Martin Casado, Partner at Andreessen Horowitz and pioneer of software-defined networking, discusses the implications of the AI revolution. Topics include creativity, policy-making, agentic systems, real-world data structures, AI in the 2030s, defensibility of business models, evolution of talent and data in the AI industry, investor relationships, AI safety debates, and the exciting future of technology and AI.

This week, a16z’s own cofounder Marc Andreessen published a nearly 7,000-word article that aimed to dispel fears over AI's risks to our humanity – both real and imagined. Instead, Marc elaborates on how AI can "make everything we care about better." In this timely one-on-one conversation with a16z General Partner Martin Casado, Marc discusses how this technology will maximize human potential, why the future of AI should be decided by the free market, and most importantly, why AI won’t destroy the world. In fact, it may save it. Read Marc’s full article “Why AI Will Save the World” here: https://a16z.com/2023/06/06/ai-will-save-the-world/ Resources:Marc on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pmarca Marc’s Substack: https://pmarca.substack.com/ gptplaysminecraft - Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/gptplaysminecraftWhy AI Will Save the World: https://a16z.com/2023/06/06/ai-will-save-the-world/Youtube discussion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wIUK0nsyUg Stay Updated: Find a16z on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16zFind a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16zSubscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.simplecast.com/Follow our host: https://twitter.com/stephsmithioPlease 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.

My guest today is Martin Casado. Martin is a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz where he focuses on digital infrastructure. Before joining a16z, Martin pioneered software-defined networking and co-founded Nicira, which was bought by VMware for $1.3 billion in 2012. Martin has studied, built, and invested in digital infrastructure his whole career and is the perfect person to discuss the most interesting aspects of the industry. Please enjoy this great conversation with Martin Casado. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here. ----- This episode is brought to you by Tegus. Tegus streamlines the investment research process so you can get up to speed and find answers to critical questions on companies faster and more efficiently. The Tegus platform surfaces the hard-to-get qualitative insights, gives instant access to critical public financial data through BamSEC, and helps you set up customized expert calls. It’s all done on a single, modern SaaS platform that offers 360-degree insight into any public or private company. As a listener, you can take Tegus for a free test drive by visiting tegus.co/patrick. And until 2023 every Tegus license comes with complimentary access to BamSec by Tegus. ----- Today's episode is brought to you by Brex, the integrated financial platform trusted by the world's most innovative entrepreneurs and fastest-growing companies. With Brex, you can move money fast for instant impact with high-limit corporate cards, payments, venture debt, and spend management software all in one place. Ready to accelerate your business? Learn more at brex.com/best. ----- Invest Like the Best is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Invest Like the Best, visit joincolossus.com/episodes.  Past guests include Tobi Lutke, Kevin Systrom, Mike Krieger, John Collison, Kat Cole, Marc Andreessen, Matthew Ball, Bill Gurley, Anu Hariharan, Ben Thompson, and many more. Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @patrick_oshag | @JoinColossus Show Notes[00:02:43] - [First question] - The state of the digital infrastructure industry today [00:04:02] - The major stages and eras of cloud technology [00:06:30] - Overview of Dropbox’s story and the two major trends at the time of its emergence[00:10:12] - Lost margin and lost market cap from big users of the public cloud [00:12:14] - Whether or not there is a headwind coming for public cloud providers[00:17:33] - How entrepreneurs might go after the biggest public cloud providers[00:19:37] - His view on API first companies and granular monetizable units in growing markets[00:23:20] - Developer facing tools and what works well when going to market [00:27:12] - The difference between a front-end and back-end developer and what is changing in their responsibilities [00:28:45] - What he looks for as an investor when he’s processing a new API first company[00:30:31] - Common redflags and disqualifying observations for an API first company [00:36:35] - Frank Slootman Episode; Snowflake’s offering for their users, their explosive growth, and primitives in their sector[00:39:06] - The history of digital security and potential opportunities as an investor[00:40:19] - How digital infrastructure intersects with the real world and hardware world[00:43:33] - How to screen out people for their potential to deliver transformative technology[00:47:45] - Things he’s most intrigued about by cryptocurrencies as an infrastructure person[00:52:49] - The kindest thing anyone has ever done for him

Join Martin Casado, a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz, and Ruth Schwartz Cowan, a history professor at the University of Pennsylvania, as they unpack our cultural bias towards innovation over maintenance. Edward Glaeser, a Harvard economics professor, stresses that maintenance fuels societal progress. Chris Lacinak reveals how tech can complicate household tasks, amplifying unpaid labor for women. Andrew Russell champions a renewed appreciation for maintainers, highlighting their crucial role in preserving public safety and enhancing infrastructure.

