The a16z Show

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How Foundation Models Evolved: A PhD Journey Through AI's Breakthrough Era Jan 16, 2026

Show notes

The Stanford PhD who built DSPy thought he was just creating better prompts—until he realized he'd accidentally invented a new paradigm that makes LLMs actually programmable.

While everyone obsesses over whether LLMs will get us to AGI, Omar Khattab is solving a more urgent problem: the gap between what you want AI to do and your ability to tell it, the absence of a real programming language for intent. He argues the entire field has been approaching this backwards, treating natural language prompts as the interface when we actually need something between imperative code and pure English, and the implications could determine whether AI systems remain unpredictable black boxes or become the reliable infrastructure layer everyone's betting on.

Follow Omar Khattab on X: https://x.com/lateinteraction

Follow Martin Casado on X: https://x.com/martin_casado

Check out everything a16z is doing with artificial intelligence here, including articles, projects, and more podcasts.

Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.

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Ben & Marc: Why Everything Is About to Get 10x Bigger Jan 15, 2026

Show notes

a16z cofounders Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz join a16z general partner Erik Torenberg and Not Boring founder Packy McCormick for a conversation on how the media and information ecosystem has changed over the past decade. The discussion breaks down the shift toward a more open and decentralized speech environment, the rise of writer- and creator-led platforms like Substack, and the erosion of centralized media gatekeepers. Marc and Ben also tie these dynamics to their investing worldview, outlining how supply-driven markets, major technological step changes, and reputation-driven venture platforms shape outcomes in the AI era.

Timecodes:

00:00 Introduction
00:46 How the media ecosystem is changing
4:20 Why a16z invested in Substack
6:28 Supply-driven markets and new content creation
8:07 Why writers felt trapped by media companies
10:09 Databricks and the 10x cloud multiplier
13:58 Long-form podcasting proves demand
15:40 What the new fund signals about the future
16:24 AI as a universal problem solver
18:49 Why market sizing is broken
20:45 Go-to-market, policy, and platform power
22:37 Turning inventors into confident CEOs
25:58 Borrowing power to scale faster
27:29 Building dreamers, not killing dreams
30:46 Reputation as a core competitive advantage
35:57 Taking arrows in public
38:56 Avoiding big company failure modes
40:39 Autonomous teams inside a16z
41:54 Venture capital as the last job
46:01 Why intangibles matter more than ever
48:17 Original thinkers with charisma
50:06 Why Zoomers are different

Resources:

https://www.notboring.co/p/a16z-the-power-brokers

https://www.a16z.news/p/firm-fund

Follow Marc Andreessen on X: https://twitter.com/pmarca

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Alex Rampell on TBPN: Revenge, Redemption, and Founder Drive Jan 14, 2026

Show notes

a16z General Partner Alex Rampell joined the Technology Brothers Podcast Network following the announcement of Andreessen Horowitz’s new fund to discuss what drives founders to build enduring companies. Drawing on his journey from early software entrepreneur to leading a16z’s apps fund, Alex shared how high agency, deep historical understanding, and the ability to attract talent, capital, and customers separate great founders from the rest. He reflected on motivation beyond money, explaining why “revenge or redemption” often fuels the resilience required to push through the hardest moments of company building.

Resources:

Follow Alex Rampell on X: https://twitter.com/arampell
Follow John Coogan on X: https://twitter.com/johncoogan
Follow Jordi Hays on X: https://twitter.com/jordihays

Listen to more from TBPN: https://www.tbpn.com/

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Ben Horowitz on Investing in AI: AI Bubbles, Economic Impact, and VC Acceleration Jan 13, 2026

Show notes

AI is changing how companies are built and how venture firms operate, forcing faster decisions, clearer judgment, and new ways of working.

In this exclusive conversation, Ben Horowitz shares how Andreessen Horowitz adapts to that shift. He explains why managing GPs is different from running a company, how investors are evaluated at the moment of decision rather than years later, and why verticalized teams help the firm scale without internal politics.

Ben also breaks down the current AI cycle, from treating AI as a new computing platform to why application design and model orchestration matter more than raw model size. He discusses the return of M&A and why today’s AI market reflects real demand, not just inflated valuations.

Resources:

Follow Ben on X: https://twitter.com/bhorowitz

Follow Jen on X: https://twitter.com/jkhamehl

Read Justine’s piece ‘There is No God Tier Video Model’: https://a16z.com/there-is-no-god-tier-video-model-but-there-is-something-better/

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Alex Rampell on Venture at Scale and Founder Incentives Jan 12, 2026

Show notes

This episode is a special feed drop from The Twenty Minute VC, featuring a conversation between Harry Stebbings and a16z General Partner Alex Rampell.

Alex shares how he thinks about investing at scale, including why ownership and incentives matter, how venture changes as funds get larger, and what it really takes to win the best deals. He walks through his core founder framework of backing people who can materialize talent, capital, and customers, and explains why the strongest companies often have “hostages,” not just customers.

