Internet Explorers

Is AI the breakthrough crypto needs? Or is it just in need of good UX? In this first episode of Internet Explorers for 2025, co-hosts Jess Sloss and Josh Cornelius are joined by Ben Roy and Nicholas for a wide-ranging exploration of the metas, tools, and ideas reshaping the Internet.

This episode covers:

- AI Agents as Proto-Corporations: Are we seeing the birth of a new organizational paradigm? Inspired by Scott Belsky’s Cognicos, the team dives into AI-native coordination and its parallels to DAOs.

- Crypto’s UX Problem: From confusing wallet setups to network hurdles, crypto adoption continues to struggle. Is 2025 the year this finally changes?

- The Fat Protocol vs. Fat Apps Debate: Exploring where value truly accrues as foundational models evolve and application layers innovate.

- Dream Time Theory: What if this moment is the internet’s greatest inflection point? We reflect on Robin Hanson’s idea of a generational turning point, shaped by transformative tech like crypto and AI.

Whether you're a builder, an AI skeptic, or just curious about the intersections of decentralized networks and artificial intelligence, this episode provides thoughtful insights into the possibilities—and challenges—of the year ahead.

Chapters:
00:00 - Big Questions for 2025
09:00 - Rabbit Holes from the Break
13:00 - AI as New Corporations
22:00 - Solving Crypto UX Woes
32:00 - Where's the Value: Protocols vs. Apps
36:00 - Dream Time: An Inflection Point
42:00 - Personal Brands in AI Economies
48:00 - Reimagining Coordination on-Chain
54:00 - Future of Networked Incentives
60:00 - Closing Reflections on Focus

Internet Explorers is a weekly rundown show where extremely online individuals broadly explore (romanticize, even) new consumer internet experiences.

Join us⁠ live on Twitter/X, Fridays 10am PT / 1pm ET.

Seed Club Twitter: https://x.com/seedclubhq
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/internet-explorers/id1756599282
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6iJk3xZoij7pVhlNbTP9qS?si=4cda0ac044dc4c6a
Pods.media: https://pods.media/internet-explorers