The Tim Ferriss Show

#550: Andrew Chen — Metaverse, Metrics, and Meerkats

Nov 30, 2021

In this engaging conversation, Andrew Chen, a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz, dives deep into consumer technology and innovation. He shares insights on startup strategies, including the infamous 'cold start problem.' The discussion touches on the evolution of Twitch, gaming metaverse, and the impact of Web3 technologies. Andrew emphasizes the importance of choosing meaningful metrics for success and reflects on the transformative potential of NFTs for creators. He also critiques traditional education methods while advocating for innovative learning approaches.

02:05:54

Episode guests

Andrew Chen

Highlights

AI Chapters

Episode notes

The Tinder Swipe UI

00:38

Start Ups Getting to Scale

00:47

Growth Hackers

01:23

Intro

4min

Exploring Consumer Technology and Innovation

2min

Marketing Evolution and Content Creation

22min

The PayPal Mafia and Startup Strategies

14min

Navigating the Startup Reality: Challenges and Misconceptions

2min

The Evolution of Twitch and the Gaming Metaverse

32min

Navigating Startup Metrics and Investment Dynamics

28min

Navigating the Podcasting Landscape: Opportunities and Ownership

5min

Empowering Creators in the Web3 Landscape

9min

10.

Reflections and Resources

7min

Andrew Chen — Metaverse, Metrics, and Meerkats | Brought to you by 80,000 Hours free career advice for high impact and doing good in the world, Wealthfront automated investing, and Helix Sleep premium mattresses. More on all three below.

Andrew Chen (@andrewchen) is a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz, where he invests in consumer technology, including social, marketplace, entertainment, and gaming experiences. Today, Andrew serves on the boards of All Day Kitchens, Clubhouse, Envoy, Hipcamp, Maven, Reforge, Sandbox VR, Singularity 6, Sleeper, Snackpass, and Substack.

Andrew is a prolific writer and leading voice on mobile, metrics, and user growth. For the past decade, he’s covered the topic on AndrewChen.com. He is the author of The Cold Start Problem, a book exploring how new startups are launched. He is also a board member and instructor at Reforge, which offers selective, growth-focused programs for experienced professionals in marketing, product, data, and engineering.

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Past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Jackman, Dr. Jane Goodall, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey, Esther Perel, Elizabeth Gilbert, Terry Crews, Sia, Yuval Noah Harari, Malcolm Gladwell, Madeleine Albright, Cheryl Strayed, Jim Collins, Mary Karr, Maria Popova, Sam Harris, Michael Phelps, Bob Iger, Edward Norton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Neil Strauss, Ken Burns, Maria Sharapova, Marc Andreessen, Neil Gaiman, Neil de Grasse Tyson, Jocko Willink, Daniel Ek, Kelly Slater, Dr. Peter Attia, Seth Godin, Howard Marks, Dr. Brené Brown, Eric Schmidt, Michael Lewis, Joe Gebbia, Michael Pollan, Dr. Jordan Peterson, Vince Vaughn, Brian Koppelman, Ramit Sethi, Dax Shepard, Tony Robbins, Jim Dethmer, Dan Harris, Ray Dalio, Naval Ravikant, Vitalik Buterin, Elizabeth Lesser, Amanda Palmer, Katie Haun, Sir Richard Branson, Chuck Palahniuk, Arianna Huffington, Reid Hoffman, Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Rick Rubin, Dr. Vivek Murthy, Darren Aronofsky, and many more.