Shows
AI Dispatcha16z's Alex Rampell: "That revenue stream is 100% going to zero" — His Dire Warning for Zendesk and All Per-Seat SaaS Models.Episode Introduction:
In this thought-provoking episode, we dive into a16z partner Alex Rampell’s urgent analysis of how AI-driven automation is poised to upend traditional SaaS pricing models—especially those charging per-seat fees like Zendesk. Rampell reveals the “Locksmith Paradox,” a fundamental economic flaw in per-seat SaaS pricing, arguing that as AI replaces human labor in tasks such as customer support, entire revenue streams are at risk of collapsing. Alongside insights from Atlassian CEO Mike Cannon-Brookes, this conversation also challenges long-standing software design assumptions and explores why AI won’t easily replace complex enterprise systems despite the hype around low-code a...
2026-03-0808 min
AI快递同样是SaaS，为什么有些收入将归零，而Workday这类公司的价值反而可能飙升？节目介绍:
本期节目深度解析a16z合伙人Alex Rampell与Atlassian CEO Mike Cannon-Brookes的对话，揭示软件行业面临的重大转型。视频重点讲述传统软件从被动档案柜到智能执行体的演变，剖析AI赋能下企业软件价值的本质变化，以及为何老牌SaaS公司反而具备更强护城河。通过探索AI时代的信任危机与管理挑战，本视频为理解未来企业软件生态提供了独到视角。
原视频链接：
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lzo2tFBFy8
原视频标题：Is This the Biggest Software Shift of the Decade? | a16z Interview - Atlassian CEO
主要内容：
• 传统软件本质是被动存储容器，AI时代让软件具备自主执行能力，改变根本范式
• 老牌SaaS公司如Atlassian凭借多年积累的复杂边缘规则构筑护城河，防止收入归零
• 企业软件价值不在于代码生成，而在于对复杂合规和边缘场景的深度理解和实现
• AI生成代码难以覆盖企业细节，依赖AI拼凑代码运营存在巨大风险和管理成本
• AI赋能带来的信任与管理挑战，效率瓶颈在于人类如何确认和信任AI的决策
推荐理由：
本视频直击AI技术变革背后的商业本质，挑战「人人程序员」的理想主义幻觉，深入剖析企业软件护城河的隐秘力量。对于关注AI应用、SaaS未来和企业数字化转型的观众而言，这是一场必听的思想盛宴。通过「AI快递」的深度解析，您不仅能把握技术趋势，还能洞察市场动态，理解企业价值为何在新技术浪潮中分化显著。
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2026-03-0805 min
Wenbin Fang's Podcast PlaylistAtlassian CEO on the SaaS Apocalypse, AI Agents & What Comes Next Podcast: The a16z Show (LS 63 · TOP 0.1% what is this?)Episode: Atlassian CEO on the SaaS Apocalypse, AI Agents & What Comes NextPub date: 2026-03-06Get Podcast Transcript →powered by Listen411 - fast audio-to-text and summarizationAlex Rampell and Erik Torenberg speak with Mike Cannon-Brookes, cofounder and CEO of Atlassian, about how to make sense of the SaaS selloff, why not all software companies face the same AI-driven risks, and how Atlassian is thinking about the shift from records to processes. They also examine the real design challenge of get...
2026-03-0755 min
The a16z ShowAtlassian CEO on the SaaS Apocalypse, AI Agents & What Comes NextAlex Rampell and Erik Torenberg speak with Mike Cannon-Brookes, cofounder and CEO of Atlassian, about how to make sense of the SaaS selloff, why not all software companies face the same AI-driven risks, and how Atlassian is thinking about the shift from records to processes. They also examine the real design challenge of getting everyday users to trust and benefit from AI agents in enterprise workflows.
Resources:
Follow Alex Rampell on X: https://twitter.com/arampell
Follow Erik Torenberg on X: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg
Follow Mike Cannon-Brookes on X: h...
2026-03-0655 min
Cheeky PintRamp founder Eric Glyman on the many ways AI is changing corporate spendingEric Glyman is the cofounder and CEO of Ramp, the finance automation platform that now powers over 2% of all corporate spend in the US. He sits down with John and co-host Alex Rampell to discuss how Ramp scaled to over $1 billion in revenue in just seven years, and why the future of fintech is "selling time, not money." They cover the "SaaS apocalypse" (and why lines of code are becoming a liability), how Ramp uses AI agents to review 100,000 expenses a day with 99% accuracy, and why their internal data suggests the US economy is much stronger than the Census...
2026-02-171h 11
Bulwark+ TakesSarah Longwell: They Support Gun Rights—But Only for RepublicansThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.comFresh off MSNOW's The Weekend with Catherine Rampell, Sarah Longwell explains why the killing of Alex Pretti is breaking through with voters—and why government lies and Second Amendment hypocrisy aren’t holding up.Watch The Weekend on MSNOW: https://www.ms.now/the-weekendAs always: Watch, listen, and leave a comment. Bulwark+ Takes is home to short videos, livestreams, and event archives exclusively for Bulwark+ members.Don’t care for video? Use the controls on the left s...
2026-01-2604 minThe BulwarkSarah Longwell: They Support Gun Rights—But Only for RepublicansThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.comFresh off MSNOW's The Weekend with Catherine Rampell, Sarah Longwell explains why the killing of Alex Pretti is breaking through with voters—and why government lies and Second Amendment hypocrisy aren’t holding up.Watch The Weekend on MSNOW: https://www.ms.now/the-weekendAs always: Watch, listen, and leave a comment. Bulwark+ Takes is home to short videos, livestreams, and event archives exclusively for Bulwark+ members.Don’t care for video? Use the controls on the left s...
2026-01-2604 min
Bulwark TakesSarah Longwell: They Support Gun Rights—But Only for Republicans
Fresh off MSNOW's The Weekend with Catherine Rampell, Sarah Longwell explains why the killing of Alex Pretti is breaking through with voters—and why government lies and Second Amendment hypocrisy aren’t holding up.Watch The Weekend on MSNOW: https://www.ms.now/the-weekend
2026-01-2608 min
The Weekend PrimetimeNew video emerges of Alex Pretti killingTonight: Alex Pretti's neighbor who describes him as "happy-go-lucky" and a "free-spirit."For more, follow us on Instagram and BlueSky @theweekendprime.This episode aired on Jan. 25, 2026 at 8pm.
