NET Society

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

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

Production & Marketing

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

EP 76 Spiritual Geography

NET Society — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 13:56:44 -0400

Everything is Casino. The Digital Art Timeline is a Church Basement Art Fair. New York is alive and well. Austin and El Segundo are hardware hot zones. Another Vibe Shift? The future of adaptive web design and AI UX. Etc....

Show & Hosts

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

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

Substitute Producer/Editor: https://x.com/v_kirra
The usual Producer/Editor: https://x.com/0xFnkl

Ep75 The Graveyard

NET Society — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 08:00:00 -0400

The Net Society crew records live from New York and opens with a familiar question in unfamiliar times: are we actually back, or just bouncing inside a bear market. From there, the conversation moves through competing views on crypto’s current state, with debate around institutional demand, stablecoin growth, ETF flows, and why the next leg up may still require more pain. The crew then explores what machine-to-machine payments could actually look like, from agentic software and API micropayments to the early shape of a machine-native economy. That leads into a sharp discussion on AI product building, where they argue that the models are already good enough and the real bottleneck is ambition, taste, and the ability to frame better problems. In the back half, they work through a run of crypto casualties and controversies, including Foundation’s collapse, Lattice shutting down, and the Bittensor Templar blowup, before closing on a more optimistic note: why so many of the most interesting builders in AI seem to come out of crypto, and how that culture may shape what comes next.

Mentioned in the episode

Response to Covenant https://x.com/const_reborn/status/2043083033969033610

Lattice winding down https://x.com/latticexyz/status/2044103611072835744

Show & Hosts

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

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

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

(00:00) - Are We Actually Back?
(10:44) - Machine Payments & Agentic Software
(13:09) - AI Product Building, Ambition & Taste
(20:27) - Foundation’s Collapse & Platform Fragility
(25:24) - Bittensor Drama, Templar & Governance
(34:02) - Lattice, Onchain Gaming & Crypto’s User Problem
(42:14) - Crypto Builders Winning in AI
(49:09) - Welcome & Disclaimer

Ep74 Doomerville to Azores

NET Society — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 08:00:00 -0400

The Net Society crew opens in full doomer mode, unpacking the growing public backlash to AI and whether fear around job loss, surveillance, and elite control is hardening into a broader political movement. From there, they debate whether AI anxiety is overblown, whether the real effects on labor are already here, and how anti-tech sentiment differs from the internet’s earlier adoption era. The conversation then shifts into model safety, Anthropic’s posture, and the strange mix of hype, secrecy, and moral panic shaping the AI discourse. In the back half, Aaron spins out a wild but compelling Bitcoin scenario around the Strait of Hormuz and the possibility of a future fungibility crisis, before the group detours into Sam Altman media narratives, Satoshi speculation, and the enduring appeal of unsolved mysteries. They close on a more human note with a sharp travel riff on the Azores, network state jokes, Europe’s slower pace of life, and whether AI’s best case is not mass replacement, but a world where people work less and live better.

Mentioned in the episode

Sam Altman targeted in attacks https://x.com/nypost/status/2043616560921633060

Jasmine Sun - AI populism's warning shots https://open.substack.com/pub/jasmine/p/warning-shots?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

The Bronx is Burning https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29389.Ladies_and_Gentlemen_the_Bronx_is_Burning

Show & Hosts

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

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

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

(00:00) - AI Backlash, Fear & Political Resistance
(08:48) - AI Adoption, Movies & Internet Memory
(15:09) - Anthropic, Model Safety & Claude Discourse
(19:06) - Bitcoin Fungibility, Hormuz & Crypto Weirdness
(25:05) - Sam Altman, Satoshi & Unsolved Mysteries
(31:07) - Azores Travel, Europe & Network State Talk
(41:10) - Working Less, Municipal Strain & AI Optimism
(51:20) - Welcome & Disclaimer

Ep73 Ontology, Popularized by Palantir

NET Society — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 08:00:00 -0400

