Interview with A16Z Founder: How Systematic Learning Liberates Personal Productivity

In the venture capital ecosystem, it is common to see innovative startups brought about by new technologies and business models. In contrast, the venture capital industry itself appears relatively conservative, which also reflects the significant challenges of transformation in this sector. If we were to rank the innovation power of the venture capital industry, A16Z would undoubtedly be at the forefront, as its unique philosophy and practices have consistently led new directions in the industry.

A16Z co-founder Marc Andreessen published the article "Software is Eating the World" in 2011, which drew widespread attention. He interpreted the macro environment of the tech industry from the dual perspectives of an investor and a technology expert, concluding that "software and internet companies are a fantastic opportunity." During that era, Marc invested in a number of outstanding internet companies including Facebook, Groupon, Skype, Twitter, and Zynga.

Recently, the debate about Web3.0 among Tesla founder Elon Musk, Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, Coinbase founder Brian Armstrong, and Marc Andreessen has once again become a hot topic. As a co-founder of Netscape Navigator, Marc Andreessen is undoubtedly one of the most influential and talked-about figures in the history of Internet technology development.

This article is a deep conversation between Marc Andreessen and podcast host Sriram Krishna(, who is also a partner at A16Z). Marc shares his latest thoughts on personal productivity, scheduling, reading habits, and learning optimization. While these insights may not provide instant enlightenment, they contain a common sense that will reveal itself through future practice and reflection. Readers are encouraged to save and review it regularly.

About Personal Productivity

Sriram: More than a decade ago, you published the famous "Pmarca Personal Productivity Guide" on your personal blog. What does the 2020 version of the "Marc Andreessen Personal Productivity Guide" look like now?

Marc: I have basically made a 180-degree adjustment to the guidelines from 13-14 years ago. Many of the adjustments stem from the founding of A16Z and the desire to continue to grow and strengthen. Currently, we have a large number of companies in our portfolio, and at any given time, there is a lot of investment work taking place. My senior partners and I need to handle very high-intensity matters, so we need a more structured way of life. This guide is the most organized I have tried so far.

For me, a typical day is strictly following the schedule and doing my best to complete the arrangements outlined in the "Programming Calendar."

Sriram: Take me through your day.

Marc: My schedule is more weekly. A day of the week determines a lot of things. Monday and Friday have very specific schedules, as we operate at the pace of a venture capital firm. Monday is like an all-day "marathon" because most of the real teamwork happens on Monday. Friday's schedule is similar to Monday's. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday are much more flexible, usually involving more meetings, board meetings, entrepreneur consultations, etc. I work according to this schedule from Monday to Friday, and I finally understand why people have the concept of weekends. I am doing my best to carve out some time for rest on Saturday and Sunday.

Sriram: In your previous post, you talked about Arnold Schwarzenegger's open schedule, and also mentioned the benefits of having unstructured time in a day and the flexibility it brings you.

Marc: I think that when Arnold accepted that interview, he was in "entrepreneur mode". At that time, he was involved in many startup projects and developed many new businesses. I believe that if you are an entrepreneur in a heavy innovation mode, having flexible time is definitely beneficial.

When I was programming in my early years, I was just as busy as he is. Basically, I only did one thing until I was exhausted. Then I would get up the next morning and continue. I never had a real schedule. I just knew what I was doing. In a way, this is the same as having no timetable. But if you are dealing with things involving organizational operations or customer service, you will face challenges. It depends on how we view our work. If part of your job involves handling a lot of calls or emails, you need to respond in a timely manner and not keep people waiting too long. Maybe some people can respond immediately, but I don't know how to do that.

Sriram: Was there a moment when you decided to change your old system? Was it when you founded the company?

Marc: Yes, to be honest, we started right away when we founded the company in 2009. The establishment of the company was just an opportunity to initiate change. One of our company's values is to respect the people we work with, and part of that means - we will never drop the ball. We ensure prompt responses, and we have established a service level agreement (SLA) to respond within a specific timeframe. As an old saying from JPMorgan goes, 'Conducting first-class business in a first-class manner.' If you contact us, you will definitely get a reply. We promise to deliver on what we commit to. It is necessary for us to establish a system for this.

I believe that venture capital is a very "hands-on" job. Investors should not think about stepping away from daily affairs. You need to truly understand what is happening. You must stay closely connected to what is occurring in the market, understand these technologies, and know what these entrepreneurs are doing. Moreover, you must constantly communicate with many people, so a more structured approach to work is essential.

Sriram: What do you think when you wake up on Monday morning or Sunday night and see your schedule?

