Pod: Is Google Screwed? A16Z's GP Alex Rampell on AI Shopping Agents & the Future of Commerce
Andreessen Horowitz General Partner, Alex Rampell, joins the Retailgentic Pod to explore how AI shopping agents disrupt commerce, attribution, checkout, and Google’s dominance.
Alex Rampell is a General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), where he leads the firm’s billion-dollar ‘application layer’ fund. A serial entrepreneur, Alex co-founded TrialPay (acquired by Visa) and Affirm, and has deep expertise in e-commerce, digital payments, and fintech innovation. At a16z, he focuses on how technology reshapes consumer behavior and business models, with a current emphasis on the rise of Agentic Commerce - our sweet spot!
Listen/Watch Our Interview:
What happens when more than half of online shopping traffic comes from AI agents, not humans?
In this episode of the Retailgentic Podcast, I have a short yet intense and focused conversation with Alex, that was initiated by his recent A16Z article, ‘Is Google Screwed? Maybe, but Not How You Think.”
In this discussion we cover:
Is Google really screwed? (and why AI threatens its business model)
The future of agentic commerce & attribution wars
What does Alex mean by an Agentic CamelCamelCamel
Lessons from TrialPay, Affirm, and affiliate marketing
How platforms like ChatGPT could become checkout destinations
Why “optimization” may be the killer feature of AI shopping agents
If you’re in e-commerce, retail, fintech, or just want to know how AI will change the way we buy and sell, this is a must-listen.
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