Ben horowitz is an entrepreneur and investor, cofounder of silicon valleybased venture capital firm andreessen horowitz also known as a16z, and the author of the hard thing about hard things, one of the best books for startup founders who want to know what to expect from their chosen path ben cofounded and served as ceo and president of opsware formerly loudcloud, which was bought by. Ben horowitz reutersstephen lam how to end the tech culture wars. Prior to a16z, ben was cofounder and ceo of opsware formerly loudcloud. Ben horowitz is a founding partner at andreessen horowitz a silicon valleybased venture capital firm. He is the author of the new york times bestsellers, the hard thing about hard things and what you do is who you are. He argues that no formula can promise entrepreneurial success. Mar 23, 2014 ben horowitz reutersstephen lam how to end the tech culture wars. He is a high technology entrepreneur and cofounder and general partner along with marc andreessen of the venture capital firm andreessen horowitz. Mar 24, 2014 a lot of people talk about how great it is to start a business, but only ben horowitz is brutally honest about how hard it is to run one. In the hard thing about hard things, ben horowitz shares his.
Leadin aint easy ben horowitz reveals what it takes. Ben horowitz is the cofounder and general partner of andreessen horowitz, a silicon valleybased venture capital firm that invests in entrepreneurs building the next. Horowitz writes about his experiences and insights from his career as a computer science student, software engineer, cofounder, ceo, and investor in a blog that is read by nearly ten million people. Ben horowitz on ipos from hell, the power of profanity, and why he. Benjamin abraham horowitz is an american businessman, investor, blogger, and author. Building a business when there are no easy answers.
Leadership with ben horowitz software engineering daily. The company was founded on a belief in the profound good. The hard thing about hard things book summary 12minapp. A lot of people talk about how great it is to start a business, but only ben horowitz is brutally honest about how hard it is to run one. A silicone valley company, which he later sold to hp for 1. Books recommended by marc andreessen the ceo library. Ben horowitz, the hard thing about hard things, page 274 written by billionaire ben horowtiz, founder and former ceo of opsware. He also created the a16z cultural leadership fund to. Horowitz cared so much about a great work environment for his employees that he considered a lack of 1 on 1s a fireable offense for the manager and. But as horowitz has very publicly elucidated, opsware looked like a goner more than once, including when one of its biggest clients shut down in the aftermath of the bubbles implosion. Ben horowitz on ipos from hell, the power of profanity. Ben horowitz author of the hard thing about hard things. Ben horowitz read the authors books online bookmate. Most business relationships either become too tense to tolerate or not.
His first job was at netlabs, which was run by professional management with little appreciation for the product or the technology. The hard thing about hard things summary by ben horowitz lets you know the essentials of building a business and making it work. Prior to a16z, ben was cofounder and ceo of opsware formerly. He is the author of the new york times bestseller, the hard thing about hard things, and the upcoming harper business book, what you do is who you are, available october 29th. Best books for becoming a good manager business insider. Jul 31, 2012 pandodaily founder and editorinchief sarah lacy chats with ben horowitz, cofounder of andreessenhorowitz, netscape, and opsware, to discuss his early years in silicon valley, the loudcloud. Once he left, he joined forces again with marc to create venture capital firm andreessen horowitz, which. Ben horowitz is an american businessman, investor, blogger, and author. Ben horowitz an american businessman, investor, blogger, and author. He is also famous for being an early employee of netscape and founder of a company called loudcloud and then opsware which he sold to hp for 1. The hard thing about hard things deals with the trials that ben horowitz encountered during his career as founder ceo to vc at andreessen horowitz. Building a business when there are no easy answers, a book about startu. Ben horowitz, a leading venture capitalist, modern management expert, and new york times bestselling author, combines lessons both from history and from modern organizational practice with practical and often surprising advice to help executives build cultures that can weather both good and bad times.
Previously he was cofounder and ceo of opsware, formerly loudcloud, which was acquired by hewlett. Before cofounding andreessen horowitz, he was cofounder and ceo of opsware. Venturecapital star ben horowitz weighs in on corporate. The real meat of the book is less about ben horowitz rise to silicon valley. Ben horowitz, his business partner, is the author of the hard thing about hard things, one of those mustread books for entrepreneurs. In the hard thing about hard things, ben concisely delivers. He also created the a16z cultural leadership fund to connect the greatest cultural. Jan 20, 2020 he and marc left netscape to cofound loudcloud eventually taking it public and transforming it into enterprise software company opsware. In april 2007 opsware acquired seattlebased iconclude and its runbook automation software in order to integrate datacenter management from endtoend. The book will explain to you why being a leader is one of the most difficult and lonely activities in the world, and how to cope with the stress and worries caused by such work ben horowitz is the founding partner of the venture company andreessen horowitz. Benjamin abraham horowitz born june, 1966 is an american businessman, investor. Dec 27, 2017 the hard thing about hard things summary by ben horowitz lets you know the essentials of building a business and making it work. Ben horowitz, at his company opsware, had to deal with the internet. Ben serves on the board of the following andreessen horowitz portfolio companies.
