The a16z Show · Wednesday, August 26, 2026
The discussion highlights that a renaissance for consumer AI builders is possible, but challenges remain. Consumers' reluctance to pay for software, the high marginal cost of AI distribution, the lack of an AI-native app store, and the need for better user interfaces are significant hurdles.
“And consumer, consumer has had a really cool couple of weeks.”
“You know, the first is consumers don't love paying for software. We've learned this lesson over and over again.”
“That is changing now because open weight models are dramatically cheaper and more performant.”
“You know, the second is we've never had an AI native distribution channel. There's no App Store for AI.”