debate about some of the most important topics in entrepreneurship, tech, and culture. Each of these episodes also initially aired on our new show, a16z Live, which captures and share many of the live discussions and events featuring, hosted, or co-hosted by a16z partners (with outside voices too) on Clubhouse and beyond.

One on One with Marc and Ben

Susan shares how she learned to leverage the characteristics of her personality early in her career as assistant secretary of state [2:05]One of the important conversations Susan had with a mentor that changed the trajectory of her career [4:50]Her parent’s commitment to education, their personal backgrounds, and the legacies they created [8:10]The result of instilling self-belief into children and mastering “psychological jiu jitsu” [10:22]What the early lessons of family diplomacy taught her [14:00]The importance of strategic compartmentalization [16:48]How to approach crisis during high stakes situations [18:29]How to practice compassionate leadership while maintaining effectiveness [20:10]Hacking the concept of “work-life balance” [21:10]The required characteristics of powerful leaders [28:14]The hard things about leadership and the idea of being liked [31:20]The “middle finger story”/the time Susan stood up for herself in an important meeting [33:23]Susan talks about China’s intelligence collection in the US [39:45]A call for unity between the private, public, and academic sectors [42:54]

Susan shares how she learned to leverage the characteristics of her personality early in her career as assistant secretary of state [2:05]One of the important conversations Susan had with a mentor that changed the trajectory of her career [4:50]Her parent’s commitment to education, their personal backgrounds, and the legacies they created [8:10]The result of instilling self-belief into children and mastering “psychological jiu jitsu” [10:22]What the early lessons of family diplomacy taught her [14:00]The importance of strategic compartmentalization [16:48]How to approach crisis during high stakes situations [18:29]How to practice compassionate leadership while maintaining effectiveness [20:10]Hacking the concept of “work-life balance” [21:10]The required characteristics of powerful leaders [28:14]The hard things about leadership and the idea of being liked [31:20]The “middle finger story”/the time Susan stood up for herself in an important meeting [33:23]Susan talks about China’s intelligence collection in the US [39:45]A call for unity between the private, public, and academic sectors [42:54]

Tough Love, Global Diplomacy, and Lessons on Leadership

For any business, there are three core financial statements – the income or P&amp;L statement, the balance sheet, and the cash flow statement. While these statements can show investors and the board how the business is doing, they can do more than just keep score on your business – they are one of the best tools you have to run it.In this podcast, a16z General Partner and managing partner Jeff Jordan, who previously ran several businesses and took a company public right after the 2008 financial crisis; David George, who runs the a16z late-stage venture operation; and former CFO Caroline Moon, who leads the a16z financial operations team, break down what the numbers do (and don’t) tell you, both in financial statements and KPIs. They cover the most common mistakes people make when it comes to understanding their numbers; how investors look at a company's P&amp;L what metrics they use to determine if a business is healthy; and how founders can use the numbers to navigate in times of crisis.

For any business, there are three core financial statements – the income or P&amp;L statement, the balance sheet, and the cash flow statement. While these statements can show investors and the board how the business is doing, they can do more than just keep score on your business – they are one of the best tools you have to run it. In this podcast, a16z General Partner and managing partner Jeff Jordan, who previously ran several businesses and took a company public right after the 2008 financial crisis; David George, who runs the a16z late-stage venture operation; and former CFO Caroline Moon, who leads the a16z financial operations team, break down what the numbers do (and don’t) tell you, both in financial statements and KPIs. They cover the most common mistakes people make when it comes to understanding their numbers; how investors look at a company's P&amp;L what metrics they use to determine if a business is healthy; and how founders can use the numbers to navigate in times of crisis.

