FYI - For Your Innovation

In this episode, ARK’s Brett Winton and Lorenzo Valente sit down with Anatoly Yakovenko — co-founder of Solana — to explore how Solana is evolving into a high-performance, globally distributed financial infrastructure. Anatoly shares the network’s origin story, explains how Solana leverages parallel compute and hardware innovation to scale, and outlines why execution—not just settlement—is the future of crypto-based finance.

The discussion covers how Solana compares to centralized systems like NASDAQ, why monolithic architecture matters, and how innovations like Firedancer and Alpenglow will push the boundaries of decentralized coordination and real-time price discovery. They also explore tokenomics, validator incentives, and why Solana is built to handle machine-generated transaction volumes at global scale.

Anatoly offers a wide-ranging perspective on decentralization, future throughput limits, and why blockchains should eventually become invisible to end users.

• 00:00:00 Why Solana exists
• 00:06:25 Time as a cryptographic primitive: Solving blockchain inefficiency with Time-Division Multiple Access (TDMA)
• 00:11:33 Why Proof of History may disappear — and what replaces it.
• 00:14:16 How cryptographic guarantees could replace 100 years of financial regulation.
• 00:20:03 Settlement vs. execution: Why all the value accrues at the execution layer.
• 00:26:29 Handling millions of transactions per second — and how Solana filters noise.
• 00:38:47 Solana vs. NASDAQ: Building a global atomic state machine for finance.
• 00:42:25 Validator incentives, staking yields, and real vs. inflationary revenue.
• 00:48:46 Firedancer, Alpenglow, and multiple concurrent proposers: What’s next for Solana.
• 00:54:52 Is quantum computing a real crypto threat? Anatoly’s timeline and optimism.

In this episode of the Brainstorm podcast, Sam Korus, Brett Winton, and Nick Grous dive into the latest advancements in space exploration with SpaceX's groundbreaking achievements and the evolving landscape of gene sequencing technology. From the successful Starship test flight to the economic implications of reusable rockets, and the cost dynamics of long-read versus short-read sequencing, this discussion offers a deep dive into the future of technology and innovation.

If you know ARK, then you probably know about our long-term research projections, like estimating where we will be 5-10 years from now! But just because we are long-term investors, doesn’t mean we don’t have strong views and opinions on breaking news. In fact, we discuss and debate this every day. So now we’re sharing some of these internal discussions with you in our new video series, “The Brainstorm”, a co-production from ARK and Public.com. Tune in every week as we react to the latest in innovation. Here and there we’ll be joined by special guests, but ultimately this is our chance to join the conversation and share ARK’s quick takes on what’s going on in tech today.

Key Points From This Episode:

• SpaceX's Starship test flight was a major success, showcasing the potential for reusable rockets.
• The 31st reuse of a booster marks a significant milestone in reducing space travel costs.
• Starlink's technology provides superior video quality and data collection during launches.
• Long-read sequencing is becoming more affordable, opening new research opportunities.
• The prediction market is experiencing rapid growth, with significant shifts in market share.
• Apple's investment in F1 broadcast rights highlights the growing interest in motorsports.

For more updates on Public.com:

Website: https://public.com/

YouTube: @publicinvest

X: https://twitter.com/public

In this episode of the Brainstorm podcast, Sam Korus, Brett Winton, Cathie Wood, and Nick Grous dive into the ambitious targets of Elon Musk's new pay package and its potential impact on Tesla and its shareholders.

If you know ARK, then you probably know about our long-term research projections, like estimating where we will be 5-10 years from now! But just because we are long-term investors, doesn’t mean we don’t have strong views and opinions on breaking news. In fact, we discuss and debate this every day. So now we’re sharing some of these internal discussions with you in our new video series, “The Brainstorm”, a co-production from ARK and Public.com. Tune in every week as we react to the latest in innovation. Here and there we’ll be joined by special guests, but ultimately this is our chance to join the conversation and share ARK’s quick takes on what’s going on in tech today.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Cathie Wood describes Elon's pay package as ambitious, with targets that could significantly impact Tesla's growth and innovation.
• The package is seen as a motivator for Elon to accelerate advancements in technologies like humanoid robotics and robotaxis.
• The discussion highlights the broader societal benefits if Tesla achieves these ambitious goals.

