AI Infrastructure, Distribution, and the Next Wave of Software

AI Infrastructure, Distribution, and the Next Wave of Software

From AI + a16z by a16z

May 12, 2026 · 39 min · Episode 97

About this episode

Sophie Buonassisi speaks with Jennifer Li about the importance of AI infrastructure and distribution in the evolving software landscape.

Sophie Buonassisi speaks with Jennifer Li, General Partner at a16z, about why infrastructure is becoming one of the most important areas in AI. They discuss how the shift to AI-native systems is reshaping everything from storage and compute to developer tooling and orchestration. The conversation explores early insights from companies like ElevenLabs, why distribution has become the defining advantage in AI, and how founders can think about product, research, and go-to-market in a rapidly evolving landscape. Jennifer also shares her perspective on creative tools, the role of AI in storytelling, and what the next phase of the ecosystem may look like. This episode originally aired on the GTMnow Podcast.

People in this episode

Host: Sophie Buonassisi

Guest: Jennifer Li

Topics covered

  • AI infrastructure
  • AI-native systems
  • developer tooling
  • distribution in AI
  • creative tools
  • storytelling with AI

Keywords

  • AI
  • infrastructure
  • developer tooling
  • distribution
  • founders
  • storytelling
  • ecosystem

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: a16z, ElevenLabs

Books & works: GTMnow Podcast

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