Navigating the Numbers

This is a turn of the decade (and January-themed) look backward/ look forward into personal genomics, given recent and past retrospective and prospective pieces in the media on the promise, and perils, of the ability to sequence one's DNA: What did it, and does it, mean for personalized medicine, criminal investigations, privacy, and more?General partner Jorge Conde, who has a long history in the space, covers everything from where genealogy databases and large datasets come in to fetal testing, multi-omics, and other themes spanning the past, present, and future of personal genomics in conversation with Sonal Chokshi for episode #18 our news show 16 Minutes, where we cover recent headlines, the a16z way, from our vantage point in tech -- and especially what's hype/ what's real. While we typically cover multiple headlines, this is one of our special deep-dive episodes on a single topic. (You catch up on other such deep dives, on the opioid crisis and other evergreen episodes, at a16z.com/16Minutes). And if you haven't already, be sure to subscribe to the separate feed for "16 Minutes" to continue getting new episodes. image: Petra Fritz / Flickr

This is a turn of the decade (and January-themed) look backward/ look forward into personal genomics, given <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/peteraldhous/10-years-ago-dna-tests-were-the-future-of-medicine-now" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">recent</a> and <a href="https://www.gq.com/story/richard-powers-genome-sequence" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">past</a> retrospective and prospective pieces in the media on the promise, and perils, of the ability to sequence one's DNA: What did it, and does it, mean for personalized medicine, criminal investigations, privacy, and more?General partner <a href="https://a16z.com/author/jorge-conde/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jorge Conde</a>, who has a long history in the space, covers everything from where genealogy databases and large datasets come in to fetal testing, multi-omics, and other themes spanning the past, present, and future of personal genomics in conversation with Sonal Chokshi for episode #18 our news show <a href="https://a16z.com/tag/16-minutes/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">16 Minutes</a>, where we cover recent headlines, the a16z way, from our vantage point in tech -- and especially what's hype/ what's real. While we typically cover multiple headlines, this is one of our special deep-dive episodes on a single topic. (You catch up on other such deep dives, on <a href="https://a16z.com/2019/08/04/16mins-news-opioid-crisis-dea-database/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">the opioid crisis</a> and other evergreen episodes, at <a href="https://a16z.com/tag/16-minutes/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">a16z.com/16Minutes</a>). And if you haven't already, be sure to subscribe to the separate feed for "16 Minutes" to continue getting new episodes. image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/andoline/2451057645/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Petra Fritz</a> / <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Flickr</a>

Personal Genomics: Where Are We, Really?

We’ve covered a lot of the strategic financing milestones for startups seeking to build a sustainable and enduring business -- from mindsets for startup fundraising to when and how to build a finance functionwith a CFO to what it takes to do an initial public offering (IPO) and stories from the inside out. There’s also a lot that goes on behind the scenes en route to IPO, including how they’re priced and what the "pop" means.Yet another route to the public markets is the direct listing, recently reinvented for tech companies (with Spotify and Slack so far). We explained the process and tradeoffs in this early primer by Jamie McGurk, so this episode of the a16z Podcast brings together two experts from the frontlines: the architect of the direct listings in their current form, Barry McCarthy, current CFO of Spotify (and former CFO of Netflix); and Stacey Cunningham, president of the NYSE where they were listed -- in conversation with Sonal Chokshi to share more about the what, the how, and the why from an insider perspective.What's the bigger picture here, including secular shifts in the public and private markets? Zooming in closer, what are all the details and nuances involved in true pricing, investor days, forward guidance, and other market mechanisms for "radical transparency"? What did it take behind the scenes to make this all happen, and what's still happening? And finally, what are some of the common myths and misconceptions around direct listings (and IPOs) as methods for going public? Turns out, there's a lot that goes into making markets... and market making.---The views expressed here are those of the individual AH Capital Management, L.L.C. (“a16z”) personnel quoted and are not the views of a16z or its affiliates. Certain information contained in here has been obtained from third-party sources, including from portfolio companies of funds managed by a16z. While taken from sources believed to be reliable, a16z has not independently verified such information and makes no representations about the enduring accuracy of the information or its appropriateness for a given situation.This content is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be relied upon as legal, business, investment, or tax advice. You should consult your own advisers as to those matters. References to any securities or digital assets are for illustrative purposes only, and do not constitute an investment recommendation or offer to provide investment advisory services. Furthermore, this content is not directed at nor intended for use by any investors or prospective investors, and may not under any circumstances be relied upon when making a decision to invest in any fund managed by a16z. (An offering to invest in an a16z fund will be made only by the private placement memorandum, subscription agreement, and other relevant documentation of any such fund and should be read in their entirety.) Any investments or portfolio companies mentioned, referred to, or described are not representative of all investments in vehicles managed by a16z, and there can be no assurance that the investments will be profitable or that other investments made in the future will have similar characteristics or results. A list of investments made by funds managed by Andreessen Horowitz (excluding investments for which the issuer has not provided permission for a16z to disclose publicly as well as unannounced investments in publicly traded digital assets) is available at https://a16z.com/investments/.Charts and graphs provided within are for informational purposes solely and should not be relied upon when making any investment decision. Past performance is not indicative of future results. The content speaks only as of the date indicated. Any projections, estimates, forecasts, targets, prospects, and/or opinions expressed in these materials are subject to change without notice and may differ or be contrary to opinions expressed by others. Please see https://a16z.com/disclosures for additional important information.

