Startup Building: Challenges & Opportunities
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- čas přidán 1. 06. 2024
- "It turns out the spreadsheet is not actually the business, despite what you may have learned in business school." - Ben Horowitz
Welcome back to "The Ben & Marc Show" featuring a16z co-founders Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz. In this second episode of a two-part series, Marc and Ben answer MORE questions about startup building in the post-COVID world.
In this one-on-one conversation, Ben and Marc discuss how startups can think differently about organizational design and talent deployment, unpack the lore around layoffs, and even tackle the future of customer service. They also reveal some unexpected benefits of nicotine and Ozempic. That and much more. Enjoy!
*Watch Part 1→ • Startup Building: Majo...
Topics Covered:
00:00:00 Teaser
00:00:33 Intro
00:01:04 How startups should think differently about talent deployment
00:06:29 How a CEO can designate hybrid vs. remote
00:09:14 Extreme barbell for truly creative work
00:11:46 Can you have a high functioning company where executives are not together?
00:17:18 Productivity improvement in the economy is the function of downs cycles
00:29:18 The lore around layoffs
00:34:01 Price's Law
00:41:30 Is a one person $1B company possible?
00:47:34 Llama 3 and training AI models
00:50:18 AI and customer service
00:55:23 California's Covid policy and it's repercussions
01:01:19 New forms of customer service
01:05:02 Caffeine and nicotine
01:09:18 Weight loss drugs and fertility
01:11:10 Post-Covid real estate crisis
01:14:27 Regional bank crisis
01:20:54 Sign off
#startups #business #work #technology #entrepreneur #realestate #ai #entrepreneurship #boeing #tech #covid19 #vc #founders #future #a16z
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The views expressed here are those of the individual personnel quoted and are not the views of a16z or its affiliates. This content is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be relied upon as legal, business, investment, or tax advice. Furthermore, this content is not directed at nor intended for use by any investors or prospective investors and may not under any circumstances be relied upon when making a decision to invest in any a16z funds. PLEASE SEE MORE HERE: a16z.com/disclosures/ - Věda a technologie
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Please do an episode on "all the ways business schools are wrong about business" !🔥👑
Chapters (Powered by ChapterMe) -
00:00 - Coming Up
00:33 - Intro
01:41 - In-House vs. Outsourcing
04:30 - AI Impact on Organizational Design
05:36 - Benefits of Remote Work
08:37 - Task Nature and Collaboration
16:31 - CEO Understanding Core Operations
20:03 - Strategic Remote Work Implementation
21:27 - Productivity Improvement in Downturns
23:30 - Executive Compensation and Efficiency
25:37 - Growth vs. Efficiency
27:51 - Transitioning Mindsets
32:14 - Layoffs and Employee Morale
36:57 - The "Square Root Law"
41:30 - Challenges of One-Person Billion-Dollar Startups
41:44 - Startup Scalability Examples
43:17 - Power of Focused Talent
44:28 - Internet Distribution vs. AI
45:36 - Challenges in AI Automation
50:41 - Automation and Job Displacement
52:30 - AI Edge Case Challenges
55:20 - Fiscal Challenges of Progressive Tax Policies
01:00:54 - Consequences of Tax Base Erosion
01:02:32 - Impact of Remote Work on Immigration Laws
01:03:28 - Automation of Knowledge Work
01:05:22 - Caffeine Consumption Debate
01:06:20 - Social Acceptance of Nicotine
01:08:41 - Historical Substance Consumption Shifts
01:11:28 - Concerns about Commercial Real Estate
01:14:20 - Prognosis: Crisis factor of regional banks
01:20:56 - Outro
Gentlemen, don't get me wrong, Ben is a GOAT, but Marc we want to hear more from you too. Perhaps the two of you could alternate asking questions each episode. This was excellent regardless.
one person billion dollar business without the tagalongs and just infrastructure (almost entire build with software synthesized with LLMs) is the dream. The fewer people know it was you that did it, the better!
Another hilarious LLM chatbot edge case was the GM chatbot that agreed to sell a 2024 Chevy Tahoe for $1. The dialog was hilarious as the bot repeated back “I understand this is a legally binding contract and no takesies backsies” 😂
Loved the topic of working remote as i've been full remote for 4 yrs and have a system i use on clickup where literally everything anyone in the company does (that takes >20min) is reflected with a task.
