Part I — The story
The story
Marc Andreessen co-wrote Mosaic, the browser that made the World Wide Web usable for ordinary people, and then co-founded Netscape, whose 1995 IPO effectively launched the internet boom. Few people can claim to have opened up an entire medium; Andreessen did it while still in his early twenties.
After Netscape, he built and sold more companies, then co-founded the venture firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), which became one of Silicon Valley's most influential investors. His essay 'Why Software Is Eating the World' captured a thesis he built a career on: that software would remake every industry, and that backing the founders building it was the great opportunity of the age.
Andreessen is a rare figure who shaped technology as both a founder and a financier — first building the on-ramp to the web, then funding the companies that drove software into every corner of the economy.
Part II — The playbook
The playbook
Build the on-ramp to a new medium
Mosaic made the web usable, unlocking a whole industry.
Back the strong thesis
a16z invested behind the clear conviction that software eats the world.
Move from building to backing
Andreessen turned founder experience into investing edge.
In their words
Software is eating the world.
The world is a very malleable place.
Markets that don't exist don't care how smart you are.
What to read next
- The Everything Store — Brad Stone
- Zero to One — Peter Thiel
Why this matters
The thinking behind these decisions connects to models you can study directly:
Frequently asked questions
What is Marc Andreessen known for?
Co-creating Mosaic — the browser that opened the web to ordinary users — co-founding Netscape, and later co-founding the influential venture firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z).
What does 'software is eating the world' mean?
Andreessen's thesis that software would remake every industry, so the great opportunity was backing the founders building that software.