With most of the crew out for the holiday, Pri and Chris hold down the fort for a loose but sharp conversation that moves from Gen Z Catholic revival to the state of crypto, digital art, and the social internet. They start with the strange resurgence of churchgoing among younger people, framing it as a reaction to loneliness, hyper-online life, and the search for meaning. From there, they turn to the muted vibes around EthCC and the broader sense that crypto conferences, NFT culture, and online art discourse have all lost some of their energy. The conversation digs into whether digital art is being absorbed into more traditional collecting structures, why the timeline feels broken, and how AI and agent culture are crowding out everything else. Later, they unpack OpenAI’s acquisition of TBPN as a play for distribution and influence, before pivoting into a discussion on Palantir, neurodivergence, labor, and the dangerous edges of techno-evolutionary thinking. The episode closes with reflections on political pendulum swings, Massachusetts’ economic drift, and a surprisingly long detour through sitcom canon, cultural durability, and what still holds up.

Mentioned in the episode

Gen Z’s Catholic Church https://x.com/Evie_Magazine/status/2039774646703161413?s=20

Marc Zeller on ETHCC https://x.com/Marczeller/status/2039975610282324389

TBPN has been acquired by OpenAI https://x.com/jordihays/status/2039756490387624327?s=20

Palantir Ontology https://x.com/PalantirTech/status/2039020569115439598

ADIN: Homo Divergens: What If the Weirdos Are the Next Species? https://x.com/ADINresearch/status/2038752657125556240

Creators of South Park AI Company https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/matt-stone-trey-parker-deep-voodoo-ai-south-park-trump-1236552586/

Show & Hosts

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

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

(00:00) - Holiday Open, Gen Z Catholicism & Meaning in the Digital Age
(04:45) - EthCC, Bear Market Vibes & Crypto Conference Drift
(09:48) - Digital Art, NFT Fatigue & The Broken Timeline
(16:38) - OpenAI, TBPN & Buying Distribution
(24:12) - Palantir, Neurodivergence & Evolutionary Risk
(37:29) - Massachusetts, Political Pendulums & Institutional Decay
(44:04) - Sitcom Canon, Cultural Longevity & Closing Thoughts
(51:57) - Welcome & Disclaimer

Ep72 Agents Will Need a Mall

NET Society — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 08:00:00 -0400

Aaron, Derek, and Chris open the episode reflecting on a recent tech manifesto and what it means for crypto's original vision, before diving into a wide-ranging conversation covering the role of speculation in blockchain ecosystems, the rise of Bittensor and AI-native agent economies, and where AI model capabilities are headed by end of year. The crew also explores a thought-provoking tangent on whether AI could eventually replace political parties and governance systems, before wrapping up with news on Apple's AI strategy, the latest stablecoin legislation, and a Google research breakthrough in AI compression.

Mentioned in the episode

Crypto was supposed to be for everyone https://x.com/awrigh01/status/2037534072457609246

Bittensor https://bittensor.com/

Simone Weil https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22747485-on-the-abolition-of-all-political-parties

Clavicular arrested https://x.com/TMZ/status/2037521275946488101

Google Research TubroQuant https://x.com/GoogleResearch/status/2036533564158910740

Apples’s AI strategy https://finance.yahoo.com/sectors/technology/articles/apple-skipped-ai-arms-race-081939950.html

Crypto regulatory clarity updates https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/crypto/articles/coinbase-just-pulled-support-crypto-075306381.html

Show & Hosts

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

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

Ep71 GStack to the Future

NET Society — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 08:00:00 -0400

Derek is back this week for the first time in a while, and the crew wastes no time diving into the strange mental effects of AI-heavy workflows, from agent overload and “productivity psychosis” to the hype around GStack and the growing importance of context engineering over traditional engineering. From there, they unpack the messy state of today’s AI tooling, touch on Cursor and the broader developer stack, and close with a look at private credit, crypto regulation, and the Vanity Fair article that sparked fresh debate about how the industry is seen from the outside.

