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web3 with a16z crypto

a16z crypto, Sonal Chokshi, Chris Dixon
web3 with a16z crypto
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  • AI vs. ID: Proof of human in a world of agents, bots, deep fakes, more
    with @eddylazzarin @adrian_ludwig @remco @smc90Hi everyone, welcome to this week’s episode of web3 with a16z podcast, I’m Sonal, and today we’re talking about a hot topic which is also very evergreen because we’re entering a world where AI – including AI agents, bots, deep fakes, and so on -- are changing the internet, very drastically. And so we will need proof of who’s human, or not, online – aka “proof of human” (as Tools for Humanity and World app call it). The theme is actually represented on the latest cover of Time magazine, which features the Tools for Humanity orb: a ball-like hardware device that maps your eye’s iris code to an app on your phone to verify you’re human. (It’s actually only the fifth time in the past decade that hardware tech’s been on the cover; the other times are the iphone, Oculus, consumer drones, and SpaceX.) Since the technology -- and network -- story here draws on both existing and new tech to help solve what’s actually a *very* difficult problem -- and in a way where privacy is by default -- we begin with the why it matters, then go into some common questions, and finally how it all works under the hood. Our expert guests are: Eddy Lazzarin, CTO at a16zcrypto;Adrian Ludwig, Chief Architect and CISO at Tools for Humanity; andRemco Bloemen, Head of Protocol at World.As a reminder: None of the following is investment, business, legal, or tax advice; please see a16z.com/disclosures for more important information including link to a list of our investments. 
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  • Marketing 101 for Startups: Token Launches, Memes, Reaching Devs & More
    with @kimbatronic @amandatylerj @clairekartWelcome to web3 with a16z. Since our show covers both tech trends and company building, today’s topic is all about marketing — including differences between marketing in crypto and traditional tech.The conversation shares a candid look at what works — and what doesn’t — when it comes to building reputation and community, attracting developers, hiring teams and agencies, launching tokens, raising founder profiles, and more.Our experts are:... Amanda Tyler, who was most recently Head of Marketing at the Optimism Foundation (and was formerly at Polygon, Coinbase, and Google);... Claire Kart, Chief Marketing Officer at Aztec (who previously was at Risc Zero and SoFi);... in conversation with Kim Milosevich, CMO at a16z crypto (who was formerly VP of Comms at Coinbase, and who has spent decades in tech at a16z, Skype, Yahoo, and elsewhere).Timestamps(0:00) Introduction(1:41) The Role of Marketers(4:52) Tech Marketing vs. Crypto Marketing(6:34) Understanding the Core Audience(10:56) Marketing for Ethereum and Layer 2 Projects(16:09) The Role of Community Managers and Developer Relations(25:21) Token Launch Strategies(34:42) Building Founders' Profiles (Without Being Cringe)(38:53) How to Support Founders(40:55) When to Hire (43:05) Consultants vs. Agencies(46:08) Structuring a Marketing Team(48:27) Finding and Hiring Talent(50:36) Building an Editorial Content Operation(53:39) International Marketing Strategies(56:41) The Role of Events(1:01:48) Memes and Crypto Culture (1:04:57) ConclusionAs a reminder, none of the content should be taken as investment, business, legal, or tax advice; please see a16z.com/disclosures for more important information, including a link to a list of our investments.
