Marc Andreessen

The world is ending. I mean, you got to have dinner. Like, you got to, like, get ready for bed. You know, we all have these fancy things called DVRs, right? You know, we could do that.

The world is ending. I mean, you got to have dinner. Like, you got to, like, get ready for bed. You know, we all have these fancy things called DVRs, right? You know, we could do that.

I'm a good—Ross, I'm a good responsible Democrat. I'm a good responsible citizen of America. I'm like, I got to understand what's happening. I got to be able to process reality.

I'm a good—Ross, I'm a good responsible Democrat. I'm a good responsible citizen of America. I'm like, I got to understand what's happening. I got to be able to process reality.

So I don't want to speak specifically for Mark. Right.

So I don't want to speak specifically for Mark. Right.

But I'll speak for the group because there's a lot of similarities between the different players here for the same pressures. So I'll just speak for the group. And so I would say that, first of all, let me disabuse you of something, if you haven't already disabused yourself, which is the view of American CEOs operating as capitalist profit optimizers is just completely wrong.

But I'll speak for the group because there's a lot of similarities between the different players here for the same pressures. So I'll just speak for the group. And so I would say that, first of all, let me disabuse you of something, if you haven't already disabused yourself, which is the view of American CEOs operating as capitalist profit optimizers is just completely wrong.

Like that's like goal number five or something. Like there's like four goals that are like way more important than that. And that's not just true in the big tech companies. It's true in the executive suite of basically everyone at the Fortune 500. And I would say, you know, goal number one is I'm a good person. I'm a good person is like wildly more important than like profit margins. Wildly.

Like that's like goal number five or something. Like there's like four goals that are like way more important than that. And that's not just true in the big tech companies. It's true in the executive suite of basically everyone at the Fortune 500. And I would say, you know, goal number one is I'm a good person. I'm a good person is like wildly more important than like profit margins. Wildly.

Right. And so and this is why you saw these big companies all of a sudden go like completely bananas in all their marketing. It's why you saw them go bananas over DEI. It's why you saw them all, you know, they're all cooperating with all these social media boycotts.

Right. And so and this is why you saw these big companies all of a sudden go like completely bananas in all their marketing. It's why you saw them go bananas over DEI. It's why you saw them all, you know, they're all cooperating with all these social media boycotts.

I mean, the level of lockstep uniformity, unanimity in the thought process between the CEOs of the Fortune 500 and what's in the pages of the New York Times and in the Harvard Classroom and in the Ford Foundation. They're just like locked together, or at least they were through this entire period.

I mean, the level of lockstep uniformity, unanimity in the thought process between the CEOs of the Fortune 500 and what's in the pages of the New York Times and in the Harvard Classroom and in the Ford Foundation. They're just like locked together, or at least they were through this entire period.

And I find it's actually funny because the only true groups of people who think that corporate CEOs are just profit-optimizing machines are people on the far left who are full-on Marxists who really believe that, and then people on the far right, you know, who I think kind of fear that the CEOs are like that, but also maybe hope that they are and then, you know, later realize that they're not.

And I find it's actually funny because the only true groups of people who think that corporate CEOs are just profit-optimizing machines are people on the far left who are full-on Marxists who really believe that, and then people on the far right, you know, who I think kind of fear that the CEOs are like that, but also maybe hope that they are and then, you know, later realize that they're not.

So... The primary response from the Silicon Valley tech companies and the kinds of people that you're talking about was not here's what we need to do to make money and to live under democratic regime. The primary thing was the complete exact kind of panic that you saw in the rest of corporate America and that you saw in the press.

So... The primary response from the Silicon Valley tech companies and the kinds of people that you're talking about was not here's what we need to do to make money and to live under democratic regime. The primary thing was the complete exact kind of panic that you saw in the rest of corporate America and that you saw in the press.

Yeah, and I always say, look, the test of this is the dinner party and what's being discussed at the dinner party. And so if the sort of more radical right-wing view is the capitalists, you know, making their cynical plans for how to optimize for money under the current regime, that would be one thing. Having been to many of those dinner parties, that's not the topic.

Yeah, and I always say, look, the test of this is the dinner party and what's being discussed at the dinner party. And so if the sort of more radical right-wing view is the capitalists, you know, making their cynical plans for how to optimize for money under the current regime, that would be one thing. Having been to many of those dinner parties, that's not the topic.