Ben Horowitz's Blog, page 3

"They call me Jay Electronica – f*ck that
Call me Jay ElecHanukkah, Jay ElecYarmulke
Jay ElecRamadaan, Muhammad A'salaamaleikum
RasoulAllah Subhanahu wa ta'ala through your monitor"
—Jay Electronica, "Exhibit C"

When we first invested in Rap Genius, many people asked us why a Silicon Valley venture capital firm would invest in a website about rap music. We patiently explained that Rap Genius was not just about rap, but was a platform for capturing the knowledge about the knowledge for rap and ev...

People say I’m crippled, but that’s a lie
They’re just mad ‘cause I’m so fly
Being handicapped is a state of mind
I’m not disabled I’m just blind
—The Blind MC, "Blind and Def"

People often ask me why I feature Hip Hop so much in my blog posts. In the past, I have given short and incomplete answers, but here is the full story. It probably belongs inThe Hard Thing About Hard Things, but I did not know how to tell it without Rap Genius.

In 1986, I was 20 years old and attending Columbia Universi...

There is a woman in Somalia
Scraping for pearls on the roadside
There's a force stronger than nature
Keeps her will alive
This is how she's dying
She's dying to survive
Don't know what she's made of
I would like to be that brave.
—Sade, “Pearls”

Never believe that a few caring people can't change the world. For, indeed, that's all who ever have.
—Margaret Mead

I will donate all of my proceeds from The Hard Thing About Hard Things toAmerican Jewish World Service to support their efforts to hel...

There is a woman in Somalia
Scraping for pearls on the roadside
There's a force stronger than nature
Keeps her will alive
This is how she's dying
She's dying to survive
Don't know what she's made of
I would like to be that brave.
—Sade, “Pearls”

Never believe that a few caring people can't change the world.
For, indeed, that's all who ever have.
—Margaret Mead

A lot of people have been asking me what my upcoming book, The Hard Thing About Hard Things , will be like. Here's a piece that I wrote for the book that did not make the cut. I still think it's a pretty good story and gives you a flavor.

I just tell the truth so I'm cool in every hood spot
21 years and I ain't ever met a good cop
—Drake, “I’m Goin In”

After we transitioned the business from Loudcloud to Opsware, we needed a head of finance. Therefore, when the CFO from one of the best-run en...

A lot of people have been asking me what my upcoming book, The Hard Thing About Hard Things , will be like. Here's a piece that I wrote for the book that did not make the cut. I still think it's a pretty good story and gives you a flavor.

I just tell the truth so I'm cool in every hood spot
21 years and I ain't ever met a good cop
—Drake,“I’m Goin In”

Co-authored with Sten Tamkivi, EIR at Andreessen Horowitz

Follow the leader is a title, theme, task
Now you know, you don't have to ask
—Rakim, "Follow the Leader"

Co-authored with Sten Tamkivi, EIR at Andreessen Horowitz

Follow the leader is a title, theme, task
Now you know, you don't have to ask
—Rakim, "Follow the Leader"

Being someone reasonably well-known in technology, I have been getting a lot of questions lately about Healthcare.gov. People want to know why it cost between 2 and 4 times as much money to create a broken website than to build the original iPhone. This is an excellent question. However, in my experience, understanding why a...

God body and mind, food for the soul
When you feeding on hate, you empty, my ni*&$a, it shows”

—Rick Ross, “Hold On”

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.

-George Bernard Shaw

Lately, it’s become in vogue to write articles, comments and tweets about everything that’s wrong with young technology companies. Hardly a day goes by where I don’t find something in my T...

God body and mind, food for the soul
When you feeding on hate, you empty, my ni*&$a, it shows”
—Rick Ross, “Hold On”

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.
-George Bernard Shaw

Lately, it’s become in vogue to write articles, comments and tweets about everything that’s wrong with young technology companies. Hardly a day goes by where I don’t find someth...