Yes, indeed HN is glorified marketing and networking for YC :)
But I think a16z has spent a lot more time and money on their marketing efforts, especially as it relates to crypto. I for one am sick of hearing news stories, only to find that they're thinly veiled a16z marketing pitches for crypto scams.
If you define it widely as "people writing about things they have a vested interest in", maybe. In a16z's case they went out of their way to stand up media pipelines a few years back.
It isn't even unique to VCs or businesses. Most personal blogs are glorified marketing. Often it's people trying to establish their credibility in some domain.
But I think a16z has spent a lot more time and money on their marketing efforts, especially as it relates to crypto. I for one am sick of hearing news stories, only to find that they're thinly veiled a16z marketing pitches for crypto scams.