US Justice Department Probes Andreessen Horowitz Over Databricks, Fivetran Board Seats
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The US Justice Department is investigating venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz over whether its partners improperly serve on boards of competing AI companies, according to people familiar with the matter. The probe, opened nearly a year ago alongside the merger review of Fivetran's acquisition of dbt Labs, continues after the deal closed, the people said.
Key Facts
- Andreessen Horowitz co-founder Ben Horowitz serves on the board of Databricks, and partner Martin Casado is a board member of Fivetran, according to people familiar with the matter.
- The Justice Department cleared Fivetran's acquisition of dbt Labs unconditionally after a months-long review of the deal first announced in October.
- Ben Horowitz donated millions of dollars in 2024 to a group aligned with Donald Trump and later $2.5 million to a super PAC supporting Kamala Harris.
The Antitrust Probe
The US Justice Department is examining whether Andreessen Horowitz investment partners improperly serve on boards of competing artificial intelligence companies. The companies at issue include Databricks Inc., one of the most valuable privately held technology companies, and Fivetran Inc., both backed by the venture firm. The nearly year-old investigation was opened around the same time as the merger review and has continued after the deal was completed, according to people familiar with the matter. The Justice Department conducted a months-long review of Fivetran's acquisition of dbt Labs, first announced in October, but ultimately cleared it unconditionally.
Board Roles at Data Firms
Andreessen Horowitz co-founder Ben Horowitz serves on the board of Databricks, and partner Martin Casado is a board member of Fivetran. Both companies help businesses collect, organize and analyze massive troves of data. Casado also served on the board of dbt Labs, which Fivetran acquired in June. Spokespeople for Databricks and the Justice Department declined to comment, while Andreessen Horowitz and Fivetran did not respond to requests.
White House Connections
Andreessen Horowitz has closely aligned itself with the second Trump administration and forged ties to the White House. Ben Horowitz and co-founder Marc Andreessen each donated millions of dollars in 2024 to a group aligned with then presidential candidate Donald Trump. Later in 2024, Ben Horowitz gave $2.5 million to a super PAC that supported Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris. The firm has been a key voice on AI policy, successfully pushing the administration to remove many safety guardrails on the technology, Bloomberg News has reported.
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US Justice Department Probes Andreessen Horowitz Over Databricks, Fivetran Board Seats
