Nuclear energy accounts for 20% of the electricity in the United States, but remarkably, 2023 marked the commissioning of the U.S.’s first new nuclear reactor in over three decades. The past few years have been a story of changing public opinion, but equally, innovative startups crafting groundbreaking reactor designs and an ambitious announcement by the U.S. government to triple nuclear power production by 2050.

In this episode recorded at a16z’s American Dynamism Summit in Washington DC, a16z podcast host Steph Smith is joined by a16z General Partner David Ulevich, Doug Bernauer – CEO of microreactor company Radiant – and Dr. Kathryn Huff, Assistant Secretary of the Office of Nuclear Energy.

From energizing the country’s data centers to propelling the electric vehicles on our roads or powering the factories crafting tomorrow’s innovations, they discuss why expanding our nuclear capacity is a national imperative. 

Stay tuned for more exclusive conversations from a16z’s second annual American Dynamism Summit in Washington DC.

 

Topics Covered: 

00:00 – The Promise of Advanced Nuclear Reactors

03:43 – Nuclear Energy’s Current Landscape

07:00 – Vulnerabilities in Fuel Delivery

10:30 – Nuclear Energy’s Timeline

12:11 – Portable Microreactors and Mass Production 

15:06 – Nuclear Energy’s Role in America

21: 24 – Government’s Role in Nuclear Energy

26:08 – Challenges of Portable Micro Reactors

 30:03- The Evolution of Nuclear Reactors

32:11 – Nuclear’s Public Perception and Safety

39:21 – The Global Need for Nuclear Power

 

Resources:

Learn more about American Dynamism Summit 2024: www.a16z.com/adsummit

Find Dr. Kathryn Huff on Twitter: https://twitter.com/katyhuff

Find Doug Bernauer and Radiant on Twitter: https://twitter.com/radiantnuclear

Find David Ulevitch on Twitter: https://twitter.com/davidu

 

Stay Updated: 

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

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

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

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.

Artificial intelligence has taken the world by storm. But despite the hype around personalized avatars or podcast language translation, artificial intelligence is not only impacting the creative spheres; in fact it’s hard to find an industry that isn’t being touched by this technology – and defense of our country is far from excluded.

In this episode, originally recorded in the heart of Washington DC this January during a16z’s American Dynamism Summit, a16z General Partner Martin Casado and a16z enterprise editor, Derrick Harris are joined by the first-ever CTO of the CIA, Nand Mulchandani.

In this wide-ranging conversation, they discuss the evolving relationship between analysts and AI, how governments can keep up with this exponential technology, and finally, how it’s impacting both offense and defense.  

This episode is essential listening for anyone interested in the intersection of technology, national security, and policy-making in the age of artificial intelligence. Stay tuned for more exclusive conversations from a16z’s second annual American Dynamism Summit in Washington DC.

 

Topics Covered:

00:00 – Intelligence in the Age of AI

02:28 – Rethinking Jobs and AI’s Asymmetric Power

05:00 – The History of AI in the Intelligence Community

07:00 – Operational Utilization of AI

10:40 – Analytic Capabilities and Uncertainty

12:56 – AI’s ‘Hallucination’ Concerns

16:37 – Analyst Skill Sets and AI Tools

26:29 – Supply Chain and Open Source

31:35 – Public-Private Partnerships

41:33 – Government as a Customer and Partner in Tech

42:43 – Policy, Technology, and Regulation

 

Resources

Learn more about AD Summit 2024: www.a16z.com/adsummit

Watch all of the stage talks at AD Summit 2024: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLM4u6XbiXf5pAKmk1AeZ9964KGScf4lHM

Read the CIA’s announcement around the new CTO role: https://www.cia.gov/stories/story/cia-names-first-chief-technology-officer/

Find Nand Mulchandani on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nandmulchandani

Find Martin on Twitter: https://twitter.com/martin_casado

Find Derrick on Twitter: https://twitter.com/derrickharris

 

Stay Updated: 

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://twitter.com/stephsmithio

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.

The last few decades have been a period of transition for defense. An increasing number of startups have begun to rival large defense primes, the industry has gradually become a calculus of both hardware and software, and exponential technologies have forced the DoD to rethink how it has  traditionally done business.

These changing conditions were some of the inputs to resulting in the DIU – Defense Innovation Unit – starting in 2015 within the Department of Defense, focused on accelerating the adoption of technology.

In this episode recorded at a16z’s American Dynamism Summit in January, a16z General Partner Katherine Boyle is joined by the Director of the DIU, Doug Beck, plus two critical founders ushering in this new era of defense: Brian Schimpf, cofounder and CEO of Anduril and Brandon Tseng, cofounder of Shield AI.

So what does the next wave of defense innovation really look like? Let’s find out.

