Latest Interviews

a16z Podcast | How to Live Longer and Better

Kristen Fortney, Jeff Kaditz, David Sinclair, Michael Snyder, Hanne Tidnam, Hannah, Mike Snyder

Driven by an explosion of biological data and computing power, the longevity sector is transitioning from reactive treatment to proactive precision health, with experts projecting a potential 5 to 15-year increase in human healthspan. Key advancements in tracking molecular signatures and removing senescent cells aim to compress morbidity and save the U.S. healthcare system approximately $3 to $4 trillion by reducing chronic disease prevalence. Despite ongoing debates over data ownership and clinical trial limitations, the convergence of continuous monitoring and pharmacological interventions is establishing a new framework for extending functional life.

a16z Podcast | Containing the Monolith -- From Microservices to DevOps

Martin Casado, Matt Billmann, Florian Leibert, Karthik Rau

As purchasing power shifts decisively to developers and data scientists, traditional IT operations are being replaced by automated CI/CD pipelines that enable thousands of daily deployments. This transformation compresses the divide between frontend and backend roles while forcing legacy hardware to integrate via microservice wrappers rather than immediate replacement. Organizations must now prioritize speed, observability, and autonomous infrastructure to support high-velocity cycles that range from canary releases to instant rollbacks.

a16z Podcast | The State of Security

Joel de la Garza, Niels Provos, Martin Casado

This event analyzes the critical convergence of cyber, physical, and national security driven by state actors targeting infrastructure destruction rather than mere data theft. Panelists highlight that while hardware-rooted authentication has eliminated phishing success at organizations like Google, the human element remains the primary vulnerability requiring continuous training and strict credential management. Strategic recommendations include adopting hardware security keys, leveraging cloud providers for superior security postures, and utilizing regulatory frameworks like GDPR to shift the industry's incentive model toward proactive risk mitigation.

a16z Podcast | Investing in (Business and Career) Change

Marc Andreessen, Don Faul

Andreessen Horowitz inverts traditional investment by targeting breakthrough technologies designed to dismantle stable legacy industries, predicting that even tech giants like Microsoft and Google face extinction if they fail to continuously reinvent themselves. The firm's leadership advises professionals to seek mid-sized high-growth companies for career pivots, emphasizing that success requires both the courage to endure rejection and the curiosity to obsess over specific problems. Additionally, a16z maintains an ethical veto system to block morally objectionable investments while championing disruptive sectors like autonomous driving, arguing that historical regulatory barriers will inevitably fall as technology proves its safety and societal value.

What will be the biggest stories of 2019? | Part One

The 2019 global landscape features significant technological advancements including the market launch of assistive robotic suits for aging workforces, the opening of mega-hubs in Istanbul and Beijing to drive down airfares, and the commercial deployment of driverless car services by companies like GM and Waymo. Concurrently, the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots highlights ongoing legal battles for LGBTQ+ rights in Kenya and other former colonies, while exhibitions commemorating Leonardo da Vinci's 500th death anniversary draw inspiration from his designs to influence modern aviation. Despite projections of massive industry growth, these developments face scrutiny regarding safety risks, environmental costs, and the challenge of transitioning from niche innovation to mass adoption.

European Values, Identity, and Politics in 2019

Robert Guest, Douglas Alexander, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Gemma Mortensen, Douglas Murray

Leading thinkers including Douglas Alexander, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, and Douglas Murray converge on a consensus that Western societies have shifted from economic debates to a crisis of identity driven by rapid demographic change and eroded institutional trust. The panel identifies a deep chasm between cosmopolitan urban elites and a disenfranchised "exhausted majority" whose moral foundations of loyalty and authority are being exploited by populist movements. To resolve this polarization, the speakers argue that governments must abandon cultural taboos to engage in honest dialogues regarding integration limits, border security, and the distribution of globalization's burdens.

Frank Lantz - Director of NYU's Game Center and Creator of Universal Paperclips

Frank Lantz, Craig Cannon, Benedict Fritz

The speaker argues that games derive their value from the "gap" between virtual and real worlds, creating a unique space for agency that transcends the often overhyped pursuit of immersion in Virtual Reality. Drawing on examples like *Universal Paperclips* and the organic rise of the Battle Royale genre, the discussion highlights how successful design blends technical rigor with artistic taste to explore profound themes while navigating a hit-driven indie market. Ultimately, the presentation advocates for an educational approach that fuses coding skills with cultural awareness, predicting that future sports and esports will evolve through institutional frameworks rather than mere invention.

The best place to be a woman?

Egill Bjarnson

For nearly a decade, Iceland has led global gender equality rankings through targeted interventions such as single-sex schooling in Reykjavik that encourages non-traditional traits and a 2000 "daddy quota" mandating paid paternity leave used by over 70% of fathers. The nation recently became the first to criminalize pay gaps by requiring companies with more than 25 employees to prove equal pay for work of equal value, a measure Reykjavik Energy has already applied to correct disparities between male and female unskilled roles. Although a 6% residual wage gap remains and critics cite compliance costs, proponents maintain these structural changes are essential to treating equal wages as a fundamental human right.

