a16z general partner David Haber talks to John Stecher, Chief Technology Officer at Blackstone, where he advances cutting-edge technology, heads up innovation investing, and advises the firm’s investment teams and portfolio companies. The conversation covers how he decides whether to build tech in-house or partner with startups, what qualities he’s looking for in early stage companies, and how he sees AI impacting real estate, credit, energy, and ecommerce.
0:00-1:05 Intro
1:06-3:55 Changes in finance x tech over the past 2 decades
3:56-5:06 Investing in "themes" across asset classes
5:07-7:00 What the CTO role entails
7:01-9:00 "Build it" vs. "buy it": trade-offs
9:01-11:57 Advice for early stage companies
11:58-16:37 Ways Blackstone is incorporating generative AI
16:38-17:46 How AI changes the role of an analyst
17:47-21:04 Gen AI's impact on private equity, real estate, credit, more
21:05-22:54 How Blackstone will evolve over the next five years
22:55-23:26 Outro
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