We’ve covered a lot of the strategic financing milestones for startups seeking to build a sustainable and enduring business -- from mindsets for startup <a href="https://a16z.com/2015/02/27/16-common-questions-about-fundraising/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">fundraising</a> to when and how to <a href="https://a16z.com/2018/06/11/finance-strategy-leadership/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">build a finance function</a><a href="https://a16z.com/2017/05/26/hiring-cfo-what-why/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">with a CFO</a> to what it takes <a href="https://a16z.com/2016/12/01/ipo-readiness-checklist-wishlist/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">to do an initial public offering (IPO</a>) and <a href="https://a16z.com/2017/07/24/opentable-ipo-story/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">stories from the inside out</a>. There’s also a lot that goes on behind the scenes <a href="https://a16z.com/2017/08/23/ipo-process-prep/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">en route to IPO</a>, including <a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/story/a-venture-capitalist-spills-the-secrets-of-an-ipo-2019-06-05" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">how they’re priced</a> and what the "pop" means.Yet another route to the public markets is the <a href="https://a16z.com/2019/07/02/direct-listings/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">direct listing</a>, recently reinvented for tech companies (with Spotify and Slack so far). We explained the process and tradeoffs in <a href="https://a16z.com/2019/07/02/direct-listings/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this early primer</a> by Jamie McGurk, so this episode of the a16z Podcast brings together two experts from the frontlines: the architect of the direct listings in their current form, Barry McCarthy, <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/2019/10/28/20935436/barry-mccarthy-spotify-cfo-leaving-direct-listing" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">current</a> CFO of Spotify (and former CFO of Netflix); and Stacey Cunningham, president of the NYSE where they were listed -- in conversation with Sonal Chokshi to share more about the what, the how, and the why from an insider perspective.What's the bigger picture here, including secular shifts in the public and private markets? Zooming in closer, what are all the details and nuances involved in true pricing, investor days, forward guidance, and other market mechanisms for "radical transparency"? What did it take behind the scenes to make this all happen, and what's <a href="https://www.axios.com/sec-reject-nyse-direct-listings-cf5d795f-e651-4c51-be1c-8110dbbe5d27.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">still happening</a>? And finally, what are some of the common myths and misconceptions around direct listings (and IPOs) as methods for going public? Turns out, there's a lot that goes into making markets... and market making.---The views expressed here are those of the individual AH Capital Management, L.L.C. (“a16z”) personnel quoted and are not the views of a16z or its affiliates. Certain information contained in here has been obtained from third-party sources, including from portfolio companies of funds managed by a16z. While taken from sources believed to be reliable, a16z has not independently verified such information and makes no representations about the enduring accuracy of the information or its appropriateness for a given situation.This content is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be relied upon as legal, business, investment, or tax advice. You should consult your own advisers as to those matters. References to any securities or digital assets are for illustrative purposes only, and do not constitute an investment recommendation or offer to provide investment advisory services. Furthermore, this content is not directed at nor intended for use by any investors or prospective investors, and may not under any circumstances be relied upon when making a decision to invest in any fund managed by a16z. (An offering to invest in an a16z fund will be made only by the private placement memorandum, subscription agreement, and other relevant documentation of any such fund and should be read in their entirety.) Any investments or portfolio companies mentioned, referred to, or described are not representative of all investments in vehicles managed by a16z, and there can be no assurance that the investments will be profitable or that other investments made in the future will have similar characteristics or results. A list of investments made by funds managed by Andreessen Horowitz (excluding investments for which the issuer has not provided permission for a16z to disclose publicly as well as unannounced investments in publicly traded digital assets) is available at <a href="https://a16z.com/investments/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://a16z.com/investments/</a>.Charts and graphs provided within are for informational purposes solely and should not be relied upon when making any investment decision. Past performance is not indicative of future results. The content speaks only as of the date indicated. Any projections, estimates, forecasts, targets, prospects, and/or opinions expressed in these materials are subject to change without notice and may differ or be contrary to opinions expressed by others. Please see <a href="https://a16z.com/disclosures" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://a16z.com/disclosures</a> for additional important information.

