A look at a16z's crypto lobbying and draft legislation it is circulating in DC, which some worry may create regulatory loopholes for its portfolio companies
aka A16Z—has bet billions on world fueled by crypto, saying it will disrupt industries dominated by entrenched middlemen and is good for everyone. But they need new rules for this decentralized future. https://www.nytimes.com/...
a16z gains a seat at the drafting table normally held by legislators and their staff, letting its crypto portfolio companies shape the text of the rules they will be regulated under.
If venture firms can circulate their own draft statutes, regulatory design migrates from public institutions toward whoever holds concentrated capital — a playbook a16z has since carried into Trump-era AI policy, where an ex-White House official says it arguably holds veto power.
The trend: Large venture capital firms are converting portfolio exposure into direct legislative influence, first in crypto and increasingly across tech policy domains.
“crypto” is so much bigger than most realize. Right now talented teams are building the next evolution of the web or “web3.” The message is getting out: it's a generational opportunity to have a conversation about the role tech should play in society. https://www.nytimes.com/...
ADDED BONUS: A NYT EXPLAINER. Just what is A16Z investing its billions in, re crypto? Take a look at the crazy array of startups they are putting money into. Companies that hope to blow up everything from telecom to banking & social media. https://www.nytimes.com/...
The White House and lawmakers declined to discuss their meetings with the firm's representatives in detail, but companies in the industry said Andreessen Horowitz's efforts in Washington were part of what made it an attractive investment partner. https://www.nytimes.com/...
DOMINATING CRYPTO: Andreessen Horowitz, the largest crypto investor, is hiring a bevy of ex-officials (including one from the crypto regulator @CFTC) in an effort to both control the digital currency world & help write the rules for how it will operate. https://www.nytimes.com/..…
NYT EXPLAINER: Crypto is about a lot more than just Bitcoin. Venture capitalists are pouring billions into companies trying to blow up the worlds of banking, telecommunications, music and social media. Here's a look at some of these startups. @el72champs https://www.nytimes.com/.…
🚨A new exposé by @EricLiptonNYT portrays Andreessen Horowitz going all out to write rules for crypto where THEY pick the winners and losers. They aim to be a crypto “monopoly”, and hired William Hinman & friends to achieve it 👇🏻 https://www.nytimes.com/...
The venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz—aka A16Z—has bet billions on world fueled by crypto, saying it will disrupt industries dominated by entrenched middlemen and is good for everyone. But they need new rules for this decentralized future. https://www.nytimes.com/...