Ben Horowitz
Ben Horowitz is an American entrepreneur, venture capitalist and business author who co-founded Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) with Marc AndreessenMarc AndreessenMarc Andreessen is an American entrepreneur and venture capitalist, a co-founder and general partner of the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z). While in college he helped develop the graphical web browser Mosaic, then co-founded Netscape and Loudcloud (later renamed Opsware), and has long served as a director of Meta; he has also published essays such as “Why Software Is Eating the World.”Open the full entry in 2009. He previously led Loudcloud’s transition into Opsware and its 2007 sale to Hewlett-Packard. His writing and investing address startup management, organizational culture and the relationship between technology and cultural industries.
Contents14 sections
Key facts
Early Career: Engineering and Product Work
1988–1990Computer Science Education
He received a BA in computer science from Columbia University in 1988 and an MS in computer science from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1990.[3]
Since July 1995Netscape and AOL
He joined Netscape in July 1995, led product divisions and served as vice president of its Directory and Security product line. At America Online, he subsequently became vice president and general manager of the E-commerce Platform division, overseeing Shop@AOL development.[2]
September 1999Co-Founding Loudcloud
August 2002Transition to Opsware
In August 2002, Loudcloud sold its managed-services business to EDS for $63.5 million, retained its software operations and became Opsware. Horowitz later used the transition to explain his decision to preserve software R&D while cutting costs. The company reached cash-flow break-even in the second quarter of 2003.[4]
2007Selling Opsware and Joining HP
Hewlett-Packard acquired Opsware for approximately $1.6 billion in 2007. Horowitz then became vice president and general manager of Business Technology Optimization for Software at HP.[2]
2009Co-Founding Andreessen Horowitz
June 2014Technology and Culture at Cannes
In June 2014, Horowitz joined Kanye West and Steve Stoute at Cannes Lions for a discussion of technology, culture and consumer behavior. Original publisher STASHED’s description identifies Apple’s BeatsBeatsBeats is an audio brand founded by Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine, offering headphones, earphones and speakers. Apple acquired Beats Electronics and Beats Music in 2014.Open the full entry acquisition and the relationship between cultural influence and technology brands among the topics.[6]
As of 2017: The Hard Thing About Hard Things
August 22, 2018Cultural Leadership Fund
Horowitz and Chris Lyons announced the Cultural Leadership Fund to connect cultural leaders with technology companies and help more young African Americans enter technology. The announcement credited Lyons with raising the fund and said its fees and carried interest would support relevant nonprofit organizations.[7]
October 2019Writing About Business Culture
In October 2019, he introduced What You Do Is Who You Are, arguing that corporate culture consists of how people actually behave and make everyday decisions. The book uses historical and personal examples to examine deliberate culture-building. He also pledged all his proceeds to anti-recidivism efforts and causes supporting Haiti.[8]
October 1, 2026Vintage x Vintage Interview
In James Norman’s inaugural Vintage x Vintage interview, he recalled a midnight call from Kanye West asking to attend the next day’s barbecue and record in his studio. Horowitz replied that he had no studio; he said friends subsequently brought portable equipment after an engineer called the following morning. He also argued that investors should identify founders’ exceptional strengths rather than merely catalog weaknesses. These are his recollections and opinions.[1]
Related Organizations, Websites, and Public Accounts
America Online: Official website: https://www.aol.com/ (opens in a new window).[9]
Andreessen Horowitz: Official website: https://a16z.com/ (opens in a new window).[5]
X: Public account: https://x.com/bhorowitz (opens in a new window).[2]
LinkedInLinkedInLinkedIn is a social networking platform for professionals. It was founded in 2002 by Reid Hoffman and others, launched in 2003, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2011; after Microsoft acquired it for approximately $26.2 billion in 2016, it became a wholly owned Microsoft subsidiary. Its revenue comes from membership subscriptions, advertising, and recruitment solutions.Open the full entry: Public account: https://www.linkedin.com/in/behorowitz/ (opens in a new window).[10]
Sources
- Ben Horowitz on Picking Winners: "Something Horribly Wrong With Them" | VxV EP1 (opens in a new window)
- Ben Horowitz (opens in a new window)
- UCLA Engineering to host Ben Horowitz MS ’90 on April 13 (opens in a new window)
- The Case for the Fat Startup (opens in a new window)
- About a16z (opens in a new window)
- theSTASHED.com Exclusive: Kanye West, Steve Stoute & Ben Horowitz Talk Tech At Cannes Lions (opens in a new window)
- Introducing the Cultural Leadership Fund (opens in a new window)
- My New Book, Why I Wrote It, and Where the Money Will Go (opens in a new window)
- AOL (opens in a new window)
- Ben Horowitz (opens in a new window)