For more updates on Public.com:

Website: https://public.com/

YouTube: @publicinvest

X: https://twitter.com/public

In this episode, ARK’s Cathie Wood and Brett Winton sit down with Tom Lee — co-founder of Fundstrat Global Advisors and chairman of BitMine Immersion Technologies — to explore the rising influence of Ethereum as a financial infrastructure layer. Tom shares how BitMine transformed into the largest corporate holder of Ethereum globally, and why digital asset treasury companies DATs could serve as a bridge between traditional finance and decentralized networks.

The conversation covers Ethereum’s “ChatGPT moment,” the regulatory unlock of 2025, and why institutional investors may prefer equity-wrapped crypto exposure. Tom also lays out a bold vision in which Ethereum surpasses Bitcoin in market cap and becomes the financial internet’s base layer — absorbing everything from stablecoins and tokenized assets to staking, liquidity backstops, and even prediction markets.

The trio also examines risk dynamics, corporate strategy, and the architectural differences between proof-of-work and proof-of-stake systems as Wall Street starts to build on-chain.

• 00:00:00 How BitMine evolved from a small miner into the largest Ethereum-holding DAT.
• 00:03:00 Why BitMine’s ETH per share jumped 9x in 8 weeks — and what’s next.
• 00:06:30 Why DATs exist at all — and why they’re crucial for institutional access.
• 00:08:05 Ethereum’s “ChatGPT moment”: Stablecoins as breakout crypto products.
• 00:10:29 How BitMine solved a regulatory bottleneck for ARK’s crypto exposure.
• 00:14:54 The flippage theory: Why Tom believes ETH will surpass Bitcoin.
• 00:19:34 Proof-of-stake vs. proof-of-work: Comparing network resilience and incentives.
• 00:24:06 Targeting 5% of ETH supply: How much is too much for a DAT?
• 00:28:48 How BitMine is like a “reverse bank” — and why that earns it a NAV premium.
• 00:33:16 What could dethrone BitMine’s lead? The tech risk and Solana wildcard.
• 00:38:47 Ethereum can’t hold everything: Why multiple chains will exist.
• 00:50:27 How tokenization unlocks transparency, pricing, and global efficiency.
• 00:54:03 Tom’s 2030 forecast: Ethereum at $60K and digital treasuries worth $5T.

In this episode of the Brainstorm podcast, Sam Korus, Brett Winton, and Nick Grous dive into the evolving landscape of AI and its economic implications. They explore the strategic partnerships between tech giants like AMD and OpenAI, discussing the potential impacts on the AI hardware market. The conversation also touches on the future of e-commerce with agentic commerce and the role of AI in reshaping consumer experiences.

If you know ARK, then you probably know about our long-term research projections, like estimating where we will be 5-10 years from now! But just because we are long-term investors, doesn’t mean we don’t have strong views and opinions on breaking news. In fact, we discuss and debate this every day. So now we’re sharing some of these internal discussions with you in our new video series, “The Brainstorm”, a co-production from ARK and Public.com. Tune in every week as we react to the latest in innovation. Here and there we’ll be joined by special guests, but ultimately this is our chance to join the conversation and share ARK’s quick takes on what’s going on in tech today.

Key Points From This Episode:

• The episode explores the strategic partnership between AMD and OpenAI, highlighting its potential to reshape the AI hardware market.
• Agentic commerce is discussed as a transformative force in e-commerce, with AI enabling seamless consumer experiences.
• The hosts debate the implications of AI-generated content, considering its potential to create new media formats and distribution channels.
• The conversation delves into the cyclical nature of AI investments, emphasizing the importance of strategic partnerships and market positioning.

For more updates on Public.com:

Website: https://public.com/

YouTube: @publicinvest

X: https://twitter.com/public

In this episode of the Brainstorm podcast, Sam Korus, Brett Winton, and Nick Grous dive into the fascinating world of AI and its economic implications, exploring OpenAI's financial maneuvers and the circular economy concept. They also discuss groundbreaking advancements at the ARC Institute that are revolutionizing biology, and examine the future energy demands of AI. 

