Name: 010. Max Lock on the Perks of Being a Solo Founder by 1517 Fund in Computer Science
Duration: 18 min 31 s
Description: Max Lock is the founder and president of Fleet, in Portland, OR. He's a solo founder and makes the case in this conversation that maybe that's the best way to start a company. Max talks about how he makes decisions as a solo founder and some of the advantages - and disadvantages - of going at it alone.

Computer Science

Entrepreneur and venture capitalist Ben Horowitz shares which entrepreneurial skills truly matter, and why learning to manage well may be the most critical skill of all. Horowitz, a founding partner of Andreessen Horowitz, discusses the value of learning inside a large company, some of the exciting technology frontiers ahead, and the purpose and philosophy of his firm, in conversation with Stanford Engineering Professor Tom Byers.

Ben Horowitz, Tom Byers - Nailing the Hard Things

Quantum computing. The dream of the 1980s is alive in 2015. But this time is different, for a number of reasons. What are the applications, beyond cryptography? And, what’s the point of it all — are the benefits of quantum computing truly going to be a difference of kind vs. of degree? And if so, how will it change what we already know about computers, from languages to coding to UIs to everything?

While it’s counterintuitive for us to imagine something so infinitesimally small, Ilyas Khan of Cambridge Quantum Computing helps us make the quantum leap in our minds … in this special edition of the a16z Podcast, brought to you from London.

a16z Podcast: Quantum Leap

What is A.I. or artificial intelligence but the 'space of possible minds', argues Murray Shanahan, scientific advisor on the movie Ex Machina and Professor of Cognitive Robotics at Imperial College London.

In this special episode of the a16z Podcast brought to you on the ground from London, Shanahan -- along with journalist-turned-entrepreneur Azeem Azhar (who also curates The Exponential View newsletter on AI and more) and The Economist Deputy Editor Tom Standage (the author of several tech history books) -- we discuss the past, present, and future of A.I. ... as well as how it fits (or doesn't fit) with machine learning and deep learning.

But where are we now in the A.I. evolution? What players do we think will lead, if not win, the current race? And how should we think about issues such as ethics and automation of jobs without descending into obvious extremes? All this and more, including a surprise easter egg in Ex Machina shared by Shanahan, whose work influenced the movie.

a16z Podcast: Artificial Intelligence and the 'Space of Possible Minds'

If network effects are one of the most important concepts for software-based businesses, then that may be especially true of data network effects -- a network effect that results from data. Particularly given the prevalence of machine learning and deep learning in startups today.

But simply having a huge corpus of data does not a network effect make! So how can startups ensure they don't get a lot of data exhaust but get insight out of and add value to that data and the network? How can they make sure that the (arguably inevitable) data aspect of their business isn't just a sideshow or accident? How should founders strike the balance between not overbuilding/ building a data team vs. having enough data for those data scientists to work with in the first place? And finally, what are the ethical considerations of all this?

The a16z general partners most focused on bio and fintech -- Vijay Pande and Alex Rampell -- join this episode of the a16z Podcast to share their observations and advice on all things data network effects.

a16z Podcast: Data Network Effects

Max Lock is the founder and president of Fleet, in Portland, OR. He's a solo founder and makes the case in this conversation that maybe that's the best way to start a company. Max talks about how he makes decisions as a solo founder and some of the advantages - and disadvantages - of going at it alone.

010. Max Lock on the Perks of Being a Solo Founder

I dream of piano and keyboard in the near future🦉