Marc Andreessen, the Power Broker of Tech in the White House
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Marc Andreessen, the Power Broker of Tech in the White House
After growing uneasy with Biden's artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency policies, the Silicon Valley giant found allies in the Trump administration.
Navigating Web3 tides with focused insightsBy Sophie Alexander
Translation: Luffy, Foresight News
Marc Andreessen (center) and his allies have gained significant influence in Washington, with several holding senior positions in the Trump administration. Bottom row, from left to right: Sriram Krishnan, Joe Lonsdale, David Sacks, Michael Obadal, and Peter Thiel
While Elon Musk’s dramatic fallout with Donald Trump has drawn attention, other tech titans have quietly spent years positioning themselves to shape Washington. Few have built deeper influence than Marc Andreessen.
The California-based venture capitalist, long a donor to Democrats, has shifted allegiance and become a close ally of Trump. Andreessen says his transformation crystallized after being snubbed by former President Joe Biden at the White House last year.
Andreessen and his longtime investing partner Ben Horowitz—co-founders of Silicon Valley powerhouse Andreessen Horowitz (a16z)—had traveled to Washington concerned about Biden’s stance on cryptocurrency and hoping to discuss artificial intelligence (AI). Biden declined to meet them. Instead, they met with senior aides whose aggressive vision for AI regulation shocked the investors.
"We were like, ‘Oh my God, they’re going to kill us,’" Andreessen recalled on a podcast earlier this year. "‘They’re going to destroy our companies.’"
From that moment, Andreessen said, he became fully committed to supporting Trump.
Even before that pivotal White House visit, relations between the Biden administration and the tech industry had been strained. Biden appointed regulators like Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan to rein in Big Tech’s growing economic power. Meanwhile, broader societal shifts were underway: many Americans grew wary of social media and major technology firms, while some tech employees voiced opposition to how their leaders handled issues ranging from misinformation to war and immigration.
To many veteran tech figures, it was a bewildering reversal.
"You can see from Andreessen’s speeches and writings over the past few years that this is very personal—he feels hurt by all the criticism and pushback," said Margaret O’Mara, a University of Washington historian and professor of Silicon Valley. "They were used to being listened to. Not being heard deeply frustrates him."
Today, Andreessen is deeply embedded in the Trump administration, wielding influence over Washington’s culture. Like fellow Silicon Valley billionaires Musk and Peter Thiel, he has a network of more than half a dozen allies appointed to high-level roles overseeing industries and companies he backs.
"President Trump has promised to ensure America leads in artificial intelligence and other cutting-edge technologies that will define the 21st century, and the administration is committed to partnering with the private sector’s brightest minds to achieve this mission," said White House spokesperson Kush Desai.
Andreessen and former employees of a16z and its portfolio companies now serving in government did not respond to requests for comment.
Since Trump took office, companies tied to Andreessen have scored notable wins: the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) dropped civil enforcement actions against Coinbase Global Inc.; OpenAI was included in the planned $500 billion Stargate AI infrastructure project; defense tech startup Anduril will manage and manufacture new infantry goggles for the U.S. Army under a contract potentially worth over $20 billion.
Still, there are warnings that proximity to Trump does not guarantee favorable outcomes. Musk, once closely aligned with Trump as head of DOGE (Digital Office for Government Efficiency), recently publicly clashed with the president, who threatened to terminate SpaceX and Tesla government contracts. Coinbase faces a new SEC probe into whether it misrepresented user numbers—a holdover from the Biden era, according to Coinbase’s general counsel, who said it “should no longer continue.” And like many sectors, tech has suffered from Trump’s erratic tariff policies.
"They’ve put their eggs in what is a pretty fragile Trump basket," O’Mara said. "It’s a high-stakes gamble—it could pay off, or it could blow up."
Here are key areas where Andreessen is exerting influence in Washington:
Defense Technology
Goal: In 2022, a16z launched "American Dynamism," a national security-focused initiative investing primarily in defense tech startups—including firms building autonomous drones, aircraft, and vessels. Success depends on winning government contracts, which involve intense competition and lengthy, complex processes.
