Marc Andreessen, the operator of technology power in the White House

Original author: Sophie Alexander

원문: 루피, 포사이트뉴스

Marc Andreessen (center) and his allies have gained enormous influence in Washington, with some holding senior positions in the Trump administration. Bottom row, left to right: Sriram Krishnan, Joe Lonsdale, David Sacks, Michael Obadal and Peter Thiel

While Elon Musk’s relationship with Donald Trump dramatically unravelled, other tech titans had been quietly working to influence Washington for years. Few of these tycoons have had a more far-reaching influence than Marc Andreessen.

The California venture capitalist, who donated to the Democratic Party for many years, has now changed his political stance and become a close ally of Trump. Anderson once said that his transformation was completely clear after he was snubbed by former President Joe Biden in the White House last year.

At the time, Andreessen went to Washington with his long-time investment partner Ben Horowitz, who co-founded the legendary Silicon Valley venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z). They were concerned about Bidens attitude towards 암호화폐currency and wanted to discuss artificial intelligence (AI) with the then-president, but Biden refused to meet with them. In the end, they met with senior government officials, who shocked investors with their radical vision for AI regulation.

“We were like, ‘Oh my god, they’re going to kill us,’ ” Anderson recalled in a podcast earlier this year. “‘They’re going to kill our company.’ ”

From that day forward, Anderson said he fully supported Trump.

Even before that pivotal White House visit, the Biden administration’s relationship with the tech world was strained. Biden has appointed regulators, such as Lina Khan at the Federal Trade Commission, aimed at curbing the tech industry’s growing economic power. That comes at a time of larger societal shifts: Many Americans are becoming wary of social media and Big Tech, while inside tech companies, some employees are pushing back against their bosses’ handling of broad issues including disinformation, war and immigration.

For many tech industry veterans, it was a puzzling reversal.

You can tell from Andreessens comments and writings over the past few years that he takes it very personally and hes hurt by all the opposition and criticism, said Margaret OMara, a professor and historian of Silicon Valley at the University of Washington. Theyre used to being heard, and not being heard is extremely frustrating to him.

Anderson is now deeply embedded in the Trump administration and has the influence to change the culture of Washington. Like Silicon Valley billionaires Musk and Peter Thiel, more than a half-dozen allies in his network have been appointed to senior positions overseeing industries and companies he supports.

“President Trump is committed to ensuring American dominance in artificial intelligence and other cutting-edge technologies that will 디파이ne the 21st century, and the Administration is committed to working with the best and brightest in the private sector to achieve that mission,” said White House spokesman Kush Desai.

Anderson and former employees of a16z and its portfolio companies who are currently in government did not respond to requests for comment for this article.

Since Trump took office, companies associated with Anderson have scored notable victories: the U.S. Securities and 교환 Commission (SEC) dropped its civil enforcement action against Coinbase Global Inc.; OpenAI was included in the planned $500 billion Stargate artificial intelligence infrastructure project; and defense technology startup Anduril will manage and manufacture new infantry goggles for the U.S. Army, in a contract that could be worth more than $20 billion.

At the same time, some caution that being close to Trump does not guarantee a favorable outcome. Musk was once close to Trump as head of DOGE (Digital Office of Government Executive), but the billionaire recently broke publicly with the president, who threatened to terminate SpaceX and Teslas government contracts. Coinbase is dealing with a new SEC investigation into whether it misreported its user numbers, with Coinbases chief lawyer calling it a legacy of the Biden administration that should not continue. In addition, like many industries, the tech industry has been hurt by Trumps erratic tariff policies.

“They’ve put their eggs in a very fragile basket with Trump,” O’Mara said. “It’s a huge gamble that could work or it could fail.”

Here are the key areas of Andersons influence in Washington:

Defense Science and Technology

Goal: In 2022, a16z launched a national security-focused program called American Dynamism, which invests primarily in defense technology startups, including companies that build autonomous drones, aircraft, and ships. The programs success depends on winning government contracts, which are highly competitive and have a long and complex process.