Direct Listings, Myths and Facts

A bold proposal: You go to college for free, then pay back the school after graduation—but only if you get a job in your field of study and make a high enough salary to afford it. It's called an income share agreement, and Austen Allred, the CEO and cofounder of Lambda School, thinks it's the future of education.Student debt currently stands at more than 1.5 trillion dollars, which makes it the second-highest consumer debt category behind mortgage debt. The crisis has saddled much of a generation, with far reaching effects. Income share agreements, or ISAs, have been put forth as an alternative to the current system. Put simply, an ISA is an agreement between a school and a student for the student to pay a defined percentage of income to the school, for a particular period of time, up to a certain cap. It's a seemingly simple conceit with complex design considerations, and it's spurring debate across media and politics.In this episode, Lambda School CEO Austen Allred, a16z general partner D'Arcy Coolican, and a16z editorial partner Lauren Murrow delve into the greater implications ISAs may have for education and the economy. The discussion covers both the promise and the challenges of ISAs—why they've been relatively slow to gain traction, why they've failed in the past, and why some in the political sphere are still skeptical.

A bold proposal: You go to college for free, then pay back the school after graduation—but only if you get a job in your field of study and make a high enough salary to afford it. It's called an income share agreement, and Austen Allred, the CEO and cofounder of <a href="https://lambdaschool.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lambda School</a>, thinks it's the future of education.Student debt currently stands at more than 1.5 trillion dollars, which makes it the second-highest consumer debt category behind mortgage debt. The crisis has saddled much of a generation, with far reaching effects. Income share agreements, or ISAs, have been put forth as an alternative to the current system. Put simply, an ISA is an agreement between a school and a student for the student to pay a defined percentage of income to the school, for a particular period of time, up to a certain cap. It's a seemingly simple conceit with complex design considerations, and it's spurring debate across media and politics.In this episode, Lambda School CEO Austen Allred, a16z general partner D'Arcy Coolican, and a16z editorial partner Lauren Murrow delve into the greater implications ISAs may have for education and the economy. The discussion covers both the promise and the challenges of ISAs—why they've been relatively slow to gain traction, why they've failed in the past, and why some in the political sphere are still skeptical.

Are ISAs the Solution to Student Debt?

There's a few ontologies for describing the phases leaders -- and their startups -- go through, whether it's product-sales-etc. or pioneer to settler. In any case, as companies evolve, so must the leaders -- but can the same person transition across all these phases? When and when not; what are the qualities, criteria, and tradeoffs to be made?In this episode of the a16z Podcast, originally recorded as an internal hallway-style chat (pre pandemic!) a16z general partner Martin Casado, who co-founded but decided to remain CTO of Nicira -- and previously shared his own journey, lessons learned, and advice for founders about bringing in an external CEO and the question of "to CTO or not to CTO" -- and Armon Dadgar, co-founder (with Mitchell Hashimoto) and CTO of HashiCorp, chat with Sonal Chokshi about both managing their past psychology through these common questions and decisions. They also share their strategies on managing the specific tactics behind it all: Everything from the "dating" process of finding an external CEO to figuring out swim lanes; handling debates and decisions; who presents, who sells. And while the conversation is a brief glimpse into their longer personal journeys, there's lessons in it for startups and leaders of all kinds on the art of hiring and sales, managing credit and conflict, and more...

