Be True to Yourself

On this episode of "The Ben & Marc Show", a16z co-founders Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz sit down with legendary music producer and bestselling author Rick Rubin to explore the origin of his unexpected new creation: "The Way of Code"*



Blending ancient philosophy and modern AI, The Way of Code reimagines the 3,000-year-old Tao Te Ching for the age of artificial intelligence, software, and “vibe coding.” What began as a viral tweet quickly evolved into a creative manifesto—part book, part tool, part spiritual operating system for the future.



Joined by a16z General Partners Anjney Midha and Erik Torenberg, the group dives deep into:

- How Rick became a meme for Vibe Coding —and then quickly wrote "The Way of Code"

- Why AI is just another artistic tool

- Remix culture, creativity, and collective consciousness

- Why great founders and artists need to stay true to themselves



With shout outs to punk rock, the collective unconscious, and Johnny Cash’s famed acoustic sessions, this conversation is a sprawling, soul-searching journey across music, philosophy, tech, and truth. We hope you enjoy this deeply personal and surprisingly practical conversation on how to live—and create—in the age of AI.



*The Way of Code: https://www.thewayofcode.com/



“Tools will come and tools will go. Only the vibe coder remains.” - Rick Rubin



Topics covered:

00:00 Intro: Rick Rubin and The Way of Code

03:18 Remix Culture and AI as Creative Tool

08:11 Finding Inspiration From the Tao Te Ching

10:03 How a Meme Led to Rick's Book

12:59 Vibe Coding is the Punk Rock of Software

17:35 Deep Fake Inversion and Wrestling Philosophy

24:40 Collective Unconscious and the 100th Monkey

28:05 Can AI Believe in God?

32:03 Is AI Creative or Mimicking?

37:24 Tuning Into Ourselves

43:05 Global Monoculture vs. Local Creativity

49:34 Putting AI in the Hands of Masters

57:26 Working With Johnny Cash

01:03:57 Relationship Between Art and Audience

01:09:47 How to Best Serve an Audience

01:17:05 Outro: Vibe With Yourself



Listen to Us!



Apple: https://bit.ly/3SdsfNt

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3SclPOr



Resources:



Watch the Tetragrammaton podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@tetragrammaton_now

Rick on X: https://x.com/rickrubin



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

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



Ben on X: https://x.com/bhorowitz



Erik on X: https://x.com/eriktorenberg

Erik's Substack: https://eriktorenberg.substack.com/



Anjney on X: https://x.com/AnjneyMidha



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Find us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z



This information is for general educational purposes only and is not a recommendation to buy, hold, or sell any investment or financial product. Any investments or portfolio companies mentioned, referred to, or described in this podcast are not representative of all a16z investments and there can be no assurance that the investments will be profitable or that other investments made in the future will have similar characteristics or results. A list of investments made by a16z is available at https://a16z.com/investment-list/. All investments involve risk, including the possible loss of capital. Past performance is no guarantee of future results and the opinions presented cannot be viewed as an indicator of future performance. Before making decisions with legal, tax, or accounting effects, you should consult appropriate professionals. Information is from sources deemed reliable on the date of publication, but a16z does not guarantee its accuracy.