In this conversation with a16z general partner David George, Scale AI founder and CEO Alexandr Wang discusses the three pillars of AI—models, compute, and data—and how creating abundant data is core to the evolution of gen AI. With Scale’s work across enterprise, automotive, and the public sector, Alex is also building the critical infrastructure that will allow any organization to use their proprietary data to build bespoke gen AI applications. In addition to talking about frontier data, Alex also shares his learnings from the growth of Scale, his approach to leadership, and what he thinks growth-stage founder/CEOs tend to get wrong about hiring.

Read more, including a full transcript, here: https://a16z.com/frontier-data-foundries-alex-wang-scale-ai/

Timestamps:

[00:00:58] How frontier data will change gen AI

[00:08:47] Are big tech companies over-investing in AI?

[00:14:39] Where the best AI businesses will thrive

[00:17:05] How enterprise businesses are approaching AI adoption

[00:19:50] What does the next phase of gen AI products look like?

[00:23:23] Alex's approach to scaling Scale

[00:25:36] The founder fallacy

[00:30:12] MEI and how Alex views talent acquisition

a16z general partner David Haber talks to John Stecher, Chief Technology Officer at Blackstone, where he advances cutting-edge technology, heads up innovation investing, and advises the firm’s investment teams and portfolio companies. The conversation covers how he decides whether to build tech in-house or partner with startups, what qualities he’s looking for in early stage companies, and how he sees AI impacting real estate, credit, energy, and ecommerce.

0:00-1:05 Intro

1:06-3:55 Changes in finance x tech over the past 2 decades

3:56-5:06 Investing in "themes" across asset classes

5:07-7:00 What the CTO role entails

7:01-9:00 "Build it" vs. "buy it": trade-offs

9:01-11:57 Advice for early stage companies

11:58-16:37 Ways Blackstone is incorporating generative AI

16:38-17:46 How AI changes the role of an analyst

17:47-21:04 Gen AI's impact on private equity, real estate, credit, more

21:05-22:54 How Blackstone will evolve over the next five years

22:55-23:26 Outro

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.

a16z general partner David Haber and fintech partner Marc Andrusko talk to Tim Karpoff, the Global Head of Strategy at Citi, where he guides the bank’s core focus areas, as well as future investment in emerging tech like AI. The conversation covers the shifting landscape of banking policy and regulation, the increasingly important role startups are playing in partnership with big banks, and where Tim disagrees with the zeitgeist when it comes to the adoption of AI in financial services.

0:00-1:05 Intro

1:06-2:28 Navigating bureaucracy

2:29-4:26 What "chief strategy officer" entails

4:27-8:18 Citi's role in the banking ecosystem

8:19-9:16 Fallout from the 2023 banking crisis

9:17-13:10 Citi's revised risk controls and tech investment

13:11-14:59 How Citi works with startups

15:00-20:00 Citi's future: AI and regulation

20:01-23:33 What people get wrong when it comes to AI

23:33-24:12 Outro

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.

Waymo co-CEO Dmitri Dolgov joined a16z general partner David George to discuss how Waymo is using genAI to help them build safer, sustainable, and more accessible transportation. In the conversation, Dmitri talks about the potential of embodied AI, the value of simulations and building training data, and his approach to leading a company focused on solving the challenges of building AI that can navigate the real world.

• [00:01:22] The early days of autonomous vehicles
• [00:05:27] Layering genAI into traditional AI/ML
• [00:09:42] The value of simulation
• [00:15:56] The hard part about integrating AI in autonomous systems
• [00:22:45] AI in the real world
• [00:28:47] Where does Waymo go from here?
• [00:37:21] Dmitri's learnings from hard problems

This conversation is part of our AI Revolution series, which features some of the most impactful builders in the field of AI discussing and debating where we are, where we’re going, and the big open questions in AI. Find more content from our AI Revolution series on www.a16z.com/AIRevolution.

As genAI expands through the enterprise, many leaders are figuring out how to evolve their genAI prototypes into production-ready tools. Pinecone CEO Edo Liberty and LangChain CEO Harrison Chase discuss which parts of the stack to build or buy, how to improve out-of-the-box models by helping customers select and ingest the right data, and picking the right partners to scale genAI applications with a16z Growth General Partner Sarah Wang.

• [00:02:16] Navigating the gap from prototype to production
• [00:07:03] How to educate partners on genAI tools and capabilities
• [00:11:38] Deciding whether to build or buy
• [00:17:36] Successful implementations of genAI
• [00:21:20] Balancing enterprise and open-source community needs
• [00:23:06] Balancing short-term revenue gains with long-term vision
• [00:25:18] Picking the right partners to scale

For a transcript of this episode of a16z Live!, click here.

In this episode, which took place at a16z's Connect Fintech event, a16z General Partner David George interviews Capital Group's Mark Casey on his investment philosophy, what sends him into what he calls "barnacle mode," his preference for customer-focused North Star metrics, and more.

0:00-1:42 Intro

1:42-5:58 Approach to investing

5:58-8:20 What Casey told Jeff Bezos, and what he learned

8:20-12:57 How CEOs communicate with public market investors; unconventional North Star metrics

12:57-15:48: Why Casey loves dividends

15:48-20:44 Macro trends and investing theses

20:44-21:37 Ecommerce predictions

21:37-23:15 Opportunities and choke points in AI

23:15-25:18 What makes a great public company?

25:18-26:04 Outro

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 conversation, which took place at a16z's Connect Fintech event, a16z General Partner Angela Strange, Plaid CEO and cofounder Zach Perret, and Marqeta CEO Simon Khalaf discuss how AI will shape the future of banking, the battle between payment rails in the U. S., and how there's still opportunity to transform the basic credit card into a fully digital product.

0:00-1:42 Intro

1:42-1:56 Topics: Generative AI, payment rails shift, and regulation in open banking and sponsor banking

1:56-4:46 GenAI's potential impact on credit modeling and fraud

4:46-7:09 Implications of payment products becoming digital products ("The open face of the internet")

7:09-8:33 Why brands need to embed finance, and why every company will eventually be a fintech company

8:33-11:01 The card vs. pay-by-bank debate

11:01-12:24 New infrastructure to combat fraud

12:24-17:27 Reassessing traditional "top-of-wallet" tactics and longstanding business models

17:27-20:04 Potential implications of Visa/Mastercard antitrust suit

20:04-24:12 Regulation around open banking and sponsor banks

24:12-24:40 Outro

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 a new episode of In the Vault, a16z General Partner David Haber talks with Marty Chavez, a partner and vice chairman of Sixth Street Partners, about the foundational role he’s had in merging technology and finance throughout his career, and the magical promises and regulatory pitfalls of AI.

0-1:30 Intro

1:30-12:50 Marty's history and transition to Wall Street

12:50-20:50 Financial Crisis and SecDB

20:50-32:10 GenAI's impact

32:10-36:15 AI and biotech

36:15-37:06 Outro

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.