Marc Andreessen
Born 1971 · Age 54
American software engineer, entrepreneur and venture capitalist; co-author of the Mosaic browser, cofounder of Netscape, Loudcloud/Opsware, and Andreessen Horowitz (a16z).
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Cedar Falls, Iowa
Marc Lowell Andreessen born to Patricia and Lowell Andreessen; raised in New Lisbon, Wisconsin.
Entered University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign
Began undergraduate studies; later worked at NCSA where he would co-develop Mosaic.
Interned at IBM and worked at NCSA
Interned twice at IBM Austin; took a part-time programming role at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA), exposed to the Web.
Released Mosaic to the public
NCSA Mosaic (graphical web browser co-authored with Eric Bina) posted publicly and available for download; catalyzed mass adoption of the Web.
Graduated (BS Computer Science) UIUC
Received bachelor's degree in computer science from University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.
Inducted into World Wide Web Hall of Fame
One of six inductees at the First International Conference on the World-Wide Web.
Cofounded Mosaic Communications (later Netscape)
With Jim Clark founded Mosaic Communications Corporation to commercialize a browser based on Mosaic; later renamed Netscape Communications.
Launched Netscape Navigator
Netscape's commercial browser (initially dubbed Mozilla/Mosaic Killer) publicly released and rapidly gained market share.
Netscape IPO
Netscape went public in a widely followed IPO (widely credited with sparking the dot-com boom).
Early post-IPO paper net worth spike
By late 1995, Andreessen's Netscape stock value was widely reported in media to be substantially higher than at IPO (sources cite ~$174M at one point).
Featured on Time cover
Profiled prominently in mainstream media; become a public face of the web era.
AOL announced acquisition of Netscape
Deal negotiated as Netscape struggled vs. Microsoft; Andreessen's role later made contingent on completion of acquisition.
Named CTO of AOL after Netscape acquisition
Andreessen became AOL's chief technology officer as part of the Netscape-AOL integration; left AOL later in 1999.
Cofounded Loudcloud (later Opsware)
With Ben Horowitz, Tim Howes and In Sik Rhee founded Loudcloud to provide hosting, automated website ops and software services.
Loudcloud IPO
Loudcloud (services business) went public in March 2001 during dot-com era; later refocused/restructured after the dot-com bust.
Sold Loudcloud hosting business to EDS
Loudcloud sold its hosting/managed services division to Electronic Data Systems (EDS) and rebranded the software unit.
Loudcloud renamed Opsware; Andreessen became chairman
Company refocused on data center automation software and rebranded as Opsware.
Cofounded Ning
With Gina Bianchini created Ning, a platform to build custom social networks; Andreessen served as chairman.
Super angel investing period (2005–2009)
Between 2005 and 2009 Andreessen and Horowitz individually invested ~$80M in ~45 startups and became prominent super angels.
Opsware acquired by Hewlett-Packard
HP purchased Opsware for approximately $1.6 billion.
Joined boards of several large companies (Facebook, Hewlett-Packard Enterprise, eBay)
Took board roles including Facebook (Meta) and Hewlett-Packard (HP/HPE) and joined eBay's board in 2008.
Issued reward in cold case
Issued a $25,000 reward for information leading to conviction in a 1987 unsolved murder in his high-school town (reported in 2009).
Founded Andreessen Horowitz (a16z)
Cofounded venture capital firm with Ben Horowitz; launched with an initial fund and a new VC model that heavily supports founders.
a16z part of investor group acquiring Skype majority stake
Investor group including a16z acquired majority stake in Skype at ~$2.75B valuation.
a16z assists creation of Series Seed Documents (2010)
Andreessen Horowitz assisted in creating standardized seed round documents to streamline early-stage financing.
Andreessen Horowitz raised co-investment fund
a16z raised a $200M co-investment fund (announced April 2011) to invest alongside their main funds.
Rankings and industry recognition
Andreessen and Horowitz ranked #6 on Vanity Fair's New Establishment List; a16z widely recognized as influential VC.