If you know ARK, then you probably know about our long-term research projections, like estimating where we will be 5-10 years from now! But just because we are long-term investors, doesn’t mean we don’t have strong views and opinions on breaking news. In fact, we discuss and debate this every day. So now we’re sharing some of these internal discussions with you in our new video series, “The Brainstorm”, a co-production from ARK and Public.com. Tune in every week as we react to the latest in innovation. Here and there we’ll be joined by special guests, but ultimately this is our chance to join the conversation and share ARK’s quick takes on what’s going on in tech today.

Key Points From This Episode:

• OpenAI's financial strategies are likened to a circular economy, involving major players like Oracle and NVIDIA.
• The ARC Institute is making significant strides in biology with new gene editing techniques and synthetic genomics.
• AI's future energy demands could surpass those of entire countries, raising questions about sustainability.
• The current AI boom is compared to the dot-com era, with potential for massive economic impact.
• Discussions on sustainable abundance highlight the need for strategic energy planning and investment.

For more updates on Public.com:

Website: https://public.com/

YouTube: @publicinvest

X: https://twitter.com/public

In this episode of the Brainstorm podcast, Sam Korus, Brett Winton, and Nick Grous dive into the latest tech innovations and financial shifts. From Meta's groundbreaking AR glasses and their potential to revolutionize digital interaction, to Coinbase's bold move into banking with high-yield offerings, the discussion is both insightful and forward-thinking. Tune in to explore how these developments could reshape industries and consumer habits.

If you know ARK, then you probably know about our long-term research projections, like estimating where we will be 5-10 years from now! But just because we are long-term investors, doesn’t mean we don’t have strong views and opinions on breaking news. In fact, we discuss and debate this every day. So now we’re sharing some of these internal discussions with you in our new video series, “The Brainstorm”, a co-production from ARK and Public.com. Tune in every week as we react to the latest in innovation. Here and there we’ll be joined by special guests, but ultimately this is our chance to join the conversation and share ARK’s quick takes on what’s going on in tech today.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Meta's AR Glasses: Affordable AR glasses with new input technology.
• Competitive Pricing: Priced at $800, making AR tech accessible.
• Wearable Tech Debate: Comparing Meta's glasses to Apple's AirPods.
• Coinbase's Banking Move: Offers up to 11% yield, challenging banks.
• Digital Wallet Disruption: Digital wallets like Coinbase and Robinhood are reshaping finance.

For more updates on Public.com:

Website: https://public.com/

YouTube: @publicinvest

X: https://twitter.com/public

In this episode, ARK’s Brett Winton, Charles Roberts and Frank Downing sit down with Stephen Balaban, CEO and co-founder of Lambda Labs — a company building AI-specific cloud infrastructure. The conversation explores Lambda’s role in the AI value chain, the evolving economics of data centers, and why traditional hyperscalers might be too slow to meet the moment.

Stephen explains why he believes we're transitioning from deterministic, rule-based software to what he calls “neural software” — stochastic, neural network-driven systems that will eventually replace nearly all traditional software. He shares Lambda’s mission to enable this transformation by rapidly deploying GPU infrastructure and supporting the AI research and application build-out happening today.

The discussion spans infrastructure strategy, regulatory bottlenecks, AI safety, energy constraints, and long-term visions of neural operating systems. Stephen offers a bold perspective on the hardware demands and philosophical shifts required to usher in a world where software is generated, not written.