Starting a Startup After Business School - Reham Fagiri and Kalam Dennis of AptDeco

Reham Fagiri, Kalam Dennis, Chris Broadfoot

Appdeco, a New York City marketplace founded by Raham Mann and Colman Nordlund, streamlines the furniture resale lifecycle by managing pickup, delivery, and payments to solve the trust fragmentation inherent in platforms like Craigslist. After validating demand through modified Craigslist tests, the company achieved immediate traction and joined Y Combinator, where the founders transitioned from corporate careers to building an in-house logistics network and optimizing unit economics through rigorous A/B testing. Today, the platform operates a light-asset model across three states, leveraging targeted subway advertising, in-house digital marketing, and word-of-mouth referrals to connect aspirational furniture buyers with sellers in the region.

Energy Plays in a Carbon-Constrained World

Francesco Guerrera, Helima Croft, Philippe Ducom, Philip Lambert, Anil Srivastava

A diverse panel of energy experts, including Philip Kinsella of ExxonMobil and Anil Thadani, affirmed the consensus on climate change while arguing that aggressive decarbonization policies risk global supply shortages and economic disruption. The discussion highlighted the necessity of a diversified energy mix involving gas, efficiency, and emerging technologies like carbon capture to meet projected demand increases of 25% by 2040 without relying solely on intermittently available renewables. Panelists warned that premature regulatory bans on fossil fuels and internal combustion engines could drive stranded assets, increase emissions through coal substitution, and threaten millions of jobs within the global automotive and energy sectors.

Stability vs. Growth: Unintended Consequences of Post-Crisis Financial Regulations

Kadhim Shubber, Jiří Król, Brent McIntosh, Scott O'Malia, Michael Piwowar

The Milken Institute's London Summit panel, moderated by Financial Times journalist Kadim Shuber, brought together U.S. Treasury General Counsel Brent McIntosh and industry leaders from ISDA and AIMA to analyze the dual impacts of post-2008 financial regulations. While participants acknowledged significant gains in system resilience, such as $1.9 trillion in Tier 1 capital and widespread clearing mandates, they warned that regulatory fragmentation and compliance burdens are stifling capital formation and reducing the number of public U.S. companies by half over two decades. Addressing these unintended consequences, the discussion highlighted ongoing efforts by the Treasury and other agencies to refine rules through cost-benefit analyses, establish Offices of Innovation for FinTech, and pursue greater cross-border harmonization to balance safety with economic growth.

Fashion's toxic threads

Professor Richard Thompson, Tom Kay, Javier Goyeneche

Professor Richard Thompson highlights the fashion industry's severe environmental footprint, identifying synthetic fiber shedding during washing as a primary source of microplastic pollution that now contaminates up to one-third of fish in the English Channel. In response to these ecological threats, pioneering brands like Finisterre and EcoAlf are restructuring their supply chains to utilize organic materials and recycled ocean plastics, despite facing higher production costs and a lack of regulatory frameworks. While these sustainable initiatives offer a path forward, experts warn that without stricter laws and further research into long-term human health impacts, the industry's current trajectory poses an immediate danger to marine ecosystems.

U.S. Overview: Political and Economic Currents After the Midterm Elections

Philippa Thomas, Adrienne Elrod, Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Steve Krouskos, Sara Latham, Frank Luntz, Ian Shorris, Geoff Trinkline, Seema Shah, Rachel White, Fonda Ahan, Özgür Önder, Ron Kerr, Tony Fratto, Ryan, Darius Baxter

Panelists projected U.S. economic growth of 2.5% to 3% through 2019 while warning of severe long-term fiscal deficits and stagnant productivity driven by an education gap. The discussion highlighted distinct political dynamics where the Democratic primary is expected to be policy-driven despite a dominant Republican base, alongside a critique of incoherent trade strategies that harm consumers without securing strategic advantages against China. Ultimately, experts concluded that restoring societal civility and addressing K-12 educational failures are critical prerequisites for the nation's future competitiveness and the American Dream.

Town Hall | Media and Partisanship in the Brexit Hour

Frank Luntz, James Harding, Nick Robinson, Matthew, Zach, Seema, Ingrid

James Harding and Nick Robinson discuss the fractured trust in UK media and democracy against the backdrop of the 2016 Brexit referendum, arguing that both the press and political parties have lost their connection to the public through a shift toward emotional, identity-based politics. Contrasting the regulated British model with the fragmented, partisan landscape of the US, the speakers contend that media failure stems not from overt bias but from an inability to validate voters' lived anxieties or effectively challenge false claims like the "£350 million to the EU" poster. They conclude that preserving the concept of impartiality as a shared factual foundation requires actively educating the public on its necessity to prevent a descent into polarized echo chambers.

Superbugs: Avoiding an Existential Threat to Humanity

Esther Krofah, Valeria Bortolaia, Ron Daniels, Peter Jackson, Peter Piot, Lance Price, Sneha Kemka

This analysis details the critical global escalation of antimicrobial resistance, which currently causes 700,000 annual deaths and threatens to reach 10 million by 2050 without urgent intervention. The event highlights a pharmaceutical market failure where major drug withdrawals have shifted innovation to undercapitalized SMEs, necessitating new economic incentives like the UK's pilot pull mechanism to fund R&D. Strategic solutions prioritize infection control, agricultural bans on growth promoters, and precision diagnostics to bridge the gap between scientific discovery and clinical application.