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

1,009 claims · page 8 of 11

1,009 claims, sorted by newest said. Choose a claim to read it in full.
VerdictKindSaidClaimTopic
Resolved true Factual 1 Jan 2018 Andreessen Horowitz has since reversed course almost completely and is now deeply invested in healthcare. Factual · 1 Jan 2018 Their own work or organisation
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 Every job that we all have, and everybody listening to this podcast has, got created as a consequence of the process of change, which has… Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 Right in the heart of San Francisco, it will be a billboard with just two words on it, raise prices. Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 We know how to build the companies much better now. Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 And then, if it’s a business that’s promising that needs money, we’re open for business. Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 Most people do through life and, basically, never develop strong views on things or specifically go along and, basically, buy into the… Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Resolved true Factual 1 Jan 2018 Supersonic passenger flight with the Concorde existed previously but no longer exists. Factual · 1 Jan 2018 Technology
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 That’s, actually, 100 percent what it’s like. Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 people just hate changing their minds. Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 I think the issue, at least in venture capital, is whether you make a good investment or a great investment. And I think good is the enemy… Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 And then, it’s a disagree and commit kind of culture. Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 We don’t revisit past decisions. Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 How about every police car have a drone in the back seat Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 It’s the Promethean fallacy. Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 There are certain organizations where the way to get ahead is to talk back to the leadership. Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Mostly true Factual 1 Jan 2018 A single individual can now build a self-driving car, whereas ten years ago it was a DARPA-funded research challenge. Factual · 1 Jan 2018 AI capabilities
Not researched Citation 1 Jan 2018 The biography of Charles Schulz argues that Peanuts was the longest continuous work of American art ever made. Citation · 1 Jan 2018 Other
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 I would be highly inclined towards teaching people how to build things. Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 And, by the way, they were right. Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 The sesame scene in the first season was probably the highlight. Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Unresolvable Prediction 1 Jan 2018 Autonomous drone technology is about to tip and become very widely usable. Prediction · 1 Jan 2018 Technology
Not researched Factual 1 Jan 2018 Two years before the statement, access to this technology required being an employee at one of three or four big companies, before Google open sourced it. Factual · 1 Jan 2018 AI capabilities
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 But a lot of things haven’t changed. Like people haven’t changed a bit. Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 It’s becoming like air or water. Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 I had to sandbag him to do it. Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Own records only Factual 1 Jan 2018 Andreessen said that probably the single, No. 1 thing "we" try to get "our companies" to do is raise prices. Factual · 1 Jan 2018 Their own work or organisation
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 We just called it a fuck up. Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 There is something deep seeded in human psychology where we are always going to invent the thing that’s going to kill us. Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Not researched Factual 1 Jan 2018 On average, hot startup deals are priced roughly two to four times higher than cold ones, with about four times at the extreme. Factual · 1 Jan 2018 Economics and markets
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 they can also start companies mostly without anybody’s permission in most industries. Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Unresolvable Factual 1 Jan 2018 The autonomous drone can fly through underground parking garages without collisions. Factual · 1 Jan 2018 AI capabilities
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 So I don’t do replays well. Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Unresolvable Factual 1 Jan 2018 The autonomous drones are based on deep learning. Factual · 1 Jan 2018 AI capabilities
Own records only Factual 1 Jan 2018 Andreessen described his firm's approach as one where, if the partner closest to a deal has a very strong degree of positive commitment and enthusiasm for it, the firm should make the investment even if others in the room disagree, though the partner is expected to stress test their own thinking first. Factual · 1 Jan 2018 Their own work or organisation
Own records only Factual 1 Jan 2018 Andreessen said that "that", which in context seems to mean his firm's deep involvement in health, was "a response to the hedge fund thing". He added that very smart founders had been telling the firm it was "dumb"; the passage does not say what "the hedge fund thing" was. Factual · 1 Jan 2018 Their own work or organisation
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 And so strong views are very important. Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Not researched Factual 1 Jan 2018 When Andreessen Horowitz invests in a company, it becomes committed to that company in its category and cannot invest in its competitors. Factual · 1 Jan 2018 Economics and markets
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 It’s fictionalized, but they really – for anybody who really wants to know what it’s actually like to go through one of these things that… Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 And then, they cut their prices. Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Own records only Factual 1 Jan 2018 Marc Andreessen has only seen the first season of the TV show Silicon Valley. Factual · 1 Jan 2018 Other
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 learn about how things got made in the past and get inside the heads of the people who made things in the past and what they were actually… Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 that’s where you get the strong view is weakly held. Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 money gets people really cranked up. Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Resolved true Factual 1 Jan 2018 In the American economy, the rate of job creation and destruction is falling rather than rising. Factual · 1 Jan 2018 AI, the economy and work
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 if you’re going to start a company around that, if you’re going to invest in that, you better have strong conviction because you’re making… Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 The question I’ll never answer is what would you have done differently had you known X? Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 actually, they’re not that different from you. Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Mostly true Factual 1 Jan 2018 Gross job creation and destruction figures are not reported; the US destroys over 5 million jobs and creates over 6 million jobs per quarter. Factual · 1 Jan 2018 AI, the economy and work
