a16z general partner David Haber talks to John Stecher, Chief Technology Officer at Blackstone, where he advances cutting-edge technology, heads up innovation investing, and advises the firm’s investment teams and portfolio companies. The conversation covers how he decides whether to build tech in-house or partner with startups, what qualities he’s looking for in early stage companies, and how he sees AI impacting real estate, credit, energy, and ecommerce.
a16z general partner David Haber talks to John Stecher, Chief Technology Officer at Blackstone, where he advances cutting-edge technology, heads up innovation investing, and advises the firm’s investment teams and portfolio companies. The conversation covers how he decides whether to build tech in-house or partner with startups, what qualities he’s looking for in early stage companies, and how he sees AI impacting real estate, credit, energy, and ecommerce.
0:00-1:05 Intro
1:06-3:55 Changes in finance x tech over the past 2 decades
3:56-5:06 Investing in "themes" across asset classes
5:07-7:00 What the CTO role entails
7:01-9:00 "Build it" vs. "buy it": trade-offs
9:01-11:57 Advice for early stage companies
11:58-16:37 Ways Blackstone is incorporating generative AI
16:38-17:46 How AI changes the role of an analyst
17:47-21:04 Gen AI's impact on private equity, real estate, credit, more
21:05-22:54 How Blackstone will evolve over the next five years
22:55-23:26 Outro
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