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Things I’ve Learned From Marc Andreessen

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Re: Things I’ve Learned From Marc Andreessen

#11

Post by etjossem »

Punoxysm wrote: post #6
inaworld wrote: post #5

"be the market" is the advice that comes out of portfolio theory. To say that it applies to one type of investor but not to venture investors is to basically announce that you have absolutely no understanding of portfolio theory.

VCs deal in illiquid, information-asymmetric markets where prices are directly negotiated, capital is locked up for an extended period, and deals are large enough that investment is forced to be "lumpy". If you could somehow invest in a startup "index", it would be great, but there really is no such thing (especially not for the VCs).

If you read section #1 in the article, you'll note that there are a lot of bad picks out there. To review:

  - 4,000 startups a year. 
  - 3,000 seen by a16z.
  - 200 are "fundable."
  - 15 of those generate 95% of returns.
If a single VC firm were to fund all 4,000 startups (or even a representative sample of them), they'd be out of business in a few years. A "startup index" unbiased by due diligence is a pretty bad idea from an investor perspective.

That said, if you want an example of a seed fund with a pretty broad approach, take a look at the aptly-named 500 Startups.

Re: Things I’ve Learned From Marc Andreessen

#12

Post by cklaus »

etjossem wrote: post #11
Punoxysm wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

VCs deal in illiquid, information-asymmetric markets where prices are directly negotiated, capital is locked up for an extended period, and deals are large enough that investment is forced to be "lumpy". If you could somehow invest in a startup "index", it would be great, but there really is no such thing (especially not for the VCs).

If you read section #1 in the article, you'll note that there are a lot of bad picks out there. To review: - 4,000 startups a year. - 3,000 seen by a16z. - 200 are "fundable." - 15 of those generate 95% of returns. If a single VC firm were to fund all 4,000 startups (or even a representative sample of them), they'd be out of business in a few years. A "startup index" unbiased by due diligence is a pretty bad idea fro…

How has the 500 Startup Fund done?

Re: Things I’ve Learned From Marc Andreessen

#13

Post by CamperBob2 »

tonetheman wrote: post #10

Things I have learned from Marc Andreessen: he thinks Snowden is a traitor. And blames Snowden for causing problems for US companies to sell overseas.

Yes, I never expected Marc Andreessen to flip his own bozo bit, but that quote did the trick. Andreessen took the concept of "shooting the messenger" to new depths of stupidity when he said that.

Still, this link is well worth the few minutes it takes to read. His blog has a lot of "Things I've learned from" entries from various people.

Re: Things I’ve Learned From Marc Andreessen

#14

Post by mpyne »

CamperBob2 wrote: post #13
tonetheman wrote: post #10

Things I have learned from Marc Andreessen: he thinks Snowden is a traitor. And blames Snowden for causing problems for US companies to sell overseas.

Yes, I never expected Marc Andreessen to flip his own bozo bit, but that quote did the trick. Andreessen took the concept of "shooting the messenger" to new depths of stupidity when he said that. Still, this link is well worth the few minutes it takes to read. His blog has a lot of "Things I've learned from" entries from various people.

> Andreessen took the concept of "shooting the messenger" to new depths of stupidity when he said that.

And yet, not really. With the exception of RSA, American tech. companies are being hammered for the actions of NSA, not for their own "crimes". Even German companies obey German legal directives after all, and Vodafone made clear the other day the extent of government monitoring of networks around the world.

To the extent that Snowden has made clear the reality that government (and not just criminals) can take advantage of the jurisdictional problems of an open Internet, that's not the fault of the U.S. tech sector either. After all, some of the most successful NSA programs are really liaisons with European security agencies that run the actual intake work, not conspiracies with Silicon Valley.

The correct solution for Europe if they want to be free of the possibility of other nations (incl. the USA) doing targeted operations in their networks is to completely balkanize the Internet, which companies like Google and Facebook oppose for obvious reasons.

You can credit Snowden with revealing to the world the types of dangers inherent to an open Internet, but that very same set of revelations is a large part of what's harming the U.S. tech sector. You're right that people may have figured it out eventually, but nations and companies around the world tended to agree not to make too big an issue of it since the benefits of an open Internet were thought to outweigh the risks. But Snowden forced the issue.

The only true solution to the issues he raised, if you're a European citizen, cannot be left to voluntary compliance by the other nations of the world, especially since you can never certify compliance with that. You'd have to instead build out your own Facebook, your own Google, your own tech sector, just like Russia and China have done.

So credit Snowden with opening the eyes of Europe to that reality, but you can't eat your cake and have it too. We've seen region locking spread too far with just with RIAA/MPAA to want to see it infect the rest of the Internet, but that is the message Snowden is responsible for (even if it wasn't the message he meant to send).

Re: Things I’ve Learned From Marc Andreessen

#15

Post by mathattack »

I'm a fan of MA, but I think people equate him with sainthood. He's not a saint. He's a pioneer that pushed the internet forward, made some mistakes, and now has some wisdom (and money) to dispense. I give his writing some credence, but nobody is perfect. I like that he has made post-browser mistakes. That gives credibility to his writing.