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
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 I’m starting to actually become culturally irrelevant because I don’t get any of the new references at all. Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 I would go back and read about Edison. I would go back and read about Ford, Rockefeller, JP Morgan. Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 And then, a big part of our role is fund them. Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 So all of a sudden, just the job of cop becomes a lot safer. Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 And everybody that I know in the Valley who has seen it says no, no, that’s actually what it’s like. Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Unresolvable Prediction 1 Jan 2018 Sky Deal's autonomous consumer drones will be a very big advance in what hobbyists can do. Prediction · 1 Jan 2018 Technology
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 I find the period of kind of call it 1870 to 1920 or 1930 really interesting because you have sort of the arrival of many of the… Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 The fifth one has to knock one of the other ones off. Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 they’re genuinely interested because if you’re right and they’re wrong, they will change their minds. Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 Mostly, we just fall right for it. Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 he has the highest output per minute of new ideas of anybody I’ve ever met in my life. Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 The perfect day is caffeine for 10 hours, alcohol for 4. Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 And then, they sit there, and they don’t sell anything. Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 Projects. Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
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
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 I think there is a tendency to write off the stuff that built the Valley. Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 It’s overwhelmingly to the benefit of mankind. Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
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
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 In the scope and scheme of the American economy, it’s a totally doable thing. Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 The thing that I probably think about the most that I am still trying to work out in my own head is that a combination of Peter Teal, Larry… Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 Deep learning is right on the tipping point. Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
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
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 They cannot afford to go acquire the customers. Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 it’s kind of a mentality around how to start a company for sure. And it’s a mentality of how to invest for sure. Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 Value investing is the only other place in the market anymore where you can find long term investors. Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 the idea that you’re ever going to know the consequence of your decision is probably a fallacy Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 I think succeeding should be the goal not failing, and certainly, not failing fast or slow or any other form of failing. Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Unresolvable Prediction 1 Jan 2018 Entrepreneurial opportunity is more likely to be in areas people think of as cult and fringe. Prediction · 1 Jan 2018 Economics and markets
Resolved true Factual 1 Jan 2018 Warren Buffett invested in Heinz ketchup. Factual · 1 Jan 2018 Economics and markets
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 And so the smart phone industry is becoming one that’s mostly people competing directly with each other not creating new things. Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
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
Not researched Factual 1 Jan 2018 Sky Deal's autonomous drone flies itself and does not require remote control. Factual · 1 Jan 2018 AI capabilities
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 And by the way, it’s like is your product any good if people won’t pay more for it? Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 I think if you just have those two principles like smart people should make things and be so good they can’t ignore you, that’s a pretty… Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 We should want more change. Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Mostly true Prediction 1 Jan 2018 In the three months after January 2018, the US economy will destroy more jobs than the World Economic Forum projected AI would destroy over the next five years. Prediction · 1 Jan 2018 AI, the economy and work
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
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 I’m talking about bank CEO’s just are furious. Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
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
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 We just, basically, had very smart founders coming through here, basically, telling us we were dumb. Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Not researched Factual 1 Jan 2018 Andreessen said Coinbase is "sort of our big bet," describing it as the easiest way to buy and sell Bitcoin. Factual · 1 Jan 2018 Their own work or organisation
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 If you talk to the world’s best hedge fund managers, they’re the exact opposite. They love changing their mind. Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 I would recommend getting out of those as fast as possible. Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Not researched Factual 1 Jan 2018 It has become absolutely conventional wisdom in Silicon Valley that the way to succeed is to price products as low as possible. Factual · 1 Jan 2018 Economics and markets
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 The really good biographers are really good at getting inside of the head of what it was like to be them then before they became the people… Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 And then, there’s another school of thought that says that’s just being a wimp, and you should go try to do all of these things because, if… Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Unresolvable Prediction 1 Jan 2018 The things being described, which the speaker said would be used for drones, will become things people rely on to make their lives safer and better, and will be taken completely for granted. Prediction · 1 Jan 2018 Technology
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
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 And they feel unrelatable. Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
Not checkable Not checkable 1 Jan 2018 I find that there’s actually a lot more to template against and a lot more to kind of think about than people give history credit for. Not checkable · 1 Jan 2018
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Marc Andreessen

