In 2011, Marc Andreessen — co-founder of venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz — proclaimed that “software is eating the world.” It’s been a mantra of tech investors ever since. But today an even more powerful force is overtaking software: data. Data is a gold mine for companies. They can use it to learn everything about their current and potential customers — their location, their shopping habits, even their health concerns — and pursue them relentlessly.