The Google I/O keynote was epic in at least one respect, length. For three hours Google laid out the near horizon for all things Google. This included the next version of Android; a new platform for connected watches; Google for your car; yet another Google TV; and a new health platform. Andreessen Horowitz’s Benedict Evans plowed through it all, including what was noticeably absent: Google+ and Google Glass. What the future looks like as the lines between mobile apps and web pages blur, and why...
Jun 26, 2014•33 min•Ep. 21
The datacenter has long been -- there's no nice way to put this -- a bit of a snoozer. Expensive boxes running expensive software. No more, says a16z General Partner Peter Levine. Along with Chris Dixon, Levine lays out a vision for the datacenter of the future. Building on the technology established by companies like Facebook and Google, Levine and Dixon describe a software-led transformation of the datacenter, one where the mobile supply chain and fast-moving companies are reimagining everythi...
Jun 18, 2014•26 min•Ep. 20
People Marketplaces are a lot like eBay -- connecting buyer and seller -- but for services, says a16z General Partner Jeff Jordan. These two-sided marketplaces are cropping up across the economy, from finding a ride to house cleaning and pet sitting. Now Instacart is bringing the People Marketplace model to the grocery business -- a massive market that has seen very little change even as the internet and mobile have upended most retail categories. Joined by a16z's Sam Gerstenzang, this segment o...
Jun 16, 2014•13 min•Ep. 19
a16z Board Partner Steven Sinofsky and Box CEO and co-founder Aaron Levie discuss findings from a study of the information economy that has been built on cloud and mobile. The findings were based on workflow data collected anonymously from a subset of 25 million users, 225,000 businesses, and five industries (you can see the report here: http://blog.box.com/2014/06/mapping-the-information-economy-a-tale-of-five-industries/). It all amounts to big shifts in enterprise IT. But what are the implica...
Jun 13, 2014•17 min•Ep. 18
The announcement by Apple of its new programming language Swift is prompting developers to consider yet again how to tailor their efforts in the battle between iOS and Android. Benedict Evans and Steven Sinofsky discuss the questionable history of cross-platform software, and strategies for startups building apps today. How developers can build great apps on both of the largest mobile platforms. This platform question is one Sinofsky has been grappling with for a very long time, and which he als...
Jun 06, 2014•17 min•Ep. 17
Benedict Evans is a veteran of Apple’s big events and puts all the announcements and demos into one of three categories: 1) all the cool incremental improvements to the Apple operating systems; 2) the tent-pole features that Apple likes to build marketing campaigns around; 3) and finally, the fundamental strategic moves by Apple that serve to push the company ahead of the competition. With help from Andreessen Horowitz technical talent partner Dave Jagoda, this segment picks apart all three cate...
Jun 03, 2014•23 min•Ep. 16
For Jim Gilliam, the founder of NationBuilder, community is everything. When he needed a double lung transplant, Gilliam turned to the Internet and to his online community to make it happen. He's organized political campaigns, made documentary films, and built his company NationBuilder by tapping into the power that large scale communities on the internet provide. Community at internet scale is a deep reservoir of people, ideas and yes, money, that Gilliam believes changes how we do almost every...
May 30, 2014•10 min•Ep. 15
Optimizely is a superb example of the democratization of software development. You don't need an engineering degree to fire up Optimizely and start testing how design changes on your website -- down to the pixel level -- affect things like time on site, closing sales, navigation, etc. The a/b testing Optimizely offers is just one example of a new wave of tools born of the internet, and designed for how people work, shop, research and entertain themselves online. Andreessen Horowitz's Scott Weiss...
May 20, 2014•21 min•Ep. 14
“At a moment of great concern about inequality, now comes a learned tome proclaiming the gravity of the inequality problem,” says Larry Summers in a conversation with Andreessen Horowitz’s Balaji Srinivasan. “It’s a stunning thing, and it must reflect positively on the growing intellectualism of the society that a book like that could be a best-seller.” But that doesn’t mean Piketty got it right, adds the former Secretary of the Treasury and current a16z special advisor. Summers describes the tw...
May 15, 2014•15 min•Ep. 13
What do venture capitalists actually do all day? And what is the path that leads to a career investing in startups? Hummer Winblad’s Ann Winblad, Cowboy Ventures' Aileen Lee, Aspect Ventures' Theresia Gouw, Intel Capital veteran and UPWARD founder Lisa Lambert, and Andreessen Horowitz’s Margit Wennmachers discuss VC trends, the importance of technical chops, and how to build the next generation of entrepreneurs and investors. And finally, in front of an appreciative crowd attending the UPWARD ev...
May 02, 2014•37 min•Ep. 12
Computing is in the midst of a transformation that puts your future device purchases up for grabs. It’s a safe bet that everyone will have a phone, and as the last holdouts switch over, that will inevitably mean a smartphone. But when your PC finally gives up the ghost, are you going to buy another PC? Perhaps a tablet? Or will another large screen device –a really big phone - be the ticket? Maybe just get all three? Benedict Evans and Steven Sinofsky discuss why laptops and tablets are competin...
