About this channel
Building software is only part of building a technology business. The a16z episode selection repeatedly returns to the work around the product: deploying it, choosing its scope, finding talent and…
Building software is only part of building a technology business. The a16z episode selection repeatedly returns to the work around the product: deploying it, choosing its scope, finding talent and understanding the infrastructure it depends on. AI agents and changes in software occupy much of the programme, while discussions of education and the internet's original model widen the frame to the systems in which new companies operate.
The formats include product discussions, interviews and accounts of testing personal AI agents. An episode about the gap between creating an agent and deploying one focuses attention on what happens after the initial build. Another follows how Jev turns AI into software that performs tasks. Together with discussion of AI's place inside software, these pieces make the channel relevant to founders and builders trying to turn technical capability into something people can use.
Product judgment is a separate theme. Ben Horowitz appears in a discussion of what makes a product good, and another title makes the case for fewer features. Talent and learning receive similar attention through material on spotting exceptional people and a conversation with Replit CEO Amjad Masad about what young people should learn in the AI era.
Viewers interested in startups can move between practical product questions and broader discussions of infrastructure and investment cycles. The selection offers several perspectives on the same underlying challenge: deciding what to build, what is needed to make it work beyond a demonstration, and which skills and people will help a company adapt as its technical environment changes.
Latest episode
The AI School Kids Love More Than Vacation | Alpha School's Joe Liemandt
What should school look like if AI can help students learn dramatically faster? Alpha School principal Joe Liemandt argues the answer isn’t to fill the extra time with more academics, but to redesign…
What should school look like if AI can help students learn dramatically faster? Alpha School principal Joe Liemandt argues the answer isn’t to fill the extra time with more academics, but to redesign school around the skills traditional classrooms struggle to teach: agency, teamwork, entrepreneurship, communication, and doing hard things.
Joe joins Erik Torenberg and Horowitz Andreessen Academy co-founder Gagan Biyani to discuss Alpha’s model, where students spend two hours a day on core academics and the rest developing real-world skills through projects. They explore what that approach can teach higher education, why motivation may matter more than curriculum, and how HAA is applying similar principles to college-age students by putting building, relationships, and real-world experience at the center of the learning experience.
They also discuss what parents need to believe before choosing a new educational model, why Joe expects AI to drive an explosion in entrepreneurship, and why the most important question for students may not be which field is safest from AI, but what they care enough about to build.
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
0:40 How Alpha Teaches Kids 10x Faster
6:44 Why Kids Love School More Than Vacation
10:40 The 85% Rule That Keeps Kids Engaged
15:14 Why This Summer's Interns Are Terrified
23:01 Why Ivy League Parents Are Switching
27:21 You Just Need Someone to Go First
35:37 "My Son's a Moron": Joe's Dropout Story
42:12 What You'd Study If You Were 18 Today
48:31 Founders School: Earn $1M or Get Tuition Back
Resources:
Learn more about Horowitz Andreessen Academy: https://www.theacademysf.com/
Learn more about Alpha School: https://alpha.school/joe-liemandt-and-the-future-of-education/
Follow Joe Liemandt on X: https://x.com/jliemandt
Follow Gagan Biyani: on X https://x.com/gaganbiyani
Follow Erik Torenberg on X: https://x.com/eriktorenberg
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Find a16z on X: https://twitter.com/a16z
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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 http://a16z.com/disclosures.
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