Government interference — not the threat of the "fiscal cliff" that has mesmerized markets — is the biggest threat to entrepreneurship, Internet pioneer Marc Andreessen told CNBC on Wednesday, arguing that going over the cliff was preferable to more federal involvement in the U.S. economy.
Andreessen, who supported Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney in November's general election, told CNBC's "Squawk Box" that Silicon Valley investors are more preoccupied with an "activist" federal government than the threat of higher taxes and government spending. (Read More: Marc Andreessen Talks Facebook, Romney, and Yahoo.)
"The presumption is that we want the government to do things. I'm pro-gridlock," Andreessen said. "It doesn't bother me in the least if government is all ground to a halt."
As Washington works to prevent the fiscal cliff scenario from coming to pass before year's end, the inventor of the web browser disparaged the idea of setting partisanship aside in the interests of forging policy consensus.
"'Rise above' I completely disagree with it," Andreessen said, speaking of the motto coined by CNBC to resolve Washington's budget woes. "I think it's well-intentioned, but I think it's undesirable and I think it's dangerous."
Although going over the cliff poses challenges in the short-term, Andreessen argued that it was preferable to the alternative, which is more government involvement in the economy.
"When the government does things, it usually doesn't end well," he said.