a16z Podcast

  • How ‘Hyperscalers’ are Innovating — and Competing — in the Data Center

    Innovation in the data center has been constrained by the traditional model of suppliers providing fixed-function chips that limit how much the biggest data center operators can differentiate. But programmable chips have emerged that allow…

  • Kickstarting Network Effects

    What are network effects? [1:32] How do you cold start and get your first users? [2:33] Atomic networks and why minimum viable community is more important than minimum viable product [6:36] How do you curate…

  • NFTs, Explained

    Given all the activity and interest recently around crypto and web3, as well as in upcoming holidays and art events, we’re re-running our episode all about NFTs (from March 2021) — where we covered everything…

  • Play-to-Earn Gaming and How Work is Evolving in Web3

    In today’s episode we’re talking about an emerging model of gaming called play to earn, in which players can make actual money based on how much time and effort they put into a game. Play…

  • On container ships, supply chains, and the physical world

    “Beyond the Meme: Ever Given, Supply Chains, and the Physical World” — by Ryan Petersen (June 2021). Bio + essay details/ originally appeared at: https://future.a16z.com/beyond-the-meme-ever-given-supply-chains-and-the-physical-world/ More read-alouds at: https://a16z.com/tag/read-alouds/

  • Crypto Security and the New Web3 Mindsets for Users

    Today’s episode is all about crypto security — that is, the new mindsets and the new strategies for storing crypto assets safely while also allowing holders control and access. As a reminder, none of the…

  • Cloud Wars and Company Wars: Play Nice But Win

    There are lots of challenges in being public while trying to innovate, and limits to being a private company as well; but it’s rare to see a company go public then private then back to…

  • Uncontrolled Spread: Science, Policy, Institutions, Infrastructure

    There’s no question technology played a huge role in the recent/current pandemic, including especially in the plug-and-play engineering and incredibly fast development behind the mRNA vaccines… But is there an even bigger role for the…

  • Systems Leadership for Disruptors and Incumbents

    There’s been a false dichotomy in technology and management lore over the past decade, between “brain” and “brawn”, digital and physical, independence and interdependence, software culture versus industrial culture… or so observes Stanford Graduate School…

  • NFT Use Cases, Today and Tomorrow

    Recently, a16z and the Stanford Center for Blockchain Research hosted the NFT Virtual Summit, which brought together leading thinkers and builders on the topic of NFTs, or non-fungible tokens — these tokens are enabling new…