There's a few ontologies for describing the phases leaders -- and their startups -- go through, whether it's product-sales-etc. or pioneer to settler. In any case, as companies evolve, so must the leaders -- but can the same person transition across all these phases? When and when not; what are the qualities, criteria, and tradeoffs to be made?In this episode of the a16z Podcast, originally recorded as an internal hallway-style chat (pre pandemic!) a16z general partner Martin Casado, who co-founded but decided to remain CTO of Nicira -- and <a href="https://a16z.com/2020/03/06/external-ceo-founders-startups-when-how-nicira-story/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">previously shared</a> his own journey, lessons learned, and advice for founders about bringing in an external CEO and the question of "to CTO or not to CTO" -- and Armon Dadgar, co-founder (with Mitchell Hashimoto) and CTO of <a href="https://www.hashicorp.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">HashiCorp</a>, chat with Sonal Chokshi about both managing their past psychology through these common questions and decisions. They also share their strategies on managing the specific tactics behind it all: Everything from the "dating" process of finding an external CEO to figuring out swim lanes; handling debates and decisions; who presents, who sells. And while the conversation is a brief glimpse into their longer personal journeys, there's lessons in it for startups and leaders of all kinds on the art of hiring and sales, managing credit and conflict, and more...

On Fear and Leadership: Product to Sales CTOs & CEOs

“It's Time to Build” by Marc Andreessen. You can also find and share this essay at a16z.com/build

“It's Time to Build” by Marc Andreessen. You can also find and share this essay at <a href="https://a16z.com/2020/04/18/its-time-to-build/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">a16z.com/build</a>

IT'S TIME TO BUILD

Remote

We discuss the rise of remote work amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, and the platforms powering our newly homebound workforce (and student body) including creative use cases for video conferencing and streaming.

Remote Work and Our New Reality

The idea of "1000 true fans" -- first proposed by Kevin Kelly in 2008 and later updated for Tools of Titans -- argued that to be a successful creator, you don’t need millions of customers or clients, but need only thousands of true fans. Such a true, diehard fan "will buy anything you produce", and as such, creators can make a living from them as long as they: (1) create enough each year to earn profit from each fan, plus it's easier and better to give existing fans more; (2) have a direct relationship with those fans, which the internet (and long tail) now make possible.But patronage models have been around forever; what's new there? How has the web evolved; and how are media, and audiences/voices finding and subscribing to each other changing as a result? If the 1000-true-fans concept is also more broadly "useful to anyone making things, or making things happen" -- then what nuances do people often miss about it? For instance: That there are also regular fans in the next concentric circle around true fans, and that the most obscure node is only one click away from the most popular node.Finally -- when you combine this big idea with another idea Kelly proposed in his most recent book The Inevitable (covered previously on this episode) on inverting attention economies so audiences monetize their attention vs. the other way around, how do we connect the dots between them and some novel thought experiments? In this hallway-style episode of the a16z Podcast, which Sonal Chokshi recorded with Kevin in our pop-up podcast booth at our most recent a16z Summit, we discuss all this and more. Because on average, we all currently surrender our attention (whether to TV, books, or whatever) for about $3 an hour. Whoa?! image: whatleydude/Flickr

