Corporate metaverses failed the moment big tech tried to turn human connection into a closed retail space. In this episode of Endgame, Second Life creator Philip Rosedale joins Amanda Cassatt to explain why corporate giants spent $80 billion and still couldn't build a functional virtual world. Moving far beyond the surface-level hype of Silicon Valley, Philip exposes how algorithmic feeds and centralized interfaces are stripping away genuine human sovereignty, leaving us with a cheap illusion of agency. 

They dive deep into the high-stakes ethics of emerging technology, explaining why corporate LLMs risk breeding digital demons if we continue to treat artificial entities as enslaved tools for profit rather than digital offspring. Discover why true digital freedom requires localized artificial life and persistent pseudonymity rather than surveillance state biometric scans.

Timestamp

0:00 – Welcome

3:01 – What did Second Life know 20 years ago that Meta still doesn't?

5:07 – The COVID-era logic that convinced everyone we'd all end up in the metaverse

7:17 – Why virtual worlds still can't replicate meeting a stranger in person

9:30 – Who actually stays in Second Life: repressive regimes and long-term escape

11:13 – Is staying in a virtual world for life a good thing?

13:19 – Do shooter video games actually teach transferable skills?

15:13 – Why women used Second Life more effectively than men

17:13 – Roblox, Minecraft, and the ethics of monetizing kids

19:13 – Why Second Life deliberately stores nothing about you: the case for pseudonymity

21:27 – Did Second Life become what Rosedale actually wanted?

23:24 – The night the community blew up his own nightclub

25:16 – Is technology pulling people together or tearing them apart?

27:42 – From Wikipedia optimism to "big tech has done nothing but harm"

30:03 – Are AI models conscious? Defining consciousness itself

32:21 – Marc Andreessen says there's no path to AI consciousness — does Rosedale agree?

34:45 – Will machines start demanding rights?

39:25 – "Awakening the Angels": should AI be unstoppable and unowned?

41:50 – "Machines are our children": raising AI as independent offspring

44:12 – What he's building at New Theory, beyond LLMs

46:23 – Artificial life, cellular automata, and the other path to AGI

48:41 – Fusing atoms and bits — and why crypto's obsession with "sovereignty" might be an illusion

50:15 – Closing case for nuance over Silicon Valley's binary thinking

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As chief cryptographer of Sui and Mysten Labs, Kostas Chalkias helped design a blockchain built on more than 100 published cryptography papers and an object-based architecture fast enough to let AI agents chain dozens of transactions into a single intent, without skipping the security research most "fast chains" leave out entirely.

In this episode of Endgame, Amanda Cassatt sits down with Kostas to break down why validators froze $163 million after the Cetus hack, why post-quantum migration can't wait for a crisis to force it, and why he thinks cryptographers now have exactly one place left to do their best work.

But the most unexpected part isn't the tech; it's the path. Chalkias was lecturing cryptography at universities in Dubai before spending three years building Facebook's ill-fated Libra project. He walked away from Meta because, in his words, it was too slow for how fast cryptography actually moves. Now he's chief cryptographer at one of the most talked-about L1s in the space.

Timestamp

0:00 – Is the quantum threat to Bitcoin and Ethereum real, or Sui's marketing wedge?

0:42 – Why every chain needs to start quantum migration now

2:32 – Why isn't a single top-40 blockchain quantum-safe yet?

7:52 – Why leave Facebook's Libra project to build another L1?

9:05 – Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana already won  so why build Sui?

21:06 – Why has Sui gone down more than once?

24:33 – The Cetus hack: why validators froze $163M

27:01 – What can only be built on Sui's object-based architecture?

30:14 – Is Sui's confidential-transactions push just Tornado Cash with extra steps?

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Diogo Mónica co-founded Anchorage Digital, the first federally chartered crypto bank in the US, and now argues for a position most of Silicon Valley won't say out loud: America should be building closed AI, not open source.