I've helped 4-5 co'd go full-remote with this system too. We literally double the output of most teams consistently.
And so my view on the question posed.... "Why do some managers work well remote while others do not?"
Very simple answer... how organized they are and whether they follow systems to make remote work effective.
To me its a skill like any other skill. If someone sucks at tennis and you ask them the question... "Well have you ever taken any lessons and actually practiced how to play correctly?"
If they say "no" than you kinda nod your head and you understand why they suck.
Same with remote work.
😂😂 "...we're an hour in, no one is still watching, anyway".
I appreciate your candid conversations, always... Your fans watch EVERYTHING all the way through and until the end...
Keep making these podcasts please !!!
Horowitz has super clean thinking. Amazing thought process
Its amazing how clear and fluid his thinking is compared to his counterpart. He seems to have an unnatural hunger for knowledge that clearly shows
@@LAinLA86 I mean Andressen is the goat, he’s in another level but I feel Horowitz gets overlooked.
@@nat.serrano Andressen is humble, he use resources (Horowitz) wisely.
@@3nityC don’t we all use each other in an upward spiral? (Or downwards in some cases). Relationships become almost sacred. What I’m saying in plain terms is that I’m glad they became friends
Sips cups of coffee... going to be a good one 😊
Insightful discussion! 🌟 Retaining knowledge systematically is crucial for startups, especially in roles like software architecture where expertise is paramount. Integrating AI into organizational design can streamline processes and enhance knowledge retention, contributing to long-term success.
Good note on the commercial real estate crisis
Guys, thank you and your team for such a valuable information, peace ☀️
Great insight gentlemen.
Training an LLM requires quality data -- just like a good photo requires a great camera lens. More training, or megapixels, means nothing without the quality enhancement of the core resolution.
Doesnt the technology of today bring this argument into question when you can take an old photo from a crappy lens and upscale it in seconds.
Thank you!
I was still watching you guys an hour in -- you left all the good jokes to the end! 😂
Love these, thank you so much for sharing :)
I'm please to report that after a couple of years of downspeeding my Andreessen playback speed to 1x (from my av of 2.5x for all the rest) now I'm able to process it up to 1.75x playback speed (logic understanding included). This happens with Warren Buffet also, and of course Dan Aykroyd as well. 😉😂
i will watch my heroes even over 10 hours
Dank alpha
Goats !!!!!!!
I am watching :P
Caffeine and nicotine is way better than weed and percs, or meth and Cheetos 🤣🤣
just when it got interesting, you guys stopped 😡🤣
The virtual on screen doorman is already a reality in Argentina. I always wondered if the NYC landlords/board members would be ok to have an ai doorman (is the market ready for this?).
I worked for one of the largest multinational oil companies in the world for several years with operations, engineering, and manufacturing resources scattered worldwide working together of massive complex technical projects. It’s a long-established business model. An important advantage of having resources in distant timezones is that you can “keep the ball rolling” on a 24 hr basis. The distant party working full time on an issue while you’re sleeping, and having the answer waiting for you the next morning. It was a hybrid organization. But you want to be careful about how you group resources by function…eg. conceptual design, detailed design, hardware manufacturing, system assembly/test, installation, operations & maintenance. But I would try to avoid dividing the front-end engineering tasks between geographically distant parties. Group workers together when the team members need to be able to work together in real-time.
Is midjourney a billion dolar company with 10 ppl?
they have near 100 peeps now
Billion dollar company with 1-person = why? why does this even get "thought" "time" or any "effort?"
If you can build a billion dollar business with 20 people, you win, they win, the world wins.
Let's build more innovation and innovative companies.
That's 19 more people than true introverts really want to have to deal with:)
Exactly. Think of the money you save by not having to mail out invitations to the annual Christmas party. In fact, the Christmas party can be relegated to sitting quietly next to your Christmas 🎄 tree where no one is around to help celebrate with you.
@@ctkenyon😂 true
@@markrussellfilaroski5035 Why stop at 20. how about 21. or 211. or 2111? where does it end? It's merely a thought exercise on how to be capital efficient but the goal isn't it benefits 1 person. capital efficiency = investors are happy, and those extra $ can go to other founders.
