From The a16z Podcast: “Marc Andreessen on Building Netscape & the Birth of the Browser”

"Turpentine VC" | Venture Capital and Investing

Today, we’re sharing a special episode from our friends at the chart-topping a16z Podcast. In this conversation, a16z co-founders Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz dive deep into the REAL story behind the creation of Netscape—the web browser co-created by Marc that revolutionized the internet and changed the world. As Ben notes at the top, until today, this story has never been fully told either in its entirety or accurately. The two discuss Marc's early life and how it shaped his journey into technology, the pivotal moments at the University of Illinois that led to the development of Mosaic (a renegade browser that Marc developed as an undergrad), and the fierce competition and legal battles that ensued as Netscape rose to prominence. Ben and Marc also reflect on the lessons learned that still resonate in today's tech landscape (especially with AI).

Listen to more episodes of The a16z Podcast here: https://link.chtbl.com/blpusvv-

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LINKS:

• “Expert Political Judgment” by Philip E. Tetlock: https://www.amazon.com/Expert-Political-Judgment-Good-Know/dp/0691128715
• “The Mandalorian” (Disney+): https://www.disneyplus.com/series/the-mandalorian/3jLIGMDYINqD
• Marc’s Substack: https://pmarca.substack.com/

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FOLLOW:

@pmarca

@bhorowitz

@eriktorenberg

@TurpentineVC

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TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Intro

(03:52) Teaser

(05:59) Disclaimers

(07:19) Marc's early life and education

(10:14) Early exposure to personal computers and BBSs

(11:57) Sponsors: Carta | Oracle

(16:18) University of Illinois

(18:18) Credit to Al Gore

(19:33) The internet would never be a business.

(22:30) Interactive television / Reed Hastings' vision for Netflix

(25:03) Early internet usage and community

(28:27) Paul Baran

(32:37) Consumer online services in the early 90s

(37:33) Sponsors: Notion | Squad

(39:53) NCSA

(49:15) Development of Mosaic / Design philosophy

(57:34) Opposition in the internet community

(01:00:10) Going rogue and building Mosaic

(01:03:44) Marc becomes customer support for the entire internet

(01:06:49) Media and press reaction to Mosaic

(01:12:40) The ping pong effect / Key moments for the Internet

(01:16:56) First E-commerce site

(01:19:14) Graduation from UIUC

(01:22:06) Jim Clark / Decision to build an internet browser

(01:30:27) Marc on expert predictions

(01:34:31) Building Mosaic / Conflict w/ Spyglass

(01:39:17) Lawsuit against the University of Illinois

(01:44:04) Parallels to modern Al discussions

(01:45:59) The end of Spyglass ("A happy ending")

(01:48:27) Sign off