Episode

AI Infrastructure, Distribution, and the Next Wave of Software

Podcast: AI + a16z
Published: May 12, 2026
Duration seconds: 2321
Processing state: not_requested
Canonical source: https://ai-a16z.simplecast.com/episodes/ai-infrastructure-distribution-and-the-next-wave-of-software-4cCBe_Mt
Audio: https://mgln.ai/e/1344/afp-848985-injected.calisto.simplecastaudio.com/112866f3-1a50-4a8d-b12e-850b73e71b33/episodes/fcf69858-2a4d-4d12-8ea2-50a933d95760/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=112866f3-1a50-4a8d-b12e-850b73e71b33&awEpisodeId=fcf69858-2a4d-4d12-8ea2-50a933d95760&feed=Hb_IuXOo
JSON: /v1/public/podcasts/ai-a16z-6874937/episodes/ai-infrastructure-distribution-and-the-next-wave-of-software
Markdown: /podcast/ai-a16z-6874937/ai-infrastructure-distribution-and-the-next-wave-of-software.md

Actions

POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/ai-a16z-6874937/episodes/ai-infrastructure-distribution-and-the-next-wave-of-software/transcription-requests
Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/ai-a16z-6874937/ai-infrastructure-distribution-and-the-next-wave-of-software.md
Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

Summary

Sophie Buonassisi speaks with Jennifer Li, General Partner at a16z, about why infrastructure is becoming one of the most important areas in AI. They discuss how the shift to AI-native systems is reshaping everything from storage and compute to developer tooling and orchestration. The conversation explores early insights from companies like ElevenLabs, why distribution has become the defining advantage in AI, and how founders can think about product, research, and go-to-market in a rapidly evolving landscape. Jennifer also shares her perspective on creative tools, the role of AI in storytelling, and what the next phase of the ecosystem may look like. This episode originally aired on the GTMnow Podcast.