Episode · Cheeky Pint · 2025-10-01
Books mentioned on Marc Andreessen and Charlie Songhurst on the past, present, and future of Silicon Valley
Marc Andreessen, cofounder of Netscape and Andreessen Horowitz, sits down for a Cheeky Pint with John Collison and Charlie Songhurst to discuss the history of Silicon Valley, spotting bubbles in real time, the "Elon method" of management, and why the mistakes that haunt you are the companies you don't invest in.
John Collison discussed When Genius Failed by Roger Lowenstein, Rise of the Machines by Thomas Rid, Consider Phlebas by Iain M. Banks, and Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson. Marc Andreessen discussed Pioneering Portfolio Management by David F. Swensen and The Revolt of the Public and the Crisis of Authority in the New Millennium by Martin Gurri.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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When Genius Failed
When Genius Failed by Roger Lowenstein is an acclaimed work of narrative non-fiction that chronicles the spectacular rise and fall of the hedge fund Long-Term Capital Management and the systemic financial crisis sparked by its collapse in 1998.
Discussed“I read that book recently. It was really good. It's a fantastic book.”
Where to get it
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Pioneering Portfolio Management
Discussed“David Swensen who was considered to be the smartest portfolio manager for liquid portfolios, wrote a book where he goes through the following, and he talked about this a lot, which basically, is for something like venture, you really got to look on it.”
Where to get it
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Rise of the Machines
Rise of the Machines by Thomas Rid is a historical examination of the origins of cybernetics and artificial intelligence.
Discussed“There's a book called "Rise of the Machines" that has the prehistory of AI, and, I believe I remember correctly, there were actually debates about this in the 1930s.”
Where to get it
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Consider Phlebas
Consider Phlebas by Iain M.
Discussed“Have you read ever, Iain M. Banks, the science fiction author? The Culture Suits.”
Where to get it
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Elon Musk
Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson is a comprehensive biography that explores the life, mind, and tumultuous career of the controversial billionaire entrepreneur.
Discussed“And, by the way, I thought the Walter Isaacson book, it got a mixed reception, but I thought if you want to study the Elon method a bit, it was actually pretty useful for that, the recent biography.”
Where to get it
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The Revolt of the Public and the Crisis of Authority in the New Millennium
The Revolt of the Public and the Crisis of Authority in the New Millennium by Martin Gurri is a sociological and political analysis examining how digital technology and the internet have empowered ordinary citizens to challenge traditional institutional authority.
Discussed“I think Martin Gurri, the guy who has published this book. I think he really nailed it...”
Where to get it