Andreessen Allies: Several former employees of Anduril, a16z’s flagship defense investment, have joined the government, including at the Pentagon. Michael Obadal, previously a senior director at Anduril, was nominated in March to become the Army’s second-highest civilian official. Another, Ryan Wunderly, formerly an engineer at Anduril, joined the Treasury Department’s DOGE unit.
Watch: According to PitchBook, from 2021 through early this year, the Pentagon’s innovation arm invested over $130 billion in defense tech startups—double the amount from the prior four years. From 2021 to August 2024, a16z backed 14 such companies, more than any other venture firm, per Crunchbase. Other major players in defense tech investing include Joe Lonsdale’s 8VC (co-founder of Palantir Technologies) and Thiel’s Founders Fund. Last week, Anduril announced its valuation had doubled to $30.5 billion in a funding round led by Founders Fund.
Cryptocurrency
Goal: Andreessen wants the government to encourage growth in the crypto industry and establish a permissive regulatory framework that normalizes digital assets in society. After Biden signed an executive order in 2022 calling for the “responsible development of digital assets,” Andreessen labeled the administration’s approach “terrorism,” claiming Biden sought to block crypto startup founders from accessing U.S. banking services—a claim federal officials denied.
Andreessen Allies: Brian Quintenz, who led a16z’s crypto policy efforts, has been nominated to lead the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), which regulates cryptocurrency. He has pledged to recuse himself for two years from matters directly involving a16z or its funds unless granted a waiver. The Senate held his confirmation hearing on Tuesday.
Watch: A Trump executive order aims to make the U.S. a “global hub for digital financial innovation,” ensuring crypto operates “free from restrictive regulations or unnecessary government interference.” Trump’s family business has already launched a meme coin and hinted at plans to purchase billions of dollars’ worth of bitcoin.
In Congress, Andreessen supports the GENIUS Act, which would set standards for stablecoins—digital currencies pegged to other assets. Another bill, the CLARITY Act, would increase transparency around rules for crypto trading platforms like Coinbase, reducing legal risk. Chris Dixon, a general partner at a16z, stated in a company release that they support both pieces of legislation.
Artificial Intelligence
Goal: Andreessen has made deep investments in dozens of AI companies and seeks favorable regulation so the industry can grow rapidly in the U.S. and outpace foreign competitors.
Andreessen Allies: Sriram Krishnan, who served as a general partner at a16z for four years, joined the White House as a senior AI policy advisor, working alongside David Sacks, Trump’s lead on cryptocurrency and AI. Sacks, a longtime ally of Musk and Thiel, frequently echoes Andreessen’s views on AI.
At the Department of Health and Human Services, 22-year-old a16z engineering fellow Peter Bowman-Davis, on leave from Yale, was named acting chief AI officer. In May, Wired reported that OpenAI had met with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to discuss potential collaboration, with Bowman-Davis participating in the agency’s discussions on AI initiatives.
Watch: On his first day in office, Trump revoked Biden’s 2023 executive order designed to create a federal regulatory framework for AI development. A tax bill passed by the House in May includes a provision that would prevent states from enacting new AI regulations over the next decade. More than 200 state lawmakers from both parties have urged Congress to repeal the measure.
In May, Krishnan accompanied Trump on talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Persian Gulf, alongside Horowitz, Musk, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Krishnan helped facilitate a deal to sell over a million Nvidia chips to the UAE. "This kind of ‘AI diplomacy’ will help lock in the American tech stack across the region," he posted on X. But concerns remain that computing power could shift away from the U.S.—and even end up in Chinese companies’ hands.
Other Connections
Andreessen has allies at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), effectively the federal government’s HR department. Trump’s pick to lead the agency is Scott Kupor, former managing partner at a16z, who lists himself on LinkedIn as the firm’s “employee #1.” OPM works closely with DOGE on federal workforce reductions.
Greg Hogan, formerly VP of infrastructure at Comma.ai—an a16z-backed company—is now CIO at OPM, overseeing data and cybersecurity. The Treasury Department’s new CIO, Sam Corcos, co-founder and former CEO of health-tracking startup Levels, received an a16z investment in August.
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