Coronavirus Outbreak

01/30/20 • 19 min

This episode of 16 Minutes on the news from a16z is all about the recent coronavirus outbreak -- or rather, a new type of coronavirus called 2019-nCoV for 2019 novel coronavirus. Since it's an ongoing and fast-developing news cycle, we take a quick snapshot for where we are, what we know, and what we don't know, and discuss the vantage point of where tech comes in. Topics covered include:

definition of a virus, categories of coronaviruses
origins and spread
how this stacks up so far against SARS and MERS
speed of sequencing, implications of genomic info
speed of information sharing
R0 ("r-naught"/"nought") and what it measures
different ways to think about how bad a given epidemic is
current moves and treatments

Our a16z guest is Judy Savitskaya on the bio team, in conversation with Sonal Chokshi.

Link sources or background readings for this episode:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) + types
World Health Organization (in the United Nations) -- situation report #6, January 26

Link sources or background readings for this episode:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) + types
World Health Organization (in the United Nations) -- situation report #6, January 26

Previous Episode

CES 2020 - Screens, 8K, 5G, Cars, Micromobility, Smart Home

This episode of our news show teases apart what was just a concept, what's near from the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2020). Board partner Steven Sinofsky (in conversation with Sonal Chokshi) takes us on a quick tour of the based on his annual field trip report from the floor.

Topics covered include:

folding screens and 8K displays
5G, wi-fi 6, new millimeter wave 5G
transportation: cars, voice, micromobility
smart home automation and security
batteries and USB-C

Articles/ headlines in this episode:

CES 2020: The Primordial Soup of Innovation by Steven Sinofsky, Learning by Shipping
Eight big takeways from CES 2020 by Dieter Bohn, The Verge

Next Episode

Epic Battles in Healthcare, FICO Changes

This episode of 16 Minutes on the news covers:

FICO credit score changes, what are they, do they matter? -- with a16z fintech general partners Angela Strange and Anish Acharya;
electronic health record provider Epic's letter urging hospitals to oppose government regulations that would make it easier for patients and companies to access medical information, and where is the Plaid of healthcare? -- at 10:19 with a16z bio general partner Julie Yoo;

...in conversation with Sonal Chokshi.

Background links / pieces mentioned in this episode:

Changes are coming to your credit score, Anna Bahney, CNN Business
FICO changes could lower your credit score, AnnaMaria Andriotis, Wall Street Journal
Epic’s CEO is urging hospital customers to oppose rules that would make it easier to share medical info & Epic and about 60 hospital chains come out against rules that would make it easier to share medical info, Chrissy Farr, CNBC
Health care data-sharing rules touch off intense lobbying fight, Darius Tahir, Politico

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