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2026-01-2642 minThe Weekend PrimetimeAlex Pretti killing looms are DHS funding fightSenate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is urging his Republican colleagues to "join Democrats in overhauling ICE and CBP to protect the public.For more, follow us on Instagram and BlueSky @theweekendprime.This episode aired on Jan. 25, 2026 at 7pm.
To listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
2026-01-2646 minThe a16z ShowThe AI Opportunity That Goes Beyond ModelsThe a16z AI Apps team outlines how they are thinking about the AI application cycle and why they believe it represents the largest and fastest product shift in software to date. The conversation places AI in the context of prior platform waves, from PCs to cloud to mobile, and examines where adoption is already translating into real enterprise usage and revenue. They walk through three core investment themes: existing software categories becoming AI-native, new categories where software directly replaces labor, and applications built around proprietary data and closed-loop workflows. Using portfolio examples, the discussion shows how these models...
2026-01-191h 10The a16z ShowAlex Rampell on TBPN: Revenge, Redemption, and Founder Drivea16z General Partner Alex Rampell joined the Technology Brothers Podcast Network following the announcement of Andreessen Horowitz’s new fund to discuss what drives founders to build enduring companies. Drawing on his journey from early software entrepreneur to leading a16z’s apps fund, Alex shared how high agency, deep historical understanding, and the ability to attract talent, capital, and customers separate great founders from the rest. He reflected on motivation beyond money, explaining why “revenge or redemption” often fuels the resilience required to push through the hardest moments of company building. Resources:Follow...
2026-01-1417 minThe a16z ShowAlex Rampell on Venture at Scale and Founder IncentivesThis episode is a special feed drop from The Twenty Minute VC, featuring a conversation between Harry Stebbings and a16z General Partner Alex Rampell.Alex shares how he thinks about investing at scale, including why ownership and incentives matter, how venture changes as funds get larger, and what it really takes to win the best deals. He walks through his core founder framework of backing people who can materialize talent, capital, and customers, and explains why the strongest companies often have “hostages,” not just customers.The discussion also covers pricing risk, secondaries, moral hazard in p...
2026-01-121h 11
The Twenty Minute VC (20VC): Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch20VC: a16z's $15BN Fundraise with Alex Rampell | The Best Companies Have Hostages Not Customers | The Best Founders Materialise Capital, Customers and Labour | Mid-Sized Funds with Die and The Future of Venture CapitalAlex Rampell is a General Partner at Andressen Horowitz, where he leads their $1.7BN apps fund. Just last week, a16z announced they had raised $15BN for their latest funds, over 20% of all capital raised by venture firms. At a16z, Alex has led deals into Plaid, Mercury and OpenDoor to name a few. AGENDA: 04:55 How to Do 5x on a $15BN Fund Pool? 09:21 What Two Groups of Funds Will Win the Next Decade in VC? 14:39 What Three Things Are the Best Founders Able to Do? 19:22 The Best Companies Hav...
2026-01-121h 17
TBPNa16z’s $15B Raise, Tim Cook Exit Rumors, Meta Goes Nuclear | Ben Horowitz, David George, Alex Rampell, Jen Kha, Jeremie EliahouSign up for TBPN’s daily newsletter at TBPN.com(02:19) - Tim Cook's Retirement Rumors
(09:11) - AI Needs a (Steve) Jobs
(24:54) - Meta Announces Nuclear Partnerships
(29:45) - Can AI Solve the Recycling Crisis?
(37:51) - a16z's $15B Raise
(45:14) - 𝕏 Timeline Reactions
(01:07:25) - WSJ Mansion Section
(01:28:29) - Jeremie Eliahou is a technology analyst at Semianalysis, where he focuses on semiconductors, AI hardware, and datacenter infrastructure. His work is known for deep technical rigor and clear analysis of GPU roadmaps, compute economics, and industry supply chains.
(02:01:29) - Jen Kha, Operating Partner and Head of Investor Relat...
2026-01-093h 04The a16z ShowWhy AI Moats Still Matter (And How They've Changed)a16z General Partners David Haber, Alex Rampell, and Erik Torenberg discuss why 19 out of 20 AI startups building the same thing will die - and why the survivor might charge $20,000 for what used to cost $20.They expose the "janitorial services paradox" (why the most boring software is most defensible), explain why OpenAI won't compete with your orthodontic clinic software despite having 800 million weekly users, and reveal how non-lawyers are building the most successful legal AI companies. Plus: the brutal truth about why momentum isn't a moat, but without it, you're already dead. Resources:
2025-12-0351 minThe a16z ShowThe $700 Billion AI Productivity Problem No One's Talking AboutRuss Fradin sold his first company for $300M. He’s back in the arena with Larridin, helping companies measure just how successful their AI actually is.In this episode, Russ sits down with a16z General Partner Alex Rampell to reveal why the measurement infrastructure that unlocked internet advertising's trillion-dollar boom is exactly what's missing from AI, why your most productive employees are hiding their AI usage from management, and the uncomfortable truth that companies desperately buying AI tools have no idea whether anyone's actually using them. The same playbook that built comScore into a bil...
