ClaimsPeople

Marc Andreessen

Marc Andreessen co-created the Mosaic browser, cofounded Netscape, and is cofounder and general partner of the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz.

1,009 claims collected, 216 researched, 105 resolved. Report of 4 November 2026, method 0.1.0+c876030c.

Scores by kind of claim

Each kind of claim is scored on its own, out of 100: the share that held up, with the range it likely falls in. Fewer resolved claims give a wider range.

  • Factual claims

    Statements about the present or the past, checked against the record: did they hold up?

    67 61 73

    High confidence, 94 factual claims resolved. From 11 documents, 1995 to 2026; 19 documents sampled from 30 candidates found.

    Not scored: 44 unresolvable, 17 checkable only against their own records.

    See the factual claims

  • Predictions

    Statements about events outside the person's control, checked once they fell due: did they come true?

    60 44 76

    Low confidence, 11 predictions resolved. From 6 documents, 1995 to 2025; 19 documents sampled from 30 candidates found.

    Not scored: 41 unresolvable, 1 checkable only against their own records. 4 more fall due later.

    Does not yet allow for how likely each prediction was when made.

    See the predictions

  • Promises

    Commitments to the person's or organisation's own future action, with something to deliver: was it delivered?

    Insufficient record: 0 promises resolved, 5 needed for a score.

    Not scored: 3 unresolvable.

    See the promises

All types combined: 66 (likely 61 to 72, high confidence), from 105 claims: 94 factual claims, 11 predictions. It mixes kinds of claim in different proportions for different people, so compare people kind by kind.

