On the premise and the promise of prediction markets, which hit the main stage with the most recent election -- what worked (and didn't) this time? We tease apart the hype from the reality of prediction markets, but also go more deeply into the how, why, and where these markets work; the design challenges and opportunities (including implications for builders) of these and other information aggregation mechanisms; and more. Where do (and don't) blockchain and crypto technologies come in? What...

What can you do when experts can't be trusted? Draw lots. This episode examines the ancient practice of "sortition," which delegates decision-making power to random members of the public. Sometimes called "government by lottery," sortition is undergoing a revival today as tech companies (like Meta) and AI startups (like OpenAI and Anthropic) use the method to shape policies. We're joined by political scientists Bailey Flanigan (Harvard now, MIT next year) and Andrew Hall (Stanford).

a16z cofounders Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz explore an unusual intersection of AI and crypto: the sudden rise of a strange memecoin bolstered by a meme-loving, bitcoin-wielding LLM.

We take you behind the scenes of our newly released, annual State of Crypto Report — a16z crypto's analysis of the latest data and trends that have defined the industry in 2024.

Blockchain bridges are essential tools for moving cross-chain, but they have a history of succumbing to big hacks. Why? One of the builders who knows this world best helps disentangle the mess. LayerZero Labs CEO and Cofounder Bryan Pellegrino joins a16z crypto General Partner Ali Yahya and show cohost Robert Hackett for a tour of what goes on between chains.

When does virtual reality cease being virtual... and start to become reality? This episode digs deep into game design, philosophy, and mechanics with the maker of one of the world's most iconic massive multiplayer online role playing games: EVE Online. Listen also as our guest, Hilmar Pétursson, CEO of CCP Games, shares more about his studio's next act: EVE Frontier, a blockchain-based overhaul of the sci-fi game that is now inviting people to apply as playtesters.

In this special 50th episode, we discuss how work in the blockchains/ crypto space has led to advances in several important technologies — which can be used by many other industries well beyond crypto. We cover everything from AMMs to credible auctions to DAOs, to macroeconomic experiments and FHE to TEEs to zero knowledge and much more -- offering useful explanations along the way.

We breakdown the recent Compound “governance attack”, including discussing whether “governance attack” is the right label for it or not; how it’s different from other attacks; and the broader trend of online vs offline governance attacks in general. We also discuss how to avoid, prevent, and respond to such governance attacks -- highlighting key differences between on-chain/ token-based/ digital voting systems vs. physical-world political systems around the world. What happens when you have...

All about tokens — from protocol design to token launch. Our expert guests discuss how to reason about the risk and reward tradeoffs of various protocol designs and launch strategies, and they detail the Do's and Don'ts. a16z crypto chief technology officer Eddy Lazzarin joins general counsel and head of decentralization Miles Jennings for a conversation with editor Robert Hackett on the art of tokencraft.

All about innovation around the world -- at both an ecosystem and individual talent level -- from what does and doesn't work; how certain places become hubs of startup activity and economic growth; what makes entrepreneurial talent; the nature of ambition, yearning, and finding your path; and more broadly, mindsets for navigating risk/ reward and dynamism in different regions, including London and Europe. We also discuss new ways of funding breakthrough R&D, tech trends of interest...

What we're reading -- including picks from our latest summer reading list and evergreen recommendations as well -- as well as how we read, and why we read (religion, mythology, fantasy, infotainment, fiction vs nonfiction, and more).

Finding product market fit is a trial every founder must face. Serial entrepreneur Ben Rubin, who built the breakout social apps Meerkat, then Houseparty (acquired by Epic Games in 2019), and who is now building a decentralized messaging protocol as CEO and cofounder of Here Not There Labs, shares his journey — and search for meaning — with Jason Rosenthal, head of a16z crypto's CSX startup accelerator program.

Who gets to decide what, for whom? Governance is one of the trickiest challenges people have faced, from ancient city-states to AI startups. Experts Noah Feldman, constitutional law scholar at Harvard who architected the Meta oversight board and has written multiple books, and Andrew Hall, professor of political science at Stanford and consultant to a16z crypto research, join a16z crypto editor Robert Hackett for a hallway-style conversation touring the field’s big ideas, lessons learned in...

