#62. Think Free, Unfollow The Crowd, Create Unseen Value! (Ben Horowitz: Co-Founder Andreessen Horowitz, Co-Founder of Opsware / formerly Loudcloud)

On this episode of Coder Caffeine we talk iced ginger snap coffee from Palo Alto, California, decode an instructional quote from Ben Horowitz, and provide a quick mental framework to shift from a mindset of follower to free thinker. You'll also hear a powerful Mantra brought to you with a vast amount of green tea based enthusiasm to power your day - all because we want you to think for yourself, discover 'secret' perspectives, and create true value - just like Ben Horowitz! In 2006, Ben Horowitz faced one of the toughest challenges of his career as CEO of Opsware. The company was struggling to gain traction, and its market value had plummeted from $1.5 billion to just $300 million. With investors losing faith and employees doubting the company's future, Ben knew he had to act boldly. He refocused Opsware's strategy, made tough decisions on product lines and personnel, and rallied his team around a new vision. Despite the odds, Ben's leadership and perseverance paid off. In 2007, Hewlett-Packard acquired Opsware for $1.6 billion, vindicating Ben's vision and capping an epic turnaround. Creds Community! Remember to architect your own thinking, challenge assumptions, uncover hidden value, and always keep coding! Episode Notes on Ben Horowitz -New York City (Ben grew up in Queens). -Berkeley, California (Ben attended the University of California, Berkeley). -Palo Alto, California (Andreessen Horowitz is headquartered). -San Francisco, California (a16z has an office in SF) -Opsware was formerly known as Loudcloud. Loudcloud was a pioneering company in the cloud computing space, providing scalable, on-demand infrastructure and application management services to enterprises. It was later acquired by EDS (now part of HP). Featured Coffee Shops: -Partners Coffee:26-25 Jackson Ave, Long Island City, NY 11101, United States -ZombieRunner Coffee: 344 California Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94306, United States Coffee Notes: -Iced Ginger Snap: cold brew coffee, oat milk, ginger, molasses