a16z crypto

5 charts: How crypto cards are driving stablecoin spend

“When is a ZK proof not actually zero-knowledge?” Shafi Goldwasser asks where the privacy went, starting a discussion on why plenty of what we call “ZK” today isn’t actually zero-knowledge.

Crypto is at a pivotal moment. As Congress debates landmark market structure legislation, Marc Andreessen and Chris Dixon discuss the decisions that could shape where the next generation of financial infrastructure is built, and whether the United States remains the global leader in crypto innovation. Marc also looks back at his influential 2014 essay “Why Bitcoin Matters,” when supporting crypto was still a deeply contrarian position, and reflects on how the technology and the political debate around it have evolved since. The discussion explores the lessons of earlier technology revolutions, the importance of giving builders clear rules, and why crypto policy is ultimately about much more than a single industry. It is about who gets to shape the future of money, markets, and the internet. https://lnkd.in/gQzWr-GV

For years, private equity bought companies and hired Harvard MBAs to run them. Guy Wuollet thinks the new version of private equity may be to install people with the highest return on tokens to out-compete the companies PE used to buy. (And under the hood, much of that transformation may run on stablecoins.)

The corporation solved the coordination problems of the industrial age. The DUNA — a new legal entity — does the same for decentralized networks. https://lnkd.in/gi74g6Ns

How much should we be worried about quantum computers? RSA co-inventor and Turing Award winner Ron Rivest explains why quantum computers won't simply replace ordinary laptops, why their most consequential known application may be breaking widely used cryptography, and why the world must move toward quantum-resistant standards before such a machine exists. “We can’t bet the whole safety of the world on our wishes.”

Why did it take the collapse of FTX for congress to push for crypto legislation Miles Jennings explains how emergencies lead to legislative action:

What happens when intelligence becomes a line item? For the first time, companies can treat AI token spending almost like headcount: allocate more money, deploy more intelligence, and potentially get more work done. That changes the economics of building a company. It could reshape how companies form, how teams are managed, how businesses are financed, and who is best positioned to build them. a16z crypto General Partner Guy Wuollet and Head of Engineering Noah Citron join Robert Hackett to explore why engineering leaders may soon manage token budgets like P&Ls, the emergence of software-engineering “pod shops”; and whether the future belongs to smaller, leaner businesses run by people who are unusually good at directing agents. They also ask why AI agents may naturally transact using stablecoins, and confront a larger question: If AI has created so much new intelligence, why hasn’t it produced an obvious jump in economic growth? And in a world where everyone can access powerful models, will intelligence matter less than grit, judgment, and agency? https://lnkd.in/gpTwRTRg

“Virtually every major industry in the United States has federal rules and regulations. We do not have that in the crypto industry.” Collin McCune on how regulatory uncertainty pushes technical talent away from crypto:“Are they gonna build in the blockchain space, or are they gonna go and build an AI startup?” “If there’s a 40 or 50% chance that I might get a knock on the door from the SEC, that’s not a very compelling route."