a16z launches Horowitz Andreessen Academy, betting on project-based learning for the AI era
a16z · youtube · 2026-09-22
Ben Horowitz and Erik Torenberg sit down with Udemy co-founder Gagan Biyani to launch the Horowitz Andreessen Academy: a for-profit, San Francisco-based school built around building real projects rather than studying about building.
Key points:
- Philosophy: learning by doing — students ship real projects, develop people skills, and work alongside companies and builders in SF.
- Not a college replacement, but a different path for young people who already know they want to build.
- Design choices discussed: why a separate company, why for-profit (making the student the customer), curiosity-driven pull-based learning.
- AI thesis: being young may be unusually powerful right now; judgment and people skills are the durable advantages textbooks can't teach.
- Includes why California and what success looks like five years out.
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