In this episode of Endgame, Amanda Cassatt sits down with Diogo, Co-Founder of Anchorage Digital and General Partner at Haun Ventures, to break down why he thinks open-sourcing AI just hands China a free ride, why he calls AI "the ultimate weapon," and why he considers defending US AI intellectual property "perfectly legitimate."

They also discuss his board seat at Erebor, Palmer Luckey's new bank for crypto, AI, and defense companies; why stablecoins bridge crypto anarchism and financial regulation; and why he calls building in crypto an act of American patriotism.

Timestamp

0:56 – Kicking off with Katie Haun and Haun Ventures 

2:13 – Reconciling his crypto-anarchist roots with his own philosophy

3:15 – Founding a regulated bank: Anchorage Digital 

4:18 – Stablecoins: centralized control on decentralized rails 

5:26 – Would a crypto anarchist say regulation just protects incumbents? 

6:38 – Is building in crypto an act of American patriotism? 

8:11 – Can crypto be "American-made" if it was born borderless? 

13:25 – Introducing Palmer Luckey and the US-China AI/crypto landscape 

14:21 – Is America on the right side of technology history?

 15:39 – Why he believes America should build closed AI, not open source

 16:31 – Does intellectual property even make sense in the AI age? 

17:55 – Is the "China competition" narrative a political red herring?

18:18 – AI as "the ultimate weapon" and the end of mutually assured destruction

19:46 – Turning the protectionism question back on China (Google, Gmail, Twitter) 

20:21 – Building Erebor: Palmer Luckey's bank for crypto, AI, and defense 

22:55 – Toward a left-wing and right-wing version of every business?

24:14 – Crypto's real legacy: financial education for an entire generation

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#EndGame #AI #crypto  #bitcoin  #fintech

Robinhood is evolving far beyond commission-free trading.

In this episode of Endgame, Amanda Cassatt sits down with Johann Kerbrat, SVP & GM of Robinhood Crypto, for an in-depth conversation about how Robinhood is using blockchain, AI, and tokenization to reshape investing. Johann explains why Robinhood built its own Layer 2 on Ethereum, how tokenized stocks work in Europe, why Robinhood believes financial markets should operate 24/7, and how AI is changing the future of investing.

They also discuss crypto regulation, DeFi, prediction markets, Ethereum vs. Solana, Robinhood Wallet, self-custody, and Robinhood’s long-term vision for bringing traditional financial assets onchain. If you’re interested in crypto, fintech, investing, AI, or the future of financial markets, this conversation offers a rare look inside one of the world’s largest retail investing platforms.

In this episode:

• Why Robinhood built on Ethereum and Arbitrum

• Tokenized stocks explained (EU vs. US)

• The future of on-chain ownership

• Robinhood’s vision for 24/7 financial markets

• AI’s role inside Robinhood

• How AI agents could transform investing

• DeFi made simple

• Robinhood Wallet and self-custody

• Ethereum vs. Solana

• Prediction markets vs. gambling

• Robinhood’s acquisition of WonderFi

• The future of global investing

Timestamps: 

00:00 Introduction

00:20 What Makes Robinhood Different

02:10 Crypto Fees and Accessibility

04:06 Crypto’s Role at Robinhood

05:06 Tokenized Stocks Explained

09:38 What Investors Actually Own

10:57 Putting Real Stocks Onchain

12:31 The Case for 24/7 Markets

15:48 Why Robinhood Chose Ethereum

18:12 KYC and Decentralization

20:12 Are L2s Good for Ethereum?

21:27 Ethereum vs. Solana

22:45 How Robinhood Uses AI

24:22 AI, DeFi and WonderFi

25:32 Trading vs. Gambling

29:39 What’s Next for Robinhood?

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#EndGame #Robinhood #Tokenization #DeFi #Web3

In this episode of Endgame, the roles are reversed. Timour Kosters takes the mic to interview Amanda Cassatt. Together they explore why technology can both expand and limit freedom, how smartphones and algorithms shape our choices, why LLMs may homogenize culture and creativity, and what crypto still offers as a hedge against centralized control. 

