Opsware's sale to Hewlett-Packard netted founder Marc Andreessen a cool $98,279,186.25. [DocuDrama]

Pictured this morning on the TechCrunch40 stage, four men worth a total of a kajillion dollars or something along those lines. From left, Yahoo founder David Filo, wearing the safe and unimaginative Silicon Valley uniform, YouTube cofounder Chad Hurley in his jeans-and-jacket casual yuppie attire, Ning and Netscape cofounder Marc Andreessen, who goes for the novel tracksuit and khakis combo, and Sequoia Capital uber-investor Michael Moritz. Oh, Michael. He's Welsh, so he's always dressed a bit more snappily than the normal tech layperson, which is a good thing. But what on earth is he doing with his shoes? Hoping to change into slippers and a cardigan like a powerful Mr. Rogers? Or just nervously squirming in his chair before the crowd? VCs already have a reputation as ADD-addled fidgeters, this isn't going to help. (Photo by jspepper)

In yesterday's LA Times profile of Marc Andreessen, the mid-1990s wunderkind Netscape founder, there's one small detail about Andreessen and Gina Bianchini, his current business partner in social network Ning, that not everyone in the Valley may know:

Robert Scoble, spokesblogger, has a new job: Marc Andreessen's comment bitch. Of course, the role is unsolicited and self-appointed, but that won't impede the Scobleizer. He also has a generous job offer of his own: his personal email bitch. Why would Scoble volunteer for the onerous task of administering Andreessen's blog if he's looking to unload his own bothersome responsibilities? Better contacts, naturally. Apparently, the PR folk are no longer lining up, Scoble's calls to Steve Jobs go unheeded (surprise), and he can't get a seat at Junnoon. Hopefully, latching on to the successful entrepreneur and new must-read blog will change all that.

Jeremy Liew, venture capitalist, on funding your startup: Raise just as much as you need, preferably at a low valuation. Entrepreneurs Marc Andreessen and Jason Calacanis: Take the money and run. Can you tell who buys startups and who sells them?

Sun Valley, the quiet Idaho ski resort town, is about to get a charge from Silicon Valley. Allen & Co., the New York investment bank, has been holding an exclusive conference there for 25 years, but until recently, the invite list has been limited to old-media moguls. On the invite list for this year's conference, which kicks off tonight: Jay Adelson, CEO of Digg, the social-news website, which he cofounded with Kevin Rose. Here's why we think Adelson's on the list — and who else might show up.

Marc Andreessen's new social networking startup Ning has reportedly raised a "big, big round of funding." [TechCrunch]

Marc Andreessen, founder of the software companies Netscape, Opsware, and Ning, turns 36 on Sunday. Happy birthday, you old fart!

In his latest guide to startups, Netscape cofounder Marc Andreessen unwittingly offers a rational explanation for Silicon Valley's Facebook frenzy: Sucking up. First, venture capitalists, in their endless neophilia, started using the social networking site. Then entrepreneurs joined in, too, in hopes of impressing those VCs — brazen attempts, in short at brown-nosing their way to getting funded. The same dynamic applies to Twitter, which is an even better medium for elevator-pitching the Valley's short-attention-span financiers. After the jump, Andreessen's analysis.

Late to the blogging game and caught in the throes of newbie enthusiasm, Netscape cofounder Marc Andreessen hasn't yet learned the virtues of thinking before clicking the "Publish" button. Here's the story of the post he quickly came to regret.Andreessen picked up a recent Valleywag item on Microsoft's "people ready" ad campaign. In an ethically questionable deal, Federated Media bloggers agreed to tout the slogan. That, in turn, inspired him to claim that blog.pmarca.com is "so not people-ready." (A Google search still shows the missing post.) The Andreessen of the '90s was a famous Microsoft trash-talker, and this seemed like a reversion to form - but not for long. Almost as soon as he wrote it, he reconsidered and deleted the posting. Could his cowardice have anything to do with the booming business that Opsware, his boring but modestly successful software company, does with the giant of Redmond?

Opsware, Marc Andreessen's boring but modestly successful software company, has hit a market cap of $1 billion for the first time. Yahoo Finance

TIM FAULKNER — Marc Andreessen, co-founder of Netscape, LoudCloud, and most recently Ning, on his newly launched blog discussing the topic of a new tech bubble:

Future has-beens, listen up: When dealing with your inevitable fall from fame (when the bubble pops, or you screw up your deal with Viacom, or you waste your investors' money on a jet), remember to spin it as a relief. That's what Marc Andreessen learned after he sold Netscape to AOL and watched the company kill it.

Those pesky customers visited Ning. After co-founder Marc Andreessen said, "Ideally we ll never meet any of our customers," some of those customers organized a trip to the office. Marc was ready with pastries and decorations.