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The tech billionaires behind a project to build a utopian new city in California's Bay Area have released the first artistic renderings of their ambitious plans. Previously known only as 'Flannery Associates,' the group rebranded as 'California Forever' and released the plans in a publicity blitz on Thursday night, following months of silence and speculation. Led by former Goldman Sachs trader Jan Sramek, the group's backers include Silicon Valley heavyweights such as LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, Andreessen Horowitz investor Marc Andreessen, and Steve Jobs' widow Laurene Powell Jobs. California Forever is now the largest landowner in Solano County, which is...

Travis Air Force Base and surrounding land in Solano County, Calif. Image: Google Maps Since 2017, a shadowy Silicon Valley company has bought up 52,000 acres of farmland around Travis Air Force Base in Solano County, Calif., totaling about $800 million.Flannery Associates is a company run by Jan Sramek, a 36-year-old former Goldman Sachs trader. Beyond that, nothing much is known of the company except that some of the most famous names in Silicon Valley have invested in a project being promoted by Flannery. Some backers include Marc Andreessen, Powell Jobs, Michael Moritz of Sequoia Capital, LinkedIn co-founder Reid...

Jack Dorsey blocked on Twitter by Marc Andreessen after Web3 comments The block comes after Dorsey criticized the venture capital industry and made several remarks about Andreessen Horowitz in particular. The entrepreneur said “Web3” — a potential new decentralized version of the internet based on blockchain — would be owned by rich VCs like Andreessen instead of “the people”. “I’m officially banned from Web3,” Dorsey tweeted Wednesday alongside a screenshot showing he had been blocked by Andreessen. SNIP

Speculation abounds over whether or not the pandemic-induced growth in homeschooling is temporary. While there are several signs indicating that parents won’t be sending their children back to public schools this fall, and homeschooling continues to be a popular choice, the question remains: for how long and to what extent?According to remarks by one prominent investor, this is just the beginning of a widespread shift away from conventional schooling models toward disruptive innovation in education–with homeschooling leading the way. “It certainly feels like we’re on the front end of a pretty dramatic homeschooling boom,” said Marc Andreessen, co-creator of the...

Facebook funder and Netscape co-founder says he is putting his money behind Mitt Romney.From Google to Facebook to Apple, the Silicon Valley has a long reputation for leaning left. But one man behind the scenes of several of the valley's most successful companies is tilting the other way. Netscape founder and tech entrepreneur Marc Andreessen said he is putting his financial support behind Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney in an interview with CNBC. "I turned 40 last year and so I figured it was time to make the switch," the Andreessen-Horowitz co-founder said. He said he previously supported Bill Clinton...