Exclusive: Anne Neuberger joins a16z to lead global affairs
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Anne Neuberger, the former U.S. deputy national security advisor for cyber and emerging technologies, has joined Andreessen Horowitz as a fulltime partner and the firm's first head of global affairs, Axios has learned exclusively.
Why it matters: This reflects the growing interconnectivity of tech and geopolitics, particularly as sectors like defense-tech become key to venture portfolios.
- Plus the growing influence of sovereign wealth funds, both as limited partners and co-investors.
Zoom in: Neuberger plans to hire a team with experience around the world, and initially will focus on a16z's growth-stage companies.
- She had been a part-time advisor to a16z since last summer.
What they're saying: "I spent a lot of time over the last two years visiting almost every country in the world, trying to put together our international strategy, and something you realize is that you need relationships with the governments," firm co-founder Ben Horowitz tells Axios. "And we didn't have anybody in the firm who had those relationships at the level Anne does or with her skill set."
- Neuberger adds: "Countries don't just want to buy American tech. They want to build with us."
The intrigue: Neuberger was a senior official in the Biden administration, whereas both Horowitz and partner Marc Andreessen famously supported President Trump in 2024 — arguing that Trump was better for their "Little Tech Agenda."
- More importantly, she worked on an AI executive order that seems to have been their breaking point with Biden.
- Neuberger acknowledged the a16z/Biden rift, but implied that she wasn't fully on board with the EO — believing it focused on aI risks to the effective exclusion of AI benefits.
- Horowitz downplayed Neuberger's role in the EO, adding that a16z regularly had worked with her on national security issues and "she was just fantastic ... super fucking smart."
The bottom line: When a16z began 17 years ago, it was intentionally insular. Its team was all in Silicon Valley and most of its deals were driveable. Now the firm, which recently announced plans to open a Tokyo office, has gone global.