Re: Things I’ve Learned From Marc Andreessen

#16

Post by drumdance »

mpyne wrote: post #14
CamperBob2 wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, I never expected Marc Andreessen to flip his own bozo bit, but that quote did the trick. Andreessen took the concept of "shooting the messenger" to new depths of stupidity when he said that. Still, this link is well worth the few minutes it takes to read. His blog has a lot of "Things I've learned from" entries from various people.

> Andreessen took the concept of "shooting the messenger" to new depths of stupidity when he said that. And yet, not really. With the exception of RSA, American tech. companies are being hammered for the actions of NSA, not for their own "crimes". Even German companies obey German legal directives after all, and Vodafone made clear the other day the extent of government monitoring of networks around the world. To the…

It's one thing to be dismayed at what the revelation of facts has done to the tech sector. Nonetheless, they are still facts. Calling Snowden a traitor is a red herring.

One could just as well say that Andreessen's greatest allegiance is to money. So perhaps in that context Snowden is a traitor to Andreessen's cause.

Re: Things I’ve Learned From Marc Andreessen

#17

Post by calibraxis »

drumdance wrote: post #16
mpyne wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Andreessen took the concept of "shooting the messenger" to new depths of stupidity when he said that. And yet, not really. With the exception of RSA, American tech. companies are being hammered for the actions of NSA, not for their own "crimes". Even German companies obey German legal directives after all, and Vodafone made clear the other day the extent of government monitoring of networks around the world. To the…

It's one thing to be dismayed at what the revelation of facts has done to the tech sector. Nonetheless, they are still facts. Calling Snowden a traitor is a red herring. One could just as well say that Andreessen's greatest allegiance is to money. So perhaps in that context Snowden is a traitor to Andreessen's cause.

Yes, it's not that Andreessen's lost his mind; just that his role in life means he's in antagonism with people like us.

And Snowden is a traitor to the US government, whose interests are pretty much the same as wealthy elites like Andreessen (to a first approximation). But not a traitor to the world or even just the US population.

Re: Things I’ve Learned From Marc Andreessen

#18

Post by lifeisstillgood »

CamperBob2 wrote: post #13
tonetheman wrote: post #10

Things I have learned from Marc Andreessen: he thinks Snowden is a traitor. And blames Snowden for causing problems for US companies to sell overseas.

Yes, I never expected Marc Andreessen to flip his own bozo bit, but that quote did the trick. Andreessen took the concept of "shooting the messenger" to new depths of stupidity when he said that. Still, this link is well worth the few minutes it takes to read. His blog has a lot of "Things I've learned from" entries from various people.

I have to call you out on this one. I disagree with Andreessen's statement on Snowden, but it is not an unreasonable position to hold (he did steal secrets and he did damage the capability and reputation of the US in revealing them. I just happen to think he was right to do so)

I suspect I also disagree with Andresseen on provision of comprehensive public healthcare (I am a product of the NHS) and gun control and many other political issues - all of which it is possible to have reasonable people disagree reasonably on.

Just because he holds a different view on this issue to most tech sector, does not make him a bozo. If anything, the potential danger Snowden has alerted us to is the ability of the Administration to shut down political discourse and disagreement through superior knowledge of our lives - ironically we should embrace statements like Andreesseens as something that can and should be openly discussed.

Re: Things I’ve Learned From Marc Andreessen

#19

Post by bjelkeman-again »

pud wrote: post #7

Marc said in an interview once, "being CEO is basically a constant stream of bad news." I love that.

That is the part I like the least of the job, or rather actually having to deal with the outcome of the bad news. But the good news are also a constant stream, which makes up for it all.

Re: Things I’ve Learned From Marc Andreessen

#20

Post by CamperBob2 »

lifeisstillgood wrote: post #18
CamperBob2 wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, I never expected Marc Andreessen to flip his own bozo bit, but that quote did the trick. Andreessen took the concept of "shooting the messenger" to new depths of stupidity when he said that. Still, this link is well worth the few minutes it takes to read. His blog has a lot of "Things I've learned from" entries from various people.

I have to call you out on this one. I disagree with Andreessen's statement on Snowden, but it is not an unreasonable position to hold (he did steal secrets and he did damage the capability and reputation of the US in revealing them. I just happen to think he was right to do so) I suspect I also disagree with Andresseen on provision of comprehensive public healthcare (I am a product of the NHS) and gun control and man…

I hear what you're saying, but I believe that anyone who condemns Snowden's crimes while saying nothing about those of Alexander and Clapper is ethically challenged at best. Snowden arguably betrayed his government, while Clapper and Alexander committed offenses of even greater magnitude against the American people. If Andreessen has a beef with anyone, it's with the latter two people.

I personally find it difficult to believe that Snowden's revelations weren't already old news to the influential foreign business and political leaders that are the target of Andreessen's concern trolling. Snowden's sin was bringing the knowledge down the mountain to the rest of us.

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