A16z Spends $1.49m In Washington Lobbying, While Rivals Mostly Sit Out

Andreessen Horowitz’ scheme to push its schedule successful Washington shows nary motion of slowing down, pinch nan patient reporting $1.49 cardinal successful national lobbying truthful acold this year, according to lobbying records revenge pinch Congress. A16z is moreover narrowly outspending its ain manufacture waste and acquisition group, nan National Venture Capital Association.

The gait of lobbying appears to beryllium accelerating from past year, according to a TechCrunch reappraisal of lobbying disclosures. A16z spent $1.8 cardinal connected lobbying successful each of 2024 and $950,000 successful 2023. 

A16z’s lobbying strategy stands retired among awesome VC firms, astir of which still study small to nary national lobbying. Sequoia Capital has reported conscionable $120,000 year-to-date, while General Catalyst is astatine $500,000 for nan aforesaid period. By comparison, a16z’s walk is conscionable up of nan NVCA’s $1.40 million.

In consequence to questions, an a16z personification referred TechCrunch to articles written by nan firm’s co-founders connected its views connected argumentation and nan “Little Tech” agenda. In 1 December 2023 article, co-founder Ben Horowitz said nan patient was non-partisan and one-issue voters: “If a campaigner supports an optimistic technology-enabled future, we are for them. If they want to choke disconnected important technologies, we are against them.” 

The firm’s in-house lobbying squad is tasked pinch influencing lawmakers connected a wide scope of issues, from digital-asset regulation, stablecoins, and AI. While a16z’s moves to style laws astir crypto is good documented, nan lobbying disclosures show really nan patient has group moreover much eager sights connected shaping nan country’s defense priorities. 

Defense makes its first definitive quality successful a16z’s 3rd 4th study from 2023, which added nan National Defense Authorization Act arsenic a circumstantial lobbying issue. The patient has continued to lobby connected nan yearly defense argumentation measure successful consequent quarters.

The National Security Council shows up for nan first clip successful a filing covering nan 2nd 4th of 2024 and remains connected nan database this year, a awesome that nan patient is framing questions connected finance and tech on nationalist information lines.

Although patient co-founders Marc Andreessen and Horowitz staked their support connected President Donald Trump successful nan past election, nan in-house argumentation squad is notably bipartisan, pinch authorities affairs leaders recruited from some sides of nan aisle.

The summation successful spending comes arsenic a16z makes a much fierce push into regulated industries, for illustration defense and nan business base, some of which are attraction areas of nan American Dynamism practice, and hot-button technologies for illustration AI. The patient has paired this push pinch bringing connected in-house argumentation talent; past week, erstwhile lawman nationalist information advisor Anne Neuberger joined arsenic a elder advisor focused connected “American Dynamism, AI, and cyber,” Horowitz said connected X.

Lobbying dollars don’t neatly correlate pinch influence, however. 

Founders Fund, for example, reports small to nary national lobbying, yet its web has outsized entree successful nan Pentagon and White House. Partner Trae Stephens helped lead nan 2016 DOD transition and was floated successful 2024 for Deputy Secretary of Defense, while Michael Kratsios, a longtime Thiel Capital aide, served arsenic Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering successful 2020 and is now nan subject advisor to nan President.

Venture costs tin power authorities successful different ways. In parallel to registered lobbying, nan patient besides channels money done political-action committees (PACs). Most recently, the Wall Street Journal reported that a16z is helping backmost a caller pro-AI web of PACs called Leading nan Future.