On Tuesday, venture capital firm Andreesen Horowitz (also known as a16z) finally unveiled Future, an initiative described as being a new “media

A16z Launched Its 'Future' Blog by Arguing Financial Speculation Is Good for Society

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2021-06-17 13:30:10

On Tuesday, venture capital firm Andreesen Horowitz (also known as a16z) finally unveiled Future, an initiative described as being a new “media property.” The company, which already publishes blog posts and a podcast, appears to be attempting to offset  supposedly negative tech coverage with a more optimistic, forward-looking spin.

"We are pro-tech, pro-markets, pro-innovation. But we are also ‘informed optimists,’ not freewheeling futurists making predictions without any skin in the game," Future's "Pitch Us" page reads. "So even for ideas that seem like science fiction, we want to see some logic or concrete evidence—a breakthrough in science, technology, engineering, or other rationale—that indicates what makes it possible. And our editorial bar is high: We will review and edit for credibility, precision, and proportionality of claims."

Among the investment firm’s first articles is a piece arguing for why speculative bubbles are actually great because of the networking opportunities or and another simply titled “Speculation Is Necessary. Governments Can Help,” which argues that financial speculation is innate and that governments shouldn’t be “wasting resources on initiatives aiming to eradicate speculative manias,” but rather channel that energy. The vast majority of the first batch of articles come from venture capitalists, tech executives, crypto advocates, and other well-placed industry insiders who have a vested interest in “building” a certain technological future.

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