Marc Andreessen's claims

156 claims · page 2 of 2

156 claims, sorted by newest said. Choose a claim to read it in full.
VerdictKindSaidClaimTopic
Own records only Factual 1 Jan 2018 The number one theme among struggling Andreessen Horowitz portfolio companies is that they do not charge enough for their product. Factual · 1 Jan 2018 Economics and markets
Own records only Factual 1 Jan 2018 Andreessen Horowitz formally creates a red team to argue the opposing side of a deal when necessary. Factual · 1 Jan 2018 Their own work or organisation
Mostly true Factual 1 Jan 2018 This new AI technology is the same technology Google's AI used to beat a human Go player. Factual · 1 Jan 2018 AI capabilities
Mostly false Factual 1 Jan 2018 The sesame scene in season one of Silicon Valley is loosely based on Peter Thiel. Factual · 1 Jan 2018 Other
Research failed Factual 1 Jan 2018 Andreessen took part in a debate with Peter Thiel at the Milton Conference. Factual · 1 Jan 2018 Their own work or organisation
Resolved true Factual 1 Jan 2018 Warren Buffett invested in Heinz ketchup. Factual · 1 Jan 2018 Economics and markets
Mostly false Factual 1 Jan 2018 When Andreessen arrived in Silicon Valley, the overwhelming mood was that the PC was finished and the Valley was probably done too. Factual · 1 Jan 2018 Economics and markets
Mostly true Factual 1 Jan 2018 Roof inspection, which involves a person climbing up on a roof and taking notes, is a fairly dangerous job. Factual · 1 Jan 2018 Economics and markets
Own records only Factual 1 Jan 2018 Andreessen prepared for weeks for his debate with Peter Thiel, expecting Thiel not to prepare. Factual · 1 Jan 2018 Their own work or organisation
Mostly true Factual 1 Jan 2018 Peter Thiel flatly says the iPhone does not count as innovation. Factual · 1 Jan 2018 Their own work or organisation
Own records only Factual 1 Jan 2018 Andreessen Horowitz assumes it will be invested in each company it backs for 10 or more years. Factual · 1 Jan 2018 Economics and markets
Own records only Factual 1 Jan 2018 Each general partner at Andreessen Horowitz can make a deal without a vote or consensus. Factual · 1 Jan 2018 Their own work or organisation
Mostly true Factual 1 Jan 2018 Bitcoin is still working today exactly as it did in previous years, despite crashes. Factual · 1 Jan 2018 Economics and markets
Mostly true Factual 1 Jan 2018 Andreessen Horowitz initially made no healthcare-related investments. Factual · 1 Jan 2018 Their own work or organisation
Resolved true Factual 1 Jan 2018 Andreessen said "we" repeatedly see people fail because they price too low ("too hungry to eat") and so cannot afford the sales and marketing needed to get anybody to buy the product. Factual · 1 Jan 2018 Economics and markets
Unresolvable Factual 1 Jan 2018 Friendster's investors were, more likely than not, unwilling and unable to invest in Facebook because they were conflicted, as Friendster's founder would have objected to investment in a competing company. Factual · 1 Jan 2018 Economics and markets
Mostly true Factual 1 Jan 2018 Silicon Valley has become increasingly assertive in entering other industries directly, rather than only selling tools. Factual · 1 Jan 2018 Economics and markets
Mixed Factual 1 Jan 2018 Andreessen Horowitz's portfolio companies are getting more assertive about entering markets that earlier founders may not have been willing to enter. Factual · 1 Jan 2018 Economics and markets
Mostly true Factual 28 May 2017 In 1992 it was widely held that the internet was for academics and nerds, with no use case for ordinary people. Factual · 28 May 2017 Technology
Mostly true Factual 28 May 2017 The University of Illinois, where Andreessen went to college, was then one of four US universities government-funded as hubs for NSFNET, which became the internet. Factual · 28 May 2017 Technology
Unresolvable Factual 28 May 2017 In 1993 the University of Illinois campus had broadband at the level people have in their homes in 2017. Factual · 28 May 2017 Technology
Mostly false Factual 28 May 2017 ARPA (now DARPA) funded a military network originally conceived for nuclear command and control. Factual · 28 May 2017 Technology
Mixed Factual 20 Aug 2011 As of 2011, Amazon was the world's largest bookseller. Factual · 20 Aug 2011 Economics and markets
Unresolvable Factual 20 Aug 2011 As of 2011, Google was the largest direct marketing platform. Factual · 20 Aug 2011 Economics and markets
Mixed Factual 20 Aug 2011 As of August 2011, major public technology companies had all-time low price/earnings ratios. Factual · 20 Aug 2011 Economics and markets
Mostly true Factual 20 Aug 2011 Skype, the fastest growing telecom company, was just bought by Microsoft for $8.5 billion. Factual · 20 Aug 2011 Economics and markets
Unresolvable Factual 20 Aug 2011 In 2011 cars' software runs engines, controls safety features, provides entertainment and navigation, and connects cars to mobile, satellite and GPS networks. Factual · 20 Aug 2011 Technology
Mixed Factual 20 Aug 2011 As of 2011, Netflix was the largest video service by number of subscribers. Factual · 20 Aug 2011 Economics and markets
Unresolvable Factual 20 Aug 2011 In 2011 running a basic Internet application in Amazon's cloud cost about $1,500 a month. Factual · 20 Aug 2011 Technology
Unresolvable Factual 20 Aug 2011 As of 2011, LinkedIn was the fastest growing recruiting company. Factual · 20 Aug 2011 Economics and markets
Resolved true Factual 20 Aug 2011 Marc Andreessen said Disney had to buy Pixar, a software company, to remain relevant in animated movies. Factual · 20 Aug 2011 Economics and markets
