The AI School Kids Love More Than Vacation | Alpha School's Joe Liemandt

What should school look like if AI can help students learn dramatically faster? Alpha School principal Joe Liemandt argues the answer isn’t to fill the extra time with more academics, but to redesign school around the skills traditional classrooms struggle to teach: agency, teamwork, entrepreneurship, communication, and doing hard things. Joe joins Erik Torenberg and Horowitz Andreessen Academy co-founder Gagan Biyani to discuss Alpha’s model, where students spend two hours a day on core academics and the rest developing real-world skills through projects. They explore what that approach can teach higher education, why motivation may matter more than curriculum, and how HAA is applying similar principles to college-age students by putting building, relationships, and real-world experience at the center of the learning experience. They also discuss what parents need to believe before choosing a new educational model, why Joe expects AI to drive an explosion in entrepreneurship, and why the most important question for students may not be which field is safest from AI, but what they care enough about to build. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 0:40 How Alpha Teaches Kids 10x Faster 6:44 Why Kids Love School More Than Vacation 10:40 The 85% Rule That Keeps Kids Engaged 15:14 Why This Summer's Interns Are Terrified 23:01 Why Ivy League Parents Are Switching 27:21 You Just Need Someone to Go First 35:37 "My Son's a Moron": Joe's Dropout Story 42:12 What You'd Study If You Were 18 Today 48:31 Founders School: Earn $1M or Get Tuition Back Resources: Learn more about Horowitz Andreessen Academy: https://www.theacademysf.com/ Learn more about Alpha School: https://alpha.school/joe-liemandt-and-the-future-of-education/ Follow Joe Liemandt on X: https://x.com/jliemandt Follow Gagan Biyani: on X https://x.com/gaganbiyani Follow Erik Torenberg on X: https://x.com/eriktorenberg Stay Updated: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends! Find a16z on X: https://twitter.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Show on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX Listen to the a16z Show on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://x.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see http://a16z.com/disclosures.

Joe LiemandtguestGagan BiyaniguestErik Torenberghost

Oct 27, 202656mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: October 27, 2026
Duration: 56m
Channel: a16z
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

What should school look like if AI can help students learn dramatically faster? Alpha School principal Joe Liemandt argues the answer isn’t to fill the extra time with more academics, but to redesign school around the skills traditional classrooms struggle to teach: agency, teamwork, entrepreneurship, communication, and doing hard things. Joe joins Erik Torenberg and Horowitz Andreessen Academy co-founder Gagan Biyani to discuss Alpha’s model, where students spend two hours a day on core academics and the rest developing real-world skills through projects. They explore what that approach can teach higher education, why motivation may matter more than curriculum, and how HAA is applying similar principles to college-age students by putting building, relationships, and real-world experience at the center of the learning experience. They also discuss what parents need to believe before choosing a new educational model, why Joe expects AI to drive an explosion in entrepreneurship, and why the most important question for students may not be which field is safest from AI, but what they care enough about to build. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 0:40 How Alpha Teaches Kids 10x Faster 6:44 Why Kids Love School More Than Vacation 10:40 The 85% Rule That Keeps Kids Engaged 15:14 Why This Summer's Interns Are Terrified 23:01 Why Ivy League Parents Are Switching 27:21 You Just Need Someone to Go First 35:37 "My Son's a Moron": Joe's Dropout Story 42:12 What You'd Study If You Were 18 Today 48:31 Founders School: Earn $1M or Get Tuition Back Resources: Learn more about Horowitz Andreessen Academy: https://www.theacademysf.com/ Learn more about Alpha School: https://alpha.school/joe-liemandt-and-the-future-of-education/ Follow Joe Liemandt on X: https://x.com/jliemandt Follow Gagan Biyani: on X https://x.com/gaganbiyani Follow Erik Torenberg on X: https://x.com/eriktorenberg Stay Updated: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends! Find a16z on X: https://twitter.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Show on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX Listen to the a16z Show on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://x.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see http://a16z.com/disclosures.

SPEAKERS

Joe Liemandt
guest
Education entrepreneur and Alpha School leader/principal, focused on AI-enabled personalized learning and alternative school models.
Gagan Biyani
guest
Entrepreneur and education-builder discussing the Horowitz Andreessen Academy (HAA) and redesigning learning for the AI era.
Erik Torenberg
host
Podcast host at a16z who moderates interviews and connects guest ideas to broader tech/education themes.

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of a16z, featuring Joe Liemandt and Gagan Biyani, The AI School Kids Love More Than Vacation | Alpha School's Joe Liemandt explores alpha School redesigns the day with AI, rigor, and motivation Joe Liemandt says Alpha School is reinventing the K–12 school day by using cognitive and learning science plus LLMs to teach academics far faster than the traditional classroom model.

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