This episode is all about pricing strategy. We dive into insights from traditional and web2 businesses and apply them — plus brand new approaches — to startups using crypto and blockchains. Topics of discussion include the importance of understanding consumer psychology, how to navigate pivots and avoid common mistakes, and what can be learned from real-world case studies, including Tesla, Nvidia, and others. Our experts include a16z crypto's Maggie Hsu, head of our go-to-market team;...

Open source software powers much technology today, from web servers to phones. But what does it take to get an open source project going from scratch? Optimism Foundation CEO and executive director Jing Wang joins a16z crypto CTO Eddy Lazzarin and editor Robert Hackett to talk about the peculiarities of open source stewardship, from thinking through contributor incentives and business models to establishing a foundation and planning roadmaps — including Optimism's own vision for a...

"Layer 2” rollups are computer networks that are designed to help scale “layer 1” blockchains such as Ethereum — and they've been bustling with activity recently, especially since Ethereum implemented its scaling-related EIP-4844 ("Dencun") upgrade in March. Jesse Pollak, who is Coinbase's head of protocols and who founded and leads the popular layer 2 rollup Base, joins a16z crypto engineer Noah Citron and host Robert Hackett to discuss bottom-up vs. top-down innovation, models of...

Verifiable computing is a method for trustlessly outsourcing computation — and it’s a fast-developing area of technology that could help scale blockchains and, more broadly, decentralize the internet. We explore this world through the lens of zkVMs — or zero-knowledge virtual machines — tools that enable computers to prove that they ran programs correctly, as well as the SNARKs that enable them to work their magic. In this episode, members of the a16z crypto research and engineering teams...

Chris Lee is cofounder of IYK, a startup that makes digital experiences tangible through NFC chips. Michael Blau is a deal partner at a16z crypto and part-time generative artist. And Robert Hackett is an editor at a16z crypto. They discuss the merging of the digital and physical, new consumer experiences enabled by chipped goods, the challenge of counterfeits and bots, and more.

All about how technology has changed art, and how artists change with technology – from the emergence of the browser, the iPhone, and social media; to generative AI art and blockchains to NFTs. We (with guest Simon Denny) also discuss debates that seem to come up in every art x tech shift -- including inventing vs. remixing; between commercialism and art; between mainstream canon and fringe art; whether we’re living in an artistic monoculture now (the answer may surprise you); and much more.

Brian Armstrong is CEO and cofounder of Coinbase. Chris Dixon is founder and managing partner of a16z crypto. They discuss Coinbase's early days, the fallout from FTX, crypto in politics, company building, product development, and more.

Tobias Lütke is the CEO and cofounder of the ecommerce platform Shopify. Ben Horowitz is the cofounder of a16z. They discuss scaling startups; leadership strategies; how to handle emotions, corporate culture, and activism; and more.

Chris Dixon is the author of the bestselling book Read Write Own: Building the Next Era of the Internet, and he is the founder and managing partner of a16z crypto. Ben Horowitz and Marc Andreessen are the cofounders of Andreessen Horowitz. They discuss the corporate takeover of the internet, the intersections of crypto and AI, the political ramifications of blockchains and other technologies, and much more

Steven Johnson is a prolific author of books about technology and innovation, such as Where Good Ideas Come From and How We Got To Now, and he is editorial director at Google Labs. Chris Dixon is the founder and managing partner of a16z crypto and author of the new book Read Write Own: Building the Next Era of the Internet. The two discuss their writing, they explore the emergent properties of decentralized networks, and they dig into how the internet has changed from its origins up to today.

Chris Dixon is the founder and managing partner of a16z crypto and author of the new book Read Write Own: Building the Next Era of the Internet. Robert Hackett is an editor at a16z crypto who worked closely with him on the book as an editing and thought partner. They discuss the writing process, the book's themes, and what could follow the internet's read-write-own era.