{"podcast":{"title":"The a16z Show","slug":"the-a16z-show-436525","podcast_index_feed_id":436525,"rss_url":"https://feeds.simplecast.com/JGE3yC0V","website_url":"https://a16z.simplecast.com","image_url":"https://image.simplecastcdn.com/images/0d97354a-306b-45f5-bf26-a8d81eef47ec/ed2664df-9371-438e-8baf-dd2ee0fdde87/3000x3000/thea16zshow-podcastcoverart-3000x3000.jpg?aid=rss_feed","author":"a16z","episode_count":1000,"summary":"The a16z Show discusses tech and culture trends, news, and the future – especially as ‘software eats the world’. It features industry experts, business leaders, and other interesting thinkers and voices from around the world. This show is produced by Andreessen Horowitz (aka “a16z”), a Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm. Multiple episodes are released every week; visit a16z.com for more details and to sign up for our newsletters and other content as well!","last_synced_at":"2026-08-01T18:20:08.038180+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-a16z-show-436525"},"episode":{"title":"Building Blackstone, Backing Costco, with Tony James","slug":"building-blackstone-backing-costco-with-tony-james","published_at":"2026-05-05T10:00:12+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-a16z-show-436525/building-blackstone-backing-costco-with-tony-james","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-a16z-show-436525","url":"https://a16z.simplecast.com/episodes/building-blackstone-backing-costco-with-tony-james-TqmmrXcA","audio_url":"https://mgln.ai/e/1344/afp-848985-injected.calisto.simplecastaudio.com/3f86df7b-51c6-4101-88a2-550dba782de8/episodes/293642ae-8e65-440d-8a75-d6a3c9ed0eca/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=3f86df7b-51c6-4101-88a2-550dba782de8&awEpisodeId=293642ae-8e65-440d-8a75-d6a3c9ed0eca&feed=JGE3yC0V","summary":"David Haber speaks with Tony James about building enduring firms across multiple eras of finance. From joining DLJ when it was a subscale firm to helping grow Blackstone into one of the largest asset managers in the world, James reflects on the decisions, structures, and cultural principles that enabled long-term success. They discuss the origins of leveraged buyouts, the evolution of private markets, and how identifying structural opportunities early can create lasting competitive advantage. James also shares lessons from backing companies like Costco, where culture, customer focus, and long-term thinking drove exceptional outcomes. The conversation covers leadership, talent development, and the challenges of scaling organizations while maintaining performance. James also reflects on succession, firm-building, and why culture, incentives, and alignment ultimately determine whether an organization compounds or stagnates.","meta_description":"David Haber speaks with Tony James about building enduring firms across multiple eras of finance. From joining DLJ when it was a subscale firm to helping…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":5028,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-a16z-show-436525/episodes/building-blackstone-backing-costco-with-tony-james/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-a16z-show-436525/building-blackstone-backing-costco-with-tony-james.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}