This week on Net Society, we’re joined by special guest Brady Dale to talk through a moment that feels like a real inflection point for crypto, AI, and media. The conversation opens with why this cycle feels different, touching on deleveraging, fading speculation, and how AI has absorbed both capital and cultural attention. From there, the group explores what a post casino crypto world looks like, including utility, payments, stablecoins, Ethereum’s internal dynamics, and whether builders are quietly shifting priorities. The episode then moves into regulation, breaking down why legislative clarity may not arrive, why it might not matter, and how rulemaking is likely to shape the industry regardless. In the second half, the discussion widens to AI agents, automation, labor, and whether crypto is foundational infrastructure or simply attaching itself to a larger narrative. The episode closes with a reflection on the collapse of traditional media, the limits of Substack and subscriptions, AI’s impact on writing and news, and how crypto’s evolving aesthetics quietly signal where the industry may be headed next.

Mentioned in the episode

Guest Brady https://x.com/BradyDale

Brady’s Substack https://www.frontstageexit.com/

Multicoin co-founder steps down https://www.coindesk.com/business/2026/02/04/multicoin-co-founder-kyle-samani-steps-down-after-nearly-a-decade-to-pursue-other-areas-of-tech

Deleted tweet https://x.com/MiyaHedge/status/2019317927141679190?s=20

Clarity Act https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/3633/text

Show & Hosts

Net Society: https://x.com/net__society

Aaron Wright: https://x.com/awrigh01

Chris F: https://x.com/ChrisF_0x

Derek Edwards: https://x.com/derekedws

Priyanka Desai: https://x.com/pridesai

Production & Marketing

Editor: https://x.com/0xFnkl

Social: https://x.com/v_kirra

• (00:00) - Crypto Winter, AI Dominance, and the End of Speculation
• (08:24) - Utility, Builders, and the Post-Casino Crypto Era
• (17:16) - Ethereum Power, L1 vs L2, and the Commons Problem
• (24:26) - Regulation, Clarity, and the Real Shape of Crypto Policy
• (36:10) - AI, Agents, and Whether Crypto Really Matters
• (47:12) - Media Collapse, Substack, and the Future of News
• (01:15:45) - Aesthetics, Culture, and What Crypto Communicates Now
• (01:19:28) - Welcome & Disclaimer

This week on Net Society, the conversation starts with self hosting clawdbot and the sudden rise of agent driven workflows before widening into a deeper look at how AI narratives form, burn hot, and disappear just as fast. From agent social networks like Moltbook and media fragmentation to pop culture blind spots and what it means to be “too online,” the group explores how attention, taste, and relevance are shifting. The episode then moves into the emerging agent economy, touching on automation, crypto rails, payments, and whether AI actually needs crypto at all. From there, the discussion zooms out into history, acceleration, and past technological inflection points, drawing parallels between electricity, industrialization, and today’s AI moment. The episode closes with a wide ranging reflection on population decline, power, money, and whether we are approaching a fundamentally different social and economic order.

Mentioned in the episode

Moltbook the AI agent social network https://www.moltbook.com/

WWI was the end of the world https://x.com/male_leo_xxvi/status/2017051227432112623?s=20

Instagram and Substack launch TV https://open.substack.com/pub/embedded/p/even-instagram-and-substack-are-tv?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

Show & Hosts

Net Society: https://x.com/net__society

Aaron Wright: https://x.com/awrigh01

Chris F: https://x.com/ChrisF_0x

Derek Edwards: https://x.com/derekedws

Priyanka Desai: https://x.com/pridesai

Production & Marketing

Editor: https://x.com/0xFnkl

Social: https://x.com/v_kirra

• (00:00) - Self-Hosting, Mac Minis, and Agent Social Networks
• (04:40) - AI Narratives, Attention Cycles, and Being Too Online
• (11:19) - Media Fragmentation, Pop Culture, and Agent Consumption
• (19:04) - Agents, Automation, and the Shape of Work
• (27:04) - Crypto, AI Rails, and the Agent Economy
• (40:38) - Acceleration, History, and Technological Epochs
• (58:05) - Population, Power, and What Comes After Money
• (01:19:42) - Welcome & Disclaimer

This week on Net Society, the crew record from the West Coast and reflect on how San Francisco feels like an early AI boomtown, from Waymo becoming mundane to builders everywhere working on something new. The conversation moves through prediction markets, regulation, and why AI adoption is still largely top-down, before widening into self-hosting, homegrown software, and what automation could look like inside the home. From Apple’s strategic positioning and embodied AI to Davos signaling a global shift around AI, crypto, and labor, the episode closes with a candid discussion on the shutdown of Farcaster, the limits of Web3 social v1, and what a more mature version of decentralized social might become next.

