The a16z Show

Latest Episodes:

Fintech Fuels Global Payments Oct 30, 2023

Show notes

Software crosses borders effortlessly. The globalization of money, however, is considerably more challenging. This is especially true for multinational businesses, which grapple with managing multiple accounts in diverse currencies, navigating costly foreign exchange rates, and unpredictable money transfers.

As businesses increasingly embrace a global default, top fintech entrepreneurs are rising to the challenge, addressing cross-border infrastructure issues and offering comprehensive solutions.

In this episode, a16z partners Angela Strange, Joe Schmidt, and Gabriel Vasquez discuss the challenges of cross-border payment infrastructures and what fintech entrepreneurs are doing to create a more integrated, financially inclusive world.

Topics Covered:

00:00 - Software crosses borders easily; money does not.

03:02 - Why has global payments been a challenge for so long?

05:44 - How global payments and money currently moves

07:25 - The metrics used to measure a country's financial health

12:13 - The impact of regulation on financial services

16:23 - Can the same regulations be applied to any country?

21:29 - Why each country has its own fintech system

24:54 - Opportunities in global payments infrastructure

34:47 - Advice for founders navigating global fintech systems

36:58 - What does a truly global system enable?

Read the Fintech Fuels Global Payments package: https://a16z.com/global-payments

Watch ’Foreign Exchange 101: What Happens When You Send Money Abroad?’: https://youtu.be/eoXdyO9oGJc?feature=shared

Find Angela on Twitter: https://twitter.com/astrange

Find Joe Schmidt on Twitter: https://twitter.com/joeschmidtiv

FInd Gabriel Vasquez on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GEVS94

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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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The Techno-Optimist Manifesto with Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz Oct 25, 2023

Show notes

Subscribe to The Ben & Marc Show on Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3SdsfNt

Subscribe to The Ben & Marc Show on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3SclPOr

Read the full manifesto: https://a16z.com/the-techno-optimist-manifesto/

This past week, Marc released his new vision for the future – “The Techno-Optimist Manifesto”.

In an article that has sparked widespread conversation across traditional and social media, Marc challenges the pessimistic narrative surrounding technology today, and instead celebrates it as a liberating force that can lead to growth, progress and abundance for all. In this one-on-one conversation based on YOUR questions from X (formerly Twitter), Ben and Marc discuss how technological advancements can improve the quality of human life, uplift marginalized communities, and even encourage us to answer the bigger questions of the universe.

We hope you’ll be inspired to join us in this Techno-Optimist movement. Enjoy!

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A New Era of VR: From the Court to the Classroom Oct 13, 2023

Show notes

As VR technology inches forward, completely new experiences loom on the horizon.

In today’s episode, we expose listeners to the very real-world use cases already present on these devices, from fitness to education.

First up is Gym Class VR, one of the top-rated apps on the Quest. Cofounder, Paul Katsen, shows us how to dribble and dunk in the metaverse, but more importantly, discusses the social impact of VR, the technological prerequisites to get there, and the role of AI as we progress.

Following on is a founder on a mission to revolutionize education. Anurupa Ganguly from Prisms VR, explores how virtual reality has the potential to close the gap – one where 70% of US 8th graders are not proficient in foundational math.

Head over to our YouTube channel to see two a16z Podcast firsts: a full interview in VR, and host Steph slam dunking on an NBA court.

Topics Covered:

00:00 - The current state of VR

03:38 - How do you build the #1 VR app?

05:56 - How will VR become an everyday activity?

07:37 - The social and the technical arc of VR

11:47 - Untapped opportunities in VR

13:24 - Integrating AI into VR

17:09 - Prisms VR

20:10 - Why it’s critical to fix America’s math problem

21:12 - Why put VR in classrooms now?

