a16z Podcast
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.

-
Expert AI as a Healthcare Superpower
In this episode, Marc Andreessen and Vijay Pande discuss expert AI and its role in healthcare, bio, and more. Watch on Youtube: https://youtu.be/c7ScUDYSRYo Subscribe to Bio Eats World: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bio-eats-world/id1529318900 Stay Updated: Find us…
-
Creators, Creativity, and Technology with Bob Iger
with @robertiger @cdixon @smc90 A wide-ranging conversation with Bob Iger on the interplay between technology, content, and distribution; as well as Bob’s journey — and that of various creators! — especially as the industry evolved…
-
Best Clips of 2022
We’ve had some incredible guests join us on the a16z podcast this year, ranging from moonshot entrepreneurs, to top creators, to some of the most forward thinking technologists – all of which are busy shaping…
-
Pay Without Borders with Deel, GitLab, and Safetywing
The predecessor to the office was Florence’s Uffizi Gallery – an admin building to the Medici mercantile empire. That was in… 1560. In the centuries to come, work was revolutionized, with perhaps the most well-known…
-
Carbon Solutions Now and Next: From Biomass to Mineralization
In this episode, we tackle three carbon removal projects of varying scale, business models, and technical challenges. Biomass pyrolysis via Charm Industrial An electrochemical process via Travertine Mineralization via 44.01 We cover these companies through…
-
Ben Horowitz and Brian Armstrong on Building and Overcoming the Hard Things
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…
-
Building a Marketplace for Carbon
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…
-
The Economics of Carbon Removal with Nan Ransohoff
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 —…
-
Ryan Petersen on Rearchitecting the Supply Chain
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…
-
Neal Stephenson on The Future of the Metaverse
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…