Marc Andreessen

Marc Andreessen
Born	Marc Lowell Andreessen 9 7, 1971
Birthplace	Cedar Falls, Iowa, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Venture capitalist, entrepreneur, software engineer
Known for	Co-creator of Mosaic, co-founder of Netscape, co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz
Education	University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (BS)
Awards	Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering

Marc Lowell Andreessen (born July 9, 1971) is an American businessman, venture capitalist, and former software engineer who helped shape the modern internet and the commercial technology landscape. As co-author of Mosaic, the first widely used web browser capable of displaying inline images, and co-founder of Netscape Communications, Andreessen played a central role in making the World Wide Web accessible to millions of users in the 1990s. He later co-founded Andreessen Horowitz, one of Silicon Valley's most prominent venture capital firms, through which he has invested in and advised a broad range of technology companies. Over the course of his career, Andreessen has also co-founded the software company Opsware (originally Loudcloud), which was sold to Hewlett-Packard, and Ning, a platform for creating social networking websites. He has served on the boards of several major technology companies, including Facebook (now Meta Platforms). Andreessen's influence extends beyond his business activities; his 2011 essay "Why Software Is Eating the World" became one of the most cited frameworks for understanding the expansion of software into every sector of the economy. He was featured on the cover of Time magazine in 1996 and has been recognized by the MIT Technology Review as one of the world's top innovators under 35.

Early Life

Marc Lowell Andreessen was born on July 9, 1971, in Cedar Falls, Iowa, a small city in the northeastern part of the state. He grew up in a middle-class Midwestern environment. From an early age, Andreessen demonstrated an interest in computers and technology. He taught himself to program as a child, an experience that would set the trajectory for his future career in software engineering and technology entrepreneurship.

Andreessen's formative years coincided with the early development of personal computing. The availability of home computers in the 1980s provided him with opportunities to experiment with programming and develop technical skills long before he entered college. His upbringing in Iowa, far from the technology centers of California and the East Coast, would later become a recurring theme in profiles of Andreessen, illustrating how the democratizing nature of technology could enable ambitious individuals regardless of their geographic origins.

Education

Andreessen attended the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science. While an undergraduate, he worked at the university's National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA), a federally funded research center that was at the forefront of computing and networking research in the early 1990s.

It was at NCSA that Andreessen, working alongside programmer Eric Bina, developed Mosaic, the first widely distributed web browser to feature a graphical user interface capable of displaying images inline with text. Released in 1993, Mosaic dramatically lowered the barrier to accessing the World Wide Web, which had until that point been used primarily by scientists and academic researchers through text-based interfaces. The browser's ease of use and visual presentation of web content made it a transformative tool, and it is credited with sparking the rapid growth of web adoption among the general public. Andreessen's work on Mosaic while still a university student would prove to be one of the most consequential developments in the history of the internet.

Career

Netscape Communications

After graduating from the University of Illinois, Andreessen moved to California, where he was recruited by Jim Clark, the founder of Silicon Graphics. In 1994, Clark and Andreessen co-founded Mosaic Communications Corporation, which was later renamed Netscape Communications Corporation to avoid trademark disputes with the University of Illinois and NCSA.

Netscape developed the Netscape Navigator web browser, which built upon the principles Andreessen had explored with Mosaic but was written from scratch as an entirely new codebase. Navigator quickly became the dominant web browser of the mid-1990s, capturing a commanding share of the browser market. The company's initial public offering (IPO) on August 9, 1995, became one of the most celebrated events in technology and financial history. On its first day of trading, Netscape's stock price soared, making the company's valuation reach approximately $2.9 billion and signaling the beginning of the dot-com bubble. Andreessen, then just 24 years old, became a symbol of the new internet economy.

The success of Netscape's IPO and Andreessen's youth made him a prominent figure in American popular culture. In February 1996, he appeared barefoot on the cover of Time magazine, an image that became iconic of the era's techno-optimism. BusinessWeek profiled Andreessen extensively during this period, documenting his role in the rapidly evolving technology industry.

