Before
A founder whose startup, seed-funded personally by Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, struggled to find product-market fit. Then roughly three years as head of growth at Uber.
The move
Two things running in parallel for years. He published hundreds of essays on growth and distribution mechanics on his own blog, which built a public reputation for a specific expertise. Simultaneously he proved he could execute those mechanics at Uber's scale, which made the writing credible rather than theoretical. Writing alone is commentary; writing plus a matching operating record is a track record.
The turn
He joined Andreessen Horowitz directly as a general partner in 2015 straight out of Uber, with no associate or entrepreneur-in-residence step in between.
Timeline
- Founds a startup seed-funded by Andreessen and Horowitz personally
- Years of public essays on growth and distribution
- Roughly three years as head of growth at Uber
- 2015 joins a16z as a general partner
What this route asks
Deep expertise in one function, published consistently, and an operating seat that proves it. Worth stating plainly: the firm's founders had already backed him personally years earlier. The writing mattered, and the existing relationship removed most of the distance.