2025-12-0158 min
最新技術を楽しく学ぼうテスラジオ（TESRADIO）米大物VCが提唱『Software is Eating Labor』を徹底解説a16zのAlex Rampellが語る、AIによる労働市場革命。従来のシート課金モデルが崩壊し、AIがエンドツーエンドで業務を実行する時代へ。米国単独で13兆ドルの労働市場を狙うスタートアップの戦略を徹底解説。00:00 - オープニング・Software is Eating Laborとは03:08 - 本日話す3つのポイント03:50 - 「Software is Eating World」の前提05:10 - 労働市場13兆ドルの巨大さ06:10 - マルクス資本論とAI時代の意外な関係08:02 - 古いSaaSビジネスモデルの限界11:22 - シート課金モデルはなぜ崩壊するのか14:41 - AIが人間より優れている4つの理由19:10 - 眼科受付の例：AIが切り拓く新市場24:20 - まとめ：次の巨大企業が狙う市場とは出典:https://youtu.be/dhyhR4Bzc0IYouTube:https://youtu.be/jlv1-Tr0ED0
2025-11-2826 minThe a16z ShowRobinhood CEO: Making Everyone An OwnerVlad Tenev built Robinhood by breaking every rule Wall Street wrote: zero commissions when competitors charged $10, mobile-first when "serious" investors demanded desktop, a brand that made finance feel like rebellion instead of a club you'd never join.By 2021 they'd forced every major brokerage to slash fees and attracted millions who'd never owned a stock, but then GameStop happened: trading restrictions during the meme stock frenzy triggered congressional hearings, user fury, and a two-year brand crisis that nearly buried them despite the real culprit being antiquated clearing mechanics no one understood. Now Tenev's pushing an even m...
2025-11-211h 05The a16z ShowRocket Companies CEO: Here’s How to Fix the Housing CrisisThe Empire State Building took 110 days to build—today, changing a window would take two years. Alex Rampell (a16z) and Varun Krishna (Rocket CEO) expose how asset inflation turned housing from the American Dream into a wealth transfer machine where the median homebuyer age jumped from 30 to 38 in just fourteen years. While Silicon Valley burns billions on products people use daily but never pay for, Rocket quietly assembled a $10 billion profit engine and is now buying up the entire housing funnel—from Redfin's 50 million monthly searchers to one in six US mortgages—betting they can crack the cod...
2025-11-1255 minThe a16z ShowReid Hoffman on AI, Consciousness, and the Future of HumanityReid Hoffman has been at the center of every major tech shift, from co-founding LinkedIn and helping build PayPal to investing early in OpenAI. In this conversation, he looks ahead to the next transformation: how artificial intelligence will reshape work, science, and what it means to be human.In this episode, Reid joins Erik Torenberg and Alex Rampell to talk about what AI means for human progress, where Silicon Valley’s blind spots lie, and why the biggest breakthroughs will come from outside the obvious productivity apps. They discuss why reasoning still limits today’s AI, whether cons...
2025-10-2053 min
硬地骇客EP115 我们是不是在新时代还在做老软件？本期探讨了 A16z 合伙人 Alex Rampell 提出的 “软件吞噬劳动力市场” 的观点。我们一起分析了 AI 时代软件如何从工具转变为数字员工，替代部分人力工作，并讨论了软件为结果负责的可能性。节目中还提到了 AI 对就业市场的影响，尤其对中间学历人群的冲击，以及传统 SaaS 公司在 AI 时代的挑战。此外，我们还以 Shein 和美团外卖为例，探讨了软件公司不自己下场做业务的原因，并讨论了新软件的特征，包括新的交互方式和可能带来的财富不均衡问题。本期亮点： Alex Rampell 认为 SaaS 软件不应只盯着 3000 亿美元的既有市场，而应着眼于美国一年 13 万亿美元的劳动力市场，通过交付价值来代替人工。 传统 SaaS 主要优势在于对人脑的补充和提升组织协同效率，而 AI 倾向于直接交付结果，替代中间环节。 新的 AI 原生软件主体应是一个或多个 agent 的感知、计划执行、复盘调整过程，人工在关键节点介入，将人变成自动驾驶的安全观察员。 传统 SaaS 公司更关注过程和记录，而新的 AI 软件更关注结果交付，应该销售像人的能力，而不是工具。本shownotes由 castwise.ai 制作Podwise - Podcast Knowledge at 10x Speed!podwise.aiApple Store 下载👉🏻 apps.apple.com硬地笔记 00:00:04软件吞噬劳动力市场：AI 时代的新视角 00:07:04软件提效与企业核心竞争力 00:12:25快时尚案例分析：Shein 与美团的启示 00:17:26SaaS 软件公司的挑战与 AI 时代的转型 00:24:00AI 交付结果：从 Photoshop 到医疗记录 00:28:31AI 在编程领域的颠覆与社会影响 00:36:02新软件的特征与未来展望扩展笔记：castwise.ai欢迎关注我们 知识星球:t.zsxq.com 官网: hardhacker.com 小手册: book.hardhacker.com 用爱发电不容易，请我们喝咖啡☕️: afdian.net 公众号/小红书: 硬地骇客 商务合作: hardhackerlabs@gmail.com 另外，现在加入「硬地骇客」会员服务，即可在会员专属的微信群与其他朋友一起畅所欲言，成为会员也是对我们持续更新最大的鼓励！
2025-10-1644 min
Lenny's Podcast: Product | Career | GrowthInside Google's AI turnaround: The rise of AI Mode, strategy behind AI Overviews, and their vision for AI-powered search | Robby Stein (VP of Product, Google Search)Robby Stein is VP of Product at Google, where he oversees the core products of Google Search—including the new AI Overviews, AI Mode, search ranking, Google Lens, and more. Previously, he led consumer products at Instagram, where he and his teams built Stories, Reels, Close Friends, and other key features now used by billions.—What you’ll learn:Why Google’s AI products are suddenly taking off after years of perceived stagnation How AI is expanding Search rather than replacing it, contrary to what many predicted The three core produ...
2025-10-111h 21
Our Big Dumb MouthOBDM1334 - American Sasquatch | Alien DNA | National Guard | Strange NewsWhen an Eminent Scientist Says Magic Is Real—Pay Attention https://mitchhorowitz.substack.com/p/when-an-eminent-scientist-says-magic 00:00:00 – Cold Open & "Hey yo, Crypto!" Loose banter to kick off the show—traffic stories, neighborhood oddities, and warming up the mics with goofy "hey yo, Crypto" riffs. 00:04:51 – Alex Jones Clip Week (Set-up) Wednesday means AJ clip roundup: shock jock non-sequiturs, late-night "after hours" imagery, and the crew joking through it before the real topics. 00:09:41 – Sparkle Shine Story Time More outrageous AJ pulls (MLK jokes, "story time" bits), production/computer gripe gags, and the pivot promise: Bigfoot, alien DNA, and a...
