Ben Horowitz
Ben Horowitz writes and talks about building companies, leadership, culture, and technology, drawing on his years as an entrepreneur and cofounder of Andreessen Horowitz.
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Ben’s happenings, collected from public sources, plus his backstory and Starbook, where fans write.
Known for
Book
BookOverview
- Work
- Author, entrepreneur, and venture capitalist
- Education
- Computer science degrees from Columbia University and UCLA
- Company beginnings
- Cofounded Loudcloud in 1999; later led it as Opsware
- Milestone
- Opsware was acquired by HP for $1.6 billion in 2007
- a16z
- Cofounded Andreessen Horowitz with Marc Andreessen in 2009
- Books
- The Hard Thing About Hard Things (2014); What You Do Is Who You Are (2019)
Mini bio
How it started.
Ben studied computer science at Columbia and UCLA and worked in product roles before joining Netscape in July 1995. He later ran AOL’s e-commerce platform. In 1999, he cofounded Loudcloud with Marc Andreessen, Tim Howes, and In Sik Rhee to help businesses run their software online.
The experience behind the advice.
Loudcloud became Opsware, where Ben served as cofounder and CEO. HP acquired the company for $1.6 billion in 2007. In 2009, he and Marc launched Andreessen Horowitz, building a venture firm around their experience as founders.
From company building to books.
His 2014 book The Hard Thing About Hard Things draws on the difficult decisions and personal pressures of running a company. What You Do Is Who You Are followed in 2019, using historical examples and modern businesses to explore culture. Both became New York Times bestsellers.
Beyond the boardroom.
Ben created a16z’s Cultural Leadership Fund to connect cultural leaders with technology companies and help more young African Americans enter tech. He also discusses hip-hop history and the Paid in Full Foundation’s support for pioneering artists, alongside his writing and conversations about founders and AI.
Creditschronological, newest first
Books
Company building
- 2009Andreessen HorowitzCofounder and general partner
- 1999Loudcloud / OpswareCofounder and CEO
Awards
Quotes
There is always a move.Ben Horowitz, “The Struggle”
From his June 15, 2012 essay about navigating the pressures of running a company: https://a16z.com/the-struggle/
Trivia
- His essay “The Struggle” opens with lyrics from Lupe Fiasco’s “Beautiful Lasers.”
- What You Do Is Who You Are looks to Toussaint Louverture, samurai, Genghis Khan, and Shaka Senghor for lessons about culture.
- He oversaw the development of Shop@AOL before founding Loudcloud.
Find Ben
Read Ben’s essays and follow his conversations about founders, culture, and technology.
Are you Ben Horowitz?
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