Join Martin Casado, General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz, as he discusses AI safety regulations, the complexity of AI systems, potential shortcuts in AI models, future AI capabilities, understanding heavy-tailed distributions, and the interplay between AI models and human cognition in this thought-provoking podcast.

In this engaging discussion, Martin Casado, a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz, and Nathan Labenz, an AI scout, dive into the complexities of AI systems. They explore the debate on whether AI will achieve AGI, shedding light on model scaling and safety concerns. The conversation also touches on the future of AI assistants by 2027, skepticism about current AI capabilities, and the importance of responsibly regulating AI development. Their insights emphasize the balance between innovation and ethical responsibilities in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.

Matt Bornstein and Jennifer Li (and their co-author Martin Casado) of a16z have compiled arguably the most nuanced diagram of the data ecosystem ever made.  They recently refreshed their classic 2020 post, "Emerging Architectures for Modern Data Infrastructure" and in this conversation, Tristan attempts to pin down: what does all of this innovation in tooling mean for data people + the work we're capable of doing? When will the glorious future come to our laptops? For full show notes and to read 6+ years of back issues of the podcast's companion newsletter, head to https://roundup.getdbt.com.  The Analytics Engineering Podcast is sponsored by dbt Labs.

Yoko Li, Martin Casado, and James Cowling discuss the origin of AI Town from a companion app project. They talk about the unpredictability of AI agents in the town and the choice to use Javascript and Convex for development. They also touch on interacting with AI models as if they are lifeforms and the potential for wide-ranging simulated AI worlds. The podcast explores the distinction between programming and modeling in AI, as well as the role of games in fostering creativity and innovation in AI Town.

Martin Casado is a General Partner @ a16z where he focuses on enterprise investing. At a16z, Martin has led investments and serves on the board of dbt Labs, Fivetran, Material Security, Ambient AI and many more incredible companies. Before venture, Martin was previously the Co-Founder and CTO at Nicira, acquired by VMware for $1.26 billion in 2012. While at VMware, Martin served as Senior VP and General Manager of the Networking and Security Business Unit, which he scaled to a $600 million revenue run-rate business. In Today's Episode with Martin Casado We Discuss: 1. From $1.26BN Founder to Leading Enterprise Investing for a16z: How did Martin make his way into the world of VC and come to lead enterprise investing for a16z? What does Martin know now that he wishes he had known when he started investing? What have been some of his biggest investing lessons from Marc and Ben? 2. The VC Model is Broken and Why: Why does Martin believe that the current model for venture is broken? Why does Martin believe that VCs are not oracles and they were not gifted with picking ability? How will asset allocation more broadly fundamentally change over the next decade? Why will Silicon Valley take over and run Wall St? Why does Wall St not care about innovation and true technological development? Who will be the winners and who will be the losers in the next 10 years of venture? 3. Surviving a Crash - What Founders Need To Know: Layoffs: What is Martin's advice to founders on doing layoffs today? How much is the right amount to cut? Should it be done in one go? How should this be communicated to investors and the board? Scenario Planning: What three scenario plans should all founders be creating right now? How should they know which one is the right one to execute against? Comparisons: How should founders use and look to public company performance and market cap to determine which plan they should choose? Hiring Freeze: Why does Martin believe the biggest companies in the world make massive mistakes by freezing hiring? What should they do instead? 4. The Changing Guard at a16z: What have been the single best and worst changes a16z have made over the last 24 months? What are the first things to break when a firm scales as fast as a16z has done? Does Martin agree a16z returns will reduce with the scaling of their funds larger than ever? How does Martin look to train and educate his junior team? How does he advise them on surviving a downturn? What should they do? What should they not do? 5.) The Makings of a Great Board: What are the three types of board members? What is the best? What is the worst? What does Martin believe makes the truly great boards? What is the biggest advice Martin gives to young board members today? How has Martin changed as a board member over time? What does he need to improve? Items Mentioned in Today's Episode: Martin's Fave Book: The Weirdest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous

Martin Casado, a key figure in A16Z focusing on AI and technology policy, dives into California's innovative yet contentious AI Safety Bill SB1047. He elaborates on the bill's potential impacts on startups and the broader tech landscape, weighing the need for regulation against fears of stifling innovation. Casado discusses the swift advancements in AI models, their associated risks, and critiques the bill's grasp on AI risk management. The political dynamics and differing perspectives on regulation highlight the complex future of AI in California.