2025-10-092h 14
The a16z ShowHow to Build a Real Estate Marketplace - Kaz Nejatian, Opendoor CEOOpendoor is trying to make it easier to buy a home. Kaz Nejatian just joined as CEO to help them succeed.In this episode, a16z General Partners Alex Rampell and Erik Torenberg sit down with Kaz to cover all things real estate and marketplaces. They cover Kaz’s vision for Opendoor, the problem with copying the hedge fund model, how to build through economic downturns, and the importance of ambition and long-term thinking. Resources:Follow Kaz on X: https://x.com/CanadaKazFollow Alex on X: https://x.com...
2025-10-0755 min
The a16z ShowSoftware is Eating LaborSoftware has fundamentally changed the way we record, store, and share information. Its next act is to fundamentally change the nature of our economy, capturing trillions of dollars of value in the process.In this talk from the 2025 a16z LP Summit, a16z General Partner Alex Rampell discusses the history of filing cabinets and databases, how SaaS pricing moved from seats to outcomes, and how AI agents will accelerate the trend of the last 70 years of software progress. Timecodes: 0:00 Introduction0:58 The Scale of the Labor Market vs. SaaS
2025-10-0326 min
The a16z ShowThe Death of Search: How Shopping Will Work In The Age of AIThe web is unhealthy, and AI agents are about to rewrite how we shop.In this episode, a16z General Partner Alex Rampell and Partner Justine Moore explore how AI agents will change commerce and the implications for Google’s business model, affiliate marketing, online shopping, and more. Timecodes: 0:00 Introduction 0:12 The Role of AI Agents in Commerce1:28 Affiliate Marketing & Impulse Buys4:02 Observing Consumer Behavior & AI6:08 Dynamic Pricing & E-commerce Trends7:20 Online vs. Offline Shopping Behaviors10:09 The Challenge of Attribution in Comme...
2025-09-1745 min
Retailgentic: Agentic Commerce meets Retail and BrandsAI Shopping Agents & the Future of Commerce | Alex Rampell, Andreessen HorowitzWhat happens when more than half of online shopping traffic comes from AI agents, not humans?In this episode of the Retailgentic Podcast, Scot Wingo sits down with Alex Rampell, General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz, to unpack the seismic shift happening at the intersection of AI, commerce, and payments.We cover:Is Google really screwed? (and why AI threatens its business model)The future of agentic commerce & attribution warsLessons from TrialPay, Affirm, and affiliate marketingHow platforms like ChatGPT could become checkout destinationsWhy “optimization” may be the killer feature of AI shopping agentsIf you’...
2025-08-2631 min
Cartografía Sonora#2. CARTOGRAFÍA SONORA: Conexiones.Prepara tus oídos para trazar nuevas rutas en el mapa de la buena música. Esto es Cartografía Sonora, un recorrido personal por esos sonidos que nos definen y nos inspiran. Soy Alex Molins y te doy la bienvenida al segundo programa de este viaje sonoro.
En esta ruta, Chris Cornell reinterpreta a Michael Jackson, recordamos a un genio del bajo camerunés en un festival de Jaén, y descubrimos la increíble colaboración entre Portishead y Tom Jones. También viajamos de Suecia a Cataluña con cantautores que nos llegan al alma. Una banda sonora de...
2025-08-1249 min
Motion BlurRide or DieAI or die?What’s the latest with AI? Is it really AI or Die?A bunch of people are telling us to pay more attention to what’s happening, so Grant and Hammad decided to dive into the meta discussion of how to handle periods of profound change. We discuss everything from Formula One race strategies to v2 companies and how these changes will impact the software + hardware playbooks.This is a wide-ranging conversation that touches a bit of everything. We conclude with Hammad’s excitement for the opportunity in healthcare and Grant’...
2025-02-2048 min
The a16z ShowDeepSeek: America’s Sputnik Moment for AI?Two words have caught the Internet by storm. DeepSeek. The Chinese reasoning model r1 is rivaling others at the frontier with an open-source MIT license, methods that some claim may be 45x more efficient, an alleged $5.6m cost, the release of reasoning traces, a follow-on image model, and the fact that all of this was released by a hedge fund China.Many are already referring to this as a Sputnik moment. If that’s true, how should we – whether founder, researcher, policy maker – not just react, but act? Joining us to tease out the signal from th...
2025-02-0643 min
跨国串门儿计划人工智能如何改变劳动力市场【A16Z播客中文版】Did you know the U.S. nurse labor market is over $600 billion annually, but the dedicated software market for nurses is almost zero?您知道美国护士劳动力市场年收入超过 6000 亿美元，但专门针对护士的软件市场几乎为零吗？In this episode General Partners Alex Rampell, David Haber, and Angela Strange discuss how AI is revolutionizing labor by automating tasks traditionally done by humans.本集节目中，普通合伙人 Alex Rampell、David Haber 和 Angela Strange 讨论了人工智能如何通过自动化原本由人类完成的任务来彻底改变劳动力。They’ll trace the evolution of cloud eras — from the original to financial services-enabled to the current AI-enabled outcomes era — showcasing how AI is creating unprecedented opportunities, allowing startups to outpace incumbents. They also explore how this shift will reshape industries, where we are in the adoption curve and what companies need to succeed, and the gaps where the a16z Enterprise team would love to see more innovation.他们将...
2024-12-2538 min
The a16z ShowHow AI is Transforming Labor MarketsDid you know the U.S. nurse labor market is over $600 billion annually, but the dedicated software market for nurses is almost zero?In this episode General Partners Alex Rampell, David Haber, and Angela Strange discuss how AI is revolutionizing labor by automating tasks traditionally done by humans.They’ll trace the evolution of cloud eras — from the original to financial services-enabled to the current AI-enabled outcomes era — showcasing how AI is creating unprecedented opportunities, allowing startups to outpace incumbents. They also explore how this shift will reshape industries, where we are in the adoption curve...
