Head of AI Policy @a16z. Fmr director of @UNC_TechPolicy and Facebook public policy.
Durham, NC
Joined September 2012
- Tweets996
- Following644
- Followers2.8K
- Likes2.7K
Matt Perault retweeted
America’s software leadership was built on openness. We have the same opportunity in AI.
If we want a competitive, secure AI ecosystem whose benefits extend far beyond a handful of companies, we need to preserve access to open-weight models.
Matt Perault retweeted
Did a quick hit on startups and DC with @MattPerault. We cover the regulatory machine that can kill smaller builders as they try to scale.
Politicians on both sides say they support startups. Then they back rules that make it harder for startups to build and compete.
That contradiction isn't an accident. It's the political economy of Little Tech.
@Collin_McCune and I unpack the structural forces behind it: the resource asymmetries, information gaps, and collective action problems that determine whose interests actually get represented when policy gets made.
The result is more concentrated markets and a playing field tilted toward incumbents that leaves everyone else with fewer choices, higher prices, and less innovation.
Matt Perault retweeted
Fun convo will @MattPerault from the @a16z policy team on why American Dynamism needs AI
“What things could we not build in the U.S. before that we could build now?”
@ESPriceWright joined me to discuss how AI can unlock building in America.
We cover how AI and robotics are changing the economics of manufacturing, and why AI is a defining factor in U.S. competitiveness in robotics, mining, energy, defense, data centers, and skilled industrial work.
Matt Perault retweeted
The state-level patchwork of AI laws is growing, and competition with China is intensifying—putting pressure on Congress to set a federal baseline.
Many stakeholders (including @a16z) have called for a national framework, and public support for AI regulation remains high and bipartisan.
In this piece, @MattPerault and I unpack what actually determines whether a bill moves—committee jurisdiction, floor time, leadership support, bicameral negotiations, and must-pass vehicles—and what that means for AI legislation.
Read more 👇
Matt Perault retweeted
Matt and I rap about AI policy often. Here is the latest from our POV. TL;DR the conversations among policymakers are moving quickly and the impacts could be significant for Little Tech.
Always a pleasure catching up with my colleague @Collin_McCune, @a16z’s head of government affairs, on the proposals and political dynamics shaping the next phase of AI policy.
In our chat, we cover debates on protecting kids, workforce disruption, data centers, benchmarking and licensing regimes, and the evolving balance between federal and state action.
Matt Perault retweeted
a crucial point made here in this new WSJ oped by @jai_ramaswamy & @MattPerault on the need for US to embrace open source AI: even small delays or govt threats can quickly tip the balance for a nation's innovation culture. This allows rival nations to race ahead.
Matt Perault retweeted
Restricting access to versatile technology should be a measure of last resort, not a measure of first resort.
Great to chat with @MattPerault & @a16z about the importance of open weights, how we think about risk @bfl_ml, and how small labs can advocate for big communities.
The team at @BlackForestLabs has distinguished themselves not only through their technical leadership in visual intelligence, but through their commitment to building openly.
Ben Brooks @opensauceAI, BFL’s head of policy, explains how they are working to prove that developing cutting-edge frontier models can be both open and responsible.
This and more in our latest a16z AI Policy Brief conversation, below.
Matt Perault retweeted
Great conversation, @MattPerault. The stat that sticks with me: AI trainer, a job that barely existed a few years ago, is now the fastest-growing role on Deel's platform globally. That's the real policy challenge. It's not just jobs disappearing. It's entirely new ones emerging almost overnight.
Matt Perault retweeted
Ben Horowitz on where AI regulation should actually focus:
"The model is a model. It's a mathematical model. It predicts things. It's not a sentient being."
"If you ban the technology, or infringe people's ability to do mathematics... that has hundred-year implications."
"Don't regulate math. Regulate the applications of that math."
"If somebody uses AI to break into a bank or make a robot that shoots somebody, that's illegal. But the technology itself shouldn't be illegal."
@bhorowitz with @DavidSolomon and @dhaber
"Last year, the four largest companies contributed 1% to GDP growth with their $400 billion of spending."
In this conversation with Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon, Ben Horowitz, and David Haber, they cover:
- Why the best time to raise money is when no one has money
- Why this could be the biggest M&A year in history
- What makes the AI supercycle different
- Why some companies are growing at unprecedented rates
- AI & crypto policy
and more.
00:00 Introduction
02:09 Goldman's evolution from partnership to public company
15:33 "As sweet a spot" as Solomon has seen in 40 years
19:00 M&A outlook: "Whatever the question is, the answer is maybe"
21:33 Why leads aren't what they once were in AI
23:03 Crypto policy: The GENIUS and CLARITY Acts
25:24 AI policy: "Don't regulate math"
28:03 OneGS 3.0: reimagining processes with AI
32:54 Will AI agents change investing?
34:00 Favorite DJ
@DavidSolomon @bhorowitz @dhaber
Matt Perault retweeted
If there is to be federal preemption of state AI laws, it makes sense to begin with a federal AI law. Here is a helpful discussion (by @MattPerault et al) of a distinct U.S. approach that is a good starting point for discussion of what might make for constructive federal law.
