Cyber attacks are growing in number and impact, and the reason is simple: there's more of value (and more vectors to) steal in our increasingly virtual world. So how are we to continue to move forward along this connected path as a culture and as businesses? Marc Andreessen tackles that question in this segment of the a16z Podcast -- against the backdrop of ever-more sophisticated hackers and hacks, Edward Snowden, and the rise of trillions more devices coming online. 

Still, despite the real risk and pain of cyber attacks we won't go backwards -- we have no choice but to move forward, says Andreessen. "The reason we don’t have a choice is there’s too much value in the virtual world." Smartphones, the internet; pick your favorite device, app, or service... ask yourself what (if anything) you would be willing to give up. Not much, right?

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a16z Podcast: Security's Painful Prominence and Why There is No Turning Back -- with Marc Andreessen

The a16z Podcast discusses tech and culture trends, news, and the future -- especially as ‘software eats the world’. It features industry experts, business leaders, and other interesting thinkers and voices from around the world. This podcast is produced by Andreessen Horowitz (aka “a16z”), a Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm. Multiple episodes are released every week; visit a16z.com for more details and to sign up for our newsletters and other content as well!