On this episode of "The Ben & Marc Show", a16z co-founders Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz sit down with legendary music producer and bestselling author Rick Rubin to explore the origin of his unexpected new creation: "The Way of Code"* Blending ancient philosophy and modern AI, The Way of Code reimagines the 3,000-year-old Tao Te Ching for the age of artificial intelligence, software, and “vibe coding.” What began as a viral tweet quickly evolved into a creative manifesto—part book, part tool, part spiritual operating system for the future. Joined by a16z General Partners Anjney Midha and Erik Torenberg, the group dives deep into: - How Rick became a meme for Vibe Coding —and then quickly wrote "The Way of Code" - Why AI is just another artistic tool - Remix culture, creativity, and collective consciousness - Why great founders and artists need to stay true to themselves With shout outs to punk rock, the collective unconscious, and Johnny Cash’s famed acoustic sessions, this conversation is a sprawling, soul-searching journey across music, philosophy, tech, and truth. We hope you enjoy this deeply personal and surprisingly practical conversation on how to live—and create—in the age of AI. *The Way of Code: https://www.thewayofcode.com/ “Tools will come and tools will go. Only the vibe coder remains.” - Rick Rubin Topics covered: 00:00 Intro: Rick Rubin and The Way of Code 03:18 Remix Culture and AI as Creative Tool 08:11 Finding Inspiration From the Tao Te Ching 10:03 How a Meme Led to Rick's Book 12:59 Vibe Coding is the Punk Rock of Software 17:35 Deep Fake Inversion and Wrestling Philosophy 24:40 Collective Unconscious and the 100th Monkey 28:05 Can AI Believe in God? 32:03 Is AI Creative or Mimicking? 37:24 Tuning Into Ourselves 43:05 Global Monoculture vs. Local Creativity 49:34 Putting AI in the Hands of Masters 57:26 Working With Johnny Cash 01:03:57 Relationship Between Art and Audience 01:09:47 How to Best Serve an Audience 01:17:05 Outro: Vibe With Yourself Listen to Us! Apple: https://bit.ly/3SdsfNt Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3SclPOr Resources: Watch the Tetragrammaton podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@tetragrammaton_now Rick on X: https://x.com/rickrubin Marc on X: https://x.com/pmarca Marc’s Substack: https://pmarca.substack.com/ Ben on X: https://x.com/bhorowitz Erik on X: https://x.com/eriktorenberg Erik's Substack: https://eriktorenberg.substack.com/ Anjney on X: https://x.com/AnjneyMidha Stay Updated: Find us on X: https://x.com/a16z Find us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z This information is for general educational purposes only and is not a recommendation to buy, hold, or sell any investment or financial product. Any investments or portfolio companies mentioned, referred to, or described in this podcast are not representative of all a16z investments and there can be no assurance that the investments will be profitable or that other investments made in the future will have similar characteristics or results. A list of investments made by a16z is available at https://a16z.com/investment-list/. All investments involve risk, including the possible loss of capital. Past performance is no guarantee of future results and the opinions presented cannot be viewed as an indicator of future performance. Before making decisions with legal, tax, or accounting effects, you should consult appropriate professionals. Information is from sources deemed reliable on the date of publication, but a16z does not guarantee its accuracy.