2024-12-1144 min
The a16z ShowThe Story of Apple Pay with Jennifer BaileyIn 2024, marking 10 years since its launch, Apple Pay now boasts hundreds of millions of consumers in 78 markets, at checkout on millions of websites and apps, in tens of millions of stores worldwide, and is supported by more than 11,000 bank and network partners.In this episode, a16z General Partner Alex Rampell sits down with Jennifer Bailey, VP of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet, to explore how Apple has transformed digital payments. Jennifer reveals how Apple Pay and Apple Wallet have grown beyond payments to include transit cards, car keys, and more. They also discuss the c...
2024-10-2231 min
The IO Podcast: Investor + OperatorFrom TrialPay, Affirm and a16z | Alex Rampell on Investing & Entrepreneurship | Ep. 7 IO PodcastAndreessen Horowitz General Partner Alex Rampell may be the most true version of an investor-operator. Alex's first entrepreneurial endeavor started as a child when he built and sold shareware out of his parent's house. Eventually he added more businesses to his portfolio before launching the payment platform TrialPay after college and eventually Affirm. Today, Alex invests in some of the largest companies at Andreessen Horowitz and he shares with Tyler and Sterling what he looks for in entrepreneurs and shares tactical advice from his days building. Chapters: (00:03:00) How Alex Started His First Company in Middle...
2024-02-131h 08
DayOne.FMElaine Stead discusses bravery, diversity, and changing the investing ecosystemSummary:Elaine Stead joins the podcast to discuss bravery and courage in the investing world, particularly as a woman in the Australian ecosystem. She shares her journey as an investor and highlights the importance of investing in education and building networks.Elaine also challenges the notion of being a contrarian investor and emphasizes the need for a high tolerance for risk. She discusses portfolio construction and the importance of managing risk and diversification.The conversation also touches on the challenges faced by women in the industry and the need for change in the...
2023-12-1748 minFirst Cheque with Cheryl Mack & Maxine MinterElaine Stead discusses bravery, diversity, and changing the investing ecosystemSummary:Elaine Stead joins the podcast to discuss bravery and courage in the investing world, particularly as a woman in the Australian ecosystem. She shares her journey as an investor and highlights the importance of investing in education and building networks.Elaine also challenges the notion of being a contrarian investor and emphasizes the need for a high tolerance for risk. She discusses portfolio construction and the importance of managing risk and diversification.The conversation also touches on the challenges faced by women in the industry and the need for change in the...
2023-12-1748 min
Truth and ConsequencesThis Week In Sub-Optimal Hostage TakingI’m Michael A. Cohen, and this is Truth and Consequences: A no-holds-barred look at the absurdities, hypocrisies, and surreality of American politics. If you were sent this email or are a free subscriber and would like to subscribe, you can sign up here.In case you missed my conversation with Dahlia Scheindlin on the latest doings in Israeli politics, you can check it out above. Besides being one of my oldest friends, Dahlia is one of the most thoughtful observers of Israeli politics. There were tons of fascinating insights from her in this conversation. So please giv...
2023-01-2652 min
Future of FintechFintech VCs on Fundraising in 2022Discussing impact from public market valuations, fed rate changes, learnings from 2021, trends for 2022, & much more. Guests include Alex Rampell (a16z), Sheel Mohnot (Better Tomorrow Ventures), Frank Rotman (QED Investors), & Immad Akhund (Mercury).
2022-03-181h 00The a16z ShowPrinciples for Work and LifeIn the face of great uncertainty, how do you make decisions? Can you really apply the lessons of the past to the present and the future, to navigate seemingly new situations and get what you want out of business and life? By deeply understanding cause-effect relationships -- clearly expressed, shared with others, overlaid with data, back-tested, modified -- you can build a set of principles for dealing with the realities of whatever situation you're in, observes Ray Dalio, in this episode from 2018 and in conversation with a16z's Alex Rampell and Sonal Chokshi, Dalio's book Principles: Life an...
2022-03-1650 min
The Walker WebcastAlex Rampell, General Partner of top venture capital firm Andreessen HorowitzWe are on the verge of massive change where innovations in mobile, digital money and machine learning are changing how we move money and manage our finances. An expert on these technologies is Alex Rampell, who plays a significant role in building the future of financial services. A General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz, Alex also serves on the board of Branch, Brightside, Descript, Divvy, Earnin, FlyHomes, Loft, Mercury, PeerStreet, Point, Propel, Sentilink, Super Evil Mega Corp, Transferwise, and Very Good Security. Alex additionally led the firm's investments in OpenDoor ($OPEN), Plaid, Quantopian (acquired by Robinhood), and Rival (acquired by...
2022-02-1957 min
Boundaryless Conversations PodcastS3 Ep. 3 Ivan Draganov – What‘s next for marketplaces: Fintech, B2B and moreToday we are joined by Ivan Draganov, Lead Online Marketplaces Analyst at Dealroom.co, to share his latest insights on how fintech-enabled marketplaces are creating more value than either marketplaces and financial services alone. Ivan is leading Dealroom.co's intelligence efforts on Online marketplaces.
Dealroom.co is a global provider of data and intelligence on startups and tech ecosystems. They work with many of the world's most prominent investors, entrepreneurs and government organizations to provide transparency, analysis and insights on venture capital activity. Their mission is to accelerate entrepreneurship and innovation through data for governments, corporates, VCs and founders.
A fu...
2021-12-0746 min
16 Minutes News by a16zInside the GameStop Drama; The U.S. Constitution, AuctionedWelcome to 16 Minutes, our show on the a16z podcast network where we talk about tech trends that are dominating news headlines, industry buzz, and where we are on the long arc of innovation. Today’s episode actually features a look back at the GameStop saga — the stock market drama that some headlines described as a “David-and-Goliath battle” that quote “upended Wall Street.” For quick basic context, here’s what happened: A group of Reddit users mass-purchased and drove up prices of stock in the video game retailer GameStop, forcing short sellers including hedge funds and institutiona...
