DOJ probes Andreessen Horowitz over board seats at rival AI firms
The Justice Department is investigating venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz for having partners serve on the boards of competing AI data companies Databricks and Fivetran.
A Justice Department antitrust investigation is focusing on venture-capital powerhouse Andreessen Horowitz for alleged conflicts of interest arising from board memberships at competing AI data-analytics companies. Co-founder Ben Horowitz holds a seat on Databricks’ board, and partner Martin Casado sits on Fivetran’s board and was formerly on the board of dbt labs, a firm bought by Fivetran in June. The probe started alongside a merger review announced in October and has persisted after the transaction received unconditional clearance.
Neither Databricks nor the Justice Department provided comment, and Andreessen Horowitz and Fivetran did not respond to inquiries. The investigation reflects a broader Biden-era enforcement of a 1914 law targeting interlocking directorates, which has previously forced directors to resign from competing boards. Andreessen Horowitz, managing roughly $90 billion in assets, continues to invest heavily in AI startups and has recently raised a $15 billion fund.
Why it matters
The probe could force changes to board composition at major AI firms, affecting corporate governance and competition.
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