We don’t need to choose between innovation and safety. America can build world-class AI products while protecting its citizens from harms.
Read the full piece on how we can protect Americans and win the future: a16zpolicy.substack.com/p/a-…
@jai_ramaswamy @Collin_McCune @MattPerault
Matt Perault retweeted
If we want to protect consumers and keep AI development in the U.S., Congress must set a national standard for the technology without delay. In an op-ed for the Washington Post, I argue that the most important action policymakers can take is passing a strong, bipartisan federal standard that positions America to lead, empowers startups to compete, and creates a safe, trusted AI market for all Americans.
The world is safer and more prosperous when America leads. Our startup ecosystem is a national asset and the engine of U.S. innovation. But startups simply cannot survive a 50-state patchwork of AI laws. For young companies, navigating conflicting rules with two- or three-person teams is a near–death sentence.
Without a national standard, AI development will consolidate in a few large companies, leaving the U.S. less competitive, consumers with worse products and fewer options, and opening the door for China’s rapidly advancing AI systems to shape global norms.
Congress must seize this moment. Read more: washingtonpost.com/opinions/…
Matt Perault retweeted
The stakes for AI governance could not be higher. We need clarity, coherence, and a national framework that protects people while enabling American innovation.
Congress has a critical opportunity to act. The roadmap we’ve released today lays out practical, durable principles for governing AI in a way that keeps Americans safe and ensures the US leads the world in this technology.
I look forward to continued work with lawmakers on a balanced, bipartisan path forward.
We don’t need to choose between innovation and safety. America can build world-class AI products while protecting its citizens from harms.
Read the full piece on how we can protect Americans and win the future: a16zpolicy.substack.com/p/a-…
@jai_ramaswamy @Collin_McCune @MattPerault
Matt Perault retweeted
Today we released ideas for federal AI legislation. We’re entering a consequential phase for AI policy. The path forward is clear: protect people, support builders, and keep the U.S. competitive.
It’s time for Congress to act.
We don’t need to choose between innovation and safety. America can build world-class AI products while protecting its citizens from harms.
Read the full piece on how we can protect Americans and win the future: a16zpolicy.substack.com/p/a-…
@jai_ramaswamy @Collin_McCune @MattPerault
Matt Perault retweeted
The EO is an incredibly important first step – and thank you to @POTUS, @DavidSacks, @mkratsios47, and @sriramk for their leadership. But the vacuum for federal AI legislation remains. Congress needs to come together to create a clear set of rules that protect the millions of Americans using AI and the Little Tech builders driving it forward. We @a16z firmly believe a pro-innovation, pro-competition, and pro-consumer federal framework is both possible and essential to keep America ahead of China.
States have an important role in addressing harms and protecting people, but they can’t provide the long-term clarity or national direction that only Congress can deliver. Federal AI legislation is how we protect Americans, by ensuring this technology grows in ways that strengthen our economy, safeguard our values, and keep opportunity at home.
@POTUS stepping in creates space for builders to focus on innovation while Congress finishes the job. Now lawmakers have to act. Our standing in the global AI race—and the direct benefits Americans will see from it—depend on it.
Matt Perault retweeted
The number 1 question I get from Founders (other than when is market structure bill going to get done 🙂) is how do I interact with policymakers. Here is our guide on how to do so.
Matt Perault retweeted
Folks who question the dormant commerce clause must've missed the con law class on the move from the Articles of Confederation to the Constitution.
States can't step into the shoes of Congress. We ditched an entire form of gov't to prevent states from regulating nat'l matters.
Matt Perault retweeted
The @a16z crew -- @MattPerault & Jai -- get it.
If single states can set the rules for the entire country, then innovators everywhere are at risk of being governed by poor policy over which they have no say.
Listen to our full chat here: a16zpolicy.substack.com/p/wh…
Matt Perault retweeted
We’re fighting for a national AI strategy that gives Little Tech a fair shot and keeps the U.S. in the lead.
CA’s AI bill (SB 53) includes some thoughtful provisions that account for the distinct needs of startups. But it misses an important mark by regulating how the technology is developed — a move that risks squeezing out startups, slowing innovation, and entrenching the biggest players.
The biggest danger of SB 53 is that it sets a precedent for states, rather than the federal government, to take the lead in governing the national AI market – creating a patchwork of 50 compliance regimes that startups don’t have the resources to navigate.
States have an important role in regulating AI. But if lawmakers really want to protect their citizens, this isn’t the way. They should target harmful uses through consumer protection laws and similar safeguards—not dictate how technologists build technology.
Smart AI regulation can help us win the AI race, but we need the federal government to lead in governing the national AI market. Recent conversations with the House and Senate about a federal AI standard are an encouraging step forward. More to come.
Matt Perault retweeted
A Senator praises the “spirit of American entrepreneurs” in one breath. Days later, they back a bill that would make it nearly impossible for new founders to compete.
This isn’t an accident. It’s a pattern.
Policymakers say they love builders. Their rules say the opposite.
Why the disconnect? ⬇️
