Replit CEO Amjad Masad Discusses AI-Era Education and Curiosity-Driven Learning

The a16z podcast published an interview on September 23, 2026, hosted by Erik Torenberg, featuring Replit founder and CEO Amjad Masad and Horowitz and Andreessen Academy (HAA) co-founder and CEO Gagan Biyani. The episode focuses on what education should look like for a generation growing up with AI.

According to the episode description, Amjad argues that one of the most valuable things young people bring to society is their willingness to question deeply held assumptions. The guests discuss how education could create more room for this instinct through project-based learning, intellectual side quests, and giving students the freedom to follow an idea deeply rather than optimizing around grades and credentials.

The conversation also explores whether young founders are being pushed to professionalize too early, why Amjad thinks starting a company can sometimes be a form of “premature optimization,” and how curiosity led him from learning chess to experimenting with AI that can conduct machine-learning research. They further discuss trust, judgment, and developing as a person, not just a builder.