 

00:00 – The Future of Defense Innovation 

03:30 – The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU)

05:45 – Adoption of Startup tech by the DoD

07:42 – Acquisition, Budgeting, and Contracting

13:17 – Traditional Primes vs Startups

14:25 – Cost-Plus Fixed Fee Contracts

20:11 – The Replicator Program

22:26 – The New Threat Environment

27:11 – Scale and Readiness for Modern Warfare

32:15 – Procurement Reform and Feasibility

39:30 – Success Metrics for Defense

 

Resources:

Learn more about AD Summit 2024: www.a16z.com/adsummit

Watch Brian’s stage talk at AD Summit 2024: https://a16z.com/securing-americas-future-how-technology-companies-and-washington-are-building-a-safer-world/

Watch all of the stage talks at AD Summit 2024: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLM4u6XbiXf5pAKmk1AeZ9964KGScf4lHM

Find Katherine on Twitter: https://twitter.com/KTmBoyle

Find Brandon and Shield AI on Twitter: https://twitter.com/shieldaitech

Find Brian on Twitter: https://twitter.com/schimpfbrian

Find Doug and the DIU on Twitter: https://twitter.com/diu_x

 

Stay Updated: 

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://twitter.com/stephsmithio

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.

 

American Dynamism. A term coined by a16z General Partner, Katherine Boyle, two years ago, when she and David Ulevitch founded the firm’s American Dynamism investing practice.

Beyond a sector or movement, American Dynamism embodies innovation, community, and a unique philosophy touching every facet of American life.

In this episode, we hear from 10 voices, including policymakers, founders, and funders, as they share what American Dynamism means to them. They discuss the critical technologies shaping the future and the challenges on the path to the next decade of dynamism. 

Stay tuned for more exclusive conversations from a16z’s second annual American Dynamism Summit in Washington, D.C.

 

Resources: 

Find Dr. Kathryn Huff on Twitter: https://twitter.com/katyhuff

Find Nand Mulchandani on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nandmulchandani

Find Doug Beck and the DIU on Twitter: https://twitter.com/diu_x

Find Mitch Lee on Twitter: https://twitter.com/dontmitch

Find Ian Cinnamon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/IanCinnamon

Find Doug Bernauer and Radiant on Twitter: https://twitter.com/radiantnuclear

Find Chris Bennett on Twitter: https://twitter.com/8ennett

Find Mike Slagh on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MikeSlagh

Find Rahul Sidhu on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rahoolsidoo

Find Wyatt Smith on Twitter: https://twitter.com/wyatt_h_smith

Learn more about American Dynamism: https://a16z.com/american-dynamism

 

Stay Updated: 

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://twitter.com/stephsmithio

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.

You might recognize the name Mark Pincus but we almost guarantee you recognize the game Farmville. 

Mark Pincus is the founder and longtime CEO of Zynga, known for its massive global franchise of games, including those household names like Farmville and Words with Friends. Zynga was also at the forefront of the transition to mobile and the use of large platforms like Facebook for distribution.

In this episode Mark joins Josh Lu from the a16z Games team for a fireside chat. They discuss navigating major tech waves and recognizing “true signal” opportunities, and explore a wide range of topics, from the strategic insights that propelled Zynga to success, the future of the Metaverse, and the philosophy behind minimum viable products. 

This conversation offers invaluable insights for both gaming industry insiders and enthusiasts looking to understand the dynamics of tech innovation and entrepreneurship.

Topics Covered:

00:00 – How Zynga Spotted the Mobile Wave

02:47 – Challenges of Starting Zynga

05:24 – Zynga’s Early Workforce and Learning HTML

07:40 – Preparing for Tech Waves

11:29 – The Importance of Being Too Early

15:42 – The attribute of great founders

18:33 – Hiring Philosophy 

22:02 – ‘Everyone is  a CEO’

24:20 – Fast Iteration and Learning from Failures

31:06 – Personal Gaming Preferences

32:52 – Advice on Reevaluating Projects and True Signal

35:50 – AI’s Role in Consumer Adoption and Gaming

40:17 – Community as a Core Element

43:31 – UGC Gaming Space and Future Computing Paradigms

Resources: 

Find Mark on Twitter: https://twitter.com/markpinc

Find Josh on Twitter: https://twitter.com/joshlu

Learn more about SPEEDRUN 3.0: https://a16z.com/speedrun3

Learn more about SPEEDRUN: ttps://a16z.com/speedrun-your-gaming-startup

Stay Updated: 

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://twitter.com/stephsmithio

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.

In early 2024, the notion of high fidelity, believable AI-generated video seemed a distant future to many. Yet, a mere few weeks into the year, OpenAI unveiled Sora, its new state of the art text-to-video model producing videos of up to 60 seconds. The output shattered expectations – even for other builders and researchers within generative AI – sparking widespread speculation and awe.

How does Sora achieve such realism? And are explicit 3D modeling techniques or game engines at play?