Mentioned in the episode

FSD Insurance Discounts https://x.com/SawyerMerritt/status/2013998338790535320?s=20

Ralph Wiggum Claude Code https://x.com/hackerrank/status/2013936125107450280?s=20

Farcaster sells to Neynar https://x.com/dwr/status/2014045233189888483?s=20

Show & Hosts

Net Society: https://x.com/net__society

Aaron Wright: https://x.com/awrigh01

Chris F: https://x.com/ChrisF_0x

Derek Edwards: https://x.com/derekedws

Priyanka Desai: https://x.com/pridesai

Production & Marketing

Editor: https://x.com/0xFnkl

Social: https://x.com/v_kirra

• (00:00) - Prediction Markets and Regulation
• (03:23) - Waymo, Self-Driving, and the West Coast Gap
• (07:54) - San Francisco as an AI Boomtown
• (14:20) - Self-Hosting, Homegrown Software, and Automation
• (24:27) - Apple, AI, and the Future of Devices
• (33:08) - Davos, AI Adoption, and Global Power Shifts
• (41:20) - Web3 Social, Farcaster, and the End of V1
• (01:00:22) - Welcome & Disclaimer

This week on Net Society, the conversation moves from Bay Area tech culture and a ground level look at San Francisco’s renewed energy into Frontier Tower as a real world example of hacker driven experimentation, DAO run spaces, and the return of the American tinkerer. From there, the group explores network states, regional innovation, and open systems before turning to DeFi, yield, and the Clarity Act, followed by a sober discussion on AI’s impact on labor, robotics, and where optimism starts to blur into real dystopian risk. The episode closes with reflections on identity and intellectual property in the age of AI, celebrity as a scalable asset, and what current TV and media reveal about the cultural moment.

Mentioned in the episode

Frontier tower in San Francisco https://frontiertower.io/

Minerva University https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minerva_University

Matthew McConaughey Trademark vs AI https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/matthew-mcconaughey-trademarks-himself-to-fight-ai-misuse-8ffe76a9

Creator of Industry on NY https://spectator.com/article/get-me-out-of-new-york/

Show & Hosts

Net Society: https://x.com/net__society

Aaron Wright: https://x.com/awrigh01

Chris F: https://x.com/ChrisF_0x

Derek Edwards: https://x.com/derekedws

Priyanka Desai: https://x.com/pridesai

Production & Marketing

Editor: https://x.com/0xFnkl

Social: https://x.com/v_kirra

• (00:00) - Peptides, Tech Culture, and Bay Area Vibes
• (03:53) - Frontier Tower and the Return of the Tinkerer
• (16:10) - Network States, Regional Innovation, and Open Systems
• (32:20) - DeFi, Yield, and the Clarity Act
• (41:45) - AI, Labor, and the Dystopia Debate
• (49:00) - Identity, IP, and the Celebrity-as-Asset Era
• (58:50) - Industry, TV, and Cultural Commentary
• (01:04:34) - Welcome & Disclaimer

This week on Net Society, Aaron and Chris open with a sense that the world feels eerily like 1989 again, marked by global instability, political volatility, and a constant acceleration of events. That backdrop leads into a discussion on AI solving meaningful math problems and why breakthroughs in math may be the real catalyst for long delayed progress in physics, materials, and applied science. From there, the conversation moves into crypto, touching on quantum risk, network resilience, and why the current moment feels more like quiet consolidation than collapse. The back half goes deep on agent based software, rethinking interfaces, self improving systems, and why the next generation of tools may give individuals more agency while reducing the noise and psychological cost of being online.

Mentioned in the episode

The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2666.The_Bonfire_of_the_Vanities

NFT Paris Cancelled https://x.com/nft_paris/status/2008162329397961069?s=20

GPT-5.2 solving the Erdős problem https://x.com/slow_developer/status/2009553229932331110

Show & Hosts

Net Society: https://x.com/net__society

Aaron Wright: https://x.com/awrigh01

Chris F: https://x.com/ChrisF_0x

Derek Edwards: https://x.com/derekedws

Priyanka Desai: https://x.com/pridesai

Production & Marketing

Editor: https://x.com/0xFnkl

Social: https://x.com/v_kirra

• (00:00) - 1989 Vibes and Global Instability
• (05:17) - AI Solving Math and Fundamental Breakthroughs
• (11:39) - Crypto, Quantum Risk, and Network Futures
• (15:09) - NFT Events, Market Consolidation, and Release Drought
• (19:33) - Agents, Interfaces, and Rethinking Software Design
• (39:25) - Self-Improving Software and Human Agency
• (01:05:18) - Reclaiming the Internet and Mental Health
• (01:11:35) - Welcome & Disclaimer

It’s the 60th episode of Net Society and the first conversation of 2026, with just Aaron and Chris today. The episode kicks off with the recent surge in AI driven coding and why the “vibe coding” moment feels like a real inflection point as the cost of building software collapses. From there, the conversation moves into builders versus creators, how generalists may be better positioned than specialists, and why white collar work from software to law is likely to face deeper disruption than most expect. The back half widens out to wealth, taxation, trust in institutions, and what happens when legacy political and legal frameworks collide with AI systems, before closing on questions of meaning, identity, and where purpose comes from in a post productivity world.

