Episodes
A (rerun but perhaps more relevant than ever) hallway-style conversation about market conditions, cycles of innovation, and mental models for navigating crypto and web3.
Published 11/21/22
with @punk6529 @cdixon @smc90 Chris Dixon and Sonal Chokshi chat with Punk6529 about NFT use cases; NFT art (and generative art!); VR, AR, metaverse; more. As well as about regulatory mindsets, moves, and news -- such as Apple's in-app purchasing guidelines for NFTs, and Reddit NFTs.
Published 11/04/22
with @hermannarula @virtualelena @smc90 A deep dive on all things metaverse -- what it is, what it isn’t; how VR, videogames, sports, fashion, communities play here; where crypto comes in, including trends in DAOs, on-chain gaming, etc. We also go well beyond technology, into science fiction, the arts, narratives, and more in this wide-ranging conversation.
Published 10/21/22
with @kevinrose @cdixon A tour through hot topics both within and beyond crypto – including art, AI, the evolution of mediums including blockchains; a deep dive on NFTs, artists, communities; debates around cc0, modding and copying, royalties; plus role of brands, DAOs, creation by crowds; and much more... including building in web2 to web3, from two veterans of both movements.
Published 10/09/22
with @timbeiko @tim_roughgarden @alive_eth @smc90 A deep dive on all things Ethereum, which this week makes the big move to proof of stake in The Merge. But our conversation, which certainly goes into The Merge and shares lots of in-depth and behind-scene details and bottomline on what changes, what doesn’t -- also goes well beyond the Merge, into an overview of what comes next, what’s top of mind, and more.
Published 09/12/22
with @lera_banda @tim_roughgarden @smc90 An overview of proof-of-stake blockchains -- from quick background on how blockchains work, difference between PoS & PoW, and approaches to improving both; to digging deeper into Sybill attacks and Sybill resistance; and much more on the design (and some debates) of PoS blockchains overall.
Published 08/29/22
with @michelekorver @jai_ramaswamy @smc90 We tease apart the facts vs buzz around recent news -- Tornado Cash sanctions, and arrest of a suspected developer -- including what's novel and what's not, as well as broader backdrop. But we also share an evergreen explainer that goes well beyond recent events, to help crypto founders and others navigate various regulatory and compliance requirements... while ensuring innovation.
Published 08/19/22
with @mg_486662 @riyazdf @nassyweazy and @smc90 We cover two of the most recent, high-profile hacks in the crypto space -- the Nomad bridge hack, and the Slope wallet hack (which affected several users on Solana) -- including a technical breakdown of the what, the how, and how we know. But we also discuss the broader categories, issues related (and not related) to web3 security, as well as open source solutions and advice for builders. Throughout, we try to tease apart what’s hype/ what’s...
Published 08/12/22
@tim_roughgarden @josephbonneau @skominers with @alive_eth @cdixon A tour though top-of-mind blockchain & crypto tech topics, explained by several a16z crypto researchers, including VDFs (verifiable delay functions); zk-rollups, SNARKs, and zero knowledge in general; and others. We quickly zip up and down the stack, and across themes -- such as scalability; data availability; reputation and the creator economy, also discussing applications for NFTs and more. Be sure to also subscribe to...
Published 08/06/22
@jakeauch @cdixon @milesjennings A quick overview of principles for thinking about policy, briefly covering topics and recent moves that are top of mind in U.S. crypto regulation -- from stablecoins to NFTs to DAOs more.
Published 07/23/22
with @x0rart / @blauyourmind, @nassyweazy, @smc90 We cover the security and evolution of NFTs across applications and mediums -- including dynamic NFTs for art to identity to experiences; address common myths and misconceptions along the way (artist royalties in smart contracts? immutability?); and discuss experiments, trends, and applications of interest now and ahead.
Published 07/18/22
with @enigmida @skominers @smc90 A special bonus holiday episode based on a hallway-style riff linking two seemingly unrelated things: puzzle design, and crypto -- covering types of puzzles, from mediums to mindsets; experience design and incentive design principles; NFTs, games, and much more.
Published 07/05/22
with @RMcElhenney @cdixon @smc90 Based on a live conversation that took place earlier this week at NFT NYC between special guest Rob McElhenney (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Mythic Quest; Adim); Chris Dixon, and Sonal Chokshi, this episode is all about the theme of decentralized media/ decentralized content creation. We cover creative collaboration and community; creator access; IP and evolution of the internet; and where NFTs and web3 specifically comes in -- do we really need web3...
Published 06/27/22
with @skominers @tim_roughgarden @smc90 In this episode, we go into all things auctions -- which applies in web3 contexts to everything from NFT mints to blockchains themselves. We provide an overview of auction types and incentive design, and how it works in both theory and practice -- including the nuances of market-clearing prices, gas wars, and more… sharing tradeoffs, choices, and principles for builders designing these systems throughout.
Published 06/14/22
with @cdixon @alive_eth @tim_roughgarden @smc90 We set some context, quickly, into the connection between blockchains, crypto, and web3 – and offer some useful analogies, and more mental models, for thinking about a blossoming area of computer science in both theory and practice.
Published 05/31/22
with @cdixon @eddylazzarin @smc90 A conversation about the markets and how recent events affect crypto and web3; mental models for thinking about crypto and web3, and the longer arc and evolution of technology history, open source, etc.; and methods & metrics for measuring price-innovation cycle ebbs and flows, creators in web2 vs web3, and much more -- as well as key trends that are top of mind.
Published 05/31/22
"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....
Published 05/20/22
TK
Published 05/04/22