John Borthwick shares his journey from a tech-savvy youth to a prominent figure in the New York tech scene. He discusses his early experiences with computers, the transformative impact of the World Wide Web, and the vibrant tech culture of the 90s. Borthwick reflects on his role in creating Total New York, the lessons learned from the AOL acquisition, and the challenges faced during the dot-com bubble burst. He also highlights the rise of social media platforms like Photolog and the evolution of BetaWorks as a hub for innovation, particularly in the AI space. Throughout the discussion, Borthwick emphasizes the importance of creativity, constraints, and the ever-changing landscape of technology.

Chapters:

00:00 The Early Days of Tech and Personal Journey

02:11 Education and Its Impact on Career

05:15 Experiencing the World Wide Web

08:09 The New York Tech Scene in the 90s

11:08 Creative Projects and the Internet

16:01 Total New York: A Local Information Hub

21:40 Lessons in Distribution and Audience Engagement

24:57 The Evolution of Internet Distribution

27:58 AOL: The Internet's First Giant

35:54 The Dot-Com Bubble and Its Aftermath

37:46 Photolog: A Precursor to Social Media

44:56 Navigating Abundance and Constraints in AI

49:37 BetaWorks: A Hub for Founders and Innovation

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Welcome BACK to the Internet History Podcast. After essentially a 5 year hiatus, the Internet History Podcast is back, fully back, a whole slate of episodes coming to you, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to have our relaunch episode be with Jimmy Wales. What can I tell you? He’s the founder of Wikipedia. We get deep into the history of all that but also get into how he’s thinking about the web and Wikipedia in this age of AI.

Chapters

00:00 The Return of the Internet History Podcast

00:58 Exploring Trust in the Digital Age

04:09 Growing Up with Knowledge

11:53 The Journey into Technology and Finance

16:58 The First Encounters with the Internet

18:38 The Spark of Entrepreneurship

20:09 The Birth of Bomis and New Ideas

27:13 The Transition from Newpedia to Wikipedia

31:57 Navigating Challenges and Building Trust

42:25 Moments of Realization and Trust in Wikipedia

48:05 From Startup to Nonprofit: A New Direction

51:17 Lessons in Nonprofit Fundraising

53:02 Transparency and Community Engagement

01:00:21 Wikipedia in the Age of AI

01:07:29 The Future of the Open Web

01:08:58 Defining Purpose in Knowledge Platforms

01:12:05 Building Trust in Personal and Political Life

Takeaways

Wikipedia's growth was fueled by community engagement and open editing.

Trust is essential for the success of any platform.

The transition from Newpedia to Wikipedia was a pivotal moment.

Transparency in operations fosters community trust.

AI's impact on knowledge sharing is significant but manageable.

Defining a clear purpose helps in moderating content.

Wikipedia's model demonstrates the power of decentralized knowledge.

The importance of assuming good faith in online interactions.

Nonprofit status allows for a focus on mission over profit.

Building trust in personal and political life is crucial for society.

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People know that a16z changed tech by turning VCs and founders into rock stars. You know the names. But there’s one name you might not know, that real heads, deep inside the industry have known very well over the years. The legend, Margit Vennmachers. You know all those a16z names because of Margit, because of how she helped Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz and others build a16z into the most prominent VC firm in the world. This is a conversation with Margit about her entire career, her philosophy on coms and marketing and PR, and how a16z evolved. From the story behind Software Is Eating The World to how startups can build and burnish their own legend, from the woman who, behind the scenes, those in the know knew was making it happen.

Chapters

00:00 Intros

02:13 From Farm Life to Tech Dreams

03:56 Navigating Grief and Independence

09:38 Cultural Shifts: From Germany to Silicon Valley

12:25 The Early Days of Silicon Valley

21:05 Launching Outcast Communications

25:15 Building Credibility in the Startup World

27:31 The Rise of Facebook and Industry Cycles

29:43 Navigating Economic Cycles and Client Relationships

30:53 The Decision to Sell Outkast

32:43 Founding A16Z: The Backstory

36:48 Marketing Strategies for A16Z

42:00 The Evolution of Tech Leadership

43:53 The Role of an Operating Partner

46:39 Crisis Management in Tech

51:42 The Concept of 'Software is Eating the World'

55:41 Lessons from Two Decades with Mark and Ben

56:49 The Future of Tech and AI

58:06 Margit's Transition to Partner Emeritus

Takeaways:

Margit's upbringing on a small farm shaped her resilience.

Grief can lead to early maturity and self-reliance.

Her first tech job sparked a curiosity about the industry.

Cultural differences in Silicon Valley were eye-opening.

Founding Outcast Communications was driven by inspiration, not frustration.

Crisis management is crucial in maintaining a company's reputation.

PR for startups requires a focus on storytelling and relationships.

The dot-com bubble taught valuable lessons about sustainability.

A16Z's approach to venture capital emphasizes personality and visibility.

The future of tech is intertwined with the responsible use of AI.

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For my entire career in tech and startups, Fred Wilson has been like the god-level VC in the New York City ecosystem. Fred got his start investing before the dotcom bubble, rode the bubble investing in the earliest internet companies to great success, and then turned Union Square Ventures into the premier venture capital firm on the east coast. Hear the story of Fred’s investments in Geocities, Etsy, Coinbase, MongoDB among others. When I first started this podcast almost 12 years ago, Fred was one of the top 5 people I wanted to talk to.

Chapters

00:00 The Four Technological Revolutions

11:08 Fred Wilson's Journey into Venture Capital

21:34 The Rise of New York's Tech Scene

34:53 Founding Union Square Ventures

48:00 The Evolution of Web 2.0

57:16 Current Technological Intersections and Future Outlook

Takeaways

There are four major technological revolutions happening simultaneously: AI, synthetic biology, energy transition, and crypto.

Fred Wilson transitioned from naval engineering to venture capital due to a passion for technology and finance.

The New York tech scene began to emerge in the early 90s with digital media and online services.

Flatiron Partners was founded to focus on internet investments during the dot-com boom.

Investing in companies like GeoCities and Etsy showcased the potential of the internet.

The dot-com crash taught valuable lessons about sustainable business models.

Union Square Ventures was founded during a challenging economic period, emphasizing the importance of the application layer of the internet.

The rise of social media and user engagement became central to investment strategies in the 2000s.

Fred's blog became a platform for sharing ideas and attracting founders to his firm.

Current technological advancements are driven by the convergence of AI, biology, energy, and crypto.

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Serial entrepreneur Shirish Nadkarni came to the U.S. as a teenager with $25 in his pocket. After graduating from Harvard Business School, he worked at Microsoft where he engineered the $400 million acquisition of Hotmail and launched MSN.com, the world’s leading web portal.

Striking out on his own in 1999 at the height of the dot-com boom, he founded TeamOn Systems, an early pioneer of mobile email that was later acquired by BlackBerry before becoming BlackBerry Internet Email servicing over 50 million users at its peak.

His great new book is: From Startup to Exit: An Insider's Guide to Launching and Scaling Your Tech Business

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Is technology really rotting our brains, destroying our society... or is that what everyone has always worried about with every technological advance, going back to tv, or telephones, or even writing letters? The new book, Bored, Lonely, Angry, Stupid: Changing Feelings about Technology, from the Telegraph to Twitter tries to look at this question from a historical perspective. Is it really different this time? But more importantly... to what degree has technological change impacted how we think of things, and vice-versa.

My thanks to the authors, Luke Fernandez and Susan J. Matt.

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