On March 20, 2014, after 32 years at the helm, he made public his intention to retire as chairman of Discovery Communications after the annual shareholders' meeting of May 16, 2014.
On June 17, 1985, Hendricks launched the Discovery Channel with $5 million in start-up capital led by the American investment firm Allen & Company.
Today, Discovery's main shareholders include John Malone, chairman of Liberty Media, and Advance/Newhouse (publishers of Vanity Fair, New Yorker, and Vogue).
His biography recounts the struggles and triumphs of turning his passion for documentary programs into the world's most widely distributed cable channel and parlaying its popularity into a leading global media company.
[11][12][13] Andrew attended the Landon School,[14] and is president of Driven Experiences, a racing and automotive company invested in many forms of the marketing media.
[17] Hendricks serves on the Board of Directors of a number of non-profit organizations including United States Olympic Committee, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Institute for Advanced Study, National Forest Foundation, and Discovery Learning Alliance.
It receives donations from the Hendricks family (roughly $1.1 million in 2005-2006, according to the foundation's Form 900 tax statement) and disburses grants to charitable causes.
In total gifting, the Hendricks have donated over $30 million to numerous non-profit organizations supporting a wide variety of causes, from basic social services to science research.