Web pioneer Marc Andreessen, now a venture capitalist, has joined the board of directors of Hewlett-Packard.

Andreessen is well known at HP, which bought his Opsware Inc. for $1.6 billion in 2007. Andresseen's entrepreneurial skills and software knowledge will represent new expertise on HP's current board of 11 directors. Opsware was previously known as Loudcloud.

Andreessen broke into the computing scene in the mid-1990s when he and Eric Bina co-founded Netscape Communications, the first popular Internet browser. While initially wildly successful, Netscape attracted the full attention of Microsoft's competitive efforts and Microsoft's Internet Explorer won the battle of the browsers. Netscape was acquired by AOL in 1998 and Netscape has since disappeared from sight.

Shortly after Andreessen and his long-time business partner Ben Horowitz launched their venture capital firm this summer, the company made an investment in eBay's Skype VoIP calling service. Andreessen is also a director of eBay, which sold off two-thirds of its Skype ownership to Andreessen Horowitz and other investors including Silver Lake Partners, Index Ventures, and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB.)

While profitable and growing rapidly, Skype is currently embroiled in a controversy in which the VoIP's co-founders are suing Skype and threatening to shut down the firm's operations if they emerge victorious in litigation they have filed in the U.K. and the U.S.

Andreessen also serves on the board of Facebook.

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