Resolved true Factual 20 Aug 2011 Videogame makers are today's fastest growing entertainment companies, with the industry growing to $60 billion from $30 billion five years earlier. Factual · 20 Aug 2011 Economics and markets
Unresolvable Factual Jun 1995 Netscape builds cryptography into most of its products. Factual · Jun 1995 Technology
Unresolvable Factual Jun 1995 Mosaic was basically written without bandwidth considerations in mind, designed for a really fast network at a time when its developers had the NSF T3 backbone (45 Mbps). Factual · Jun 1995 Technology
Unresolvable Factual Jun 1995 The idle supercomputers sit unused because scientists prefer a DEC Alpha workstation, which is as fast or faster than a supercomputer at a fraction of the cost. Factual · Jun 1995 AI compute, hardware and data
Own records only Factual Jun 1995 Supercomputing centers cannot afford to remove their idle supercomputers from buildings; removal from the third floor costs $500,000. Factual · Jun 1995 AI compute, hardware and data
Mostly true Factual Jun 1995 Netscape did not have a major sales force in Europe as of June 1995. Factual · Jun 1995 Their own work or organisation
Mostly true Factual Jun 1995 The government set the OSI networking standard, which nobody uses. Factual · Jun 1995 AI policy and governance
Unresolvable Factual Jun 1995 Research funding in general, and for efforts like Mosaic in particular, dropped off in the early 1990s. Factual · Jun 1995 Economics and markets
Own records only Factual Jun 1995 Netscape has archived and sorted all incoming user feedback messages. Factual · Jun 1995 Their own work or organisation
Unresolvable Factual Jun 1995 Andreessen said the project he and Eric worked on never really had a manager. Factual · Jun 1995 Technology
Own records only Factual Jun 1995 Andreessen said that "we" basically declined to take a license fee because, at that point, they did not see any potential property issues. Factual · Jun 1995 Economics and markets
Mostly true Factual Jun 1995 Cryptography is export-controlled by the US government as a munition, and Netscape makes exportable versions of its software, which are the ones predominantly used on the Internet. Factual · Jun 1995 AI policy and governance
Mostly true Factual Jun 1995 The Internet already existed when Andreessen began working at the university lab, and everybody there used it. Factual · Jun 1995 Technology
Unresolvable Factual Jun 1995 In the 3 to 4 years before 1995, PCs went from a hobbyist toy to use by roughly 40 to 50 million people. Factual · Jun 1995 Economics and markets
Mostly true Factual Jun 1995 The networks in question all use TCP/IP, which was not a government standard. Factual · Jun 1995 Technology
Own records only Factual Jun 1995 Netscape's global sales force consisted of six people in June 1995. Factual · Jun 1995 Their own work or organisation
Mostly true Factual Jun 1995 In June 1995, Andreessen said he thought Netscape had about six million Navigator users on the public network, not counting users behind firewalls. Factual · Jun 1995 Technology
Unresolvable Factual Jun 1995 One of the things Netscape tried to do was keep the concepts of client and server very separate. Factual · Jun 1995 Technology
Mixed Factual Jun 1995 Early in his time at the University of Illinois, Andreessen started working in a research lab at the university's physics research facility. Factual · Jun 1995 Their own work or organisation
Own records only Factual Jun 1995 Andreessen spends half an hour every morning reading news online, in addition to newspapers. Factual · Jun 1995 Other
Mostly true Factual Jun 1995 The Mosaic team designed Mosaic with end users as its target. Factual · Jun 1995 Technology
Mostly true Factual Jun 1995 Internet access was never free; it always cost money. Factual · Jun 1995 Economics and markets
Resolved true Factual Jun 1995 After the company shipped product in December, its revenues went from zero to a level where it was pretty much able to fund the bulk of its work and development. Factual · Jun 1995 Economics and markets
Resolved true Factual Jun 1995 Yahoo was started by Ph.D. students at Stanford. Factual · Jun 1995 Technology
Mostly false Factual Jun 1995 Leaving aside access into the home, general bandwidth is improving in price-performance, or dropping in price, faster than microprocessors, by a factor of about four each year. Factual · Jun 1995 Economics and markets
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Marc Andreessen

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Factual Economics and markets

“The No. 1 thing, just the theme, and we just see it everywhere, the No. 1 theme that our companies have when they get really struggling is they are not charging enough for their product.”

Marc Andreessen, interviewee, a16z co-founder 1 January 2018 The Tim Ferriss Show Transcripts: Marc Andreessen (#163) (Tim Ferriss blog)

The number one theme among struggling Andreessen Horowitz portfolio companies is that they do not charge enough for their product.

Own records only Only the person's or their organisation's own records speak to it, so it is not scored.

Reasoning

Pattern among a16z's struggling portfolio companies is internal knowledge.

Cite this claim

Marc Andreessen, “The number one theme among struggling Andreessen Horowitz portfolio companies is that they do not charge enough for their product.” (said 1 January 2018). Verdict: own records only. Reliability API, claim c_5ecd1647f266, method 0.1.0+c876030c. https://epistacklabs.com/claims/c_5ecd1647f266

Claims without a verdict

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