Uber exec Andrew Chen leaving for Andreessen Horowitz
Andrew Chen. Photo courtesy of Andreessen Horowitz.
Andrew Chen is stepping down as head of growth at Uber, in order to join venture firm Andreessen Horowitz as a general partner.
Why it matters: Chen is as well-known in Silicon Valley for his thoughtful business writing as for his work as an executive.
Four things to know:
He began his professional career as a Seattle-based analyst at Mohr Davidow Ventures.
His real claim to fame came from the hundreds of online essays he published, with a focus on go-to-market strategies. Among the terms he popularized was "growth hacker."
Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz reached out to Chen in 2007, when they were still just angel investors:
Chen comes from Uber and Andreessen Horowitz is an investor in Lyft, but Ben Horowitz tells Axios: "The single most important characteristic for a partner here is integrity. He was very clear that confidential information is just that and I wouldn't hire someone who would share information with a competitor, even after he left."
