Why don't trees have eyes? Because they don't move. Movement creates the need for perception. This idea is at the heart of why AI needs spatial intelligence, and it's also at the heart of @drfeifei and @theworldlabs' thinking about the future of AI.

.@pmarca on the risks of wanting to be liked as an entrepreneur:

@embirico, one of Codex's product leads at @OpenAI, offered two pieces of advice: 1. Computer science isn't dead because software isn't dead. AI will drive more software development, and we'll still need software engineers. 2. Combine computer science skills with AI skills. AI can create software that wasn't worth developing before. "Sometimes, Codex won't even bother to do something. They'll just do it, or get about 90% done and then say, 'You know what? I'm excited to finish that last 10%. Let's merge it.' And then, something happens that wouldn't have happened otherwise." @AnjneyMidha

Throughout history, humans have shared the same three-dimensional world. @drfeifei, co-founder of @theworldlabs, says spatial intelligence now enables us to generate and recreate infinite universes for creativity, travel, storytelling, and even social interaction. "It will suddenly allow us to live in a multiverse."

@pmarca on cults and meaning: "We're still essentially cults. We're just at one thousandth or one millionth the intensity." "We're trying to fill a void. And that void is a void of connection." "We have no roots. We have no center. We all feel it." Marc recommends Fustel de Coulanges's "The Ancient City" for more on this topic.

Generate persistent 3D worlds from a single image, bigger and better than ever before! We're excited to share our latest achievements and invite you to try our world generation model in a limited beta preview.

Phota Labs is proud to announce: We're building personalized visual GenAI, unlocking a new era in photography. Because creating memories should be easy, personal, and engaging, accessible to everyone. We're thrilled to partner with @a16z (@stuffyokodraws) to share our $5.6 million seed round led by @a16z (@stuffyokodraws), along with @Figma Ventures, @AGIHouseSF, and creatives @rauchg, @sabrinahahn, @jon_barron, and @sylviawangv. Now, anyone can enter a prompt and create a stunning photo: perfect light, perfect face, perfect scene. But these aren't your life; they're all the same. At Phota Labs, we're betting on a different path: The most valuable GenAI won't be massive, but personalized. We're building models based on you, your moments, your reality. Unprecedented, you can reimagine the angle, lighting, and feel of your photographs while remaining true to the moment. Photography has never been about how we create, but about how we remember. Read more about Phota Labs below.

What if we could manipulate biology as quickly and easily as we manipulate software? That's what @pdhsu and @arcinstitute are betting on. Science is slow because biology is the most complex system we study, and we don't speak its native language (DNA). These limitations are beyond our control. But science is also slow because of research fragmentation, misaligned incentives, and a lack of collaboration—all of which we can control. Arc is rethinking this model by creating an environment that increases the "collision frequency" among scientists across disciplines, allowing them to collaborate more naturally. They are also building computational tools like virtual cell models that could accelerate discovery, just as AlphaFold has transformed protein science. On the @a16z podcast, @eriktorenberg and I sat down with Patrick for what I believe is a definitive conversation about the future of science and biotechnology.

🇺🇸 We are launching the Dynamic Technology Defense Reform Initiative to rebuild America's defense industrial base and secure the future of our national security through innovation. Dozens of voices from across the tech and defense ecosystems stand with us, believing that the United States faces a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reform defense procurement and reshape how we defend our nation. The Pentagon has invested trillions of dollars, yet our fleet is shrinking, weapons deliveries are delayed and over budget, and our forces lack the tools they need to fight and win. In conflicts with adversaries, we can run out of critical munitions within a week. This is happening because decades ago, the Pentagon abandoned market principles in favor of central planning, five-year plans, and thousands of pages of regulations. This decision eliminated the profit motive, penalized innovation, rewarded bureaucracy, and drove entrepreneurs and venture-backed companies out of the defense industrial base. We believe the only way forward is to restore market principles and open defense procurement to any American company capable of delivering. The reforms we advocate for in this initiative are clear and actionable: - Make commercial solutions the default option for defense acquisitions - Empower leaders to procure products that meet mission needs, not pre-planned products from years ago - Reform legacy performance-based rules to reward performance, not incumbency - Expand the definition of non-traditional contractors to enable startups to serve the warfighter - Align acquisition incentives with speed, efficiency, and accountability These changes will unleash innovation, expand the defense industrial base, and return the United States to the system that helped win World War II and established technological superiority during the Cold War. We do this because production is deterrence. Reform is survival. The United States must build a new defense system that rewards innovation, advances rapidly, and ensures peace through strength.

Dig deeper with our portfolio, policymakers, and other leading thinkers about defense reform and why we need to act now.