2021-12-0321 min
Invest Like the Best with Patrick O'ShaughnessyAlex Rampell - Investing in Operating SystemsMy guest today is Alex Rampell, General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz. Alex has a long history in fintech, having co-founded six companies in his career, including Affirm and TrialPay. During our conversation, we cover Alex’s framework for positive selection in investing, why the best investments are often operating systems or systems of record, and Alex’s views on the future of fintech. For those that have listened to our Business Breakdown on Visa with Alex - you know the intellectual horsepower he brings to every discussion. This conversation is no exception. For the full show n...
2021-10-261h 20
SALT TalksAlex Rampell of a16z: The Future of FinTech | SALT Talks #223Alex Rampell is a General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) where he focuses on financial services. He serves on the board of Branch, Brightside, Descript, Divvy, Earnin, FlyHomes, Loft, Mercury, PeerStreet, Point, Propel, Sentilink, Super Evil Mega Corp, Transferwise, and Very Good Security. Alex additionally led the firm's investments in OpenDoor ($OPEN), Plaid, Quantopian (acquired by Robinhood), and Rival (acquired by LiveNation).Prior to joining the firm, Alex co-founded multiple fintech companies including Affirm ($AFRM), which he co-founded with Max Levchin, FraudEliminator (acquired by McAfee in 2006), Point, TrialPay (acquired by Visa in 2015), TXN (acquired by Envestnest in 2...
2021-06-0951 min
Business BreakdownsVisa: The Original Protocol BusinessToday we will be diving into Visa. Starting in 1958 as a BankAmericard credit card program in Fresno, California, it then became a non-profit consortium of banks that operated the Visa network. Over the first few decades of its existence, Visa became the protocol layer that allowed essentially all the banks in the world to communicate with one another. In 2007, Visa completed a corporate restructuring that took it public and now boasts a larger market cap than all of the banks that previously owned it as part of the consortium. In this Br...
2021-05-0557 minFuture of FintechThe Future of Retail InvestingWelcome to the Future of Fintech, hosted by Immad Akhund and Sheel Mohnot.
This week we're covering the future of retail investing. Our guests are:
- Alex Rampell, a VC at Andreessen Horowitz
- Leif Abraham, cofounder and Co-CEO at Public.com
- Julie Young, a writer and investor, former product at Snap
- David McDonough, cofounder of Commonstock
- Howard Lindzon, cofounder of Stocktwits
- Aditi Maliwal, a GP at Upfront Ventures
2021-04-091h 13
a16z LiveShutdowns, Stimulus Measures, & Small Businessesa16z general partner Alex Rampell and Post House Capital CEO Jackie Reses (formerly of Square Capital) discuss COVID shutdowns and their impact on small business owners.
2021-03-0356 minDailypodThe PPP Omnibus: Eminent Domain, Fraud, and Fintech Podcast: The a16z Show (LS 63 · TOP 0.1% what is this?)Episode: The PPP Omnibus: Eminent Domain, Fraud, and FintechPub date: 2020-12-14Get Podcast Transcript →powered by Listen411 - fast audio-to-text and summarizationThis episode features two relevant but previously recorded episodes, discussing the relevance of the Paycheck Protection Program (or PPP) from the Small Business Administration and the role of government stimulus/ pandemic relief for the economy as well as where tech comes in. It combines 2 separate episodes, beginning with one recorded much earlier this year (on o...
2020-12-2059 minThe a16z ShowThe PPP Omnibus: Eminent Domain, Fraud, and FintechThis episode features two relevant but previously recorded episodes, discussing the relevance of the Paycheck Protection Program (or PPP) from the Small Business Administration and the role of government stimulus/ pandemic relief for the economy as well as where tech comes in. It combines 2 separate episodes, beginning with one recorded much earlier this year (on our show 16 Minutes), which outlines a useful analogy of "eminent domain" for government-mandated shutdowns of certain businesses and technology considerations; and then is followed by an episode (recorded later this year) on preventing fraud and the role of fintech. Both ep...
2020-12-1459 min
The a16z ShowPandemic Relief and Fraud: Willful Deceit or Design Defect?This episode examines the potential for misuse and fraud among those applying for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)—and how fintech and software provide overlooked tools to stop it. On March 27th, the government enacted a $2.2 trillion dollar stimulus package called the CARES Act, the largest aid measure in history. The act provides more than $500 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program, or PPP, a low-interest, forgivable loan program designed to help small businesses and self-employed individuals retain workers and stay afloat during the pandemic. Since March, the Small Business Administration has approved billions of dollars in PPP loan...
2020-09-0440 min
The a16z ShowReal Estate in a Pandemic: Homeowners and Buyers (Part 1)This episode is the first in a two-part series that examines the pandemic’s impact on real estate. Part 1 focuses on prospective home buyers, sellers, and existing homeowners. Part 2 (streaming on 6/17) addresses renters and landlords.How has social distancing shaken up the market to buy? What’s the ripple effect of eviction freezes and a record number of homes in forbearance? And how can tech streamline the inefficient process of renting, buying, and selling a home?Led by host Lauren Murrow, the conversation features a16z general partner Alex Rampell, who has invested in a numb...
2020-06-1624 min
Out of BetaWater on My MillPeter builds trust with two hosts ready to distribute Branch. Matt's inner manager ekes out a partnership call while his maker begins the descent from peak effort. The two discuss the dangers of distributing a weak product.Insight by a16z Partner Alex RampellBranchSummitMatt on TwitterPeter on Twitter
2020-05-2757 min
16 Minutes News by a16zThe Economic Virus - Monetary Policy, Fiscal Policy, and Small BusinessThe U.S. Federal Reserve recently made a range of moves -- from cutting interest rates to near zero (which it also did in the 2008 financial crisis) and using other tools -- to support "the flow of credit to households and businesses, thereby promote its maximum employment and price stability goals" during this current pandemic and public health crisis.However... what does this mean for small businesses, which may be most impacted? What's the difference between monetary and fiscal policy here; where does rhetoric (such as around buybacks vs. dividends) confuse; how does adjudication and disbursement work...
