The recent Capital One data hack and breach that compromised sensitive information for 106 million people, including 140,000 Social Security numbers and 80,000 bank account numbers, was executed by… | Continue reading
If history repeats itself, the next social network won’t look like the social networks we know today. Since the invention of the Internet, there have been places to meet new people who share our in… | Continue reading
A lot in technology -- and venture -- happens in decades. New cycles of technology come and go, including some secular shifts; a new generation of founders matures; and so much more changes. So whe… | Continue reading
As online video platforms seek a business model beyond advertising, and short videos start to look more and more like commercials, it turns out that commerce may be video’s killer app. And not only… | Continue reading
We believe right now is a truly transformative moment in the healthcare market—particularly in care delivery. In this article, I’ll describe some of the tailwinds that are creating this unique oppo… | Continue reading
Many of the most consequential projects of the internet era -- from Wikipedia to Facebook and bitcoin -- have all been predicated on network effects, where the network becomes more valuable to user… | Continue reading
We have had a long history of making investments in strong marketplaces that connect buyers and sellers. Marketplace startups can simplify otherwise complex, disorganized ecosystems like transporta… | Continue reading
10X engineer memes have resurfaced lately, for better and for worse. But what does the idea that a certain individual can be ten times as productive in tech companies mean for multidisciplinary com… | Continue reading
Introducing our new podcast, 16 Minutes, a short news podcast where we cover the top headlines of the week, the a16z podcast way -- why are these topics in the news; what's real, what's hype from o… | Continue reading
Summer is finally here, and hopefully that means a little more time to kick back, relax, and read. So we at a16z compiled our biannual recommendations (you can see the last one here) of what to rea… | Continue reading
Reading -- and especially writing -- was once a privilege of the elite. In the medieval ages, the ability to create and distribute books was in the hands of very few: It would take weeks and even m… | Continue reading
For startups seeking to build a sustainable and enduring business, we’ve covered a lot of the strategic financing milestones along the way -- from mindsets for startup fundraising to when and how t… | Continue reading
I spend hours and hours in my inbox every single day. When I was CEO of OpenDNS, I would triage constantly to not block some critical path for my team. In particular I dreaded the “death spiral” of… | Continue reading
If you’re an app developer working today, you’ve likely heard of a query language syntax called GraphQL. Often touted for improving the developer experience with APIs, GraphQL is also part of a mor… | Continue reading
https://youtu.be/z3vdcrI7xak Why on earth is the modern mortgage so damn complicated? In this short animated video, a16z General Partner Alex Rampell takes us through the history of the American mo… | Continue reading
If you slipping in Hollywood and you get your chain snatched I know some n*&%!@ that owe some n*&%!@ I'll get your chain back —The Game, Cali Sunshine Who do you need to meet? I’m sure that… | Continue reading
Stadiums packed to capacity filled with screaming fans. Global audiences in the hundreds of millions. A multibillion-dollar economy. College scholarships for the top players. Talent agents. Profess… | Continue reading
Editor’s note: Since we closely follow China and the global nature of tech in general, among other topics related to innovation, here are highlights from a two-hour interview that Ren Zhengfei, the… | Continue reading
In the world of podcasting, the flywheel is spinning: new technologies including AirPods, connected cars, and smart speakers have made it much easier for consumers to listen to audio content, which… | Continue reading
Kik, the Tencent-backed messaging app, raised $150 million in August 2017 in an initial coin offering (ICO). Weeks before that, the SEC issued guidance that ICOs may constitute illegal securities o… | Continue reading
Data has long been lauded as a competitive moat for companies, and that narrative’s been further hyped with the recent wave of AI startups. Network effects have been similarly promoted as a defensi… | Continue reading
Every organization, whether small or big, early or late stage -- and every individual, whether for themselves or others -- makes countless decisions every day, under conditions of uncertainty. The … | Continue reading
Have you ever wished you could be in the room when founders present to the Andreessen Horowitz investing team? Even better, do you wish you could stay to hear the discussion after the pitch? We hea… | Continue reading
As companies generally -- and tech companies specifically -- play a greater role in social and economic issues, the fundamental question that many consumers, politicians, and company builders are a… | Continue reading
