How Crypto Is Rebuilding Finance From First Principles

Guy Wuollet thinks crypto will have succeeded when we stop calling it crypto. Financial services will simply run on blockchains, much as other businesses now run on the internet. What will it take to get there? In this conversation with Robert Hackett, the a16z crypto general partner explains where he sees opportunities to build, from stablecoin payments and perpetual futures to new markets for energy and compute. They discuss what tokenization changes for Wall Street, why faster and cheaper blockchains make different businesses possible, and how crypto’s cypherpunk roots fit with its growing commercial adoption. Guy also shares his path from a16z intern to general partner, including a research project to build a decentralized internet service provider. Along the way, he explains how he evaluates founders, why early token liquidity doesn’t change his investment horizon, and what he looks for in people who want to spend decades building a company. Plus, oil painting and some strongly held opinions about how pants should fit. Highlights 00:00 A preview of the conversation 00:52 From a16z intern to crypto general partner 11:51 Bitcoin and Guy’s cypherpunk roots 14:34 From technological revolution to practical products 19:28 Why timing matters for crypto adoption 23:31 Token launches, liquidity, and going public 28:20 Backing founders for the long term 31:39 How Guy evaluates founders 36:21 Where Guy sees opportunities in crypto 38:42 New markets for energy and compute 39:49 Stablecoins and finance’s digital transformation 43:29 Why perpetual futures are gaining traction 45:26 What tokenization changes for Wall Street 49:04 Oil painting and the pleasure of making things 51:02 Guy’s smallest hill to die on Stay connected Website https://a16zcrypto.com/ Newsletter https://a16zcrypto.substack.com/ X https://x.com/a16zcrypto This content is for informational purposes only and is not investment, business, legal, or tax advice. See https://a16z.com/disclosures for important information. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.