a16z Advocates 'New Media Playbook' for Tech
Partners at Andreessen Horowitz argued that tech leaders should prioritize authenticity and speed over polished messaging in their communications. The "new media" approach involves direct engagement from decision-makers, using long-form content for nuance, and "flooding the zone" across multiple channels. This strategy aims to build trust and control the narrative in a fragmented media landscape.
This media strategy is part of a larger trend where venture capital firms are transforming into media companies to control their own narratives and those of their portfolio companies. Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) sees this as a core service, arguing that in an era of abundant capital, attention is the new competitive advantage. The firm's goal is to be a one-stop shop for founders to build their brand and win the "narrative battle" online. The intellectual roots of this strategy draw a parallel to the founding of the Creative Artists Agency (CAA) in 1975, which empowered Hollywood talent to bypass the studio system's gatekeepers. a16z aims to do the same for tech founders, allowing them to sidestep what they term "legacy media" and directly connect with their audience. This move is also a response to what the firm perceives as a structural break between the tech industry and the press around 2017, leading to a collapse in media trust. To execute this, a16z has built an in-house "New Media team" comprised of what it calls "online legends" and offers a "launch as a service" to its portfolio companies to help them go viral. The firm has even acqui-hired the podcast network Turpentine, founded by Erik Torenberg, who now helps lead a16z's new media efforts. This team can be embedded directly within startups to help with launches and build their storytelling capabilities. This isn't a16z's first foray into media; the firm has a history of using content to build its brand, including the long-running a16z Podcast and an earlier attempt at a media site called "Future," which has since been shut down. The firm's partners, like Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, have also cultivated large personal followings on social media, further amplifying their messaging. For engineers at startups, this trend signifies a shift where communication and personal brand-building are becoming increasingly important. The playbook championed by a16z suggests that engineers and founders who can effectively communicate their work and vision directly to the public will have a distinct advantage in recruiting talent, attracting customers, and securing funding. The firm is also formalizing its approach by creating a pipeline of talent through an eight-week "New Media Fellowship" to train operators and creators. The idea is to create a cohort of storytellers who can be deployed to portfolio companies, embedding this direct-to-audience media competency across their ecosystem. This strategy has shown early signs of success, with a16z highlighting several portfolio companies whose funding announcements and product launches have garnered millions of views through this new media approach. This underscores the growing importance for startups to treat their narrative and distribution with the same rigor as their product development.
