DOJ Investigates Antitrust Concerns Amid Andreessen Horowitz Board Seat Conflicts

The DOJ is investigating Andreessen Horowitz's board seat conflicts between competing portfolio companies Databricks and Fivetran under a rarely used antitrust law. The case raises questions about how venture firms manage evolving competitive boundaries among their investments.

Andreessen Horowitz has two partners sitting on the boards of companies that now compete with each other: Ben Horowitz at Databricks and Martin Casado at Fivetran. Nothing too scandalous on the surface, except the Department of Justice has reportedly been investigating the arrangement for almost a year, dusting off a 112-year-old antitrust law that’s rarely used against VCs.  Board conflicts aren’t exactly new, and these companies weren’t necessarily direct competitors when a16z first invested […]

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