E11: Katherine Boyle on Building Companies, Families, and Careers

"Upstream" with Erik Torenberg

Erik Torenberg sits down with Katherine Boyle, a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz where she invests in companies that promote American dynamism. Erik and Katherine discuss the private sector versus the public sector, the American dream in conflict with the rise of therapeutic culture, and how to reinstill a love of public service. If you’re looking for an ERP platform, check out our sponsor, NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/UPSTREAM

If you enjoyed this podcast you listen to Katherine's recent Moment of Zen episode next, where she discusses founder mentality, Twitter, SpaceX, and more ( https://link.chtbl.com/moz)

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We're hiring across the board at Turpentine and for Erik's personal team on other projects he's incubating. He's hiring a Chief of Staff, EA, Head of Special Projects, Investment Associate, and more. For a list of JDs, check out: eriktorenberg.com.

TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Episode preview

(03:21) What is American Dynamism?

(05:49) How should VC’s view China?

(08:03) We aren’t seeing China as an ally anymore

(10:19) Private vs public sector

(13:23) Why the public sector won’t build the next SpaceX

(16:35) Sponsors: Secureframe | Marketerhire

(20:00) Tradeoffs with privatization

(26:20) How to reinstill a love for public service

(31:02) Where Katherine differs from Balaji

(33:39) What can we learn from China

(36:13) Building is a political philosophy

(35:56) Katherine’s family background

(38:47) America is where you can escape your past

(40:29) We are a nation of families moreso than individuals

(42:40) What Katherine learned from being an au pair

(44:48) The rise of therapeutic culture

(50:38) What to do about struggling men

(59:32) The problems of delaying adulthood

(1:07:42) The problems of optionality

(1:11:07)How religion informs her work and life

TWITTER:

Katherine’s Twitter: @KTmBoyle

A16z’s Twitter: @a16z

Erik’s Twitter: @eriktorenberg

Upstream : @upstream__pod

LINKS:

American Dynamism: https://a16z.com/american-dynamism/

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This show is produced by Turpentine: a network of podcasts, newsletters, and more, covering technology, business, and culture — all from the perspective of industry insiders and experts. We’re launching new shows every week, and we’re looking for industry-leading sponsors — if you think that might be you and your company, email us at [e-mail].