Devin Baker

Asking “What problems do blockchains solve?” is like asking “What problems does steel solve over, say, wood?” You can make a building or railway out of either. But steel gave us taller buildings, stronger railways, and more ambitious public works at the outset of the Industrial Revolution. With blockchains we can create networks that are fairer,... See more

Given that your project isn’t for everyone, the goal isn’t for everyone to understand it. The goal is for people who might take action to understand it enough that they will take action. Every great brand that I know of has as the unspoken next line in their brief: “This might not be for you.”

That taste for outsized risk has seeped into everyday culture. Wage growth has severely lagged compounded capital, causing ordinary people to increasingly see their best shot at real upward mobility in negative EV jackpots. Online gambling, 0DTE options, retail meme stocks, sports betting, and crypto memecoins all testify to the phenomena of... See more

The delta between the value of the modern tech infrastructure, and the price they are selling their products at, the USD will remain supreme until this ends. To think of it another way, ask someone how much you would need to pay them to not use a modern smartphone/iPhone. Or ask a business how much they would have to be paid to not use modern... See more

It is commonplace to wager on the growth of wallets, accounts, people, videos, memes, art, transportation, media, space, you name it. Financial coordination at-scale is very different from the financialization of everything. The degree to which we gravitate toward shared social experiences has not changed, but the medium has shifted toward digital... See more

Disrupting traditional finance or improving global payment rails are two of the more widely accepted future use cases for crypto, while we argue there’s room for a third in DePIN.

Reserve currency status commands many benefits to the holder, which is why it is the ultimate prize of the international system, and the most exalted status within it. In modern times, it allows the issuer of the reserve currency to extract tribute from those subservient without having to use overt force.

There are three things you cannot buy. Fitness: You have to keep fit, whether you’re rich or not. Diet: You cannot pay someone to be on a diet for you. I think that diet is the biggest sacrifice in my life. Then, looking after your soul. No one can possibly treat your soul but you yourself. This is something you can do through culture and... See more