[bodecker]

Congrats to the folks involved.

Even knowing this is partly motivated by branding/marketing, it's great to see a16z getting more aligned with solving real pain points (vs crypto and churning out shallow media in recent years). Hope they can keep it up and hopefully more "thought leaders"/VCs follow suit. Best of luck.

[jacquesm]

No, they're still saving the world, only now not through crypto but through AI...

https://a16z.com/2023/06/06/ai-will-save-the-world/

[bodecker]

Of course - there will always be investors/influencers pushing narratives to hype their bets. IMO everyone is better off when the hype is grounded in solving real pain points, which the AI projects I've seen seem to be closer to than most of the crypto projects I've seen.

Certainly there are plenty of grifters in AI too (as with any gold rush) and many AI efforts will fizzle out. But it seems there is more real value being created here than in crypto, which is the main thing I'm excited about and hope to see more of

[skeeter2020]

this just seems like a cost-effective attempt to buy credibility and stay relevant, but I'm a crusty, old curmudgeon so what do I know.

[bodecker]

Agreed, but IMO it's their job to do stuff like this (and prob unrealistic to expect a world where it doesn't exist). I'd rather see a higher percentage of marketing for things that have more real value vs. less

[calderwoodra]

I agree this initiative helps solve real pain points, and I'm not trying to defend "Crypto" with my question here but isn't solving a "real pain" kinda subjective? For example, many people/companies have the real pain/need to improve ad click-through-rates and reduce crypto/gas fees but maybe these aren't problems you care about.

[bodecker]

Agreed, "real pain" is a subjective/vague term and even crypto is a broad term. My intended use here is to describe solutions that are more grounded/integrated into reality vs. more grounded in a fantasy of how the world works. It is hard to describe well though and if you keep unrolling most perceptions of reality are subjective

[samstave]

Solving pain point == A problem we can profit from. Always has been.

Plus A16Z has some questionable motives in general based on previous comments by them...

[calderwoodra]

I guess sometimes a pain can exist without a profit, there's only a small number of people willing to solve those pains without a profit incentive though (pro bono lawyers, doctor's without borders, etc).