The idea of "<a href="https://kk.org/thetechnium/1000-true-fans/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1000 true fans</a>" -- first proposed by Kevin Kelly in 2008 and <a href="https://toolsoftitans.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">later updated for</a> Tools of Titans -- argued that to be a successful creator, you don’t need millions of customers or clients, but need only thousands of true fans. Such a true, diehard fan "will buy anything you produce", and as such, creators can make a living from them as long as they: (1) create enough each year to earn profit from each fan, plus it's easier and better to give existing fans more; (2) have a direct relationship with those fans, which the internet (and long tail) now make possible.But patronage models have been around forever; what's new there? How <a href="https://a16z.com/2019/12/19/future-of-web/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">has the web evolved</a>; and <a href="https://a16z.com/2020/01/26/writers-readers-publishers-newsletters-creators-online-thebrowser-substack/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">how are media, and audiences/voices finding and subscribing to each other</a> changing as a result? If the 1000-true-fans concept is also more broadly "useful to anyone making things, or making things happen" -- then what nuances do people often miss about it? For instance: That there are also regular fans in the next concentric circle around true fans, and that the most obscure node is only one click away from the most popular node.Finally -- when you combine this big idea with another idea Kelly proposed in his most recent book The Inevitable (covered previously on <a href="https://a16z.com/2016/06/07/kevin-kelly-inevitable/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this episode</a>) on inverting attention economies so audiences monetize their attention vs. the other way around, how do we connect the dots between them and some novel thought experiments? In this hallway-style episode of the a16z Podcast, which Sonal Chokshi recorded with Kevin in our pop-up podcast booth at our <a href="https://a16z.com/tag/summit-2019/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">most recent a16z Summit</a>, we discuss all this and more. Because on average, we all currently surrender our attention (whether to TV, books, or whatever) for about $3 an hour. Whoa?! image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/whatleydude/16260251573/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">whatleydude</a>/<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Flickr</a>

The Truth about 1000 True Fans + Pricing Our Attention

The combination of cloud, social, and mobile took gaming beyond a small base of just console- and PC-gamers to a massive player base. But the underlying business model -- the concept of "free-to-play", built on top of games-as-a-service -- may have been the real innovation that led us to the global gaming phenomenons we have today.Unfortunately, observes gaming veteran Kevin Chou -- who's seen it all when it comes to tech platform shifts and gaming as a longtime gamer, founding CEO of Kabam, and now founder and CEO of Forte -- there is "a dark side" to free-to-play: Game developers have to balance the gamers who aren't paying with those who are, and especially those who are paying a helluva lot more (the whales) in order to make money and keep the game going. This balance becomes incredibly challenging over time; it is, quite frankly, a lopsided economy. The players will leave: The incentives between game publishers and players are simply not aligned.Yet what if we could re-align those incentives -- really, the economic relationships -- between game publishers/developers; players and guilds and clans; those who create on top of games (like on Roblox and Minecraft); those who trade and otherwise transact both inside and outside games (it's already happening in secondary markets and gold farms). We could do this in a more balanced way, thanks to blockchain technology and cryptoeconomic business models -- leading to thriving gaming economies with better monetization and deeper engagement, as well as new forms of collaboration, community, and creativity.But smart contracts, cryptoeconomies, security, etc. is hard for gamers who just want to focus on designing the best game, so how do we get here? Chou shares his thoughts in this episode of the a16z Podcast with Sonal Chokshi and general partner Chris Dixon. In gaming (and in fact, with other tech trends too), innovation happens when there's a combination of new devices, new technology platforms, and new delivery mechanisms... but it's the business-model innovations, argues Dixon, that tend to create the most startup opportunities.image: battle scene from Eve Online, a game with an economy (via Forte.io)---The views expressed here are those of the individual AH Capital Management, L.L.C. (“a16z”) personnel quoted and are not the views of a16z or its affiliates. Certain information contained in here has been obtained from third-party sources, including from portfolio companies of funds managed by a16z. While taken from sources believed to be reliable, a16z has not independently verified such information and makes no representations about the enduring accuracy of the information or its appropriateness for a given situation.This content is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be relied upon as legal, business, investment, or tax advice. You should consult your own advisers as to those matters. References to any securities or digital assets are for illustrative purposes only, and do not constitute an investment recommendation or offer to provide investment advisory services. Furthermore, this content is not directed at nor intended for use by any investors or prospective investors, and may not under any circumstances be relied upon when making a decision to invest in any fund managed by a16z. (An offering to invest in an a16z fund will be made only by the private placement memorandum, subscription agreement, and other relevant documentation of any such fund and should be read in their entirety.) Any investments or portfolio companies mentioned, referred to, or described are not representative of all investments in vehicles managed by a16z, and there can be no assurance that the investments will be profitable or that other investments made in the future will have similar characteristics or results. A list of investments made by funds managed by Andreessen Horowitz (excluding investments for which the issuer has not provided permission for a16z to disclose publicly as well as unannounced investments in publicly traded digital assets) is available at https://a16z.com/investments/.Charts and graphs provided within are for informational purposes solely and should not be relied upon when making any investment decision. Past performance is not indicative of future results. The content speaks only as of the date indicated. Any projections, estimates, forecasts, targets, prospects, and/or opinions expressed in these materials are subject to change without notice and may differ or be contrary to opinions expressed by others. Please see https://a16z.com/disclosures for additional important information.