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  • Everything Stablecoins: Big Picture, Deep Dive
    with @cdixon @SamBroner @rhhackettStablecoins are quietly transforming how money moves — faster, cheaper, and more globally than ever before. In this episode, we take a deep look at why stablecoins have emerged as one of the most promising applications in crypto today — and how they could reshape global payments.I’m joined by Chris Dixon, founder and managing partner of a16z crypto and author of the New York Times-bestselling book Read Write Own, and Sam Broner, a deal partner at a16z crypto who focuses on stablecoins. Together, we unpack the technical and regulatory foundations of stablecoins, explore the cracks in the current payments system, and look ahead to what becomes possible once digital dollars go mainstream. We also dig into the current state of regulation — and why the future of money might end up looking a lot more like email or the web than a bank.Check out the show notes for links and resources that we reference throughout this episode. Also be sure to listen to the episode we dropped just before this one where we analyze all the recent stablecoin news.Timestamps:(0:00) Introduction(1:45) Payments, Finance, and the Internet(4:03) The Promise and Potential of Stablecoins(9:02) Global Financial System and Its Shortcomings(11:29) The WhatsApp Analogy(15:38) The Read Write Own Thesis(19:15) The Power of Blockchains(21:06) Venmo's Business Model(23:17) Stripe's Opportunity(25:11) Backwards Compatibility (Like Skype)(28:13) The Role of Stablecoin Regulation(34:36) Political Realities (vs. Big Banks)(38:11) The Business Implications of Stablecoins(40:31) The Stablecoin Investment Paradox(47:07) Why Blockchains?(51:11) Tech Marketing: Words vs. Products(54:28) What Happens Next(57:26) Global Demand for Stablecoins(59:37) Learning from the Past(1:05:06) ConclusionLinks to related resources:A guide to stablecoins: What, why, and how by a16z crypto editorial (a16z crypto, April 2025)Stablecoins: Payments without intermediaries by Chris Dixon (a16z crypto, April 2025)The month fintechs embraced stablecoins by Sam Broner (a16z crypto, May 2025)What Stripe's acquisition of Bridge means for fintech and stablecoins by James da Costa and Sam Broner (a16z crypto, April 2025)How stablecoins will eat payments, and what happens next by Sam Broner (a16z crypto, December 2024)A useful framework for understanding stablecoins: Banking history by Sam Broner (a16z crypto, November 2024)Read Write Own: Building the Next Era of the Internet by Chris Dixon (Random House, January 2024)A Piece of the Action: How the Middle Class Joined the Money Class by Joe Nocera (Simon & Schuster, October 1994)All about airdrops [podcast] by Eddy Lazzarin, Daren Matsuoka, Andrew Hall, and Robert Hackett (a16z crypto, April 2025)As a reminder, none of the content should be taken as investment, business, legal, or tax advice; please see a16z.com/disclosures for more important information, including a link to a list of our investments.
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  • All the Stablecoin News: Stripe, Visa, Coinbase, Circle, More
    with @rhhackett @smc90 @DarenMatsuoka @SamBronerWelcome to web3 with a16z, a show about the next generation of the internet. I'm Robert Hackett.There has been a flurry of stablecoin news lately, so we're doing a special bonus episode to cover everything that's been going on. Sonal and I are joined by a16z crypto’s Data Science lead Daren Matsuoka who shares the actual data behind the stablecoin trend. Then we have Sam Broner — who is a Deal Partner here and our frequent author on stablecoins — to analyze the news, and help highlight the signal versus the noise.Here's a selection of the news:USDC issuer Circle filed to go public on the New York Stock ExchangeCoinbase released an agentic payments standard with support for stablecoin paymentsVisa and Mastercard enhanced stablecoin supportStripe announced stablecoin financial account balances, a programmable stablecoin (via Bridge), a stablecoin-backed card, and moreMeta is reportedly in talks to introduce stablecoins as a means for payoutsAnd much moreWe also have one of our regular episodes covering the broader stablecoins trend and big picture, dropping separately in the feed, also with Sam and a16z crypto Founder Chris Dixon, so be sure to check that out next.Timestamps:(0:00) Introduction(1:30) Stablecoin Data Overview(3:55) Stablecoin Adoption and Infrastructure(4:24) Market Share of Issuers and Blockchains(6:10) Stablecoin Growth vs. Crypto Market Cycles(7:45) Stablecoin News and Developments(9:44) Fintech Embraces Stablecoins(12:44) Legacy Payment Systems vs. Stablecoins(17:04) The Future of Stablecoins and Open Networks(22:11) ConclusionLinks to related resources:Everything stablecoins: Big picture, deep dive with Chris Dixon, Sam Broner, and Robert Hackett (a16z crypto, May 2025)A chart of stablecoin usage growth vs. crypto market cyclicality (@DarenMatsuoka on X)The month fintechs embraced stablecoins by Sam Broner (a16z crypto, May 2025)What Stripe's acquisition of Bridge means for fintech and stablecoins by James da Costa and Sam Broner (a16z crypto, April 2025)A guide to stablecoins: What, why, and how by a16z crypto editorial (a16z crypto, April 2025)As a reminder, none of the content should be taken as investment, business, legal, or tax advice; please see a16z.com/disclosures for more important information, including a link to a list of our investments.
