Marc Andreessen, cofounder Andreessen Horowitz, joins the Hermitix podcast for a conversation on AI, accelerationism, energy, and the future.

From the thermodynamic roots of effective accelerationism (E/acc) to the cultural cycles of optimism and fear around new technologies, Marc shares why AI is best understood as code, how nuclear debates mirror today’s AI concerns, and what these shifts mean for society and progress.

Timecodes:

0:00 Introduction

0:51 Podcast Overview & Guest Introduction

1:45 Marc Andreessen’s Background

3:30 Technology’s Role in Society

4:44 The Hermitix Question: Influential Thinkers

8:19 AI: Past, Present, and Future

10:57 Superconductors and Technological Breakthroughs

15:53 Optimism, Pessimism, and Stagnation in Technology

22:54 Fear of Technology and Social Order

29:49 Nuclear Power: Promise and Controversy

34:53 AI Regulation and Societal Impact

41:16 Effective Accelerationism Explained

47:19 Thermodynamics, Life, and Human Progress

53:07 Learned Helplessness and the Role of Elites

1:01:08 The Future: 10–50 Years and Beyond

Resources:

Marc on X: https://x.com/pmarca

Marc’s Substack: https://pmarca.substack.com/

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Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.

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In the Trenches 364 - Jaylen Harrell