a16z Podcast
How to Build with the Department of Defense
When people think about startups working with the government, the phrase “black box” often comes up. But what if that box is finally being pried open? In this episode—recorded live at the American Dynamism Summit in DC—we talk with two Chief Technology Officers at the heart of American defense: Alex Miller, CTO for the Chief of Staff of the Army, and Justin Fanelli, CTO at the Department of the Navy. Along with a16z partner Leila Hay, they break down how the Department of Defense is shifting from decades-old processes to software-speed execution, why the real bottlenecks are cultural, not technical, and how startups can actually navigate and scale within this massive system. From replacing outdated procurement with faster pathways, to getting tech into the hands of warfighters faster, this is a rare look inside the government’s most ambitious efforts to modernize—and what it means for builders on the outside. Is it time to rip up the system and start fresh? Or are the seeds of change already in the ground?
2 أبريل 2025 - 51 min 18 s
The Top 100 GenAI Products, Ranked and Explained
This month, a16z’s Consumer team released the fourth edition of the GenAI 100 — a data-driven ranking of the top 50 AI-first web products and mobile apps, based on unique monthly visits and active users. In just six months, the consumer AI landscape has shifted dramatically. Some products surged ahead, others plateaued, and a few unexpected players reshaped the leaderboard entirely. In this episode, a16z General Partner Anish Acharya and Partner Olivia Moore join us to unpack the latest rankings and explore the key cultural and product moments that brought us to this point. Which applications are leading the pack — and which ones are quietly on the rise? What do trends like AI video, companion apps, and “vibe coding” reveal about the future of consumer AI? And for the first time, the team also analyzed which products aren’t just gaining users, but generating real revenue. If you’re looking to understand where we are in the GenAI adoption cycle — and what might come next — this episode offers a data-backed view into one of the fastest-moving corners of technology. You can find the full GenAI 100 list at a16z.com/genai100-4
26 مارس 2025 - 38 min 13 s
Jensen Huang and Arthur Mensch on Winning the Global AI Race
The global race for AI leadership is no longer just about companies—it’s about nations. AI isn’t just computing infrastructure; it’s cultural infrastructure, economic strategy, and national security all rolled into one. In this episode, Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA, and Arthur Mensch, cofounder and CEO of Mistral, sit down to discuss sovereign AI, national AI strategies, and why every country must take ownership of its digital intelligence. How AI will reshape global economies and GDP The full AI stack—from chips to models to AI factories Why AI is both a general purpose technology and deeply specialized The open-source vs. closed AI debate and its impact on sovereignty Why no one will build AI for you—you have to do it yourself Is this the most consequential technology shift of all time? If so, the stakes have never been higher.
21 مارس 2025 - 55 min 03 s
Why AI Voice Feels More Human Than Ever
AI voice technology has been around for years — think Siri or Alexa — but the magic has been missing. That’s changing, and quickly! In this episode, Anish Acharya, General Partner at a16z, and Olivia Moore, Partner at a16z, explore why AI voice is reaching a breakthrough moment, how today’s models feel more human than ever, and why voice is poised to become the primary way people interact with AI. With businesses already making tens of thousands of AI-driven phone calls daily, AI-powered conversations are no longer a distant vision—they’re happening now. Whether it's AI companions, customer service bots, or enterprise applications, voice tech is here—and it’s improving faster than anyone expected.
18 مارس 2025 - 43 min 19 s
From Thesis to Meme to Fund: Building American Dynamism
For over a century, the United States has been the birthplace of world-changing innovation – from the Wright brothers’ first flight to the invention of the transistor, the moon landing, and the birth of the internet. But in recent years, belief in American progress has wavered. Three years ago, a16z General Partner Katherine Boyle wrote a bold thesis called Building American Dynamism, challenging this apathy and calling for startups to tackle the country’s biggest problems. The idea spread fast – first as a meme, then as a movement, and today as a $600M dedicated fund. In this episode, Katherine and fellow a16z General Partner David Ulevitch discuss: -The origins of American Dynamism—and why it was controversial at first -How Washington and Silicon Valley can come together -America’s competitiveness in today’s great power competition -The latest American Dynamism 50 list focused on the Indo-Pacific, showcasing the top startups building for the national interest If you’re curious about the future of America, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss. Check out this year’s full AD50 list at a16z.com/AD50.