Horowitz was loudclouds and opswares president and chief executive officer for the entire history of the company. He and marc left netscape to cofound loudcloud eventually taking it public and transforming it into enterprise software company opsware. Oct 29, 2019 ben horowitz, a leading venture capitalist, modern management expert, and new york times bestselling author, combines lessons both from history and from modern organizational practice with practical and often surprising advice to help executives build cultures that can weather both good and bad times. He previously cofounded and served as president and chief executive officer of the enterprise software company opsware, which hewlettpackard acquired in 2007. Ben horowitz is the cofounder and general partner of andreessen horowitz, a silicon valleybased venture capital firm that invests in entrepreneurs building the next generation of leading technology companies. Many individuals talk about the fact that it is so extraordinary to begin a business, yet just ben horowitz is mercilessly legit about the fact that it is so difficult to run one. Bens father was a communist, and he grew at the peoples republic of berkeley. Ive made a list of six recommendations to get you on your way to sharing a favorite pastime with the likes of elon musk, mark zuckerberg, and oprah winfrey.
Entrepreneur and author known for being one of the cofounders of the massively successful venture capital firm andreessen horowitz. The hard thing about hard things pdf summary ben horowitz. Anthony horowitz has 179 books on goodreads with 1229190 ratings. Well, this is the scenario and adventure that ben horowitz tells in this masterpiece of digital entrepreneurship. Caffeine, databricks, foursquare, genius, lyft, magnet systems, medium, nationbuilder, okta, sisu, tanium, tripactions, united masters, and usermind.
Ben horowitz is a venture capitalist, management expert, and new york times bestselling author of the hard thing about hard things. The book gives practical advice on how to grow a company, find the right executives, and deal with the hard decisions along the way. The book is ben horowitz s memoir with a particular focus on his company opsware and the lessons he learned there. The hard thing about hard things pdf bookspdf4free. Before ben horowitz built one of the fastest growing venturecapital firms in silicon valleys history, he was a ceo on the perpetual brink of disaster. Horowitz writes about his experiences and insights from his career as a computer science student, software engineer, cofounder, ceo, and investor in a blog that is read by nearly 10 million people. The hard thing about hard things by ben horowitz ben horowitz is a founding partner at andreessen horowitz a silicon valleybased venture capital firm.
Previously horowitz was cofounder and ceo of opsware, formerly loudcloud, which was acquired by. In june 2002, horowitz began a transformation of loudcloud into opsware, an enterprise software company. This academic article focuses on strategic takeaways from the book the hard thing. Jun 29, 2018 but as horowitz has very publicly elucidated, opsware looked like a goner more than once, including when one of its biggest clients shut down in the aftermath of the bubbles implosion.
Ben horowitz the blog of author tim ferriss tim ferriss. Author ben horowitz is an entrepreneur, blogger, investor, and author, as well. Horowitz is the author of the hard thing about hard things. Generating revenues is a process that emerges from a right set of strategies. Sep 05, 2019 download the hard thing about hard things pdf by ben horowitz on 4 march 2014. In the hard thing about hard things, ben horowitz, cofounder of andreessen horowitz and one of silicon valleys most respected and experienced entrepreneurs, draws on his own story of founding, running, selling, buying, managing, and investing in technology. Ben horowitz started loudcloud with marc andreessen in 1999. Ben horowitz is a cofounder and general partner at the venture capital firm andreessen horowitz. Horowitz is a firstrate storyteller and a refreshingly irreverent teacher who uses allusions ranging from jay z to clint eastwood to dr. The hard thing about hard things free summary by ben horowitz. Previously he was cofounder and ceo of opsware, formerly loudcloud, which. He is the author of the new york times bestsellers, the hard thing about hard.
Ben horowitz is an entrepreneur and investor, cofounder of silicon valleybased venture capital firm andreessen horowitz also known as a16z, and the author of the hard thing about hard things, one of the best books for startup founders who want to know what to expect from their chosen path. He is also famous for being an early employee of netscape and founder of a company called loudcloud and then opsware which he sold. He is a technology entrepreneur and cofounder along with marc andreessen of the venture capital firm andreessen horowitz. Ben horowitz on the future of the internet economy a leading silicon valley venture capitalist suggests how to make a. So, in your book, loudcloud and opsware come across as businesses that were never more than a few days away from collapse. Book the hard thing about hard things ben horowitz think. While many people talk about how great it is to start a business, very few are honest about how. Our heroes are joined by michel feaster, who led both the acqu. The hard thing about hard things navy general library. The hard thing about hard things is one of the best books ive read recently and one of those books whose subject matter is unlikely to interest most of you, but the execution is so good that you ought to read it anyway. He also created the a16z cultural leadership fund to connect. Please enjoy this transcript of my interview with ben horowitz, a cofounder and general partner at the venture capital firm andreessen horowitz. He has also been featured in the wall street journal, the new york times, the new yorker, fortune, the economist, and bloomberg.
The hard thing about hard things ben horowitz book summary. Marc and ben have invested together, but also separately in around 45 tech startups, including twitter, before starting a16z together. Ben horowitz audio books, best sellers, author bio. As a ceo for loudcloud and then opsware, his experiences were. And he now is a venture capitalist, who funds mainly up.
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