Depth Dialogue with A16Z Founder Marc Andreessen: Systematic Learning to Liberate Personal Productivity

In the tech venture capital ecosystem, new technological changes and business models emerge from time to time, bringing various new forms of startup companies. In contrast, the venture capital industry appears relatively traditional, but this also reflects the huge challenges the industry faces in terms of innovation. If a ranking of innovation in the venture capital industry were to be made, A16Z would undoubtedly be at the forefront. A16Z's unique concepts and practices have always been a barometer for new forms in the industry.

Marc Andreessen, co-founder of A16Z, published an article in 2011 titled "Software is Eating the World," which garnered widespread attention. In his dual role as an investor and technology expert, he interpreted the broader context of the tech industry and concluded that "software and internet companies are a fantastic opportunity." During that time, Marc invested in a number of outstanding internet companies such as Facebook, Groupon, Skype, Twitter, and Zynga.

Recently, the debate about Web3.0 among Tesla founder Elon Musk, Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, Coinbase founder Brian Armstrong, and Marc Andreessen has become the most discussed topic on Twitter. Before co-founding A16Z, Marc co-founded the browser pioneer Netscape. In the era of internet technology development, Marc Andreessen is undoubtedly one of the most influential and talked-about super individuals.

This article shares a deep conversation between Marc Andreessen and Sriram Krishna, the host of The Good Time Show, who is also a partner at A16Z. Marc shares his latest thoughts on personal productivity, scheduling, reading habits, and learning optimization. This article may not provide immediate enlightenment, but after subsequent experiences and deeper reflection, one will find that the content of the article is a kind of return to rational common sense. It is recommended to bookmark and read it regularly.

Personal Productivity

Marc stated that he made a 180-degree adjustment to his personal productivity guide from 13-14 years ago, mainly because he founded A16Z and wants to continue to grow and strengthen it. A16Z has a large portfolio of companies, with a significant amount of investment work going on at any given time. Marc and the senior partners need to handle high-intensity affairs, so they require a more structured lifestyle.

Marc now strictly adheres to the schedule. His schedule is more weekly, with very specific timetables on Mondays and Fridays, as the company operates at the pace of a venture capital firm. Mondays feel like an all-day "marathon", with most team collaboration happening on Mondays. Fridays are scheduled similarly to Mondays. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays have more flexible arrangements, usually consisting of off-site meetings, board meetings, entrepreneurial consultations, and so on. Marc has finally grasped the concept of weekends and is trying to allocate rest time for Saturday and Sunday.

Marc pointed out that if one wants to handle organizational operations or customer service-related matters, timely responses are necessary, and one should not keep people waiting too long. One of their company's values is to respect partners and never drop the ball. They ensure timely responses and have established a service level agreement (SLA) that allows them to respond within a specific timeframe.

Marc believes that venture capital is a very "frontline" job. Investors should not be detached from daily affairs; they need to genuinely understand what is happening. They must closely follow market dynamics, understand technology, and know what entrepreneurs are doing. It is necessary to communicate with many people, so a more structured working method is essential.

The Value of Open Time and Empowerment

Marc believes that having open time is important; it acts like a pressure relief valve. As long as he knows there is enough time to rest, he can work hard for a long time. If there isn't enough free time scheduled, he will be dissatisfied with the timetable.

Marc pointed out that executives with packed schedules often face three issues:

1. There is no time to really think. And thinking is very important.

2. Difficult to adapt to environmental changes. The venture capital industry often needs to deal with emergencies.

3. Easily become a micromanager, becoming a bottleneck in the organization.

Marc's management style is not to directly manage anyone. He is involved in a lot of management work within the company, but these discussions take place in internal meetings. Then he selects outstanding talent to manage the team. At certain times, it's necessary to figure out which tasks do not need to be done and can be delegated to others.

Goals and System

Marc stated that he feels overwhelmed approximately every six months, feeling that everything is out of control. At that time, he sits down to reflect and determines the threshold for "yes" and "no", modifying it once a year. He also re-establishes his personal plan annually, writing down the things and goals he truly wants to do from scratch, and then arranges the related activities.

Regarding time allocation, Marc believes that it is not necessary to manage time complexly with spreadsheets like some CEOs do. He tries to find some intuition on how to optimize the company and his own work in company projects. Rather than rethinking objectives, it is more about making adjustments to individual goals.

Process, Result, and Stakes

Marc believes that venture capital takes a long time to see results. In the first five years, they really don't know if they will succeed. So they mainly focus on the input and the process, rather than the actual results.

Marc stated that he does not have a gambling gene and derives no pleasure from bets and outcomes. Their company does not excessively celebrate success, nor do they become overly excited about actual profits. They care about building a highly competitive company, but returns are not the focus.

Books and Reading

Marc has been reading since he was young and believes that reading is a lifelong endeavor. Recently, he has been trying a "barbell" reading approach - the things he reads are either the latest or classics. He avoids all commentary and explanations.

Marc usually learns about new fields by talking to people. He asks acquaintances who he can talk to or what books he can read. If there are no recommendations, it means they might be the first to discover new things.

Marc reads a dozen books at the same time, both physical and e-books. He only reads the most interesting parts of them. After a month, theoretically he has read a bunch of books, some of which he only read up to the third chapter and then stopped.

Learning and Changing Perspectives

Marc longs to be someone who can reread books to absorb better, but he can't. He can remember the gist, but not the specific content. He will remember ideas, concepts, and explanations, but not the details.

Marc took a lot of notes, although he won't look back at them later. Taking notes is actually a double reinforcement of memory.

Marc believes that most people hate being told they are wrong. He has been trying to reduce the time spent arguing with others because people really don’t want to change their minds. But there is indeed a group of people who enjoy changing their minds, such as excellent hedge fund managers.

Progress and Driving Force

Marc believes that we need to continuously strive to understand what is happening. For example, what is actually happening within the company? What are customers actually purchasing? What strategies are actually being adopted? How is technology actually developing? What has the market competition turned into?

Marc often talks about the concept of "strong opinions, weakly held." He believes that in any business, there will be a desire to commit, to take action, and to lean towards action. Venture capitalists have to wait 10 years to know the results, and in the end, they will indeed commit more to this matter.

Marc firmly believes that technology is the true driving force. In the next century or in the coming centuries, we have the potential to make significant progress and improve everyone's life. Therefore, reading about new topics in technology is the most interesting, useful, and beneficial thing he can think of.