There’s a new era of AI consumer-based apps spreading around the world, though starting from China. TikTok, a short-form mobile video app, was downloaded on Apple’s App store more than 104 million … | Continue reading
Join a16z Deal and Research operating partner Frank Chen for a conversation with longtime Apple software engineer Ken Kocienda for an insider’s account of how Apple designed software in the golden … | Continue reading
Pinterest went public today! An IPO is a giant milestone for any company. I had the privilege of being CEO when OpenTable went public, in May 2009 -- in the depths of the worst financial crisis s… | Continue reading
One of the toughest challenges for founders -- and especially technical founders who are used to focusing so much on product features over sales -- is striking "product-market fit". The concept can… | Continue reading
Throughout China, Allen Zhang is known as the "father of WeChat". Zhang’s public persona has much the same cultural importance and weight as the American legacy of Steve Jobs. He is renowned in Chi… | Continue reading
Network effects are one of the most important dynamics in software and marketplace businesses. But they’re often spoken of in a binary way: either you have them, or you don’t. In practice, most com… | Continue reading
“Crossing the chasm” is a popular concept for almost all new products/startups, and is a useful lens for entrepreneurs to view the theory of innovation. The concept was first coined in the popular … | Continue reading
The vast ecosystem of moving pictures that we enjoy today -- of television, movies, streaming shows/platforms, YouTube clips, and social media stories -- all derived from humble beginnings: In 1878… | Continue reading
Editor’s Note: These notes -- as well as information posted from the FS-ISAC newsletter (permitted to be distributed without restriction) -- were shared by operating partner (and former Chief Secur… | Continue reading
The problem of "dark data" in healthcare isn't just a feel-good empowerment thing, but a structural issue that leads to miscommunication and extra friction, different players in the entire healthca… | Continue reading
The idea of 'designing biology' -- once science fiction -- has over the last 20 years become just... science. In this episode, a16z's General Partner on the Bio Fund Vijay Pande and Hanne Tidnam ta… | Continue reading
Chris Dixon has been both a founder and a VC. He has empathy for both venture capitalists and founders on this set of issues. He is most certainly correct that this type of situation creates tensio… | Continue reading
The past and future of marketplace startups -- where are we? Ever since eBay popularized an internet meeting place for buyers and sellers of, well, just about everything, we’ve been waiting for 100… | Continue reading
Below are our 16 most popular a16z Podcast episodes + videos of 2018. And if you're new to the pod, be sure to check out our 2017, 2016, and 2015 lists, and our top videos from 2017 (and 2016), too… | Continue reading
This episode of the a16z Podcast features the rare combination of a16z co-founders Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz in conversation, together, with economist Tyler Cowen (chair of economics at Geor… | Continue reading
In his book (and podcast), Brian McCullough chronicles the history and evolution of the internet -- from college kids in a basement and the dot-com boom, to the applications built on top of it and … | Continue reading
Whether you’re in the middle seat fighting for the armrest or on the couch in front of the fire, check out a16z's biannual what we're reading for your holiday list. Taking us from a World War II pr… | Continue reading
In his book (and podcast), Brian McCullough chronicles the history and evolution of the internet -- from college kids in a basement and the dot-com boom, to the applications built on top of it and … | Continue reading
Network effects are one of the most important dynamics in software and marketplace businesses. But they’re often spoken of in a binary way: either you have them, or you don’t. In practice, most com… | Continue reading
Stop and think for a moment about how many ads you saw in the last 24 hours, on Instagram or Facebook or anywhere else. How many did you scroll through and glaze over? What if the number was capped… | Continue reading
Goods versus Services: The next trillion dollar opportunity Marketplace startups have done incredibly well over the first few decades of the internet, reinventing the way we shop for goods, … | Continue reading
Stop and think for a moment about how many ads you saw in the last 24 hours, on Instagram or Facebook or anywhere else. How many did you scroll through and glaze over? What if the number was capped… | Continue reading
There’s a new era of AI consumer-based apps spreading around the world, though starting from China. TikTok, a short-form mobile video app, was downloaded on Apple’s App store more than 104 million … | Continue reading
Human progress is defined by the desire to take risk -- whether that's getting married, buying a home, having kids, getting on a plane, taking a new job, even moving to earthquake country (where th… | Continue reading