Paolo Ardoino is the CEO of Tether, the company behind the ticker symbol USDT, the world’s largest stablecoin. He also serves as CTO of the cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex and co-founded Holepunch, a platform for peer-to-peer applications. Ardoino holds a Master’s in Computer Science from the University of Genoa and is one of the most visible proponents of improving the banking system with cryptocurrencies.

In this conversation, we discuss:

• How Paolo built the infrastructure behind the world’s most used stablecoin and why he believes math, not politics, should govern money
  
  
• Why he believes Bitcoin is the first form of money governed by math, and how that math could reshape global finance
  
  
• How USDT became the most used digital dollar by solving practical challenges in regions with limited banking access
  
  
• Why Paolo believes traditional finance is broken and how decentralized tech offers a more inclusive infrastructure
  
  
• The case for brain–computer interfaces and why Paolo sees human and AI symbiosis as the next frontier of intelligence
  
  
• Why he’s optimistic about AI’s role in society, even as he argues that long term AI safety might be an illusion

Resources:

• Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work Newsletter
• Connect with Paolo on LinkedIn or on X
• AI fun fact article
• On How to Ensure the AI and Workplace Technologies Align with Civil Rights Laws