a16z Podcast: Google I/O -- A Three-Hour Tour (in 30 minutes)

If you’ve been following the news, you’ve probably heard of the recent FTX scandal.While there’s much still unknown, in this episode we get the unique opportunity to hear from Brian Armstrong – co-founder and CEO of Coinbase – about what’s top of mind for the crypto industry. That includes the impact of this current event on future regulation, how this crypto winter might be different from previous ones, founder psychology during downturns, the transparency that comes with being public, and much more.Brian is interviewed by a16z cofounder and general partner Ben Horowitz, who has the unique perspective of having invested in, built, and been on the board of numerous companies during the ups and downs, leading him to his well-known book The Hard Thing About Hard Things. Resources: Subscribe to web3 with a16z: web3-with-a16z.simplecast.com/Coinbase’s website: coinbase.comBrian’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/brian_armstrongBen’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/bhorowitz Stay Updated: Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16zFind us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16zSubscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.simplecast.com/Follow our host: https://twitter.com/stephsmithioPlease 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. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.

8 Dec 202243min

In part 1 of our carbon removal series, we talked to Nan Ransohoff — Head of Climate at Stripe — about what it might take to jumpstart the market of carbon removal solutions. But what happens when there is a true, thriving market of buyers and sellers? How will suppliers effectively reach the right buyers, and as more solutions become available, how will buyers effectively vet the options?In part 2, we address these questions and more, together with Brennan Spellacy, co-founder & CEO of Patch – a growing marketplace for carbon credits. We also cover many evolving market dynamics, like the potential differences between two sets of tons delivered, the opportunity and challenge of effectively educating buyers, the integration of software like Patch's API, verification solutions and their current limitations, how even the voluntary market is being held accountable for their carbon claims, and the role that Patch is playing to help develop this nascent industry.By the way, if you like this episode, be sure to look out for part 3 of our series where we get into the nitty gritty of 3 emerging carbon removal solutions — ranging from biomass pyrolysis to carbon mineralization. Resources: Patch’s website: https://www.patch.io/Follow Patch on Twitter: https://twitter.com/usepatchFollow Brennan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bspellacy_ Stay Updated: Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16zFind us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16zSubscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.simplecast.com/Follow our host: https://twitter.com/stephsmithioPlease 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. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.

6 Dec 202248min

What happens when there’s demand for a solution that doesn’t quite exist yet?Today, we bring on Nan Ransohoff to talk about this exact problem as it relates to carbon removal, and how Frontier — the initiative out of Stripe that she is leading – is using a nearly $1B advanced market commitment fund to try to jumpstart this market.If you don’t know what that means, don’t worry – we’ve got you covered.Throughout the episode, we discuss the multivariate carbon equation and why emission reductions are not enough, the difference between offsets and permanent removal, who’s paying for tons today, what solutions already exist and how Frontier is vetting them, moving down the cost curve, where policy fits in, and ultimately what success might look like in this nascent industry.This is part 1 of our 3-part series on carbon removal. Look out next week for part 2 and part 3, where we dive into a growing marketplace for carbon and showcase several carbon removal solutions. Resources: Frontier’s website: https://frontierclimate.com/Nan’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/nanransohoffNan’s article: https://nanransohoff.com/A-mental-model-for-combating-climate-change-846be1769d374fa1b5b855407c93da66 Stay Updated: Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16zFind us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16zSubscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.simplecast.com/Follow our host: https://twitter.com/stephsmithioPlease 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. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.

30 Nov 202258min

In today’s episode, we have a special treat. Flexport’s co-CEO and Founder, Ryan Petersen, chats with a16z Growth Editor Das Rush. They start with the question of why Ryan has chosen – of all the problem spaces to work on – improving the resiliency of the supply chain. They cover just how complex the supply chain is in the era of ecommerce, evolving customer expectations, and ultimately how we can rearchitect our supply chain to meet them. Given the holiday shopping coming up, you won’t want to miss this.Timestamps:​​0:00 - Introduction1:24 - Why the supply chain?3:31 - Land and expand6:38 - The most interesting company?9:24 - The impact of ecommerce14:05 - Building resiliency Resources: Ryan’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/typesfastFlexport’s website: https://www.flexport.com/ Stay Updated: Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16zFind us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16zSubscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.simplecast.com/Follow our host: https://twitter.com/stephsmithioPlease 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. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.