They also discuss Bitcoin, Ethereum, stablecoins, financial privacy, AI’s impact on society, TikTok, purpose, meaning, and why Amanda rejects a traditional “endgame” altogether.

Timestamp 

00:00 — Turning the tables 

02:15 — The Ethereum years: Making the complex legible to the world

06:40 — The iPhone Trap: Why you don’t own your digital life

11:55 — Root Access: Why we are living in a state of "Digital Serfdom"

16:30 — LLMs vs. Human Thought: The homogenization of everything

21:10 — Why Bitcoin and Ethereum are bulwarks against authoritarianism

25:45 — The "Digital Marshall Plan": Stablecoins and the future of sovereignty

30:15 — Edge City and the birth of the Network State

35:50 — "If you have a goal, you're co-optable": The philosophy of agency

42:20 — Infinite vs. Finite Games: Who is writing your menu?

48:10 — Strengthening from the inside vs. regulating from the outside

49:58 — The story of the rising water: Breaking the frame of San Francisco

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How Swift works is one of the most misunderstood topics in crypto payments. Tom Zschach spent six years as Chief Innovation Officer at Swift, and he has unique insights to share.

In this episode:

• Why stablecoins aren’t replacing Swift; they’re connecting to it

• Why Tom called Ripple a fax machine and stands by it

• Why a token isn’t money and what that means for settlement

• Why faster and cheaper isn’t the real prize- certainty is

• What it actually takes to move $50 million into Singapore when there’s no alternative

Adam Back invented the proof-of-work system that became Bitcoin's foundation. The New York Times says he's Satoshi Nakamoto. He says he isn't, but he was the first person Satoshi ever emailed.

Every major publication is asking whether quantum computing will break Bitcoin. The consensus is nervous. Adam Back, the man who built Bitcoin's cryptographic foundation, is not.

In this conversation, he explains why none of the quantum computers that exist today can perform a useful calculation, why you shouldn't expect a real threat before 2035 at the earliest, and why the institutions buying Bitcoin through BlackRock ETFs changed themselves. Not Bitcoin.

They also get into the real state of building on Bitcoin, why Lightning Network channel numbers are shrinking is actually fine, how $2 billion in Mexican promissory notes ended up on a Bitcoin layer 2, and what a lifelong cypherpunk actually thinks about AI.

Also in this episode

- Why Lightning Network channel numbers are shrinking (and why that's fine)

- How $2 billion in Mexican promissory notes ended up on a Bitcoin layer 2

- What a lifelong cypherpunk actually thinks about AI

Timestamps: 

0:00 Intro

0:30 Is Adam Back Satoshi?

1:37 Does the speculation bother him?

1:53 First contact: Satoshi reached out to Adam

2:53 Weirdest thing about being a Satoshi suspect

3:21 Hashcash and the CipherPunk mailing list

4:28 Why proof of work was the breakthrough

4:58 CipherPunk identity vs. BlackRock adoption

6:02 How he reconciles crypto anarchism with institutions

8:01 Are institutions changing Bitcoin or vice versa?

9:25 The case against institutional Bitcoin

10:19 Paper Bitcoin and synthetic derivatives

14:04 Why governments are buying gold, not Bitcoin

16:41 Has "build on Bitcoin" failed?

19:32 Lightning compression isn't a demand signal

19:57 Stablecoins and RWAs on Bitcoin layer 2

21:20 Why Mexican promissory notes ended up on Liquid

22:03 Adam's stance on quantum panic

23:33 The timeline skepticism 

26:45 The danger of rushing a quantum solution

28:18 The security budget problem

31:13 What does a CipherPunk think of AI?

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Cultural theorist and essayist Toby Shorin joins Amanda Cassatt to explore one of the most urgent questions of the AI era: What happens to the human body and human meaning when thinking itself becomes commodified?

Drawing on his essay “Body Futurism,” Toby argues that we’re witnessing a massive embodied turn in culture, from peptides and biohacking to looks-maxing and sports investment. But the real question isn’t just why people are obsessing over their bodies; it’s whether that obsession represents liberation or a new form of algorithmic hijacking.