23:23 - The successes of VR in the classroom

26:03 - Stats from the impact report

27:44 - Other curriculums could benefit from VR

31:04 - Opportunities for AI in VR

Resources:

Find Paul on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pavtalk
Learn more about Gym Class: https://www.gymclassvr.com
Find Gym Class in Meta Quest: https://www.meta.com/experiences/3661420607275144/
Find Anurupa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anurupa-ganguly-92790379
Learn more about Prisms VR: https://www.prismsvr.com

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When Will AI Hit the Enterprise? Ben Horowitz and Ali Ghodsi Discuss Oct 06, 2023

Show notes

Today’s episode continues our coverage from a16z’s recent AI Revolution event. You’ll hear directly from a16z cofounder Ben Horowitz and Databricks cofounder and CEO, Ali Ghodsi as they answer questions around AI and the enterprise, plus their perspectives on open source, whether benchmarks are BS, and the scramble of universities to take part in the very wave they kicked off decades ago.

If you’d like to access all the talks from AI Revolution in full, visit a16z.com/airevolution.

Resources:

Find Ali on Twitter: https://twitter.com/alighodsi
Find Ben on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bhorowitz
Check out Databricks: https://twitter.com/databricks

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When AI and Genomics Collide Oct 03, 2023

Show notes

Today’s episode continues our coverage from a16z’s recent AI Revolution event. You’ll hear a16z Bio & Health GP Vijay Pande speak with Daphne Koller about the fascinating convergence of machine learning and genomics – two industries that have benefitted decades of investment and progress – which are now colliding head on.

Daphne is a prominent innovator at this intersection, as a long-time professor in computer science at Stanford and co-founder of Coursera, who has decided to step back into the arena with her company Insitro. In fact, Insitro is a blend of in silico and in virto!

If you’d like to access all the talks from AI Revolution in full, visit a16z.com/airevolution.

Resources:

Find Daphne on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DaphneKoller
Find Vijay on Twitter: https://twitter.com/vijaypande
Find Insitro on Twitter: https://twitter.com/insitro

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AI Revolution: Disruption, Alignment, and Opportunity Sep 28, 2023

Show notes

The AI Revolution is here. In this episode, you’ll learn what the most important themes that some of the world’s most prominent AI builders – from OpenAI, Anthropic, CharacterAI, Roblox, and more – are paying attention to. You’ll hear discussion around the real-world impact of this revolution, on industries ranging from gaming to design, and the considerations around alignment along the way.

This footage is from an exclusive event, AI Revolution, that a16z ran in San Francisco recently. If you’d like to access all the talks in full, visit a16z.com/airevolution.

Topics Covered:

00:00 - AI Revolution

02:39 - Putting technology in users’ hands

08:21 - AI alignment and safety

21:44 - Future opportunities

Resources:

Catch the all the talks at https://a16z.com/airevolution

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AI Revolution: Top Lessons from OpenAI, Anthropic, CharacterAI, & More Sep 25, 2023

Show notes

The AI Revolution is here. In this episode, you’ll learn what the most important themes that some of the world’s most prominent AI builders – from OpenAI, Anthropic, CharacterAI, Roblox, and more – are paying attention to. You’ll hear about the economics of AI, broad vs specialized models, the importance of UX, and whether we can expect scaling laws to continue.

This footage is from an exclusive event, AI Revolution, that a16z ran in San Francisco recently. If you’d like to access all the talks in full, visit a16z.com/airevolution.

Topics Covered

00:00 - AI Revolution

01:42 - The economics of AI

06:55 - The third epoch of compute

13:52 - Recognizing scaling laws

17:42 - Can scaling laws continue?

22:34 - Potential bottlenecks

25:58 - Personalization vs generality

29:43 - The importance of UX

31:55 - The future of multi-modality

Resources:

Catch the all the talks at https://a16z.com/airevolution

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Engineering Rapidly Reusable Rockets Sep 22, 2023

Show notes

The space industry is evolving rapidly, with the cost of launching payloads to orbit dropping significantly. But who's investing in this sector, and how will it evolve?

