Conversations with Tyler

Marc Andreessen on Learning to Love the Humanities


Listen Later

Like the frontier characters from Deadwood, his favorite TV show, Marc Andreessen has discovered that the real challenge to building in new territory is not in the practicalities of learning a trade, but in developing a savviness for what makes people tick. Without understanding the deep patterns of human behavior, how can you know what to build, or who should build it, or how? For Marc, that means reading deeply in the humanities: “I spent the first 25 years of my life trying to understand how machines work,” Marc says. “Then I spent the second 25 years, so far, trying to figure out how people work. It turns out people are a lot more complicated.”

Marc joined Tyler to discuss his ever-growing appreciation for the humanities and more, including why he didn’t go to a better school, his contrarian take on Robert Heinlein, how Tom Wolfe helped Marc understand his own archetype, who he’d choose to be in Renaissance Florence, which books he’s reread the most, Twitter as an X-ray machine on public figures, where in the past he’d most like to time-travel, his favorite tech product that no longer exists, whether Web will improve podcasting, the civilization-level changes made possible by remote work, Peter Thiel’s secret to attracting talent, which data he thinks would be most helpful for finding good founders, how he’d organize his own bookstore, the kinds of people he admires most, and why Deadwood is equal to Shakespeare.

Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links, or watch the full video.

Recorded April 14th, 2022 Other ways to connect

  • Follow us on Twitter and Instagram
  • Follow Tyler on Twitter 
  • Follow Marc on Twitter
  • Email us: [email protected]
  • Subscribe at our newsletter page to have the latest Conversations with Tyler news sent straight to your inbox. 
...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Conversations with TylerBy Mercatus Center at George Mason University

  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8

4.8

2,313 ratings


More shows like Conversations with Tyler

View all
EconTalk by Russ Roberts

EconTalk

4,228 Listeners

The Glenn Show by Glenn Loury

The Glenn Show

2,256 Listeners

Making Sense with Sam Harris by Sam Harris

Making Sense with Sam Harris

26,348 Listeners

Hayek Program Podcast by F.A. Hayek Program for Advanced Study in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics

Hayek Program Podcast

72 Listeners

Macro Musings with David Beckworth by Mercatus Center at George Mason University

Macro Musings with David Beckworth

377 Listeners

The Good Fight by Yascha Mounk

The Good Fight

890 Listeners

The Joe Walker Podcast by Joe Walker

The Joe Walker Podcast

121 Listeners

Mercatus Policy Download by Mercatus Center at George Mason University

Mercatus Policy Download

24 Listeners

Uncommon Knowledge by Hoover Institution

Uncommon Knowledge

1,975 Listeners

The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie by The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie

The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie

730 Listeners

GoodFellows: Conversations from the Hoover Institution by Hoover Institution

GoodFellows: Conversations from the Hoover Institution

683 Listeners

Dwarkesh Podcast by Dwarkesh Patel

Dwarkesh Podcast

372 Listeners

Ideas of India by Mercatus Center at George Mason University

Ideas of India

36 Listeners

The Dishcast with Andrew Sullivan by Andrew Sullivan

The Dishcast with Andrew Sullivan

811 Listeners

Honestly with Bari Weiss by The Free Press

Honestly with Bari Weiss

8,563 Listeners

Virtual Sentiments by Mercatus Center at George Mason University

Virtual Sentiments

10 Listeners

"Upstream" with Erik Torenberg by Erik Torenberg

"Upstream" with Erik Torenberg

62 Listeners

"Econ 102" with Noah Smith and Erik Torenberg by Turpentine

"Econ 102" with Noah Smith and Erik Torenberg

143 Listeners

Complex Systems with Patrick McKenzie (patio11) by Patrick McKenzie

Complex Systems with Patrick McKenzie (patio11)

114 Listeners

Pluralist Points with Ben Klutsey by Discourse Magazine

Pluralist Points with Ben Klutsey

4 Listeners

The Marginal Revolution Podcast by Mercatus Center at George Mason University

The Marginal Revolution Podcast

89 Listeners