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  • Quantum Computing: What, When, Where, How
    with @danboneh @succinctJT @smc90This episode is all about quantum computing -- what it is, how it works, what's hype vs. reality, and how to prepare for it/ what builders should do.Specifically, we cover:What quantum computing is and isn't, and what people are really talking about when they worry about a quantum computer that can break cryptographic systems that are not secure against quantum attacks.When is it happening/ what are the "timelines" for quantum computing becoming a reality -- or rather, when could we have a cryptographically relevant quantum computer -- how many years away are we? and when are the U.S. government's deadlines/ NIST standards for post-quantum cryptography?How will different types of cryptography be affected, or not? What are different approaches and tradeoffs?Where does quantum computing and post-quantum crypto apply to blockchains -- which by and large rely on signatures, not encryption, so may be more quantum-resistant in many ways (and not in others)...As always, we tease apart the signal vs. the noise in recent "science-by-press release" corporate quantum-computing milestone announcements. We also help answer questions on when do builders need to plan their switch to a post-quantum crypto world, what pitfalls to avoid there (hint: bugs! software upgrades!). Finally, we briefly cover different approaches to post-quantum crypto; and also dig deeper on zero-knowledge/ succinct-proof systems and how they relate to post-quantum crypto.Our expert guests, in conversation with Sonal Chokshi, are:Dan Boneh, Stanford University professor and applied cryptography expert and pioneer; also Senior Research Advisor to a16z crypto;Justin Thaler, research partner at a16z, professor at Georgetown, and longtime expert and pioneer in interactive and ZK proof systems.SEE ALSO: Post-quantum blockchains by Valeria Nikolaenkomore resources + papers on topics mentioned:A Graduate Course in Applied Cryptography by Dan Boneh and Victor Shoup [see also]Proofs, Arguments, and Zero-Knowledge by Justin ThalerLatticeFold+: Faster, Simpler, Shorter Lattice-Based Folding for Succinct Proof Systems by Dan Boneh and Binyi ChenNeo: Lattice-based folding scheme for CCS over small fields and pay-per-bit commitments by Wilson Nguyen and Srinath Setty"Q-Day Clock" from Project Eleven -- public dashboard to visually track timeline for quantum computing to reach cryptographically relevant capabilities and break widely used encryption algorithmson hard forks for quantum emergenciesQuantum analysis of AES, Kyungbae Jang, Anubhab Baksi, Hyunji Kim, Gyeongju Song, Hwajeong Seo, Anupam ChattopadhyayThe Google Willow Thing by Scott AaronsonFAQs on Microsoft’s topological qubit thing by Scott AaronsonMicrosoft’s claim of a topological qubit faces tough questions, American Physical SocietyAs a reminder, none of this is investment, business, legal, or tax advice; please see a16z.com/disclosures for more important information including a link to our investments.
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About web3 with a16z crypto

"web3 with a16z" is a show about the next generation of the internet, and about how builders and users -- whether artists, coders, creators, developers, companies, organizations, or communities -- now have the ability to not just "read" (web1) + "write" (web2) but "own" (web3) pieces of the internet, unlocking a new wave of creativity and entrepreneurship. Brought to you by a16z crypto, this show is the definitive resource for understanding and going deeper on all things crypto and web3. From discussing the latest and leading trends to sharing research, data readouts, and insights from top scientists and makers in the space, this is a variety show with a variety of formats and topics listeners can pick and choose from. It is hosted by the longtime showrunner of (and original team behind) the popular a16z Podcast. Learn more at a16zcrypto.com.
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