Amjad Masad, founder and CEO of Replit, joins a16z’s Marc Andreessen and Erik Torenberg to discuss the new world of AI agents, the future of programming, and how software itself is beginning to build software. They trace the history of computing to the rise of AI agents that can now plan, reason, and code for hours without breaking, and explore how Replit is making it possible for anyone to create complex applications in natural language. Amjad explains how RL unlocked reasoning for modern models, why verification loops changed everything, whether LLMs are hitting diminishing returns, and if “good enough” AI might actually block progress toward true general intelligence. 00:00 Intro 00:37 Programming in Plain English 03:00 The Vision Behind Replit 05:15 From Machine Code to English Code 07:00 Building Apps with AI Agents 09:30 When the Agent Becomes the Programmer 11:00 Long-Horizon Reasoning and Coherence 13:45 Reinforcement Learning and Problem Solving 17:30 The Verification Loop and Multi-Agent Systems 21:15 Watching AI Work Like a Human Programmer 23:45 From Stochastic Parrots to Real Reasoning 26:00 Why Coding Is Advancing Faster Than Other Fields 30:15 Verifiable Domains: Math, Code, and Physics 33:45 The AGI Debate: Are We on Track? 37:45 Transfer Learning and the Limits of Human Intelligence 41:15 Functional AGI and Automating Labor 45:20 GPT-5, Diminishing Returns, and Lost “Humanity” 53:10 Creativity, Reasoning, and Finding Truth in AI 57:30 The Origins of Replit and Early Coding Days 01:03:00 Hacking His University and Getting Caught 01:08:00 The Redemption and Lessons Learned for the AI Age Stay Updated: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends! Resources: Follow Amjad on X: https://x.com/amasad Follow Marc on X: https://x.com/pmarca Find a16z on X: https://x.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX Listen to the a16z Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://x.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.