Mentioned in the episode

Billionaire Marc Andreessen says he has "zero" introspection https://x.com/MorePerfectUS/status/2033583724311286051

Finding acceptance after your AI "oh f*ck" moment https://mattsavage.substack.com/p/finding-acceptance-after-your-ai

Gmoney fatigue with agentic productivity https://x.com/gmoneyNFT/status/2034743292881948697?s=20

Cursor releases Composer 2 https://x.com/cursor_ai/status/2034668943676244133

Bernie Sanders talks to Claude https://x.com/SenSanders/status/2034715260259557597

Vanity Fair profiles big crypto names https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/cryptos-true-believers?srsltid=AfmBOopTkswvbOnRK_m8SFe8EMLscZQK-BOSyxk-YOfPFXLsoC5-Qpjl

Show & Hosts

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

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

(00:00) - Zero Introspection
(08:52) - AI Psychosis
(12:14) - G Stack and Agent Overload
(24:46) - The Messy Middle of AI Tools
(29:12) - Cursor’s New Model
(37:28) - Private Credit and Crypto Rules
(45:36) - Vanity Fair and Crypto’s Image
(59:55) - Welcome & Disclaimer

Ep70 Bring Back The Good Models

NET Society — Mon, 16 Mar 2026 08:00:00 -0400

This week on Net Society, the conversation moves from AI infrastructure and model slowdowns into a broader look at how these systems are actually landing in everyday life, from productivity gains and context switching to brain fry, screen addiction, and the growing appeal of dumb phones. Along the way, the group unpacks the politics shaping frontier models, the corporate control forming around compute and distribution, the fog of modern war coverage online, and why so much of the current AI moment still feels split between real utility and overhyped theater. The episode closes by widening back out to crypto, payments, and the friction between ambitious everything app visions and the messy reality of how people actually use technology.

Mentioned in the episode

Pri’s tweet, lobster vs the bull https://x.com/pridesai/status/2031783971047051445

Fearless girl statue https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/fearless-girl-statue-will-face-wall-street-bull-another-year-n738991

Daniel Day Lewis flip phone https://x.com/karenyhan/status/981997310577119232

$50M USDT Aave trade mishap https://x.com/StaniKulechov/status/2032193345414664659

Show & Hosts

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

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

(00:00) - Model Slowdowns and Data Center Politics
(07:58) - AI Hype, Lobster Theater, and Who Actually Knows How to Use It
(17:07) - Brain Fry, Context Switching, and the Limits of AI Workflows
(24:14) - Dumb Phones, Screen Addiction, and the AI Buffer Theory
(31:10) - War Coverage, Information Fog, and Corporate Control of AI
(41:18) - AI Subscriptions, Frontier Model Politics, and Sam Altman Fatigue
(48:05) - Crypto, X Money, and the Everything App Problem
(53:38) - Welcome & Disclaimer

Ep69 Biologic Copy Machines

NET Society — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 08:00:00 -0400

This week on Net Society, we’re joined by special guest Gmoney to talk through how AI is moving from novelty to daily utility, and what that shift means for software, media, and business. The conversation opens with changing AI workflows and the growing importance of combining models, tools, and interfaces that actually work in practice, before expanding into the geopolitical race around compute, open models, and national advantage. From there, the episode turns to Gmoney’s personal AI stack, the rise of synthetic podcasts and AI-generated media, and the strange new entertainment layer forming around simulations, betting, and algorithmic content. The back half explores open source pressure, where durable moats may still exist, and why the next phase of AI could feel less like a single product revolution and more like a messy rewrite of everything.

