Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), one of Silicon Valley’s most influential venture capital firms, has paused its Talent x Opportunity (TxO) fund which was created to support founders from underserved backgrounds. The move, first reported by TechCrunch, includes layoffs of several staff members from the TxO team. On October 16, participants received an email from Kofi Ampadu, the a16z partner who led TxO, announcing the pause: “While [TxO’s] purpose has not changed, we are pausing our existing program to refine how we deliver on it.” The Talent x Opportunity Fund a16z launched
This week on Techish, Michael and Abadesi break down DeepSeek, China’s open-source AI rival, what the rise in AI agents means for jobs, and Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) hiring Daniel Perry, the man who placed Jordan Neely in a lethal chokehold on a NYC subway. They also discuss Kendrick Lamar’s Grammy sweep for his Drake diss track and why Bianca Censori, Kanye West’s wife, never seems to be wearing any clothes. Chapters 00:30 The Rise of Deepseek: A Game Changer in AI 07:33 Job Ads for AI Agents 12:55 Kendrick Wins
