The a16z Show a16z's New Media Playbook
461 snips
Feb 27, 2026 
Marc Andreessen, entrepreneur/investor and co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz, offers media theory and culture analysis. Ben Horowitz, co-founder and general partner at a16z, shares firm stories and strategy. They discuss speed and the OODA loop, why individuals matter more than corporate brands, flooding the zone with rapid messaging, oral versus written internet culture, and platform-native content tactics.
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AI Saved Our Fundraise Video Overnight
- For a fundraise video, the team remade a key song using Eleven Labs when rights fell through the night before launch.
- Erik describes a last-night sprint where AI-generated audio produced an even better backbone track for the video.
Offense Beats Defense In New Media
- New media favors offense and being interesting over defensive, inoffensive corporate messaging.
- Ben Horowitz contrasts old media's fear of leaks with new media's tactic to "flood the zone" with interesting content to control narrative.
People Over Corporate Brand
- People matter more than abstract corporate brands because audiences want to hear directly from decision makers.
- Marc Andreessen argues direct, personal communication from leaders breaks the fake, "buffed" corporate persona.
