Blog from 6/20/2023
A16Z blogs are just glorified marketing
21–30 of 150 posts
Re: A16Z blogs are just glorified marketing
#22This post itself is glorified marketing. I don't know what to call it, something like 'title hacking'.
I have no idea what the OPs company does, but I do agree with the title.
Re: A16Z blogs are just glorified marketing
#23Most "news" in the tech industry is funded by VCs, if you follow the money. It's not a terrible fact, but it's one to be aware of. All the `"X Technology" [that Y VC firm has recently raised $4Bn of capital to chase, cough cough] has massive potential to upend [big industry], here's why` articles are compensated-for boosterism. There's still signal in there, although it's mostly in the meta-facts of what they choose…
When you compare the press coverage of "X VC-backed startup with product A" to "Y bootstrapped startup with product A," it's sort of evident how corrupt startup media actually is. Taking it at face value is not usually a good idea.
Re: A16Z blogs are just glorified marketing
#24We're not one monolith of content. Folks post what they want and think is interesting. You can also imagine a lot of our portco CEOs don't love when we mention their competitors.
Some of us do it more than others, depending on the topic or point of the post. Market maps do it a lot more than position pieces, as you'd expect, for instance. Anyways, the feedback is good.
Re: A16Z blogs are just glorified marketing
#25"Stung By Media Coverage, Silicon Valley Starts Its Own Publications" - NPR 2021
https://www.npr.org/2021/06/25/1010066447/stung-by-media-cov...
Re: A16Z blogs are just glorified marketing
#26The author is maybe too harsh but Milvus should be there for sure.
Re: A16Z blogs are just glorified marketing
#27Highly related: https://paulgraham.com/submarine.html
Re: A16Z blogs are just glorified marketing
#28Not all of them are marketing. Some of them expose his belief system. After “The Techno-Optimist Manifesto” it’s very hard for me to take him seriously again.
a16z is not one person.
The manifesto is hosted on the main a16z website.
So the obvious assumption is that Ben and the other leadership is supportive of it.
Re: A16Z blogs are just glorified marketing
#29Wow, articles about emerging technologies are pushed by people who invest in them? On their blog!? You don't say!
Re: A16Z blogs are just glorified marketing
#30I'm not sure why the author takes such umbrage at A16Z promoting its own portfolio companies. It is their blog after all.
Since A16Z is famous, any bias advertisement can lead to monopolization and do damage to the production competition. Any kind of monopolization needs to get supervised.