Marc Andreessen
He helped put a graphical face on the internet, co-creating the first web browser that made the web visual and accessible to millions.
Born 1971 (age 55)·American businessman·Birthday: July 9·Generation X
Biography
Marc Andreessen didn't just surf the first wave of the web; he built the board. As a University of Illinois student in the early 1990s, he and colleague Eric Bina created Mosaic, a browser that transformed the internet from a text-based academic tool into a vibrant, image-filled space anyone could navigate. That spark ignited the commercial web era. He co-founded Netscape, whose public offering became a defining moment of dot-com mania. After Netscape's sale, Andreessen pivoted from engineering to investing, co-founding the influential venture firm Andreessen Horowitz. With a towering presence and often provocative public commentary, he has backed generations of tech startups, from social media to cryptocurrency, relentlessly betting on software's power to reshape the world. His political journey, from Democratic donor to an advisor for Donald Trump in 2024, mirrors his unpredictable and disruptive ethos.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Marc was born in 1971, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Marc Was Born
The biggest hits of 1971
#1 Movie
Fiddler on the Roof
Best Picture
The French Connection
#1 TV Show
Marcus Welby, M.D.
Marc's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1971Born
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1976Started school
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1984Became a teenager
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1987Could drive
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1989Could vote
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1992Turned 21
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
2001Turned 30
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2011Turned 40
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2021Turned 50
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
Gas: $3.01/galHome: $298,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Levitating" — Dua LipaBest Picture: CODA
2026Age 55 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Co-authored Mosaic, the first widely used web browser with integrated graphics, fundamentally changing how people accessed the internet.
- Co-founded Netscape Communications, whose 1995 IPO ignited the dot-com boom and brought the web into mainstream business.
- Co-founded the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, which became a dominant force in Silicon Valley, investing in companies like Facebook, Airbnb, and Coinbase.
- Co-founded and sold the software company Opsware to Hewlett-Packard for a reported $1.6 billion in 2007.
Did You Know?
He coded the first version of Mosaic while working at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA).
Andreessen is known for his essay "Why Software Is Eating the World," published in the Wall Street Journal in 2011.
He was the first non-founder member of the board of directors at Facebook, joining in 2008.
Andreessen famously has a portrait of former U.S. President Andrew Jackson in his office, whom he has cited as an inspiration for disruptive thinking.
““Software is eating the world.””
