US DOJ Probes a16z Over Competing Board Seats in AI Companies

21 Aug 2026, 7:30 pm · 22d ago · 1 min read · TechCrunch AI

The US Department of Justice has launched an investigation into venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz over potential antitrust violations regarding interlocking directorates. The probe focuses on two a16z partners holding simultaneous board seats at competing software and AI data infrastructure companies: Ben Horowitz at Databricks and Martin Casado at Fivetran. Regulators are examining whether these dual board representations violate a century-old antitrust statute designed to prevent anti-competitive coordination between rivals. While Andreessen Horowitz initially invested before the two firms became direct competitors, the inquiry reflects increased regulatory scrutiny on venture capital governance across the technology sector.