Welcome to “The Ben & Marc Show”, featuring a16z co-founders Ben Horowitz and Marc Andreessen. In this latest episode, Marc and Ben tackle the university system – a hot topic that’s been dominating the news over the past few months.
As Marc states at the top of the episode, universities matter tremendously to our world, but they’re currently in a state of crisis. In this one-on-one conversation, Ben and Marc take a “structural” look at higher education, diving deep into the twelve functions of the modern university. They also unpack the numerous challenges that universities face today – the student debt and the replication crisis, among them.
As colleges face an existential dilemma that could have long lasting repercussions, how can we find ways to improve these institutions, while being open to new entrepreneurial opportunities in education? Enjoy!
Topics Covered:
00:00:01 - Teaser
00:00:34 - Introduction
00:05:59 - Evolution of the modern university
00:13:39 - Marc's 12 functions of the university
00:19:22 - University as a credentialing agency
00:37:55 - The student loan crisis
00:45:26 - College tuition inflation vs. overall inflation (US CPI)
00:46:32 - Which college? Which degree?
00:51:24 - University as a research bureau
00:54:00 - Replication crisis
00:57:31 - Research and government funding
01:00:42 - Policy Think Tank
01:05:12 - Ben on the Roland Fryer case
01:09:07 - University as the moral instructor
01:11:29 - DEI and its side effects
01:25:27 - Student athlete scam
01:31:47 - University as adult day care
01:32:57 - Reverse CBT
01:34:55 - Campus justice systems
01:38:56 - The truth about accreditation
01:41:23 - The current existential threat to universities
01:49:50 - Key questions and entrepreneurial opportunities
01:55:43 - Sign