Andersons allies: Several former employees of Anduril, a16zs major defense investment project, have joined the government, including the Pentagon. Among them, Michael Obadal was a senior director of Anduril before being nominated as the second civilian official of the Army in March; another Ryan Wunderly was a robotics engineer at Anduril and later joined the DOGE department of the Treasury Department.

Highlights: According to PitchBook data, from 2021 to the beginning of this year, the Pentagon has focused on innovation and has invested more than $130 billion in defense technology startups, double the previous four years. According to Crunchbase data, a16z invested in 14 related companies from 2021 to August 2024, more than any other venture capital firm. Other leaders in defense technology investment include Palantir Technologies co-founder Joe Lonsdales 8 VC and Thiels Founders Fund. Last week, Anduril said its valuation had doubled from last year, with a valuation of $30.5 billion in a new round of financing led by Founders Fund.

Cryptocurrency

Goal: Anderson hopes the government will encourage the development of the cryptocurrency industry and establish a loose regulatory framework to normalize the use of cryptocurrency in society. In 2022, Biden signed an executive order calling for the responsible development of digital assets. Anderson called the governments approach at the time terrorist activity, claiming that Biden was trying to prevent crypto startup founders from using U.S. banking services, but federal officials denied the claim.

Andreessens ally: Brian Quintenz, who oversees crypto policy at a16z, has been nominated to lead the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), which regulates cryptocurrencies. He has pledged to recuse himself from matters directly related to the company or its funds for two years unless he is exempted. The Senate held a confirmation hearing for his nomination on Tuesday.

What to watch: A Trump executive order sets the goal of making the United States a center of innovation in digital financial technology and making cryptocurrencies free from restrictive regulations or unnecessary government intervention. Trumps family business has launched memecoins and hinted at plans to buy billions of dollars in Bitcoin.

In Congress, Anderson supports the GENIUS Act, which would set standards for so-called stablecoins, digital currencies pegged to the price of other assets. Another bill, the CLARITY Act, would increase transparency around the rules for cryptocurrency exchanges like Coinbase, reducing legal risk. Chris Dixon, general partner at a16z, said in a statement on behalf of the firm that they support both pieces of legislation.

일체 포함

The goal: Anderson is deeply invested in dozens of AI companies and wants favorable regulation so the industry can grow rapidly in the U.S. and outpace foreign competitors.

Andersons ally: Sriram Krishnan, who served as a16z general partner for four years, joined the White House as a senior policy adviser on AI, working with Trumps cryptocurrency and AI chief David Sacks. Sacks is a longtime ally of Musk and Thiel and often echoes Andersons remarks on artificial intelligence.

At the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 22-year-old a16z engineering researcher Peter Bowman-Davis, who is on leave from Yale University, has been named acting chief AI officer, Politico reported. Wired magazine reported in May that OpenAI had met with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to discuss potential collaborations, and that Bowman-Davis had participated in discussions about the agency’s AI plans.

What to watch for: On his first day in office, Trump revoked an executive order issued by Biden in 2023 that was intended to establish a federal government regulatory mechanism for the development of artificial intelligence. The tax bill passed by the House of Representatives in May included a measure that would prevent states from enforcing new artificial intelligence regulatory rules for the next decade. More than 200 state lawmakers from both parties urged Congress to repeal the measure.

In May, Krishnan and Trump met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Persian Gulf, along with Horowitz, Musk, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and others. Krishnan helped broker a deal to sell more than a million Nvidia chips to the UAE. “This kind of ‘AI diplomacy’ will help the U.S. tech stack lock in the region,” he posted on X. But some worry that it could divert computing power away from the U.S. and even into the hands of Chinese companies.

Other relationships

Anderson has allies in the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the de facto human resources office for the federal government. Trump’s pick to lead the agency is Scott Kupor, a former managing partner at a16z who lists himself on LinkedIn as “employee #1” at the investment firm. OPM has worked closely with DOGE on federal layoffs.

Greg Hogan, formerly vice president of infrastructure at a16z-invested Comma.ai, is now CIO of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), responsible for the agency’s data and cybersecurity. The Treasury Department’s new CIO is Sam Corcos, co-founder and CEO of food tracking startup Levels, which a16z invested in in August.

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