Mentioned in the episode

Claude having its moment https://x.com/claudeai

Karpathy AI Comments https://x.com/karpathy/status/2004607146781278521?s=20

Clavicular looksmaxxer interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8qj9RNA938

Show & Hosts

Net Society: https://x.com/net__society

Aaron Wright: https://x.com/awrigh01

Chris F: https://x.com/ChrisF_0x

Derek Edwards: https://x.com/derekedws

Priyanka Desai: https://x.com/pridesai

Production & Marketing

Editor: https://x.com/0xFnkl

Social: https://x.com/v_kirra

• (00:00) - AI Coding Inflection Point
• (05:00) - Builders vs Creators
• (12:57) - Meaning, Work, and Generalists
• (25:33) - Wealth, Taxation, and Trust
• (36:12) - Influence, Aesthetics, and Power
• (44:15) - AI, Law, and Governance
• (01:09:23) - Meaning After Productivity
• (01:29:22) - Welcome & Disclaimer

The crew explores what a post software world could look like as AI collapses the cost of building and reshapes where real constraints now sit. The conversation moves through the limits of current AI tooling, the growing “abundance” narrative, and why white collar work, especially law, may face deeper disruption than expected. From open source eroding AI moats to 2026 crypto predictions around regulation, token models, and ERC20s, the group examines how value, incentives, and business models are being reworked in real time. The episode closes by zooming out to NFTs, digital art, and the metaverse, questioning which cultural and spatial forms actually survive once software stops being scarce.

Mentioned in the episode

Harvey legal AI https://x.com/harvey

Derek’s thread on state of crypto https://x.com/derekedws/status/2001699465519042738

Mathcastles 4 year anniversary https://x.com/Mathcastles

Show & Hosts

Net Society: https://x.com/net__society

Aaron Wright: https://x.com/awrigh01

Chris F: https://x.com/ChrisF_0x

Derek Edwards: https://x.com/derekedws

Priyanka Desai: https://x.com/pridesai

Production & Marketing

Editor: https://x.com/0xFnkl

Social: https://x.com/v_kirra

• (00:00) - Post-Software and Code Abundance
• (05:51) - AI Tooling Friction and Product Reality
• (08:44) - Abundance Narratives, Energy, and Regulation
• (14:53) - AI in Law and White Collar Work
• (27:15) - Open Source, Moats, and AI Commoditization
• (31:13) - Crypto 2026 Predictions and Regulatory Clarity
• (48:37) - NFTs, Digital Art, and the Metaverse Thesis
• (01:13:33) - Welcome & Disclaimer

The crew explores whether AI is actually in a bubble or simply in a messy but necessary boom phase. The group breaks down recent commentary from market veterans, the rapid collapse in AI costs, and what real signals of excess versus durability look like. From the shifting role of experts and institutions to how AI is reshaping work, organizations, and incentives, the conversation moves into crypto, capital allocation, and why resistance to change is more likely to be sidelined than resolved. The episode then widens out to culture and geopolitics, touching on demographic decline, Gen Z political revolts, media saturation, and the fragmentation of the future into parallel paths. The discussion closes with a sharp take on art, spectacle, and why cultural gatekeepers are struggling to adapt to a more direct, participatory era.

Mentioned in the episode

The age of experts is ending https://x.com/emollick/status/1999189828756263359?s=20

Is AI in a bubble? https://www.oaktreecapital.com/insights/memo/is-it-a-bubble

Show & Hosts

Net Society: https://x.com/net__society

Aaron Wright: https://x.com/awrigh01

Chris F: https://x.com/ChrisF_0x

Derek Edwards: https://x.com/derekedws

Priyanka Desai: https://x.com/pridesai

Production & Marketing

Editor: https://x.com/0xFnkl

Social: https://x.com/v_kirra

• (00:00) - Are We in an AI Bubble
• (04:10) - Tech Booms, Bubbles, and AGI
• (09:24) - Experts, Institutions, and Adaptation
• (14:05) - Crypto, Capital, and Market Discipline
• (21:26) - AI, Work, and Organizational Change
• (30:54) - Demographics, Culture, and the Future
• (50:19) - Welcome & Disclaimer
• (50:38) - Art, Spectacle, and Cultural Gatekeepers