The discussion also covers pricing risk, secondaries, moral hazard in private markets, and how AI is reshaping software, labor, and company formation. Together, Harry and Alex unpack what it takes to build durable, category-defining companies in an era where technology is moving faster than ever.

Resources:

Find Alex on X: https://x.com/arampell

Find Harry on X: https://x.com/HarryStebbings

Listen to more from 20VC: https://www.thetwentyminutevc.com

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Ben Horowitz on TBPN: Three Decades with Marc and Building for the Long Game Jan 11, 2026

Show notes

Following the announcement of a16z’s new fund, Andreessen Horowitz cofounder and general partner Ben Horowitz joined TBPN to discuss how Andreessen Horowitz has evolved its firm structure as technology becomes embedded across every sector of the economy. Ben reflects on which lessons from The Hard Thing About Hard Things still apply to founders, why entrepreneurship remains difficult at any scale, and how long-term partnerships shape decision-making inside the firm. He explains the move toward specialized, independent investment teams, how a16z evaluates new markets, and why AI represents a generational technology shift that changes how companies are built and how investors operate. The conversation also lessons from prior technology cycles and bubbles, the role of public policy in sustaining innovation ecosystems, and how founders can navigate modern media attention and public discourse while building durable, long-term companies.

Resources:

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Follow John Coogan on X: https://twitter.com/johncoogan
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Ben Horowitz on Raising a New Fund and How Venture Firms Scale Jan 09, 2026

Show notes

In this feed drop from Uncapped, Jack Altman sits down with a16z co-founder Ben Horowitz to unpack the founding bet behind Andreessen Horowitz. VC should be a better product for entrepreneurs, built on real operating experience, real networks, and real support.

Ben shares how he and Marc Andreessen have worked together for 30 years, how they make decisions, and what it takes to scale a venture firm without losing the edge that actually helps founders. They also dig into why boards matter, how platform teams can change what partners do day-to-day, and the difference between “heat-seeking” investing and conviction-driven company building, especially in sectors like AI and crypto.

Timecodes:

00:00 Introduction

01:05 Ben Horowitz & Marc Andreessen’s Partnership

04:05 Building & Leading a16z

07:16 Managing High-Powered VCs

11:01 Boards, Governance & Founder Support

15:36 Platform Services & Recruiting

17:43 Scale vs. Concentration in Venture

20:57 Why Venture Can Scale

24:27 Platform Services: What Works and What Doesn’t

27:50 The Real Value of Board Membership

35:38 Media, Brand & Marketing Evolution

41:32 The Future of Media & Journalism

45:30 Limits on Venture Firm Size

49:13 Winning vs. Picking Deals

53:16 The Case Against Venture Scale

55:49 Hiring Operators & Rethinking the VC Product

Resources:

Follow Ben on X: https://twitter.com/bhorowitz

Follow Jack on X: https://twitter.com/jaltma

Watch more from Uncapped: https://www.altcap.com/

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Keycard: 2026 is the Year of Agents Jan 08, 2026

Show notes

In 2025, we saw the first glimpses of true AI agents. In 2026, every company will be rushing to get them into production, and they’ll need companies like Keycard to manage fleets of agents.

In this conversation, a16z Partner Joel de la Garza sits down with Keycard Cofounder and CEO Ian Livingstone to discuss the continuum from copilots to agents, the security realities of tool-calling, why enterprises will adopt before consumers, and how to control your agents.

Follow Joel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/3448827723723234/

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Learn more about Keycard: https://www.keycard.sh/

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Marc Andreessen's 2026 Outlook: AI Timelines, US vs. China, and The Price of AI Jan 07, 2026

Show notes

a16z co-founder and General Partner Marc Andreessen joins an AMA-style conversation to explain why AI is the largest technology shift he has experienced, how the cost of intelligence is collapsing, and why the market still feels early despite rapid adoption. The discussion covers how falling model costs and fast capability gains are reshaping pricing, distribution, and competition across the AI stack, why usage-based and value-based pricing are becoming standard, and how startups and incumbents are navigating big versus small models and open versus closed systems. Marc also addresses China’s progress, regulatory fragmentation, lessons from Europe, and why venture portfolios are designed to back multiple, conflicting outcomes at once.

Resources:

Follow Marc Andreessen on X: https://twitter.com/pmarca

Follow Jen Kha on X: https://twitter.com/jkhamehl

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Figma’s Dylan Field on the Future of Design Jan 06, 2026

Show notes

Dylan Field is the co-founder and CEO of Figma, a design software company that went public in July 2025. Founded in 2012, Figma transformed how people design, prototype, and build products together. After a $20 billion acquisition attempt by Adobe collapsed in 2022 because of regulators, Dylan helped Figma rebound stronger than ever. Just three years later, Figma listed its shares at nearly $20 billion and its stock price more than tripled on its first trading day.

A few highlights:

Expanding a sleepy market

Merging of designers and product roles

Counter-narrative to polarizing CEOs

If models get better, we have to

Remembering Brat Summer

Resources: