a16z Podcast Monitoring the Situation #3: Who Is Nick Land?
87 snips
Oct 12, 2025 
Zach Dell, founder and CEO of Base Power, discusses the future of energy tech, emphasizing how home batteries can save homeowners up to 20% on monthly costs and improve grid reliability. He dives into the misconceptions surrounding data center expansion and reveals how AI affects energy prices. Meanwhile, Eddy Lazzarin explores the complex ideas of philosopher Nick Land, detailing his influence on tech culture and how he shifted from left to right. The conversation highlights Land's appeal in Silicon Valley and the need for a deeper philosophical understanding in the tech industry.
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Vertical Integration Lowers Power Costs
- BASE vertically integrates batteries, software, manufacturing, and operations to lower consumer electricity costs and increase reliability.
- Zach Dell says this approach captures falling generation costs while reducing distribution costs with on-site storage.
Batteries Solve Transmission Economics
- Batteries move power through time while poles and wires move power through space, changing the economics of electricity.
- Zach Dell frames batteries as non-wires alternatives that can reduce total electron cost by cutting transmission and distribution spend.
Founder’s Long Path To Energy
- Zach Dell recounts his decade-long energy journey from college projects to Blackstone and Thrive before founding BASE.
- He ties that experience to recognizing solar and storage as the next dominant energy paradigm.
