Marc Andreessen and Amjad Masad: English As the New Programming Language

In this episode of the a16z Podcast, Erik Torenberg and Marc Andreessen interview Amjad Masad, CEO and founder of Replit, about the evolution of coding through AI agents. They discuss how AI is making programming more accessible by abstracting away the complexities of syntax, allowing users to describe their ideas in natural language and have AI agents generate the code. Masad explains how Replit's AI agents can now handle long-horizon reasoning, enabling them to perform complex tasks like building and testing entire applications. The conversation also explores the role of reinforcement learning and verification loops in improving AI's reasoning capabilities, as well as the potential for AI to democratize software creation. Finally, Masad shares his personal journey from hacking his university database in Jordan to founding Replit, highlighting his vision for the future of coding and AI.