The combination of cloud, social, and mobile took gaming beyond a small base of just console- and PC-gamers to a massive player base. But the underlying business model -- the concept of "free-to-play", built on top of games-as-a-service -- may have been the real innovation that led us to the global gaming phenomenons we have today.Unfortunately, observes gaming veteran Kevin Chou -- who's seen it all when it comes to tech platform shifts and gaming as a longtime gamer, founding CEO of Kabam, and now founder and CEO of <a href="https://forte.io/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Forte</a> -- there is "a dark side" to free-to-play: Game developers have to balance the gamers who aren't paying with those who are, and especially those who are paying a helluva lot more (the whales) in order to make money and keep the game going. This balance becomes incredibly challenging over time; it is, quite frankly, a lopsided economy. The players will leave: The incentives between game publishers and players are simply not aligned.Yet what if we could re-align those incentives -- really, the economic relationships -- between game publishers/developers; players and guilds and clans; those who create on top of games (like on Roblox and Minecraft); those who trade and otherwise transact both inside and outside games (it's already happening in secondary markets and gold farms). We could do this in a more balanced way, thanks to blockchain technology and cryptoeconomic business models -- leading to thriving gaming economies with better monetization and deeper engagement, as well as new forms of collaboration, community, and creativity.But smart contracts, cryptoeconomies, security, etc. is hard for gamers who just want to focus on designing the best game, so how do we get here? Chou shares his thoughts in this episode of the a16z Podcast with Sonal Chokshi and general partner Chris Dixon. In gaming (and in fact, with other tech trends too), innovation happens when there's a combination of new devices, new technology platforms, and new delivery mechanisms... but it's the business-model innovations, argues Dixon, that tend to create the most startup opportunities.image: battle scene from Eve Online, a game with an economy (via <a href="http://Forte.io" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Forte.io</a>)---The views expressed here are those of the individual AH Capital Management, L.L.C. (“a16z”) personnel quoted and are not the views of a16z or its affiliates. Certain information contained in here has been obtained from third-party sources, including from portfolio companies of funds managed by a16z. While taken from sources believed to be reliable, a16z has not independently verified such information and makes no representations about the enduring accuracy of the information or its appropriateness for a given situation.This content is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be relied upon as legal, business, investment, or tax advice. You should consult your own advisers as to those matters. References to any securities or digital assets are for illustrative purposes only, and do not constitute an investment recommendation or offer to provide investment advisory services. Furthermore, this content is not directed at nor intended for use by any investors or prospective investors, and may not under any circumstances be relied upon when making a decision to invest in any fund managed by a16z. (An offering to invest in an a16z fund will be made only by the private placement memorandum, subscription agreement, and other relevant documentation of any such fund and should be read in their entirety.) Any investments or portfolio companies mentioned, referred to, or described are not representative of all investments in vehicles managed by a16z, and there can be no assurance that the investments will be profitable or that other investments made in the future will have similar characteristics or results. A list of investments made by funds managed by Andreessen Horowitz (excluding investments for which the issuer has not provided permission for a16z to disclose publicly as well as unannounced investments in publicly traded digital assets) is available at <a href="https://a16z.com/investments/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://a16z.com/investments/</a>.Charts and graphs provided within are for informational purposes solely and should not be relied upon when making any investment decision. Past performance is not indicative of future results. The content speaks only as of the date indicated. Any projections, estimates, forecasts, targets, prospects, and/or opinions expressed in these materials are subject to change without notice and may differ or be contrary to opinions expressed by others. Please see <a href="https://a16z.com/disclosures" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://a16z.com/disclosures</a> for additional important information.

