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Uncapped #38 | Ben Horowitz from a16z

Overview

Shownote

Highlights

Transcript

Chapters

Pins

Uncapped #38 | Ben Horowitz from a16z

Uncapped with Jack Altman

5 DAYS AGO
Uncapped with Jack Altman

Uncapped with Jack Altman

5 DAYS AGO
OverviewShownoteHighlightsTranscriptChaptersPins

Shownote

Ben Horowitz is a cofounder and general partner at the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, a venture capital firm that manages $60 billion in assets under management. He is also the author of the New York Times bestsellers, The Hard Thing About Hard ...

Highlights

In this episode, Ben Horowitz delves into the operational philosophy behind building and scaling a leading venture capital firm, offering insights shaped by his experience as both a founder and investor.
00:30
Our partnership works because we're different, like Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones
06:10
Great long-term VCs are often disagreeable because they think independently
10:38
Good investors are idea generators who don't like rules, unlike execs who follow command chains.
16:43
Andreessen Horowitz chooses breadth over concentration to support more entrepreneurs and sectors.
23:45
Doing all the recruiting for a company can impede its growth
32:14
CEOs need to make difficult decisions independently with high conviction
40:05
Podcasts build trust better than traditional news media
44:44
Democratic decision-making in reorganizations usually fails because it redistributes power and leads to dysfunction.
48:32
Winning deals matters more than picking ability for VC returns.
52:18
Small investing teams enable deeper relationships and better decision-making
55:00
I'd write another book if I have something new to say, not for fame or money.

Chapters

Intro
00:00
Marc and Ben’s relationship
00:30
Structuring the firm to attract great talent
06:10
Difference between execs and GPs
10:28
Firm-wide guiding principles
14:51
Scaling GPs vs small teams who concentrate
16:43
Why scale is so important in venture
20:11
What platform services work and don’t work
23:45
Ben’s view on board seats
26:58
The evolution of media
34:56
Laws of physics for fund sizes
44:44
Winning is more impactful than picking
48:28
Defending why venture doesn’t scale
52:15
Hiring ex founders and CEOs
55:00

Transcript

Ben Horowitz: You know, when we started the firm, like, a big idea that we had was that venture capital was disappointing. As a product for an entrepreneur. We always thought, wow, a much better product would be. Give me, like the network, to be confident,...