Andreessen Horowitz launches AI school as college alternative

Andreessen Horowitz just decided that if the education system won’t adapt to AI fast enough, it’ll build its own. The venture capital firm announced the Horowitz Andreessen Academy, a tuition-free program targeting high school graduates and college dropouts who want to skip the traditional university track and dive straight into building with artificial intelligence. Applications for the inaugural Founding Class Fellowship opened on September 22, with the first cohort set to begin in Fall 2027. The Academy is backed by $42 million in funding led by a16z, which is treating this as a for-profit venture rather than a charitable endeavor. What the program actually looks like The one-year fellowship ditches nearly every convention of higher education. No grades. No tests. No lecture halls full of students wondering why they’re learning theory they’ll never apply. Instead, students pursue self-directed projects the Academy calls “Pursuits,” essentially deep dives into topics of personal interest with the resources to actually build something. Each fellow in the Founding Class receives more than $50,000 in compute credits and a $5,000 travel and research budget. The faculty roster include...