11 مارس 2025 - 43 min 12 s
What Founders Get Wrong About Scaling – With Carta’s CEO
Henry Ward, cofounder and CEO of Carta, has spent over a decade scaling his company from an early-stage startup to a 2,000-person industry leader. In this Speedrun conversation with a16z Games partner Josh Lu, Henry shares hard-earned lessons on: -Hiring missionaries vs. mercenaries — and how to keep company culture intact as you scale -The reality of product-market fit and why many founders try to sell too soon -The evolution of a CEO — from building a product to building a system around you -Inputs vs. outputs, and why companies should focus on the right leading indicators -Transparency in leadership, including when (and when not) to share This episode is packed with candid insights and lessons on company building. Recorded live at the a16z Speedrun program, you can learn more at a16z.com/games/speedrun.
7 مارس 2025 - 41 min 11 s
Creativity vs Control: Where AI Fits in the Creative Toolbox
Being a creator in 2025 is tough—but building for creators is even harder. Perhaps no one understands this conundrum better than Scott Belsky. As the founder of Behance, a longtime executive at Adobe, and an advisor to companies like Pinterest and Atlassian, Scott has spent his career at the intersection of technology, design, and creativity. In this speedrun episode, recorded live in San Francisco during the fourth iteration of our a16z Games Speedrun program, we dive into: How AI can actually enable creators—and where its toolset should end The evolution from the "prompt era" to the "controls era" of AI Whether people really want bespoke, personalized experiences or simply crave familiarity What happens when creative scarcity disappears and AI-generated content becomes ubiquitous The future of creative tooling, from generative UI to AI-native interfaces Plus, Scott shares insights from his time building Behance, leading product strategy at Adobe, and investing in the next generation of creative tools. If you want to learn more about A16Z Games Speedrun, visit a16z.com/games/speedrun.
25 فبراير 2025 - 43 min 03 s
Who Will Own the Internet? a16z’s Chris Dixon on AI and Crypto
Technology doesn’t grow in isolation—it evolves in waves. Just as mobile, cloud, and SaaS shaped the internet of the past 20 years, so too could crypto, AI, and new hardware usher in an era of the internet that’s pro-innovation, pro-startup, and pro-creator. Speaking with a16z Growth General Partner David George, a16z crypto Founder and Managing Partner Chris Dixon breaks down his vision for a new internet, from using crypto to decentralize AI infrastructure and kickstart network effects, to why AI will be this era’s native form of media just as film was in the 1930s. He also explores why the internet’s original covenant—where content creators traded free access for search traffic—is breaking today, and how a better internet could introduce entirely new business models for creators. Right now, we have a choice to make: will the next era of the internet be shaped by a handful of centralized players, or transformed into an open ecosystem where power and control flow to creators across the globe?
20 فبراير 2025 - 32 min 55 s
The Critical Technology in Finding Critical Materials
Critical materials like copper, lithium, and gallium have been mined for decades, but their role in core technologies, geopolitics, and the energy transition have come to a height in recent years. In this episode, a16z partner Connie Chan discusses how technology is changing the game of identification and exploration, together with leading company KoBold and their VP of Geoscience, VP of Technology, and CEO of Africa.
11 فبراير 2025 - 43 min 41 s
DeepSeek: America’s Sputnik Moment for AI?
Two words have caught the Internet by storm. DeepSeek. The Chinese reasoning model r1 is rivaling others at the frontier with an open-source MIT license, methods that some claim may be 45x more efficient, an alleged $5.6m cost, the release of reasoning traces, a follow-on image model, and the fact that all of this was released by a hedge fund China. Many are already referring to this as a Sputnik moment. If that’s true, how should we – whether founder, researcher, policy maker – not just react, but act? Joining us to tease out the signal from the noise are a16z General Partner Martin Casado and a16z board partner, Steven Sinofsky. Both Martin and Steven have been on the frontlines of prior computing cycles, from the switching wars to the fiber buildout, and have witnessed the trajectories of companies like Cisco to AOL to ATT – even Worldcom. So what really drove this DeepSeek frenzy and more importantly what should we take away? Today, we answer that question through the lens of Internet history.
6 فبراير 2025 - 44 min 06 s