a16z Podcast Marc Andreessen: How Movies Explain America
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Oct 24, 2025 
Marc Andreessen, a prominent venture capitalist and co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz, joins the conversation alongside hosts Katherine Boyle and Erik Torenberg to analyze films that unpack the American experience. They explore Tarantino's *Once Upon a Time in Hollywood* as a reflection of cultural innocence lost and trace parallels with today's internet culture wars. The trio also delves into the satirical brilliance of *Tropic Thunder*, debating its cultural impact and the evolving landscape of Hollywood comedy. They conclude by examining *Fight Club's* transformation from a critique of consumerism to a right-wing manifesto.
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LA Films As America’s Mirror
- Los Angeles movies can act as lenses to understand broader American history and identity.
- Once Upon a Time in Hollywood uses 1969 to show a cultural pivot that reshaped modern America.
Tarantino Got Sharon Tate’s Family Approval
- Quentin Tarantino invited Sharon Tate's family to read his script and they approved the film's portrayal.
- That approval reframed the movie into a valentine to Tate and an alternate-history rescue of Hollywood.
1969 As Cultural Inflection Point
- Once Upon a Time in Hollywood frames 1969 as the inflection when the optimistic 1960s cultural revolution turned dark.
- The Manson murders symbolized a broader end to cultural innocence and helped usher the 1970s slide.