The Breakdown

Spoiler alert: talking about crypto to normies is still really hard

When not knowing the odds improves your chances

What Thomas Edison actually invented — and what it tells us about the future of crypto

But who gets a key to the gate?

Throughout its billions of searches, Google’s goal has always been to train and hone its algorithms

It’s getting harder and harder to trade crypto like the good ol’ days

Stablecoins are no substitute for what makes the dollar dominant

Quantum teleportation could make money a physical resource again

And the bear case for bitcoin

Bad math makes headlines: real progress, a history of candlelight, and “the worst poverty analysis…ever seen”

Anthropic researchers report that their AI agents successfully exploited 56% of vulnerable smart contracts

For new growth, crypto may need to shed tired norms like over-raising and the hoarding of investment resources

Futuristic DeFi is stuck inside the computer. An old idea might be its escape hatch

From passageways to penumbras: a history of private life

The AI bubble could pop even if demand for AI is unlimited

Are stablecoins “the most dangerous form of crypto” or a “global public good”?

Randomness is easily mistaken for meaning, especially in markets.

With every generation, new problems arise — usually caused by the previous generation’s solutions

The need for a public, verifiable ledger system may have prompted the creation of an ancient mountain site

As DevConnect kicks off in Buenos Aires, Vitalik and friends call for a reset

GPUs are starting to go dark even as data-center spending doubles — is a bubble on the horizon?

Jeff Yass bets that prediction markets could stop wars, Paul Atkins’ announcement on “tokens,” and more

If financial nihilism has driven you into memecoins, zero-day options, and sports betting, consider financial optimism instead

Could blockchain rails finally realize Ted Nelson’s non-linear, pro-creator “docuverse”?