Michael Heat: This is the eerie valley of WIRED’s, a show about the people, the power and influence of Silicon Valley. I am Michael Calore, director of consumer technology and culture here at WIRED.
Zoë Schiffer: I am Zoe Schiffer, Wired’s Director of Business and Industry.
Lauren Goode: I am Lauren Good. I am a senior writer at WIRED.
Michael Heat: Today we talk about Marc Andreessen. He is one of the best -known risk capital providers of Silicon Valley. He is also a co-founder of the early web browser company Netscape and was a top democratic donor until not too long ago, but Andessen has completely changed his political stripes in recent years. Nowadays he is a consultant of the Trump administration and has helped recruit people from the Silicon Valley to bring ideas into the efficiency of the government of Trump. He even mentioned Doge as an unpaid intern.
Lauren Goode: How does he eat at night?
Zoë Schiffer: Yes, I have the feeling that this is something like that that it is someone who has never been an unpaid intern, would say: “Ha, ha, ha.”
Michael Heat: Image Andreessen eats a lot of ramen noodles, and I think you can get there. Now Andreessen is not just someone with a long and successful career in technology. He is also a sponsor -like figure in the industry, which is known to determine the tone for culture in Silicon Valley. How does Andreessen make a sharp turn to the right in his fifties? How did he get the Clintons/Gore, Kerry/Obama, an essential part of Donald Trump’s transition back to the Oval Office? Zoe, let’s start this conversation with you. I would like to ask you to tell us about Mark Andreessen’s worldview.
Zoë Schiffer: Fortunately and I will only say that we will take a big “supposedly” on every single comment that we make about this podcast, because in this political climate we should do that. Okay, I would like to tell you something first that Mark Andreessen calls the deal. Did one of them hear about it?
Michael Heat: Yes.
Zoë Schiffer: Do you know what I’m talking about?
Lauren Goode: Please explain to us.
Zoë Schiffer: Okay, the deal is a concept about which Mark Andreessen spoke about a number of podcasts, including frankly with Bari Weiss in December.
Marc Andreessen (Audio archive): The deal was that someone like me could basically found a company. You could invent a new technology in this case web browser and all the other things that Netscape has done. Everyone would think that was great.
Zoë Schiffer: He said figure in society and they enjoy a sterling call.
Marc Andreessen (Audio archive): And then at the end of their career they would leave this huge pot with money, and then they would donate it to philanthropy. That washes all of their sins, classifies them from a kind of suspicious business mogul to a virtuous philanthropic, and that’s the bow, and everything is great and wonderful.
