The AI race is on, and 2025 could be its most transformative year yet.

In this episode, a16z General Partners Anjney Midha and Jennifer Li, and Partner Alex Immerman dive into the trends reshaping AI and its impact on search, infrastructure, and devices.

We explore:

• How AI-native tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity are challenging Google’s search dominance.
• The rise of infrastructure independence as governments prioritize compute, energy, and data.
• The future of smaller, on-device AI models driving privacy, performance, and new consumer applications.

With insights from a16z’s Growth and Infrastructure teams, this episode unpacks the forces driving AI innovation—and the opportunities founders and nations could seize to lead in the next wave of technology.

Stay tuned for more in this four-part series, and explore the full 50 Big Ideas for 2025 at a16z.com/bigideas.

Resources:

Find Alex on X: https://x.com/aleximm

FInd Anjney on X: https://x.com/AnjneyMidha

FInd Jennifer on X: https://x.com/JenniferHli

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Find a16z on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16z

Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z

Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.simplecast.com/

Follow our host: https://twitter.com/stephsmithio

Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.

As 2025 begins, industries are evolving at unprecedented speed: robots are revolutionizing manufacturing, terabytes of earth observation data are driving new possibilities, and gaming technology is transforming how we design, train, and innovate across sectors.

In this episode, a16z General Partner Erin Price-Wright, Engineering Fellow Millen Anand, and Partner Troy Kirwin discuss the trends reshaping the future of hardware, software, and beyond.

We explore:

• How robots and full-stack engineers are driving the next industrial renaissance.
• The explosion of Earth observation data and its potential to revolutionize industries.
• How gaming technology is moving beyond entertainment to reshape training, design, and more.

This is just the beginning of our four-part series on 50 Big Ideas for 2025—don’t miss the full list at a16z.com/bigideas.

Resources:

Find Erin on X: https://x.com/espricewright

Find Millen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/millen-anand/

Find Troy on X: https://x.com/tkexpress11

Stay Updated:

Let us know what you think: https://ratethispodcast.com/a16z

Find a16z on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16z

Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z

Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.simplecast.com/

Follow our host: https://twitter.com/stephsmithio

Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.

In this episode of Web3 with a16z, Shopify CEO and cofounder Tobias Lütke joins a16z cofounder Ben Horowitz for a conversation recorded live at the a16z crypto Founders Summit.

Together, they explore what it takes to build a breakout startup in a competitive market, the changing landscape of retail, and how to drive workplace change while navigating corporate culture and calls for activism.

Tobias shares the story behind Shopify's growth from a snowboarding store to a global ecommerce platform serving millions of merchants, discusses the moral imperative of creating great software, and offers insights on leadership, innovation, and embracing negativity as a tool for progress.

The episode also touches on the intersection of AI and crypto, the power of decentralization, and the next wave of technologies reshaping business and commerce.

Resources:

Find Ben on X: https://x.com/bhorowitz

Find Toni on X: https://x.com/tobi

Stay Updated:

Let us know what you think: https://ratethispodcast.com/a16z

Find a16z on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16z

Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z

Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.simplecast.com/

Follow our host: https://twitter.com/stephsmithio

Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.