Mentioned in the episode

Special guest Gmoney https://x.com/gmoneyNFT

Epstein files podcast with Claude https://x.com/levychain/status/2021713744406229262

AI baby standup comedy video https://x.com/pridesai/status/2029780577843355802

Micro Drama’s https://medium.com/@AT24/the-micro-drama-craze-how-90-second-soap-operas-are-disrupting-global-entertainment-e4030e6a86c3

Show & Hosts

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

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

(00:00) - AI Adoption and Agent Workflows
(06:11) - Model Reliability and Multi-Model Stacks
(13:11) - AI Power Politics
(22:25) - Gmoney’s AI Assistant Stack
(29:13) - Synthetic Podcasts and AI Media
(38:33) - Simulations, Betting, and AI Entertainment
(49:20) - Open Models, Business Moats, and the Weird Future
(01:08:53) - Welcome & Disclaimer

Ep68 The Great Mess

NET Society — Mon, 02 Mar 2026 08:00:00 -0500

This week on Net Society, we’re joined by special guest Poof to talk through why agents are suddenly moving from demo to deployment, and what that shift breaks across markets, labor, and security. The conversation opens with a war game lens on “agent warfare,” including how coordination, speed, and execution change when software can act continuously instead of waiting on humans. From there, Poof unpacks what DX Terminal Pro is actually doing, why the product is positioned around real operator workflows, and how the UI and constraints matter as much as the model. The episode then zooms out to the underlying unlock, why agents feel more viable now, where the bottlenecks really are, and why “context engineering” is starting to look like the practical craft layer that separates toys from tools. In the second half, the group debates AI doom, layoffs, and the messy transition cost, including what gets automated first, where humans stay in the loop, and why incentives will shape outcomes more than ideology. The conversation then turns to finance, market structure, and the Jane Street discourse, using it as a wedge to talk about manipulation, edge, and how fragile public narratives get when systems are too complex to explain. The episode closes on security and alignment in the real world, agents running into adversarial environments, incentive design, and why RL harnesses, evals, and constraint systems might matter more than raw model IQ as we hand models more autonomy.

Mentioned in the episode

Special guest Poof: https://x.com/poof_eth

DX Research Group / DX Terminal Pro https://x.com/dxrgai

Jane Street https://www.janestreet.com/

War Games https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WarGames

Show & Hosts

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

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

(00:00) - Cold Open: War Games and Agent Warfare
(04:48) - Poof Explains DCS Terminal Pro
(08:06) - Why Agents Are Suddenly Viable
(18:29) - AI Doom, Layoffs, and Labor Debate
(38:27) - Jane Street and Market Manipulation
(47:14) - Agents, Incentives, and Security Risk
(01:00:53) - RL Harness, Context Engineering, and the Big Picture
(01:30:07) - Welcome & Disclaimer

Ep67 Fog of Slop

NET Society — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 08:00:00 -0500

This week on Net Society, we’re joined by special guest Daniel Keller to break down how policy, infrastructure, and narrative are colliding across AI and crypto. The conversation opens with the Supreme Court’s tariff ruling and what it signals about institutional power, industrial strategy, and second order economic fallout. From there, the group turns to AI, from Claude and the Pentagon to the way labs build legitimacy, sell a story of inevitability, and cycle through “mandate of heaven” moments as hype meets reality. The episode then moves into the physical layer, looking at the data center buildout, local backlash, zoning politics, and why elections shape what actually gets built. In the second half, the discussion widens to cities and status, including K shaped urban outcomes, network state thinking, and why New York’s cultural primacy feels less secure. The episode closes with an info war lens on modern media, the coming regulatory sorting in crypto, why meme coins may get sacrificed while NFTs quietly benefit, and how robots, Waymo, unions, prediction markets, and the dead internet thesis all point to a world where models become the primary interface to reality.

Mentioned in the episode

Special Guest Daniel Keller https://x.com/dnlklr

Supreme Court Tariff Ruling https://x.com/ABC/status/2024864990189044039

Pentagon vs Claude https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/18/anthropic-pentagon-ai-defense-war-surveillance.html

Rand Corporation Firehose of Falsehood https://www.rand.org/pubs/perspectives/PE198.html

Everyone will be slop in 90 days https://x.com/nikitabier/status/2021632774013432061

