Alex Danco on Speechwriting, Blogging, and Giving Founders Power
🎯 Summary
Summary of Podcast Episode: Alex Tanco on Writing, Legitimacy, and the Future of Content at A16z
This episode features Alex Tanco, fresh off his move from Shopify to join Andreessen Horowitz (A16z), in conversation with the hosts of TbPian. The central narrative revolves around Tanco’s conviction in the enduring power of craft writing in an increasingly AI-saturated world, and how this craft serves as a critical tool for power transfer and establishing legitimacy in venture capital.
Key Discussion Points & Narrative Arc:
The conversation begins with the “trade deal” announcement—Tanco joining A16z—and a humorous anecdote about his negotiation demand (getting unblocked by Marc Andreessen on Twitter). Tanco then outlines his new role: to elevate the quality of all written content coming out of A16z to a “truly world-class” standard, leveraging his background as a long-time blogger and writer. He contrasts the current landscape of fleeting digital content (podcasts, tweets) with the enduring impact of deeply considered, crafted text.
Major Themes and Technical Concepts:
- Writing as Power Transfer Technology: Tanco posits that writing is a unique medium because the effort required by both the writer (to articulate complex thoughts) and the reader (to absorb them) results in a reshaping of understanding. This process allows the writer to transfer legitimacy and provide the reader with the precise words needed to express previously inchoate ideas, thereby granting them power.
- The Role of Legitimacy in VC: The job of a VC firm, Tanco argues, is to act as a “legitimacy bank” and make founders powerful. High-quality, thoughtful writing is a core mechanism for achieving this by providing founders with the language and credibility needed to secure clients, hires, or further investment.
- The AI Challenge and Craft Preservation: Tanco expresses concern that as AI generates more text, the market will become saturated with content lacking “soul and craft.” He believes that human-crafted writing, which demonstrates clear thinking and novel ideas, will become increasingly valuable as a differentiator.
- Underrated Medium: Speech Writing: Tanco identifies speech writing as a highly fertile, yet overlooked, craft. He contrasts the low-effort nature of podcasts with the “extraordinary amount of tortured effort” required to craft a definitive, long-form annual statement (e.g., a 5,000-word delivery). This type of content can set the tone for an entire year or firm.
Business Implications and Strategic Insights:
- Content Strategy at A16z: Tanco plans to focus on several existing high-impact content formats, including deal memos, market-defining op-eds (like “Software is Eating the World”), and the often-maligned but strategically important market maps.
- New Formats: He suggests speech writing could become a powerful alternative to the ubiquitous “launch video” meta, offering CEOs a chance to deliver a raw, powerful, and memorable message that signals conviction.
- Audience Dynamics: Tanco references the historical structure of blogging, where the primary audience reads the content, and the secondary audience spreads the message by retelling it. He notes that public feeds (Twitter, HN) have amplified the reach of this secondary audience but obscured the original trade-off.
Key Personalities and Context:
- Alex Tanco: The central figure, moving from Shopify to A16z to lead content strategy.
- A16z Partners: Mentioned include Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz, and Eric Torrenberg (who brought Tanco on board).
- Historical Context: Tanco references the “old VC blogging meta” featuring figures like AVC (Fred Wilson) and Mark Suster.
Predictions and Future Outlook:
Tanco predicts that the returns on high-quality writing and reading will never be higher, but they are becoming less obvious to achieve in the current digital environment. His mission is to re-establish A16z’s written output as a powerful, shining brand statement.
Actionable Advice:
For professionals seeking influence, the episode implicitly advises investing in the craft of clear, effortful writing as a means to build personal legitimacy and transfer valuable insights to an audience, especially as AI commoditizes lower-effort content.
🏢 Companies Mentioned
đź’¬ Key Insights
"What's happening now is we go even further past this, is that the returns to writing and reading have never been more valuable, but never been less obvious."
"I'll tell you what all bloggers know about writing is you have two audiences. The first audience is the people who actually read what you said, which is small. The second audience is the people that they tell that thing, because they get something out of retelling it."
"But there is something that is missing of the craft of putting in an extraordinary amount of tortured effort into creating, a 5,000-word delivery of what is it that you have to say this year?"
"I was reading some particularly sloppy AI-generated text. And I was just, I was like, yes, the models are going to get better. But in a few years, at what point is all the text that you're reading online and throughout your day just generated and there's no soul and craft put into it?"
"I like to think of it as that writing is power transfer technology, right?"
"As you put in the work to write and as you put in the work to read, what happens is actually reshapes your brain a little bit. It reshapes your understanding of what you're talking about in such a way that the person writing can actually transfer some legitimacy to the person reading."