2020-03-2218 min16 Minutes News by a16zGaming & Chrome OS/Steam; Going Cashless; Coronavirus LatestThis episode of 16 Minutes on the news covers:Google could bring Steam support to Chrome OS, according to an earlier unconfirmed report, and what that could mean for the broader gaming ecosystem, developers as well as devices -- with a16z general partner Andrew Chen and Jonathan Lai on the consumer team;New York restaurants and retail establishments can no longer reject cash payments under legislation that was passed by the City Council there; what this says about the banking system more broadly, why it's a regressive tax on the poor and therefore a progressive move -- at 8:57...
2020-03-0819 min16 Minutes News by a16zRegulating AI; Negative Interest Rates (#19)In this 19th episode of our news show, where we cover recent headlines from our vantage point in tech, we cover the following news items (in conversation with Sonal Chokshi):recent moves to regulate artificial intelligence (AI) software including the White House's recent guidance (and op-ed from the U.S. CTO) on AI in general, as well as limits to exports of specific AI software that went into effect this week -- with operating partner Frank Chen (whose talk was cited in an earlier White House report);recent activity on the topic of negative interest rates as well...
2020-01-1321 min16 Minutes News by a16zAlternative Data for Credit; Retail Shopping Shifts (#15)This is the 15th episode of 16 Minutes, our news show where we cover the top headlines, the a16z Podcast way: what’s real / what’s hype; what's interesting from our vantage point in tech. This week (after a brief hiatus for our annual innovation event and November holidays), we cover the following news... in conversation with Sonal Chokshi:use of alternative data in credit underwriting -- Five federal regulatory agencies (the Federal Reserve Board, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Office of the Controller of the Currency, and the National Credit Union Admi...
2019-12-1619 minThe a16z Showa16z Podcast: Fintech for Startups and IncumbentsIn this episode of the a16z Podcast -- which originally aired as a video on YouTube -- general partner Alex Rampell (and former fintech entrepreneur as the CEO and co-founder of TrialPay) talks with operating partner Frank Chen about the quickly changing fintech landscape and, even more importantly, why the landscape is changing now.
Should the incumbents be nervous? About what, exactly? And most importantly, what should big companies do about all of this change? But the conversation from both sides of the table begins from the perspective of the hungry and fast fintech startup sharing...
2019-04-0550 min
The Twenty Minute VC (20VC): Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch20VC: Lessons Learned Scaling PillPack from Seed to Amazon Acquisition, Why Investors Should Spend More Time Assessing Human Capital Risk Taken by Founders & The Right Way To Think About Capital Efficiency in Scaling with David Frankel, Managing Partner @David Frankel is Managing Partner @ Founder Collective, one of the leading seed funds of the last decade with a portfolio including the likes of Uber, PillPack, Coupang, Hotel Tonight, Venmo, Buzzfeed and many more incredible companies. David himself sits on the board of PillPack, Olo, Adhawk and SeatGeek. Prior to founding Founder Collective, David was the Co-Founder and CEO of Internet Solutions, one of the largest ISP providers in Africa. This led to his entrance into angel investing where he enjoyed immense success investing in the likes of Chris Dixon's Hunch and Alex Rampell's TrialPay, just to name a few.
2018-09-1733 minThe a16z Showa16z Podcast: B2B2CWhen it comes to B2B2C business models -- which combine both business to business (B2B) and business to consumer (B2C) -- who really "owns" the customer? That question might not matter as much in more symbiotic, mutually beneficial marketplaces and other platform contexts, but can be a problem in other contexts or if not done right. For example, if it gives entrepreneurs the illusion that they don't have to work to acquire customers, invest in direct sales, or provides a (false) sense of optionality for a second product/ business that "will work later someday".
G...
2018-05-1929 minThe a16z Showa16z Podcast: The Oral History Of TrialPay — Obstacles and Opportunities in PaymentsIn this hallway-style conversation (originally recorded as a video), a16z general partner Alex Rampell and Terry Angelos, SVP of Commerce Solutions at Visa, discuss the trials and tribulations of their time as co-founders of TrialPay, an e-commerce payment and promotions platform. The story begins with their serendipitous initial meeting twelve years ago; tracks the obstacles overcome, rise, and eventual acquisition of TrialPay (by Visa in 2015); and ends with reflections on the future landscape and potential of payments. How can a third party increase profits for all parties involved? And how can a payments startup make a splash in an...
2018-05-1046 minThe a16z Showa16z Podcast: Principles and Algorithms for Work and Lifewith Ray Dalio (@raydalio), Alex Rampell (@arampell), and Sonal Chokshi (@smc90)
Can one really apply the lessons of history and of the past to the present and the future, as a way to get what they want out of life? By deeply understanding cause-effect relationships -- clearly expressed, shared with others, overlaid with data, back-tested, modified -- you can build a set of principles/algorithms/recipes for dealing with the realities of your life, observes Ray Dalio in this episode of the a16z Podcast (in conversation with a16z general partner Alex Rampell and Sonal Chokshi...
2018-04-2249 minThe a16z Showa16z Podcast: The Evolution of PaymentsThe battle between every startup and incumbent comes down to whether the startup gets distribution before the incumbent gets innovation, oft observes a16z general partner Alex Rampell. But how does this play out when most of the players, big and small, think the innovation has already happened in a particular space? What if there are unmanifested and untapped opportunities in a space? This episode of the a16z Podcast explores these questions through the case study of Stripe.
Based on a conversation that took place with Rampell and Stripe co-founder John Collison at our most recent Sum...
2018-02-1119 min
The Future Is A Mixtape018: Putting the ‘Think’ Into Think TanksFor this episode of The Future Is A Mixtape, Jesse & Matt have a discussion with Matt Bruenig--a lawyer, blogger, political analyst and Twitter-dynamo who’s got your back when you’re kettled by Roaming Hillbots and Randian Regressives. More importantly though, Matt has just started the first grassroots, people-powered think tank called The People’s Policy Project (3P). Funded by small donations from $5 to $15 dollars, 3P is an attempt to actually make Think Tanks “think” again, but for the purpose of actually benefitting the 80% Americans who now own only 20% of the nation’s wealth, and are increasingly living lives of quiet des...