Open its page

Factual Their own work or organisation

“And we’ve now done an almost complete 180 on that.”

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

Andreessen Horowitz has since reversed course almost completely and is now deeply invested in healthcare.

Resolved true The record shows it happened or was so.

Said for an organisation they lead or work for; it counts on both records.

What would count as true or false

Judge as of 1 January 2018. The claim is that Andreessen Horowitz had almost completely reversed an earlier stance of avoiding healthcare/bio and was by then heavily invested in that sector. TRUE: evidence shows (a) a16z earlier publicly stated or followed a policy of not investing in healthcare/life sciences, and (b) by the start of 2018 it had a dedicated healthcare/bio fund or practice (e.g., its 2015 Bio Fund, partners dedicated to the sector) and a substantial portfolio of healthcare/bio investments. MOSTLY TRUE: both hold, but a detail is overstated, e.g., the earlier avoidance was a strong reluctance rather than an absolute rule, or the healthcare commitment was smaller than 'deeply invested' suggests while still being a dedicated, significant practice. MIXED: only one of the two parts is supported (no clear prior avoidance, or only modest healthcare activity by 2018). MOSTLY FALSE: a16z had only a few incidental healthcare deals and no dedicated fund or team by January 2018. FALSE: a16z had invested substantially in healthcare all along (so there was no reversal), or had essentially no healthcare involvement by January 2018.

Evidence

  1. This VC firm once pledged to never invest in health care. Now it's launching its third life sciences fund STAT · 4 February 2020
    “Marc Andreessen, famous for proclaiming that software was “eating the world,” said in 2009 that the one place his eponymous Silicon Valley venture capital firm would never invest was health care.”
  2. Biotechs Drool as VC Firm Andreessen Horowitz Doubles Down on the Life Sciences With New $450M Fund BioSpace · 15 December 2017
    “In 2015, the firm established a fund with $200 million for investments.”
  3. Biotechs Drool as VC Firm Andreessen Horowitz Doubles Down on the Life Sciences With New $450M Fund BioSpace · 15 December 2017
    “Since Andreesen Horowitz entered the life sciences funding field, the company has made 12 investments that span early detection of cancer, heart disease, and longevity.”
  4. This VC firm once pledged to never invest in health care. Now it's launching its third life sciences fund STAT · 4 February 2020
    “On Tuesday, Andreessen Horowitz launched its third fund dedicated exclusively to health and biology.”

Reasoning

E1 (STAT) reports that Marc Andreessen said in 2009 that health care was the one place his firm would never invest. That indicates an earlier publicly stated intention to avoid the sector [E1]. BioSpace, writing in December 2017, reports that the firm set up a $200 million fund in 2015 (E2) and had made 12 life sciences investments, in areas including early cancer detection, heart disease and longevity (E3). The same article's title says a16z was "doubling down" with a new $450M life sciences fund. Before January 2018, therefore, a16z had a dedicated bio fund and a growing portfolio in the sector, which meets both parts of the criteria for a near-complete reversal.

Cite this claim

Marc Andreessen, “Andreessen Horowitz has since reversed course almost completely and is now deeply invested in healthcare.” (said 1 January 2018). Verdict: resolved true. Reliability API, claim c_055cea4b54c6, method 0.1.0+c876030c. https://epistacklabs.com/claims/c_055cea4b54c6

Claims without a verdict

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