When Deepfakes Steal $30M: The New Edge of Cybercrime

AI is transforming both sides of the cybersecurity cat-and-mouse game. Attackers are using LLMs to scale impersonation, phishing, and even deepfake fraud—while defenders are racing to automate detection and takedowns at the same speed.

In this episode, a16z partner Joel de la Garza talks with Kevin Tian, cofounder & CEO of Doppel Security (and former Uber engineer), about building in this new landscape. They cover:

• Why outsider founders sometimes build the most effective security companies
• The “3 V’s” framework for today’s social engineering attacks: volume, velocity, variety
• How Doppel uses reasoning models and reinforcement fine-tuning to cut false positives and improve precision
• Simulation tools like “vibe phishing” to train employees on real attacker tactics
• The shift from manual cyber-intelligence services to AI-driven, software-margin businesses
• Why the biggest bottleneck now isn’t model cost—but engineering time to deliver the right context

If you’re building security products or exploring how AI can automate tough edge cases, this is a ground-level look at what’s working—and what comes next.

Check out everything a16z is doing with artificial intelligence here, including articles, projects, and more podcasts.

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 a16z.com/disclosures.

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