About this episode
In this episode Jack Altman, CEO of Lattice and host of Uncapped, interviews Marc Andreessen on how venture capital is evolving — from small seed funds to billion-dollar barbell strategies — and why today’s most important tech companies don’t just build tools, they replace entire industries. They cover: The end of “picks and shovels” investing Why missing a great company matters more than backing a bad one The power law math behind fund size and asymmetric returns AI as the next computing platform — and a test for Western civilization Preference falsification, media power, and what founders can’t say out loud This is a conversation about ambition at scale, the structure of modern venture, and the deep forces reshaping startups, innovation, and power. Resources: Listen to more from Uncapped: https://linktr.ee/uncappedpod Find Jack on X https://x.com/jaltma Find Marc on X: https://x.com/pmarca Find Uncapped on X: https://x.com/uncapped_pod Timecodes: 00:00 What You Can’t Say 01:20 Founders, Funders, and the Future 02:00 Fund Size and Power Law Math 06:45 From Tools to Full Stack Startups 10:00 Market Sizing and Asymmetric Bets 13:00 Public Markets Mirror Venture Dynamics 17:00 The Barbell Strategy in Venture 20:00 The Conflict Dilemma in Venture 25:00 Staying in Early-Stage Venture 29:30 The Death of the Middle 32:00 Why It’s So Rare to Build a New Top VC Firm 35:00 The Case for Power in Venture 37:45 Limiting Factors for Big Companies 41:00 AI as the Next Computing Platform 45:30 Betting on Startups, Not Incumbents 48:00 How a16z Thinks About Risk 51:00 Building a Top-Tier GP Team 55:00 Taste, Timing, and Getting Into the Scene 57:00 Raising Capital Is the Easy Part 1:00:30 AI’s Existential Stakes 1:05:00 Autonomous Weapons, Ethics, and War 1:11:00 Tech, Government, and Power 1:13:00 Media, Mistrust, and Narrative Collapse 1:24:00 Preference Falsification and Cultural Cascades 1:32:00 The Thought Experiment 1:33:00 Career Advice for Young Builders 1:35:00 Marc vs. the Huberman Protocol 1:39:30 What Would Prove You Right? 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. Stay Updated: Find a16z on X Find a16z on LinkedIn Listen to the a16z Show on Spotify Listen to the a16z Show on Apple Podcasts Follow our host: https://twitter.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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.