Amazon

a16z Partner: Hollywood Is Secretly Replacing Films With AI

Jul 23, 2026 · 50:27

Justine Moore, a16z partner and early backer of ElevenLabs, explains why AI microdramas — short, vertical soap operas — are becoming the fastest-growing entertainment format, with China's microdrama market now larger than its domestic box office. She argues model quality has reached 90-95% of filming, making it cheaper and faster, and professional storytellers are now using it to create compelling narratives. Amazon and Netflix have announced programs for fully AI-generated animations. ElevenLabs, which she backed at Series A, has crossed $500M in ARR. She highlights consumer agents like Town that automate tasks such as warm intros and expense forwarding, and sees the biggest opportunity in serving less technically sophisticated users and vertical industries like marketing and architecture.

THIS COST US $1.7 BILLION

Feb 8, 2026 · 1:02:31

Colin Angle, iRobot founder, recounts the 33-year journey from MIT's 'artificial insect' lab to the $1.7 billion Amazon acquisition that the FTC blocked, calling it a political move that damaged the innovation economy. He explains how Roomba combined mine-hunting algorithms, industrial cleaning tech, and toy manufacturing, and how a Dave Chappelle Pepsi commercial saved the company from 250,000 unsold units. The FTC's anti-M&A attitude froze iRobot for 18 months, preventing it from adapting to market changes, which ultimately led to bankruptcy. Now he's launching Familiar Machines and Magic to apply AI-powered robotics to elder care and wellness, aiming to build the robots we were promised beyond floor cleaning.