Netscape's dominance was challenged by Microsoft, which bundled its Internet Explorer browser with the Windows operating system beginning in 1995, leading to what became known as the browser wars. The competitive pressure from Microsoft, combined with the fact that Internet Explorer was offered for free, gradually eroded Navigator's market share. In 1998, Netscape was acquired by America Online (AOL). Before the acquisition, Netscape made the decision to release the source code of its browser, a move that led to the creation of the Mozilla project, which eventually produced the Firefox browser.

Loudcloud and Opsware

Following the sale of Netscape, Andreessen co-founded Loudcloud in 1999 with Ben Horowitz, Tim Howes, and In Sik Rhee. Loudcloud was a cloud computing and managed services company that offered infrastructure services to businesses during the height of the dot-com era. The company went public in 2001 but struggled financially amid the dot-com crash. In 2002, Loudcloud sold its managed services business to Electronic Data Systems (EDS) and pivoted to become a software company, rebranding as Opsware.

Opsware developed data center automation software designed to help large enterprises manage their IT infrastructure. The transition from a services-based business model to a software-focused one proved successful. In 2007, Hewlett-Packard acquired Opsware for approximately $1.6 billion, providing a significant return for Andreessen and his co-founders. The experience of building, nearly losing, and ultimately selling Loudcloud/Opsware would later inform the investment philosophy Andreessen and Horowitz brought to their venture capital firm.

Ning

In 2004, Andreessen co-founded Ning, a platform that allowed users to create their own customized social networking websites. Unlike existing social networks such as MySpace and Facebook, which offered a single unified platform, Ning provided tools for individuals and organizations to build independent, topic-specific social networks. The platform attracted millions of users and hosted hundreds of thousands of individual social networks.

In 2011, Ning merged with Glam Media, an online publishing and media company.

Andreessen Horowitz

In 2009, Andreessen co-founded the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (also known as "a16z") with longtime business partner Ben Horowitz. The firm was established with the explicit goal of building a new kind of venture capital firm, one that would provide portfolio companies not only with capital but also with extensive operational support, including assistance with recruiting, marketing, business development, and executive mentoring.

Based in Menlo Park, California, Andreessen Horowitz quickly became one of the most influential venture capital firms in Silicon Valley. The firm made early investments in a number of companies that would grow to become major technology platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Airbnb, Lyft, GitHub, Slack, and many others. Andreessen Horowitz was also an early investor in Meteor, a web application framework, participating in a $11.2 million funding round alongside Matrix Partners.

The firm distinguished itself through its operating model, which drew on the founders' own experiences as entrepreneurs. Andreessen and Horowitz structured the firm to resemble a talent agency as much as a traditional venture capital fund, building a large team of operating partners and advisors who could provide hands-on support to founders. The firm also became known for its efforts to reform certain aspects of startup financing, including supporting the creation of standardized Series Seed financing documents intended to simplify the legal process for early-stage funding.

Andreessen Horowitz has been active in the cryptocurrency and blockchain space. Andreessen has publicly discussed his views on the value proposition of Bitcoin and other digital currencies. The firm has raised dedicated crypto funds and invested in numerous blockchain-related startups and protocols.

By the 2020s, Andreessen Horowitz had expanded beyond its initial technology focus to include investments in bio and healthcare companies, fintech, consumer technology, enterprise software, and cryptocurrency. In December 2025, Reuters reported on predictions that Andreessen might pursue opportunities related to initial public offerings in New York, reflecting the firm's growing ambitions.

"Why Software Is Eating the World"

On August 20, 2011, Andreessen published an essay titled "Why Software Is Eating the World" in The Wall Street Journal. In the piece, he argued that software companies were poised to take over large swathes of the economy, disrupting established industries from retail and entertainment to healthcare and defense. The essay became one of the most cited and debated pieces of technology commentary of the 2010s, establishing a framework that many investors, entrepreneurs, and analysts used to understand the ongoing transformation of traditional industries by software-driven companies.