In this episode, we delve into the transformative journey of the satellite industry with Andy Lapsa, co-founder of Stoke Space. With over a decade of experience at Blue Origin, Andy is now at the forefront of sustainable space travel, pioneering fully reusable rockets.

Don’t forget to check out Part 1 in this mini series, where we explore the public and private players in space with John Gedmark from Astranis.

Resources:

Learn more about Stoke: https://www.stokespace.com

Find Andy on Twitter: https://x.com/AndyLapsa?s=20

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The Evolution of the Satellite Economy Sep 19, 2023

Show notes

The cost of launching payloads to orbit has dramatically dropped, igniting a space renaissance. In 2022, a record 186 rocket launches (41 more than the previous year!) underscores this shift.

In Part 1 of our satellite economy mini-series, we sit down with John Gedmark, co-founder of Astranis, to reflect on today's innovations, who’s on the other side of the satellite market, the capabilities they’re looking for, competition, and their mission to provide internet access to 4 billion underserved people.

Look out for Part 2, where we tackle the challenges of rapidly reusable rockets with Andy Lapsa from Stoke Space.

Resources:

Learn more about Astranis: https://www.astranis.com

Find John on Twitter: https://x.com/Gedmark?s=20

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AI x Crypto Sep 13, 2023

Show notes

with @alive_eth @danboneh @smc90

This week's all-new episode covers the convergence of two important, very top-of-mind trends: AI (artificial intelligence) & blockchains/ crypto. These domains together have major implications for how we all live our lives everyday; so this episode is for anyone just curious about, or already building in the space.

The conversation covers topics ranging from deep fakes, bots, and the need for proof-of-humanity in a world of AI; to big data, large language models like ChatGPT, user control, governance, privacy and security, zero knowledge and zkML; to MEV, media, art, and much more. Our expert guests (in conversation with host Sonal Chokshi) include:

Dan Boneh, Stanford Professor (and Senior Research Advisor at a16z crypto), a cryptographer who’s been working on blockchains for over a decade and who specializes in cryptography, computer security, and machine learning -- all of which intersect in this episode;
Ali Yahya, general partner at a16z crypto, who also previously worked at Google -- where he not only worked on a distributed system for a fleet of robots (a sort of "collective reinforcement learning") but also worked on Google Brain, where he was one of the core contributors to the machine learning library TensorFlow built at Google.

The first half of the hallway-style conversation between Ali & Dan (who go back together as student and professor at Stanford) is all about how AI could benefit from crypto, and the second half on how crypto could benefit from AI... the thread throughout is the tension between centralization vs. decentralization. So we also discuss where the intersection of crypto and AI can bring about things that aren't possible by either one of them alone...

pieces referenced in this episode/ related reading:

The Next Cyber Reasoning System for Cyber Security (2023) by Mohamed Ferrag, Ammar Battah, Norbert Tihanyi, Merouane Debbah, Thierry Lestable, Lucas Cordeiro
A New Era in Software Security: Towards Self-Healing Software via Large Language Models and Formal Verification (2023) by Yiannis Charalambous, Norbert Tihanyi, Ridhi Jain, Youcheng Sun, Mohamed Ferrag, Lucas Cordeiro
Fixing Hardware Security Bugs with Large Language Models (2023) by Baleegh Ahmad, Shailja Thakur, Benjamin Tan, Ramesh Karri, Hammond Pearce
Do Users Write More Insecure Code with AI Assistants? (2022) by Neil Perry, Megha Srivastava, Deepak Kumar, Dan Boneh
Asleep at the Keyboard? Assessing the Security of GitHub Copilot's Code Contributions (2021) by Hammond Pearce, Baleegh Ahmad, Benjamin Tan, Brendan Dolan-Gavitt, Ramesh Karri
Voting, Security, and Governance in Blockchains (2019) with Ali Yahya and Phil Daian

As a reminder: none of the following should be taken as investment, legal, business, or tax advice; please see a16z.com/disclosures for more important information -- including to a link to a list of our investments – especially since we are investors in companies mentioned in this episode.

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