Apr 30, 2014•17 min•Ep. 11
Apple’s recent earnings sent the stock soaring. What drove that investor exuberance had everything to do with iPhone sales (and the China market), and very little to do with the iPad – the sales of which were essentially flat over the past year. Chris Dixon and Benedict Evans look at the fortunes of the world’s best-selling tablet, and what that means for the balance of power in the computing world. Are smartphones supplanting tablets for most uses? Are developers so focused on creating apps for...
Apr 25, 2014•21 min•Ep. 10
Can technology companies show up and disrupt television with an onslaught of new gizmos and services, or is content still the controlling factor? What will it take in terms of money, business model and time to upend the TV model that has stubbornly persisted for decades? Will the old platforms and players dominate, or is now the time for new players to take charge? Andreessen Horowitz’s Benedict Evans and Zal Bilimoria discuss the future of television. Stay Updated: Find a16z on X Find a16z on L...
Apr 18, 2014•19 min•Ep. 9
From file cabinets to typewriters, spreadsheets and word processing the tools we use for work change not only what we do, but the culture of our workplace. Steven Sinofsky, a veteran of building software tools for productivity, discusses the latest revolution in technology-enabled tools with Benedict Evans. Why today’s cloud-based tools change the role of managers, and why the perfect tool will never exist (nor would you want it to). Stay Updated: Find a16z on X Find a16z on LinkedIn Listen to t...
Apr 10, 2014•24 min•Ep. 8
China has been a tough market to crack for U.S. internet companies. One of the key reasons is China has its own crop of hugely successful and highly innovative companies. Andreessen Horowitz’s Chris Dixon, Connie Chan and Benedict Evans highlight the key players in China, and what non-Chinese companies can learn from them. Where Chinese companies and money are headed next. Stay Updated: Find a16z on X Find a16z on LinkedIn Listen to the a16z Podcast on Spotify Listen to the a16z Podcast on Apple...
Mar 30, 2014•18 min•Ep. 7
Up until now virtual reality has been a disappointment for all those people pining for their own personal holodeck. But advances in the components required to create a truly immersive digital 3D experience have finally broken through much of what has been holding virtual reality back. As a consequence, Oculus VR is building something that is nothing short of a new medium. Andreessen Horowitz’s Chris Dixon, Balaji Srinivasan and Gil Shafir discuss the present and future potential of virtual reali...
Mar 28, 2014•13 min•Ep. 6
Suppose you develop a new technology that is valuable to some industry. The old approach was to sell or license your technology to the existing companies in that industry. The new approach is to build a complete, end-to-end product or service that bypasses existing companies. Andreessen Horowitz’s Chris Dixon, Balaji Srinivasan and Benedict Evans discuss the reasons behind, and advantages of, going “full stack.” Stay Updated: Find a16z on X Find a16z on LinkedIn Listen to the a16z Podcast on Spo...
Mar 27, 2014•19 min•Ep. 5
The mobile experience is still in its 1995 Yahoo phase, a sea of apps and websites without an easy way to find what you want and need on your smartphone. What will be mobile’s version of PageRank, the algorithm that made the web manageable? What is the interaction model and the form - app, card, URL – that will help us find, explore and engage with people, products and services from our mobile devices? Andreessen Horowitz’s Chris Dixon, Benedict Evans and Balaji Srinivasan delve into the options...
Mar 24, 2014•12 min•Ep. 4
There is a recurring theme that the tech industry is busy cranking out fluffy social apps rather than hardcore technology. Not the case, say Chris Dixon, Benedict Evans and Balaji Srinivasan. Not only are tech entrepreneurs going after the deficiencies in healthcare, transportation, finance, energy - you name it - with new approaches riding on top of sophisticated technologies, what looks like fluff today often wields some serious influence tomorrow. Stay Updated: Find a16z on X Find a16z on Lin...
Mar 21, 2014•15 min•Ep. 3
Andreessen Horowitz's Chris Dixon and Balaji Srinivasan discuss the state of the Bitcoin ecosystem now that the Mt. Gox dust has settled. What's next in crypto-currency, and a theory on Bitcoin creator Satoshi (not Dorian) Nakamoto. Stay Updated: Find a16z on X Find a16z on LinkedIn Listen to the a16z Podcast on Spotify Listen to the a16z Podcast on Apple Podcasts Follow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT b...
Mar 20, 2014•16 min•Ep. 2
Apple and Google won the mobile OS war, but the next war – to build big businesses on top of Android and iOS – is just beginning. Andreessen Horowitz Partner Benedict Evans untangles what the next phase of mobile means for entrepreneurs, Apple and Google's competitors, and consumers eager for the next great gadget. Stay Updated: Find a16z on X Find a16z on LinkedIn Listen to the a16z Podcast on Spotify Listen to the a16z Podcast on Apple Podcasts Follow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenber...
Mar 13, 2014•27 min•Ep. 1
