The Renaissance of the American Factory | a16z 2026 Big Ideas

My big idea for 2026 is the renaissance of the American factory. I think next year we'll see companies approach challenges from energy to mining to construction to manufacturing with a factory first mindset. The modular deployment of AI and autonomy alongside skilled labor will make complex bespoke processes operate like an assembly line.America's first great century was built on industrial strength, but it's no secret that we've lost a lot of that muscle. Some of that has been from offshoring, from the fin ...