• 00:01:21 How Lambda positions itself as a “neo-cloud” provider competing with AWS, Azure, and GCP for AI workloads.
• 00:02:46 Why ARK estimates $1.5 trillion in annual AI-related data center investment by 2030 and what it could mean for Lambda.
• 00:05:26 Why hyperscalers may be too slow to meet the unique demands of AI training compared to specialized players.
• 00:06:29 How AI infrastructure requires new rack designs, higher power density, and different utilization patterns.
• 00:09:20 Why AI may disrupt the entire computing stack—from Nvidia overtaking Intel to reshaping platform and cloud services.
• 00:14:50 Stephen explains Lambda’s “secret mission” to replace all traditional software with neural networks.
• 00:16:36 Why companies trust Lambda to deploy GPU infrastructure faster and more reliably than incumbents.
• 00:20:27 How the concept of a “neural operating system” reframes software as stochastic rather than deterministic.
• 00:23:04 How hallucinations in neural systems could be managed with checks and balances similar to financial approvals.
• 00:25:04 Why Stephen sees AI safety and alignment as the cybersecurity of the future.
• 00:39:00 How real-time AI tasks may run locally at the edge, while deeper reasoning gets pushed to the cloud.
• 00:44:11 Why running modern large language models still resembles the supercomputer era rather than the PC era.
• 00:46:06 How Stephen views the long-term convergence of AI with quantum computing and brain–computer interfaces.
• 00:50:20 Why scaling AI requires the “heroic effort” of Nvidia, TSMC, OpenAI, energy providers, and Lambda together.
• 00:53:43 Back-of-the-envelope math on CapEx per megawatt—from power plants and data centers to GPUs.
• 00:57:11 Why power infrastructure and deregulation could become the biggest stumbling blocks for AI growth.
• 01:02:02 How software creation is shifting from a labor-driven process to a capital-intensive one.
• 01:06:06 Why Stephen and Brett describe data centers as “AI factories” producing custom neural software.

In this episode of the Brainstorm podcast, Sam Korus, Brett Winton, and Nick Grous dive into the latest developments from Robinhood's Hood Summit, exploring their innovative new features for active traders and the exciting launch of Robinhood Social. They also discuss SpaceX's strategic spectrum acquisition and its implications for global communication.

If you know ARK, then you probably know about our long-term research projections, like estimating where we will be 5-10 years from now! But just because we are long-term investors, doesn’t mean we don’t have strong views and opinions on breaking news. In fact, we discuss and debate this every day. So now we’re sharing some of these internal discussions with you in our new video series, “The Brainstorm”, a co-production from ARK and Public.com. Tune in every week as we react to the latest in innovation. Here and there we’ll be joined by special guests, but ultimately this is our chance to join the conversation and share ARK’s quick takes on what’s going on in tech today.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Robinhood introduced new features for active traders, including short selling and custom indicators.
• A new social feature in the Robinhood app will allow users to share and verify trades in real-time.
• SpaceX purchased spectrum from EchoStar to enable global satellite communication.
• SpaceX aims to challenge traditional telecom companies by becoming a global cellular provider.

For more updates on Public.com:

Website: https://public.com/

YouTube: @publicinvest

X: https://twitter.com/public

In this milestone 100th episode of the Brainstorm podcast, Sam Korus, Brett Winton, and Nick Grous dive into the latest tech developments, including Tesla's surprising Robotaxi app release and its implications for the future of autonomous vehicles. They explore the potential of Tesla's expansion, the challenges of consumer adoption, and the broader impact on transportation costs and habits.

If you know ARK, then you probably know about our long-term research projections, like estimating where we will be 5-10 years from now! But just because we are long-term investors, doesn’t mean we don’t have strong views and opinions on breaking news. In fact, we discuss and debate this every day. So now we’re sharing some of these internal discussions with you in our new video series, “The Brainstorm”, a co-production from ARK and Public.com. Tune in every week as we react to the latest in innovation. Here and there we’ll be joined by special guests, but ultimately this is our chance to join the conversation and share ARK’s quick takes on what’s going on in tech today.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Tesla's unexpected Robotaxi app release has sparked significant interest, indicating a strong market demand for autonomous ride-hailing services.
• The potential removal of safety drivers from Tesla's Robotaxis could mark the beginning of rapid service expansion and a shift in transportation dynamics.
• The conversation explores the challenges of changing consumer preferences from car ownership to relying on ride-hailing services, emphasizing cost and convenience factors.

For more updates on Public.com:

Website: https://public.com/

YouTube: @publicinvest

X: https://twitter.com/public