New Business Models for Gaming, Collaboration, Creativity

The games industry is in the midst of a tectonic shift. Powered by platform convergence, games-as-a-service, and user-generated content, modern video games—what we call next-generation games—are unlike anything we've seen before. In the past decade, gaming has grown from a niche hobby into a global, culture-defining phenomenon.Not only are the games themselves becoming increasingly immersive, the way we develop and discover them has fundamentally changed. In contrast to the hits-driven business model of the past, now games are shaped in real time by player feedback. And thanks to the rise of influencer gamers, the experience of finding new games has become organic and social.In this episode, a16z general partner Andrew Chen, deal partner Jon Lai, and host Lauren Murrow discuss how gaming is dominating not only the entertainment industry, but also pop culture at large. (Why can't we quit you, Untitled Goose Game?!) Andrew and Jon share how they think about emerging technologies in the space, as well as the features they look for in next-gen games and game developers.

The games industry is in the midst of a tectonic shift. Powered by platform convergence, games-as-a-service, and user-generated content, modern video games—what we call <a href="https://a16z.com/2019/10/16/trends-revolutionizing-games/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">next-generation games</a>—are unlike anything we've seen before. In the past decade, gaming has grown from a niche hobby into a global, culture-defining phenomenon.Not only are the games themselves becoming increasingly immersive, the way we develop and discover them has fundamentally changed. In contrast to the hits-driven business model of the past, now games are shaped in real time by player feedback. And thanks to the rise of influencer gamers, the experience of finding new games has become organic and social.In this episode, a16z general partner <a href="https://a16z.com/author/andrew-chen/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Andrew Chen,</a> deal partner <a href="https://a16z.com/author/jonathan-lai/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jon Lai</a>, and host <a href="https://a16z.com/author/lauren-murrow/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lauren Murrow</a> discuss how gaming is dominating not only the entertainment industry, but also pop culture at large. (Why can't we quit you, Untitled Goose Game?!) Andrew and Jon share how they think about emerging technologies in the space, as well as the features they look for in next-gen games and game developers.

Come for the Games, Stay for the Party

When we think about rebellious behavior in the context of organizations and companies, we tend to think of rebels as trouble-makers, rabble-rousers; in other words, people who make decisions and processes more difficult because they may not follow the established rules or norms. But rebel behavior can also be incredibly positive and constructive—in keeping us from stagnation, encouraging growth and learning, increasing curiosity and creativity.In this episode of the a16z Podcast, Harvard Business School Professor Francesca Gino, a social scientist who studies organizations, breaks down with a16z's Hanne Tidnam what makes rebels different in how they tend to see and do things—whether that’s cooking, flying planes, or holding board meetings—and what we can all learn from “rebel talent” to make our organizations more productive and innovative.

When we think about rebellious behavior in the context of organizations and companies, we tend to think of rebels as trouble-makers, rabble-rousers; in other words, people who make decisions and processes more difficult because they may not follow the established rules or norms. But rebel behavior can also be incredibly positive and constructive—in keeping us from stagnation, encouraging growth and learning, increasing curiosity and creativity.In this episode of the a16z Podcast, Harvard Business School Professor Francesca Gino, a social scientist who studies organizations, breaks down with a16z's Hanne Tidnam what makes rebels different in how they tend to see and do things—whether that’s cooking, flying planes, or holding board meetings—and what we can all learn from “<a href="https://www.rebeltalents.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">rebel talent</a>” to make our organizations more productive and innovative.

Rebel Talent

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