2017-09-211h 14The a16z Showa16z Podcast: What Technology Wants, Needs, DoesTurnabout is fair play: That's true in politics, and it's true at Andreessen Horowitz given our internal (and very opinionated!) culture of debate -- where we often agree to disagree, or more often, disagree to agree. So in this special "turnabout" episode of the a16z Podcast, co-founder Marc Andreessen (who is most often in the hot seat being interviewed), got the chance to instead grill fellow partners Frank Chen (who covers AI and much more), Vijay Pande (who covers healthcare for the bio fund), and Alex Rampell (who covers all things fintech).
None of the partners...
2017-05-2335 minThe a16z Showa16z Podcast: Technology, Mobility, and the American DreamThe irony of our systems working so well -- technological, corporate, and yes, even political -- is that we've become too comfortable: matching to others just like us, producing less, taking fewer risks. But isn't the very point of technology to make our lives more comfortable? Yes... until "we" -- whether an entire class, generation, ethnic group, or country like the U.S. -- become a little too complacent. Or so argues Tyler Cowen in his new book, The Complacent Class: The Self-Defeating Quest for the American Dream.
We've even outsourced our mobility to immigrants, observes Cowen...
2017-03-0137 minThe a16z Showa16z Podcast: Real Estate -- Ownership, Asset, EconomyThe largest asset class in the United States is owner-occupied real estate, yet options for homeowners accessing this are very binary right now: either own 100% of your home (with a mortgage), or own nothing. And when people do “own”, that ownership is often skewed by debt. Of course, debt works out great for some, given their risk profiles and potential upside (if the house keeps appreciating); but the downside risk and costs are disproportionately borne by the homeowner. And millennials can’t even enter the housing market in the first place.
So how can technology help address a syst...
2017-01-1329 minThe a16z Showa16z Podcast: The Movement of MoneyAs companies expand out from the internet into the rest of the economy — the proverbial bits to atoms — “the business models are becoming more complicated, more interesting, more payment based”, observes Patrick Collison, CEO and co-founder of payments platform Stripe, which enables apps/websites to programmatically move money around.
But as such companies become “the operating platform for commerce”, we also have an interesting paradigm where people, not governments, are controlling the commerce supply — so “It’s not the money supply. It’s the commerce supply,” argues a16z general partner Alex Rampell. This is especially true as payments become eas...
2016-12-3127 minThe a16z Showa16z Podcast: Fintech Revolution or Evolution?How far along are we towards the vision of a "cashless, cardless, walletless, frictionless future" for fintech? We're not quite there yet, argued BuzzFeed News technology reporter Charlie Warzel in a recent feature story -- for which he got a microchip implanted in his finger while trying to go cashless for an entire month.
But as revolutionary as the chip tech seems, the reality may be that fintech innovation is much more incremental, evolutionary, and still only disintermediating the physical world than truly doing new things (given what's natively possible with web, cloud, and mobile). Will that...
2016-06-2345 minThe a16z Showa16z Podcast: Managing Uncertainty -- Layoffs and TalentIn many ways, managing startups is about managing uncertainty: in product, market, and... people. So what happens when changes in the business require changes -- and sometimes reductions -- in the workforce?
In this episode of the podcast, a16z partners Shannon Schiltz and Alex Rampell share both their professional and personal experiences with layoffs -- from why they happen to what to do (and what not to do).
Stay Updated:Find a16z on XFind a16z on LinkedInListen to the a16z Show on...
2016-05-2729 minThe a16z Showa16z Podcast: Data Network EffectsIf network effects are one of the most important concepts for software-based businesses, then that may be especially true of data network effects -- a network effect that results from data. Particularly given the prevalence of machine learning and deep learning in startups today.
But simply having a huge corpus of data does not a network effect make! So how can startups ensure they don't get a lot of data exhaust but get insight out of and add value to that data and the network? How can they make sure that the (arguably inevitable) data aspect of...
2016-03-0831 minThe a16z Showa16z Podcast: The Future of Money and MonetizationTechnology companies are running hard at almost every part of the traditional banking business -- from raising funds to moving money from one person to another. And as you would expect, that has meant change, both in terms of the banking services that are available to all of us, and the pricing of those services.
It begs the question of what role banks play going forward, and whether tech companies are partners or competitors (or some combination) to the players in the traditional banking business? And finally, if banking gets unbundled by tech –- if there is a...
2016-02-0321 minThe a16z Showa16z Podcast: Fintech from the World's Financial Capital -- LondonThe title of world's financial capital bounces back and forth between London and New York. This year London has bragging rights, but does being the word's center of gravity for finance mean so-called "fintech" companies will naturally flow from that position?
London-based investor Eileen Burbidge joins a16z's Alex Rampell to pick apart fintech in this segment of the podcast recorded on our U.K. road trip. Everything from the term (please make it go away), to the particular barriers and opportunities facing entrepreneurs looking to create what really amounts to better banks.
Stay...
2015-11-1841 minThe a16z Showa16z Podcast: Money, Risk, and SoftwareFinancial services are overdue for an overhaul. With a16z's newest general partner, Alex Rampell (who just officially started), this segment of the podcast explores the world of fintech... How software backed up by data is being brought to bear on lending, insurance, and the science (oftentimes art) of underwriting risk.
We also get a taste of what life was like for Rampell running a successful internet business out of his bedroom -- an experience that would lead him toward the world of monetization/ payments and eventually co-founding numerous startups.
Stay Updated:...
2015-10-0238 min
Ecommerce ConversationsTrialPay CEO Alex RampellPat Callahan is joined by Alex Rampell. The two discuss the details of TrialPay, a unique payment platform, which allows customers to pay for one item by trying or buying something else.
2014-05-1515 min