Marc: I'm thinking "God, I am organized! I have a plan!". Without this, I would panic the moment I wake up.

Basically, everything is recorded on the schedule. Sleeping is also on the schedule, and free time is on the schedule. Free time is very important; it acts like a pressure release valve. As long as you know you have enough time to rest, you can work hard for a long time. But I find that if you don't schedule enough free time, you will become dissatisfied with your schedule. When I was younger, I really didn't have the concept of "shutting down". However, as you age, your body will rebel. And it's obvious that if you have a family, a system that only revolves around work is definitely not a good choice.

On the Value of Open Time and Empowerment

Sriram: I find it interesting that your schedule allocates a lot of open time. We often talk about how some of the most interesting and influential people in the world tend to have plenty of open time. This is in stark contrast to the schedules of corporate executives who plan their time in 30-minute blocks from 8 AM to 7 PM.

Marc: We have all worked with executives whose schedules are filled with many tasks. For such executives, you often find these three points.

1. They never have time to truly think. And it turns out that thinking is very important.

2. They find it difficult to adapt to changes in the environment. In the venture capital industry, you will encounter many problems and need to handle many emergencies. Just like those classic movie scenes, when faced with a huge crisis, someone shouts to their secretary, "Cancel my schedule!" Well, if your schedule has a certain degree of flexibility, maybe you won't need to do that.

3. You may have noticed that managers who are "controlled" by this kind of schedule may ultimately become micromanagers. You may have seen some of these individuals overwhelmed by work. The good news is that they are well aware of everything happening in the organization. The bad news is that they have become bottlenecks in the workflow. The extreme form of this situation is that there are always long lines outside their offices. I have worked with several such individuals. The waiting line extends along the corridor, with people waiting to see him. They are also bottlenecks in the organization. Working in such an organization can be demoralizing, which is essentially the opposite of empowerment.

Sriram: A related topic is delegation. For many people like this, letting go is difficult. Delegation is often a cliché. It's easy to say, but hard to do. So, if you want to carve out some open time on your schedule, what will you do? How will you actually express, "I don't intend to do this," "I will say no," or "I plan to let someone else handle this"?

Marc: My management style is that I do not directly manage anyone.

Sriram: To me, you are an unusual conversation partner because you are not the kind of traditional CEO who manages a large organization.

Marc: That's right. So this will definitely be different, at least to some extent. I don't have the pressure of traditional CEOs who handle various matters one-on-one, nor do I bear all the management responsibilities. I am involved in a lot of management work within the company, but these are all discussions we have in internal meetings. Then we choose outstanding talents to manage these teams. Sometimes, all we need to do is figure out which tasks don't need to be done and can be delegated to others.

Sriram: Now let's talk about the screenshot you sent me. Every executive must have their own check-in system. Your time is limited, and there are a bunch of projects that need your attention. So what kind of system are you using?

Marc: So, to put it simply, there are two types of project situations. A certain company has a concept called Directly Responsible Individual ( D.R.I.; directly responsible individual ). For any project, I try to identify the DRI, who is responsible for the project's delivery. If it is me, then the project will appear on my calendar after completion. If it does not appear on the calendar, it means it is not completed yet. The weekly check-ins are for all projects that others are responsible for. For example, you might have a company that is raising funds or making a big deal. I don't necessarily have to ask the entrepreneur or CEO every day, but I at least need to stay updated regularly; I don't want to be completely out of the loop regarding the developments.

About Goals and Systems

Sriram: I want to step out and discuss. Let's talk about a longer time frame, for example, on a yearly basis. Is there a week when you would meditate on a mountaintop and then say, "Okay, this year I need to spend more time with the founders," or "This year I need to spend more time reading scientific papers," or similar plans. Another related question is, how do you connect your goals and the company's goals with the way you spend your time and energy? Is there such a mountaintop?

Marc: There’s no damn mountaintop! Keep me away from the mountaintop, away from the mosquitoes. No, none of that. So here’s the thing. About every six months or so, I start to feel overwhelmed, like everything is out of my control. So about every six months, I sit down to reflect. It’s like I’m telling myself, "Okay, you have a great system, but it’s overloaded," or "You’re saying 'yes' to too many things, you’re involved in too many things."

You need to improve yourself and clarify what is important. I usually spend an hour reviewing what I've been doing, essentially determining the thresholds for "yes" and "no," and I try to make adjustments once a year. Additionally, I also reestablish my personal plan every year. I start from scratch to write down what I truly want to do and my goals, and then I arrange the related activities. Regarding time allocation, I want to say one or two points. First, it is not spreadsheet-driven.