a16z Podcast

ChatGPT-5 just launched, marking a major milestone for OpenAI and the entire AI ecosystem.

Fresh off the live stream, Erik Torenberg was joined in the studio by  three people who played key roles in making this model a reality:

• Christina Kim, Researcher at OpenAI, who leads the core models team on post-training
• Isa Fulford, Researcher at OpenAI, who leads deep research and the ChatGPT agent team on post-training
• Sarah Wang, General...

What happens when a startup becomes a giant—and then has to reinvent itself all over again?

In this episode, Martin Casado sits down with Raghu Raghuram (former CEO of VMware) and Jeetu Patel (President and CPO at Cisco) for a deep, tactical conversation on scaling, disruption, and navigating transformation from the inside. They share hard-won lessons from leading two of the most iconic infrastructure companies in tech—through waves...

In this episode, Erik Torenberg is joined in the studio by Dwarkesh Patel and Noah Smith to explore one of the biggest questions in tech: what exactly is artificial general intelligence (AGI), and how close are we to achieving it?

They break down:

• Competing definitions of AGI — economic vs. cognitive vs. “godlike”
• Why reasoning alone isn’t enough — and what capabilities models still lack
• The debate over substitution vs. complementa...

What really caused the breakdown between tech and media—and what comes next?

Erik Torenberg sits down with Balaji Srinivasan (entrepreneur, investor, and author of The Network State) to explore the long-building conflict between Silicon Valley and legacy journalism. Balaji explains how the collapse of traditional media business models gave rise to political capture, clickbait, and adversarial coverage of the tech industry.

They discu...

What happens when AI starts generating content for everyone—and no one wants to watch it?

In this episode, MSNBC’s Chris Hayes and ad tech veteran Antonio García Martínez join a16z General Partner, Erik Torenberg to unpack the shifting economics of attention: from the rise of “AI slop” and spammy feeds to the difference between what we want to pay attention to and what platforms push on us.

They explore:

• How AI changes what gets c...

a16z General Partners Erik Torenberg and Martin Casado sit down with technologist and investor Balaji Srinivasan to explore how the metaphors we use to describe AI—whether as god, swarm, tool, or oracle—reveal as much about us as they do about the technology itself.

Balaji, best known for his work in crypto and network states, also brings a deep background in machine learning. Together, the trio unpacks the evolution of AI discourse...

On this episode of The Ben & Marc Show, a16z co-founders Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz sit down with Erik Torenberg— General Partner at a16z and founder of the media company Turpentine—to unpack how the internet shattered the old media order and reshaped the way power works in America.

What begins as a look at the evolution of media quickly becomes something bigger: a conversation about truth, trust, and the collapse of instituti...

It can take more than 15 years to permit and build a new mine in the United States - yet nearly every modern technology we rely on, from smartphones to fighter jets to AI data centers, depends on a steady supply of critical minerals.

In this episode, Erik Torenberg is joined in the studio by Turner Caldwell, founder of Mariana Minerals, along with American Dynamism general partner Erin Price-Wright and partner Ryan McEntush.

Turner s...

Is AI the Fourth Pillar of Infrastructure?

Infrastructure doesn’t go away — it layers. And today, AI is emerging as a new foundational layer alongside compute, storage, and networking.

Erik Torenberg interviews a16z’s Martin Casado, Jennifer Li, and Matt Bornstein breaking down how infrastructure is evolving in the age of AI — from models and agents to developer tools and shifting user behavior.

We dive into what infra actually means ...

Today we’re sharing an episode from American Optimist featuring Marc Andreessen in conversation with Joe Lonsdale, recorded live at the inaugural Ronald Reagan Economic Forum.

They explore one of the most urgent and complex questions of our time: Can AI and robotics catalyze a new era of American industrial strength—and how do we ensure the entire country, including rural communities, shares in the upside?

Marc walks through the hist...

U.S. per capita energy usage peaked in 1973. Since then? Flat. Meanwhile, China’s per capita energy use has grown 9x.

Today, AI, EVs, manufacturing, and data centers are driving demand for more electricity than ever—and our grid can’t keep up.

In this episode, a16z general partners David Ulevitch and Erin Price-Wright, along with investing partner Ryan McEntush from the American Dynamism team, join us to unpack:

– How America’s grid f...

In this episode, a16z General Partner Martin Casado sits down with Box cofounder and CEO Aaron Levie to talk about how AI is changing not just software, but the structure and speed of work itself.

They unpack how enterprise adoption of AI is different from the consumer wave, why incumbents may be better positioned than people think, and how the role of the individual contributor is already shifting from executor to orchestrator. Fro...

This week on the a16z Podcast, we're sharing a feed drop from Impact Theory with Tom Bilyeu, featuring a wide-ranging conversation with a16z cofounder Ben Horowitz.

Artificial intelligence isn't just a tool — it's a tectonic shift. In this episode, Ben joins Tom to break down what AI really is (and isn't), where it's taking us, and why it matters. They dive into the historical parallels, the looming policy battles, and how innovatio...

a16z Crypto General Partners Ali Yahya, Arianna Simpson, and Erik Torenberg break down what’s actually working in crypto today - starting with the rise of stablecoins as a real-world payments layer. They discuss how stablecoins are being adopted by companies like Stripe and SpaceX, why regulatory shifts are opening new doors for crypto startups, and how AI and crypto are beginning to intersect.

They also cover:

• The future of dece...

On this episode, taken from The Ben & Marc Show, a16z co-founders Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz dive deep into the unfiltered story behind the founding of Andreessen Horowitz—and how they set out to reinvent venture capital itself. 

For the first time, Marc and Ben walk through the origins, strategy, and philosophy behind building a world-class venture capital firm designed for the future—not just the next fund. They reveal how t...

Taken from the AI + a16z podcast, Arcjet CEO David Mytton sits down with a16z partner Joel de la Garza to discuss the increasing complexity of managing who can access websites, and other web apps, and what they can do there. A primary challenge is determining whether automated traffic is coming from bad actors and troublesome bots, or perhaps AI agents trying to buy a product on behalf of a real customer.Joel and David dive into th...

What if now is the best time in decades to start a company?

In this episode, taken from Speedrun, a16z’s accelerator for early-stage founders, Marc Andreessen joins games General Partner Jonathan Lai to make the case that we’re entering a once-in-a-generation window for innovation. From the rise of AI to the cultural and policy shifts reshaping the global economy, Marc explains why the next four years present a rare opportunity for ...

Why does seriousness feel radical today? a16z General Partner Katherine Boyle joins The LaBossiere Podcast to explore what it means to build for the national interest—and why that starts with purpose.

Katherine, part of the American Dynamism team at a16z, shares how we got to a place where public service became uncool, how tech can help rebuild trust in government, and why suffering, friction, and responsibility are essential ingred...

In this episode of ‘This Week in Consumer’, a16z General Partners Anish Acharya and Erik Torenberg are joined by Steven Sinofsky - Board Partner at a16z and former President of Microsoft’s Windows division - for a deep dive on how today’s AI moment mirrors (and diverges from) past computing transitions.

They explore whether we’re at the “Windows 3.1” stage of AI or still in the earliest innings, why consumer adoption is outpacing de...