In this conversation from the a16z New Media Summit, Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz join Gaby Goldberg and Erik Torenberg for a conversation on the present and future of media, including: - Why New Media favors offense over defense - How to go direct and tell a story that people care about - How to hire people who understand New Media - Why messaging matters first and distribution matters second - The skills founders need to become great communicators 00:00 Intro 00:54 Why authenticity wins in New Media 06:50 How traditional press has changed 11:50 Going direct & why founder-led branding matters 19:49 Picking your battles: When to fight back 23:37 Why being polarizing beats being liked 24:37 Hiring a team built for New Media 29:59 The founder messaging mistakes to avoid 33:42 Tell the bigger story: The Alex Karp playbook @pmarca @bhorowitz @eriktorenberg @gaby_goldberg(a16z)