24 Nov 202218min

When Neal Stephenson coined “the metaverse” three decades ago, his book Snow Crash was found on the shelves of “science fiction”. While the book remains in that category, many of its concepts are now found in reality…Fast forward to 2022, where numerous companies are now building toward their version of the metaverse, including Neal himself – working on Lamina1 – a blockchain company oriented toward creators. While the present metaverses don’t perfectly mimic that from Stephenson’s early imagination, we get the unique opportunity to discuss the various design decisions that he’s making, but also the intersection between the metaverse and gaming, the involvement that AR/VR might play, the evolving role of IP, how artificial intelligence fits in, what he’s building and why, and where he gets all of his ideas from.Timestamps:0:00 - Introduction1:20 - Tech's highest impact position4:35 - What is the metaverse?6:46 - Interoperability8:52 - Incentive alignment13:06 - Immersion requirements16:30 - VR engineering challenges20:09 - Skeuomorphism24:17 - Commercial VR/AR applications27:26 - AI and gaming30:51 - The value chain38:13 - Right of refusal42:05 - Good and bad tech46:05 - Fighting “free”49:16 - Building Lamina158:07 - Neal’s design designs1:03:40 - Inspiration for Snow Crash1:09:16 - Looking ahead from 20221:11:59 - Science fiction writing1:13:46 - Carbon removal Resources: Neal’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/nealstephensonLamina1’s website: https://www.lamina1.com/ Stay Updated: Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16zFind us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16zSubscribe on your favorite podcast app:https://a16z.simplecast.com/Follow our host: https://twitter.com/stephsmithioPlease 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. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.

22 Nov 20221h 18min

Today, we have an episode with Chris Power, the founder and CEO of Hadrian. Hadrian is a company trying to build the most efficient factories on the planet. In this conversation, we’ll introduce the audience to advanced manufacturing, and expose them to the reality that it’s a remnant of the first space race. We also cover the challenge of manufacturing, the importance of visibility in complex systems, the killer app for space, how simplifying the world of atoms can be done through bits – and ultimately, what kind of experimentation that may unlock.Timestamps: 0:00 - Introduction1:28 - What is advanced manufacturing?4:18 - When a hatch is jammed at the ISS6:11 - What’s happened since Space Race 1?8:56 - A retiring workforce13:20 - What is at stake?21:03 - Onshoring manufacturing24:06 - Is capital enough?24:43 - Fixing the problem with technology28:55 - Convincing the old guard31:20 - Building a new culture34:45 - Experimenting with hardware37:24 - The value of observability41:47 - The cost of timeliness46:09 - Hadrian’s key risks49:22 - Why Hadrian pivoted52:22 - What talent is needed57:31 - Why focus on space first?1:03:38 - The killer app of space1:10:36 - Who inspires Chris? Resources: Hadrian’s website: https://www.hadrian.co/Chris’ Twitter: https://twitter.com/2112Power Stay Updated: Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16zFind us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16zSubscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.simplecast.com/Follow our host: https://twitter.com/stephsmithioPlease 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. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.