Skype sold to Microsoft
Microsoft acquired Skype for $8.5 billion; the earlier investor group's bet (including a16z) returned strong gains.
Published 'Why Software is Eating the World'
Influential Wall Street Journal essay arguing that software companies will disrupt many industries.
Ning sale to Mode Media announced
Ning sold to Mode Media for a reported ~$150 million; Andreessen joined Glam Media's board after the sale.
a16z growth to ~$2.7B under management
Within ~3 years of founding the firm reported growth to roughly $2.7 billion across funds.
Named to Time 100
Included on Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Named one of MIT Technology Review's TR100 / TR35 innovators (1999 & recognition)
Named by MIT Technology Review as one of the top innovators under 35 (TR100 listing); recognized multiple times by industry lists.
Andreessen and partners pledge half lifetime VC incomes to charity
a16z general partners pledged to donate half their lifetime incomes from venture capital to charities.
Awarded Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering (inaugural)
One of five internet and web pioneers to receive the inaugural prize.
Resigned from eBay board
Stepped down after disputes over the company's decision to spin off PayPal and related public disagreements with Carl Icahn.
Philanthropic donation to Stanford Hospital
Andreessen and his wife pledged/participated in a major Stanford Hospital gift ($27.5M gift reported in sources for emergency care facilities).
Became a father
Andreessen and his wife Laura welcomed a son (reported in interviews as March 2015).
Named in eBay shareholder lawsuit documents
Court documents during 2016 shareholder litigation alleged Andreessen covertly coached Mark Zuckerberg over PayPal/spin-off negotiations and communications.
Controversial tweet on India / Free Basics; deleted after backlash
Posted and later deleted a tweet criticizing anti-colonialism in the context of India's rejection of Free Basics; drew criticism including from peers.
Advisor to Neom project reported
Named to an advisory board for Saudi megacity project Neom (reported Oct 2018); some board members later distanced themselves after Khashoggi disappearance.
Announced would not seek reelection to HP Enterprise board
Hewlett Packard Enterprise announced board member Andreessen would not seek re-election at the April 4, 2018 meeting.
Published 'It's Time to Build' op-ed
Published an influential a16z article arguing the U.S. should forgo cultural paralysis and 'build' infrastructure and tech solutions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Purchased Malibu property for reported record price
Bought property in Malibu from Serge and Florence Azria for $177 million — at the time the highest price paid for a California property.
Opposed multifamily housing project in Atherton
Advocated against construction of 131 multifamily units in Atherton, drawing criticism for perceived hypocrisy given prior pro-housing comments.
Listed on/mentioned in many a16z media and podcast episodes
Prolific public presence through the a16z podcast and other media discussing AI, policy and tech strategy (ongoing outreach milestone).
Forbes net worth estimate ~ $1.7B (Feb 2023 snapshot referenced)
Forbes estimated Andreessen's net worth around $1.7 billion as of February 2023 (reported in sources).
Published 'Techno-Optimist Manifesto'
Released influential essay arguing technology is a net force for human progress and advocating techno-optimism.
Public political donations and super-PAC activity
Reportedly a major donor to political super-PACs, including those supporting Donald Trump; described as a 'mega-donor' to related groups.
High-profile role advising or recruiting for Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)
Reported as an adviser / networker for talent recruitment linked to DOGE; described in media as an 'unpaid intern' of DOGE.
Announced he would donate to super PACs supporting Donald Trump
Public announcement of plans to donate to pro-Trump super PACs for the 2024 presidential election.
Public profile podcast & media coverage
Featured in major outlets and podcasts (e.g., WIRED Uncanny Valley Jan 30, 2025) tracing career and recent political shifts.
Net worth reported as ~$1.9B (Jan 2025 snapshot)
Wikipedia summary and other reporting estimate Andreessen's net worth at approximately $1.9 billion as of January 2025.
Major ongoing activities: a16z leadership, public writing and board/advisory roles
Continues as cofounder and general partner at Andreessen Horowitz, writes essays, hosts and appears on podcasts, sits on boards and advises founders and governments.
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