In this episode of the a16z Podcast, a16z General Partner Anjney Midha connects with Stefano Ermon, Professor of Computer Science at Stanford and key figure at the lab behind the diffusion models now used in Sora, ChatGPT, and Midjourney. Together, they delve into the challenges of video generation, the cutting-edge mechanics of Sora, and what this all could mean for the road ahead.

Resources: 

Find Stefano on Twitter: https://twitter.com/stefanoermon

Find Anjney on Twitter: https://twitter.com/anjneymidha

Learn more about Stefano’s Deep Generative Models course: :

https://deepgenerativemodels.github.io

Stay Updated: 

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://twitter.com/stephsmithio

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.

The electric grid needs an update. 

In this explainer, a16z Partner Ryan McEntush discusses the escalating complexity of the grid, unveils its vulnerabilities, and traces the evolutionary path that has led us to this point. From the surging demands of AI to outdated infrastructure, we delve into the potential roles of cutting-edge technologies such as solar batteries, natural gas, and nuclear power in shaping the grid’s future.

Timestamps:

(00:00) – Introduction

(02:28) – The Need for Grid Modernization

(04:43) – Understanding the Grid’s Operation and Challenges

(06:47) – The Complexity of Grid Management

(08:31) – Increasing Outages and Volatility

(11:49) – The Role of New Technologies

(17:53) – The Potential and Limitations of Renewable Energy Sources

(19:08) – Energy Storage Solutions

(24:57) – The Future of Natural Gas and Nuclear Power

(29:46) – The Impact of Policy on the Grid

(31:47) – The Concept of a Smart Grid

(34:04) – Decentralization of the Grid

(36:57) – The Role of the Free Market in Grid Reliability

Resources: 

Find Ryan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rmcentush

Read Ryan’s latest articles: https://a16z.com/author/ryan-mcentush

Stay Updated: 

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://twitter.com/stephsmithio

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.

with @cdixon @rhhackett

Welcome to the web3 with a16z crypto podcast. I’m Robert Hackett, an editor here at a16z crypto, and I’m here with Chris Dixon, founding partner of a16z crypto and author of the new book Read Write Own: Building the Next Era of the Internet.  I had the privilege of editing Chris throughout the book writing process, and I’m thrilled now to talk to you about what went on behind the scenes, the big themes of the book, the challenges, and also about the crypto industry at large as well as what we can expect from it in the future.

Learn more at https://readwriteown.com/.

Resources for references in this episode:

• Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
• The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
• Spider-Man: Across the Spider-verse
• “‘It’s a canon event’ TikTok trend, explained”
• Chris Dixon’s blog at cdixon.org
  • “Come for the tool, stay for the network“
  • “The next big thing starts out looking like a toy“
  • “Can’t be evil“
• The Cold Start Problem by Andrew Chen
  • On Andrew Chen’s writing habits
• On investing in Coinbase in 2013
• Guidance from the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission in 2019: “Framework for ‘Investment Contract’ Analysis of Digital Assets“
• On blockchains as “a programmable computer that lives in the sky” via a16z crypto head of research Tim Roughgarden
• Gödel Escher Bach by Douglas Hofstader
• “How Aristotle Created the Computer” by Chris Dixon for The Atlantic
• “A Symbolic Analysis of Relay and Switching Circuits” by Claude Shannon
• Principia Mathematica by Bertrand Russell and Alfred North Whitehead
• An Investigation of the Laws of Thought by George Boole
• The End of Education by Neil Postman
• “Inside out vs. outside in: The adoption of new technologies” by Chris Dixon
• “The Inevitable Showdown Between Twitter and Twitter Apps” by Chris Dixon
• “Elon Musk says X is discouraging links in posts” by Sara Fischer
• “Make Ethereum Cypherpunk Again” by Vitalik Buterin
• “What Will Happen in 2024” by Fred Wilson
• “A Logical Calculus of the Ideas Immanent in Nervous Activity” by McCullough and Pitts
• Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey A. Moore
• On “thesis, antithesis, and synthesis” and Hegel’s Dialectics

As a reminder, none of the following should be taken as business, legal, tax, or investment advice; please see a16z.com/disclosures for more important information, including a link to a list of our investments.

In 2022 and 2023, US IPOs hit decade lows after the record high of 2021. Now, in 2024, will the IPO window reopen?

In this episode, we revisit a conversation with Jeff Jordan, former CEO of OpenTable, and J.D. Moriarty, the former Head Managing Director and Head of Equity Capital Markets at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

Joined by Sonal Choksi, the pair takes you behind the scenes to unravel the complexities surrounding IPOs, including pricing, allocations, and the elusive “pop.” They also discuss OpenTable’s IPO, which occurred immediately following the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, and weigh in on the question: Can you time an IPO in an unpredictable year?

 

Resources:

Find Jeff on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeff_jordan

Find J.D on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jdmoriarty

Find Sonal on Twitter: https://twitter.com/smc90

 

Stay Updated: 

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://twitter.com/stephsmithio

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.