a16z Co-Founder Marc Andreessen Aids Recruitment for Elon Musk’s DOGE

Marc Andreessen, co-founder of venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), is aiding Elon Musk in recruiting for the Department for Government Efficiency (DOGE), a cost-cutting advisory body co-chaired by Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, as reported by the Financial Times on Thursday.

Scoop: Marc Andreessen, the billionaire co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz, is helping interview and identify candidates for the Department for Government Efficiency despite having no formal role in the new advisory body https://t.co/SHToxXsDQt pic.twitter.com/kU5Ph5sJLn

— Financial Times (@FT) December 5, 2024

Andreessen is leveraging his network to find qualified candidates for the initiative under the incoming Trump administration.

Two people familiar with the talent search, despite Andreessen having no formal role at DOGE, revealed that Andreessen is actively recommending candidates from his network.

The report indicated that Andreessen’s involvement in the recruitment process reflects his existing ties with Elon Musk.

The DOGE advisory body has also publicly sought applicants through a post on its official X account, calling for “super high-IQ small-government people” willing to work on cost-cutting initiatives.

Trump, Tech, and the Influence of Andreessen

Andreessen’s influence on Trump’s policy decisions has also been noted.

In a recent announcement, Trump criticized major tech companies, writing: “Big Tech has run wild for years, stifling competition in the tech sector and, as we all know, using its market power to crack down on the rights of so many Americans, as well as those of Little Tech!”

Amazing. Federal government officials in roles like these have spent 30 years trying to sabotage, destroy, and outlaw exactly this kind of encryption. Are they finally going to stop doing that? pic.twitter.com/7ejAx8Bpo4

— Marc Andreessen 🇺🇸 (@pmarca) December 4, 2024

The term “Little Tech,” referring to start-ups, has been popularized by Marc Andreessen.

Andreessen Horowitz declared in July that its “political efforts as a firm are entirely focused on defending Little Tech.”

Financial Times Recants on Bitcoin Coverage

In other Financial Times coverage, the publication addressed its past reporting on Bitcoin following the cryptocurrency’s price surpassing $100,000.

FT Alphaville, a Financial Times column, revisited its previously critical stance on Bitcoin, which it had described as a “negative-sum game” with limited practical utility.

Hodlers: an apology https://t.co/aDJdYXuCQD

— FT Alphaville (@FTAlphaville) December 5, 2024

The column’s authors offered a qualified apology, stating, “We’re sorry if at any moment in the past 14 years you chose based on our coverage not to buy a thing whose number has gone up.”