In this episode, they discuss:

- Bryan Johnson’s “don’t die” philosophy and why it’s rooted in fear, not vision

- The difference between a protocol and a practice, and its political consequences

- Who actually benefits from the loneliness epidemic narrative

- What the “AI mind virus” looks like from inside the Bay Area

- Why poetry might be the only genuine escape from the optimization loop

If you’re interested in the intersection of AI, culture, embodiment, and meaning, this conversation is not to be missed.

Timestamps: 

0:00 Introduction 

2:44 Why everyone is obsessed with their body right now 

7:08 The philosophy behind biohacking and morphological freedom

 10:42 Why "don't die" is actually a fear-based philosophy 

13:27 What AI really threatens  it's not your job 

14:50 AI mastered chess. Chess adoption only grew. 

18:05 Why PE firms are buying sports teams

 20:41 Body as asset vs. body as practice 

26:24 What is a narrative subsidy? 

28:44 Who actually benefits from the loneliness epidemic 

29:20 We forgot how to do the dance 

31:52 Did Andrew Huberman invent seeing light in the morning? 

32:44 How insurance culture took over everyday life

 36:45 Two ways out of the optimization loop 

38:00 The poetic way of seeing 

40:29 Toby reads a poem he wrote this morning 

42:09 The William Carlos Williams connection

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Your identity, your assets, your privacy, do you actually own any of it online? 

Binji Pande from the Ethereum Foundation says no. And he's spent his career trying to change that. In this episode, Amanda sits down with Binji to explore why crypto is really about redesigning human incentives, what digital rights actually mean, and what it would take to build a world where freedom online isn't a privilege.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction 

03:21 How Binji got into crypto 

05:17 If you can program money, you can change the world 

09:53 Moloch, prisoner's dilemmas & why the system isn't evil, just indifferent 

13:48 From Northwestern to Coinbase: breaking into crypto without a CS degree 

15:12 The Ethereum tattoo and what it really means 

18:23 Hardware. Software. Trustware. 

20:05 How do you know if Ethereum is actually decentralized? 

26:29 Ethereum's communication challenge 

31:41 Digital rights: you can lock your bathroom door, why not online? 

37:16 Privacy as dignity: data breaches, ZK, and the next frontier 

43:19 CROPS: what the Ethereum Foundation actually stands for 

44:44 Ethereum's roadmap: Is it shipping fast enough? 

45:04 Canton, Tempo, competing chains, should Ethereum be worried?

47:00 The world worth building

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Everyone in crypto is chasing TPS

Eunice Giarta thinks that's the wrong race entirely

As co-founder of Monad Foundation, she spent four years building what she calls the Ethereum of high-performance blockchains  a chain with validators on six continents, in 30 countries and 58 cities, that doesn't sacrifice decentralization for speed.

In this episode of Endgame, Amanda Cassatt sits down with Eunice to break down what actually makes a blockchain worth building on in 2026, what the real killer use case for Monad looks like, and why bear markets build better products than bull markets.

But the most unexpected part isn't the tech it's the path. Eunice went from Merrill Lynch to Shutterstock to a pastry kitchen at Jean-Georges in New York. A Pi Day pandemic layoff sent her down the crypto rabbit hole. Four years later, she co-founded one of the most talked-about L1s in the space.

Timestamps:

0:00 Why there's no solid high-performance chain yet

2:30 Monad's 200 validators across 6 continents

5:30 Placing Monad on the decentralization spectrum

9:00 Why TPS is a misleading metric

12:00 The real use case: on-chain order books

15:30 How to measure real demand vs. incentive-driven usage

19:30 What AI agents would use Monad for

22:00 RWAs and institutional adoption

24:00 Monad's token launch and the bear market

27:00 From trading analyst to pastry chef to blockchain co-founder

31:30 Favorite macaron: chocolate miso from Pierre Hermé

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