17 Nov 20221h 15min

In this episode, we’ll explore the concept of The Network State with Balaji Srinivasan. As the world becomes more digital, it also becomes more distributed. This is obvious on the individual level – how you order goods, the way you chat with friends, and the news you consume… all from a handheld computer. It’s also becoming more obvious at the company level. The pandemic shook the world into remote work and many companies have decided that maybe work can be done in ways they never imagined. But what about the state – whatever that means? Could the network rival the state? In this episode we’ll explore what a nation state even is and how it may be challenged by a new Leviathan: the network. We also cover the difference between a nation and a state, how constants become variables, the cloud continent, digital power, your identity stack, calibrating risk, polycentric law, cloud regulations, building fast with atoms, founding vs inheriting, the powerful vs the powerless, and just about everything in between.Timestamps: 0:00 - Introduction2:41 - Nation vs state14:38 - Constants becoming variables16:12 - The cloud continent20:10 - The three leviathans30:00 - Digital power37:20 - The identity stack53:22 - Cloud first, land last55:49 - Diplomatic recognition1:01:47 - Root access to land1:06:35 - Calibrating risk as society1:16:13 - Regulatory harmonization1:28:15 - Polycentric law1:34:49 - Building fast with atoms1:38:57 - Looking to history1:42:00 - Founding vs inheriting1:50:46 - The one commandment2:17:33 - The powerful vs powerless2:28:46 - The competition for people2:33:45 - Historical lines2:42:23 - v3 of governance Resources: Balaji’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/balajisBalaji’s website: https://balajis.com/The Network State: https://thenetworkstate.com/ Stay Updated: Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16zFind us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16zSubscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.com/podcastsFollow our host: https://twitter.com/stephsmithioPlease 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. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.

15 Nov 20222h 45min

Many people consider space to be the next frontier and equally an infinite horizon to explore. But the reality is that not all “space” is the same and there are strategic zones that don’t only matter up there – but down here on Earth. Lower Earth Orbit (LEO) is one of those regions – a zone filled with satellites that support life on Earth, from agriculture to climate to navigation to defense. Unfortunately, these live satellites are not alone in our space highways. LEO is getting increasingly clogged with space debris; we’re polluting our skies just like we’re polluting our land. In this episode, we have the pleasure of speaking with all three cofounders of Privateer – Steve Wozniak, Alex Fielding, and Dr. Moriba Jah, as they explore just how much junk is up there, how this challenge is expected to progress with time due to lower launch costs, and ultimately, what infrastructure is missing in this fragile ecosystem – from tracking to global treaties to a sharing economy of satellites.By the end of the episode, listeners should be more equipped to understand how our infrastructure in space vastly impacts life on Earth, how the preservation of this ecosystem is crucial, and how Privateer is providing the map to better understand and fix the issue.Timestamps: With Steve Wozniak00:00 - Intro3:24 - Why space and why now?8:55 - The changing perception around space13:29 - Exponential technologies and thinking different16:32 - Inventors vs engineers vs visionaries18:46 - Early days at Apple and moving towards the future20:53 - Steve’s personal fascinations23:58 - How vocabulary drives awareness1:21:55 - Woz returns!With Alex Fielding and Dr. Moriba Jah24:43 - Is space really an infinite void?25:55 - The growing pollution in space29:14 - The impact of space down on Earth30:34 - The challenge of space policy and governance38:27 - Orbital highways and carrying capacities41:05 - Dependence on space infrastructure and its fragility45:14 - Privateer’s role in the evolving ecosystem46:52 - Democratizing space through data sharing49:45 - Can we undo the damage that’s been done?52:01 - Determining intent in space58:17 - Talent needed in the space industry1:01:04 - Privateer’s biggest challenges1:09:22 - Space stewardship and Hawaii’s kuleana1:15:19 - Who inspires Alex? Resources: Privateer’s website: https://mission.privateer.com/Privateer’s Wayfinder tool: https://mission.privateer.com/Privateer on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PrivateerSpaceSteve Wozniak on Twitter: https://twitter.com/stevewozAlex Fielding on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Alex__FieldingDr. Moriba Jah on Twitter: https://twitter.com/moribajah Stay Updated: Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16zFind us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16zSubscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.com/podcastsFollow our host: https://twitter.com/stephsmithioPlease 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. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.

9 Nov 20221h 24min