The a16z Show9 Syys 2025

Mark Cuban on the NBA, Cost Plus Drugs, and How to Fix Politics

What happens when AI collides with salesmanship, streaming-era sports, and healthcare?

In this episode, Erik Torenberg is joined by Mark Cuban, entrepreneur, Dallas Mavericks co-owner, and founder of Cost Plus Drugs.

Topics include fiery group chats and how dissent sharpens thinking, the sales playbook of modern politics, and concrete fixes for U.S. healthcare like ending PBM opacity, publishing real prices, and government-backed patient financing. Mark also explains how AI is pushing media from “social” to algorithmic, why he expects millions of models, and why ESOPs are an underrated wealth engine. He shares what he’d build today and weighs in on NBA economics under the new collective bargaining agreement.

Timecodes:

00:00 Introduction

00:47 Salesmanship, Politics, and Social Media

04:05 AI, Algorithms, and the Future of Media

06:29 Fragmentation of Social Platforms

09:04 Political Messaging & Economic Populism

12:05 Wealth, Equity, and Employee Ownership

16:39 AI’s Impact on Education and Healthcare

21:32 Fixing the US Healthcare System

29:39 Entrepreneurship in the Age of AI

33:38 Business Success, Sports, and Investments

35:32 NBA Economics and Team Building

50:44 Personal Priorities & Closing Thoughts

Resources:

Find Mark on X: https://x.com/mcuban

Stay Updated:

Let us know what you think: https://ratethispodcast.com/a16z

Find a16z on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16z

Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z

Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.simplecast.com/

Follow our host: https://x.com/eriktorenberg

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.

Stay Updated:

Find a16z on YouTube: YouTube

Find a16z on X

Find a16z on LinkedIn

Listen to the a16z Show on Spotify

Listen to the a16z Show on Apple Podcasts

Follow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Tämä jakso on lisätty Podme-palveluun avoimen RSS-syötteen kautta eikä se ole Podmen omaa tuotantoa. Siksi jakso saattaa sisältää mainontaa.

Jaksot(1000)

Is AI a Bubble? | Gavin Baker on Data Centers, GPUs, and the AI Economy

As part of our summer replay series, we're revisiting one of the standout conversations from Runtime, a16z's conference on AI infrastructure and the future of computing. Gavin Baker, Managing Partner ...

14 Heinä 31min

Before Blockchains, There Was State Machine Replication

Every blockchain today relies on replication techniques first developed in the 1980s by researchers who weren't thinking about cryptocurrencies at all. In this episode, Tim Roughgarden speaks with MIT...

13 Heinä 37min

How Bitcoin Rewired a Classic Computer Science Problem

We're excited to share a special feed drop from The a16z Crypto Show. In the first episode of First Principles: The Scientific Roots of Blockchain Technology, Tim Roughgarden and Ittai Abraham trace t...

10 Heinä 21min

Mark Zuckerberg & Priscilla Chan: How AI Will Help Cure Disease

As part of our summer replay series, we're revisiting one of our favorite conversations from the past year. Mark Zuckerberg and Dr. Priscilla Chan join Ben Horowitz, Vineeta Agarwala, and Erik Torenbe...

9 Heinä 45min

Adam Neumann: This Is How You Build Iconic Companies

Adam Neumann joins Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz, and Erik Torenberg for a candid conversation about entrepreneurship, failure, and building Flow. Neumann reflects on his childhood, military service, ...

8 Heinä 1h 30min

Is Software Losing Its Head?

Seema Amble, Steven Sinofsky, and Elena Burger unpack one of the biggest questions facing enterprise software: what happens when AI agents become the primary users of software instead of humans? The c...

7 Heinä 1h 1min

Don’t Follow Your Passion | Ben Horowitz’s Advice for New Graduates

In this commencement address to Columbia University's Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science Class of 2015, Ben Horowitz challenges some of the most common advice given to graduates. ...

6 Heinä 19min

a16z Goes Global: Why American Tech Must Lead the World

Ben Horowitz is joined by Anne Neuberger, Raghu Raghuram, and Jen Kha to discuss a16z's expanding international strategy and the growing role technology plays in economic growth, national security, an...

3 Heinä 42min