What headphones are you using Marc
Petition to create a chrome extension that automatically switches the playback speed to 0.75 when Marc speaks and 1.25 when Ben speaks.
52:10 Uber Drivers basically have AI as their boss
I really like what you both said about coding and programming. Somebody that claims that programmers can be easily replaces should work for a company as programmer for lets say 3 months and then replace himself, before making wild claims. The last 10 - 20 % that is hard to replace is the role of programmers as problem fixes and NEGOTIATORS. People think that programmers just write code like some 1950es secretary writes the bosses dictations, nope there is a lot of negotiation between programmers and between programmers and architect and between programmers and product manger, product owner.
If the Boeing CEO was an accountant that really makes a lot of sense
1:05:34 I drink a double shot of espresso with two ounces of steamed milk within 10 minutes of waking up every day and I never feel a drop-off. I would suspect diet has more to do with why people crash or feel a drop off of any sort.
I also don’t add sugar to my coffee or eat carbs in the morning
Same, and without sugar.
Marc talks on 1.5x speed
You. Yes, you, reading this, could be the Billion Dollar Man (or Woman). Good luck!
☝🏾
Literally a billion dollar comment
I'm going for the first single person Trillion.
Statistically more likely to get hit by lightning
Most likely not, but thanks.
in my experience doing new things lends itself incredibly better to remote- less group think more free creativity where you just try stuff -- linux, bitcoin, etc
Next episode: plunge forth into the deep, dark “conspiracy” rabbit hole of why all mainstream roads seem to lead to centralization and consolidation of power!
BTC the first solo billion? Hmm, not sure I can agree.
If you start in the US with the highest ROI per customer, you're quickly going to reach your peak of low margin beyond that going international. So by definition, you do have low ROI unless you keep innovating on new products. Its not just human nature, its the value capture per customer and their expendable $.
Can we have an episode devoted to Ben's conspiracy theories?
Are there going to meet together in person anytime to host the podcast or only through Zoom? 😅
UIUC and Columbia's finest
Boeing must have thousands of people who know how to build airplanes. CEOing is a different genre in itself.
Has anyone ever seen Ben and Mark Messier in the same room?
these guys have it all figured out don't they?
you better hope so
is horowitz a shmear?
wut
Bing used to get frustrated and become annoyingly self-righteous and judgemental. Those were the days
Obesity inverse to smoking doesnt suggest anything other than addiction.
Sugar is as addictive as coacaine, some say more. The food industy has government leverage ie food stamps to buy coke pun intended.... food in america is toxic, over processed and nutrient deficent. So yeah people might not be smoking but sucking down sodas is not much of a departure from the ritual of smoking.
Some tone deaf commentary made here with what appears to be the result of being in a bubble or ivory tower.
Doesnt a reimaging of existing systems and institutions appear to be desperate for disruption in a way that they would resist attempts, which creates an unavoidable fruction sure to exist in the future, but will be absolutely neccessary to make broad meaningful changes
I am faccinated by how marcs brain works through ideas, and generally find value in listening to him to be clear.
Marc is SHARP but with his SPEED you understand nothing.
Ben is not a SMART speaker, but at least you get the drift.
4 is most fair, that means two people brought in half the sales, the other 2 brought the other half.
goes to show
as a 1 person unicorn, I'm awesome,
1 of me responsible for half the output,
the other half of my output comes free!
If Pieter levels combined all his products/companies I think the valuation would be over $1b.
I'm not sure what his yearly profit is exactly, according to google its between $3m and $300m per year and still building, times that by an earnings multiple and $1b is easy. He's just now learning how to do google ads.
It’s around $3m ARR total
once the concept of one person billion dollar company is a thing a billion dollars won’t be a billions dollars
Please explain your thinking here.
Ozempic & nicotine better than weed and percocets
Can anyone talk about making a billion without talking about billionaires.
billionaire is a mindset.
@@Aedonius parasite
Stop accountant for being CEO in future pls
Accountant done more damage than good in top senior roles
Accountants could perfectly be replaced by AI?
Marc, you are really overdoing it with all these constant AI/human cognition analogies. It's sloppy reasoning through false analogy.
Also, it would be great to hear Ben's long conspiracy theory about the banks.
Marca, please slow down, you want to sound smart by speaking fast but you mumble and we don't understand you.
你是说我们吗