a16z Podcast: How Hacks Happen (Let’s Just Say Mistakes Have Been Made)

Optimizely is a superb example of the democratization of software development. You don't need an engineering degree to fire up Optimizely and start testing how design changes on your website -- down to the pixel level -- affect things like time on site, closing sales, navigation, etc. The a/b testing Optimizely offers is just one example of a new wave of tools born of the internet, and designed for how people work, shop, research and entertain themselves online. Andreessen Horowitz's Scott Weiss, who is taking a seat on the Optimizely board following a16z's recent investment, a16z Partner Tom Rikert, and Optimizely co-founder Dan Siroker discuss the next wave of internet tools, where entrepreneurs are headed next, and how virtually anyone can avail themselves of this technical brawn.

20 Maj 201420min

“At a moment of great concern about inequality, now comes a learned tome proclaiming the gravity of the inequality problem,” says Larry Summers in a conversation with Andreessen Horowitz’s Balaji Srinivasan. “It’s a stunning thing, and it must reflect positively on the growing intellectualism of the society that a book like that could be a best-seller.” But that doesn’t mean Piketty got it right, adds the former Secretary of the Treasury and current a16z special advisor. Summers describes the two big problems he sees with Piketty’s argument, and how the forces of technology and globalization are better lenses through which to view and explain income inequality.

15 Maj 201415min

What do venture capitalists actually do all day? And what is the path that leads to a career investing in startups? Hummer Winblad’s Ann Winblad, Cowboy Ventures' Aileen Lee, Aspect Ventures' Theresia Gouw, Intel Capital veteran and UPWARD founder Lisa Lambert, and Andreessen Horowitz’s Margit Wennmachers discuss VC trends, the importance of technical chops, and how to build the next generation of entrepreneurs and investors. And finally, in front of an appreciative crowd attending the UPWARD event at a16z, Ann Winblad reveals the secret to truly kicking ass.

2 Maj 201437min

Computing is in the midst of a transformation that puts your future device purchases up for grabs. It’s a safe bet that everyone will have a phone, and as the last holdouts switch over, that will inevitably mean a smartphone. But when your PC finally gives up the ghost, are you going to buy another PC? Perhaps a tablet? Or will another large screen device –a really big phone - be the ticket? Maybe just get all three? Benedict Evans and Steven Sinofsky discuss why laptops and tablets are competing for the same customers, and why it’s never wise to defend any form-factor to the death.

30 Apr 201416min

Apple’s recent earnings sent the stock soaring. What drove that investor exuberance had everything to do with iPhone sales (and the China market), and very little to do with the iPad – the sales of which were essentially flat over the past year. Chris Dixon and Benedict Evans look at the fortunes of the world’s best-selling tablet, and what that means for the balance of power in the computing world. Are smartphones supplanting tablets for most uses? Are developers so focused on creating apps for the latest handsets the tablet is becoming an afterthought?

25 Apr 201421min

Can technology companies show up and disrupt television with an onslaught of new gizmos and services, or is content still the controlling factor? What will it take in terms of money, business model and time to upend the TV model that has stubbornly persisted for decades? Will the old platforms and players dominate, or is now the time for new players to take charge? Andreessen Horowitz’s Benedict Evans and Zal Bilimoria discuss the future of television.

18 Apr 201419min

From file cabinets to typewriters, spreadsheets and word processing the tools we use for work change not only what we do, but the culture of our workplace. Steven Sinofsky, a veteran of building software tools for productivity, discusses the latest revolution in technology-enabled tools with Benedict Evans. Why today’s cloud-based tools change the role of managers, and why the perfect tool will never exist (nor would you want it to).

10 Apr 201423min

China has been a tough market to crack for U.S. internet companies. One of the key reasons is China has its own crop of hugely successful and highly innovative companies. Andreessen Horowitz’s Chris Dixon, Connie Chan and Benedict Evans highlight the key players in China, and what non-Chinese companies can learn from them. Where Chinese companies and money are headed next.

30 Mars 201417min