Venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) is hoping to push pro-crypto and AI regulation forward with seemingly new strategy: Throwing money at politicians.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf a candidate supports an optimistic technology-enabled future, we are for them. If they want to choke off important technologies, we are against them,\u201d wrote Ben Horowitz, one of the firm\u2019s founders, in a Dec. 14 post, adding: <\/p>\n
Horowitz said it would be the \u201cfirst time\u201d a16z pursues the lobbying route to promote tech-friendly politicians. However, it reportedly held a fundraiser for a New York congressman in October 2022, according to Forbes.<\/p>\n
Horowitz, in particular, highlighted blockchain-based technologies and artificial intelligence as two technologies that can make for a better world.<\/p>\n
Decentralized technologies \u201cwill create a fairer, more inclusive economy\u201d than what the centralized Big Tech firms have achieved, Horowitz noted, while AI \u201chas the potential to uplift all of humanity\u201d to a standard of living never experienced before.<\/p>\n
Avalanche, Coinbase, Dapper Labs, Lido Finance, Nansen, OpenSea, Uniswap and Worldcoin are some of the cryptocurrency startups that a16z has invested in.<\/p>\n
Horowitz stressed that he isn\u2019t completely against regulation: \u201cHigh quality regulation can enable an industry to thrive while protecting consumers,\u201d but time and time again, we\u2019ve seen \u201cpoliticized regulation\u201d kill industries, he said.<\/p>\n
Horowitz said \u201cbig tech\u201d firms have been well represented in Washington D.C. but are more concerned with \u201cpreserving their monopolies\u201d than advocating for fair regulation. <\/p>\n
Related: <\/em><\/strong>Paris Hilton, a16z back IP ownership network Story Protocol<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n The tech-focused investment firm wrote its own \u201ctechno-optimist manifesto\u201d in October, which drew criticism from across the board for sharing several far-fetched opinions.<\/p>\n One of a16z\u2019s opinions was that \u201cany deceleration of AI [by way of regulation] will cost lives.\u201d <\/p>\n Finance columnist Jemima Kelly of the Financial Times was one of many who disagreed, arguing that \u201cunrestrained technological \u2018accelerationism\u2019 is a bad idea.\u201d <\/p>\n More than 2,600 tech leaders and researchers, such as Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak signed a petition to \u201cpause\u201d AI developments in March 2023, sharing concerns that AI can pose \u201cprofound risks to society and humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n