In this exclusive conversation from a16z’s Bio and Health BUILD Summit, founding partner Ben Horowitz sits down with general partner Jorge Conde. They discuss everything from the inspiration behind Ben’s book The Hard Thing About Hard Things, how the open Internet was secured, the difference between wartime and peacetime CEOs, scaling culture, and understanding how bio & healthcare differs from other forms of technology.
00:00 – Introduction
02:09 – What are the most important lessons for a CEO?
08:45 – Surprising leaders in history
11:41 – Wartime CEO vs the peacetime CEO
14:54 – Cultures role
20:59 – Communication and scaling
25:39 – Culture as a moat
27:46 – The interplay between startups and incumbents
30:22 – Advice for founders on navigating AI
The a16z Podcast discusses the most important ideas within technology with the people building it. Each episode aims to put listeners ahead of the curve, covering topics like AI, energy, genomics, space, and more.