In 2026, Fortune reported that Andreessen's thesis had proven prescient in many respects, though the manner in which software continued to reshape industries—particularly through the rise of artificial intelligence—had evolved in ways that were not entirely anticipated in 2011. The emergence of AI-driven tools capable of automating tasks previously performed by software-as-a-service (SaaS) companies represented a new phase in the disruption Andreessen had described, sometimes referred to as the "SaaSpocalypse."

Board Memberships

Andreessen has served on the boards of directors of several prominent technology companies. In 2008, he joined the board of Facebook (now Meta Platforms). He has also served on the boards of other companies in which Andreessen Horowitz has invested.

Views on Artificial Intelligence

Andreessen has been an outspoken proponent of artificial intelligence. In interviews and public appearances during the mid-2020s, he argued that AI is arriving at a critical juncture to offset shrinking workforces and decades of weak productivity growth. In a January 2026 interview covered by Business Insider, Andreessen stated that the more pressing concern was not potential job displacement from AI but rather what would have happened to the economy without AI advancement.

Andreessen is also known for his voracious consumption of information. Fortune reported in January 2026 that he spends approximately three hours per day listening to podcasts and audiobooks, a habit he has described as essential to staying informed across the many sectors in which Andreessen Horowitz invests.

Political Activities

Andreessen supported candidates of the Democratic Party until 2016. By 2024, his political alignment had shifted, and he became an advisor to Donald Trump. ProPublica reported in November 2025 that the Trump administration's reduction of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's (CFPB) regulatory activities had benefited venture capitalists such as Andreessen, whose firms had investments in financial technology companies subject to CFPB oversight. The report noted that Andreessen had made a significant political investment in supporting Trump and that the resulting policy changes aligned with the interests of Silicon Valley investors.

Personal Life

Andreessen and his wife, Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen, have been involved in philanthropic activities. In 2007, they made a pledge to support emergency care at Stanford Hospital. Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen, the daughter of Silicon Valley real estate developer John Arrillaga, is known for her work in philanthropy and teaches at Stanford University.

Andreessen is known for being a prolific reader and consumer of media. He has described spending approximately three hours each day listening to podcasts and audiobooks, a practice he shares with other prominent business figures such as Bill Gates and Mark Cuban.

Recognition

Andreessen has received numerous accolades over the course of his career. In 1996, at the age of 24, he appeared on the cover of Time magazine, reflecting his status as one of the central figures of the early internet era.

The MIT Technology Review named Andreessen to its TR35 list of top innovators under the age of 35, recognizing his contributions to web browser technology and internet commerce.

In 2011, Time magazine included Andreessen in its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world, acknowledging his growing influence as a venture capitalist and thought leader in the technology industry.

Andreessen was awarded the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering, one of the most prestigious international awards in the engineering field, in recognition of his contributions to the development of the internet and the World Wide Web.

Legacy

Marc Andreessen's career spans the full arc of the modern internet era, from its earliest commercial stirrings in the early 1990s to the AI-driven landscape of the 2020s. His co-creation of Mosaic and Netscape Navigator helped transform the World Wide Web from an academic tool into a mass medium, and the Netscape IPO of 1995 is considered a watershed moment in the history of technology finance and the broader internet economy.

As a venture capitalist, Andreessen has influenced the development of the technology industry through the investments and operational model of Andreessen Horowitz. The firm's approach—emphasizing operational support alongside capital—has been emulated by other venture capital firms and has shaped the expectations of founders seeking investment.

Andreessen's 2011 essay "Why Software Is Eating the World" provided a conceptual framework that has been referenced widely in business, media, and academic contexts. The essay's core thesis—that software-driven companies would subsume traditional industries—has been borne out across sectors including transportation, hospitality, media, and financial services, though the rise of artificial intelligence has introduced new dimensions to this dynamic that continue to unfold.

His career trajectory—from a university student in the Midwest to one of the most influential figures in Silicon Valley—illustrates the role that software and the internet have played in reshaping American industry and culture over the past three decades.

References

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