The Mind of Marc Andreessen

I’ve made a few visits to Andreessen Horowitz over the last two years, and each time paid little attention to the books on the wall to wall bookshelves in the lobby. Arriving a little early for an informal coffee meeting last November, I spent a few minutes reviewing the books, which ranged from histories (e.g. Ambrose’s D Day) to tech non-fiction (e.g. Innovator’s Dilemma) to self-help / how-tos (e.g. Learning Rails). When the partner I was meeting came out, I couldn’t help but ask: “Where do all the books come from? Partners bring them in?” “Oh no,” he said. “Those all belong to Marc. He's read all of them and has an uncanny memory for every one." He mentioned Marc believes that it's important to look at history for lessons on how to successfully build big companies. "We call that (the bookshelf) the mind of Marc Andreessen.”