Next XAI Safety Tsar https://x.com/elonmusk/status/2024703811806515667

Show & Hosts

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

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

Ep66 Apocalyptic Eschatology

NET Society — Mon, 16 Feb 2026 08:00:00 -0500

This week on Net Society, we’re joined by special guest Jeremy Nixon to dig into what today’s AI boom actually is and what it is not. The conversation opens with Jeremy’s path through early autonomy and self-driving, and why that era made it impossible to dismiss machine intelligence as hype. From there, the group zooms out into bigger questions about intelligence itself, contrasting “alien” intelligence with collective intelligence, and treating LLMs less like minds and more like powerful simulators. The episode then moves into creativity, measurement, and the real constraint on progress, which is not generating ideas but selecting and validating them. In the second half, the discussion turns to how LLMs were built, why major labs and incumbents made different bets, and what that says about institutional risk and ambition. The episode closes with a sharp look at AI apocalypse culture, the moral frameworks that grew around it, and how open models, game theory, and product reality collide with the temptation to turn AI into a new kind of religion.

Mentioned in the episode

Special Guest Jeremy Nixon https://x.com/JvNixon

AGI House https://x.com/agihousesf

Thiel on Progress and Stagnation https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/Xqcorq5EyJBpZcCrN/thiel-on-progress-and-stagnation

Show & Hosts

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

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

Ep65 Exit Through The Grift Shop

NET Society — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 08:00:00 -0500

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

(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

Ep64 Agentic Cosplay

NET Society — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 08:00:00 -0500

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

(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

Ep63 A Million Lines of Lifestyle Code

NET Society — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 08:00:00 -0500

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

(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

Ep62 Dr. Peptides

NET Society — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 08:00:00 -0500

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

(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

Ep61 Agents Are Everywhere

NET Society — Mon, 12 Jan 2026 08:00:00 -0500

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

(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

Ep60 Chadsurdism

NET Society — Mon, 05 Jan 2026 08:00:00 -0500

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

(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

Ep59 '26 Hyperstitions for 30 People

NET Society — Mon, 22 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0500

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

(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

Ep58 Latvian Blondes and Bubbles

NET Society — Mon, 15 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0500

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

(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

Ep57 Warlord as a Service

NET Society — Mon, 08 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0500

The crew opens with Thanksgiving before diving into prediction markets, why they suddenly matter, and how insider knowledge is already shaping outcomes. They explore the financialization of everything, the social cost of hyper efficient markets, and what happens when AI and robotics reshape labor and demographics. The discussion moves into autonomous cars, insurance, and cultural shifts before closing with Basel, the rise of digital art, and how crypto native creators are pushing the medium forward.

Mentioned in the episode

Polymarket on 60 minutes https://www.cbsnews.com/video/60minutes-2025-11-30/

Kangaroo Bio https://x.com/DraperVC/status/1970880937924935887

The Depopulation Trade Article https://blog.unrulycap.com/the-depopulation-trade-an-unruly-thesis/

Beeple Dog’s at Art Basel https://x.com/nypost/status/1996365399777017919

Jack Butcher - Self Checkout https://x.com/jackbutcher/status/1995895014895837481

Show & Hosts

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

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

(00:00) - Thanksgiving Catch Up
(01:17) - Why Prediction Markets Took Off
(08:05) - Insider Info and Market Manipulation
(18:01) - Financialization and Cultural Consequences
(26:37) - AI, Robotics and the Future of Labor
(33:25) - Waymo, Insurance and Autonomous Worlds
(35:09) - Basel, Digital Art and Crypto Art’s Role
(01:02:22) - Welcome & Disclaimer

Ep56 Die in the Chair

NET Society — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 08:00:00 -0500

The Net Society crew breaks down the widening split between the winners and everyone else, from markets to culture to crypto. They compare today’s mood to the 90s, trace echoes back to the Jacksonian era, and dig into why the current macro feels like a maze with no clear exits. The team talks through record art sales at the top of the market, the shifting identity of AI coding as models plateau and commoditize, and how education, media, and culture are reshaping under all of it.

Mentioned in the episode

Klimnt painting sells for record $236.4M https://x.com/artnet/status/1990938935539781633

Death by Lightning https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_by_Lightning

Pluribus https://www.imdb.com/title/tt22202452/

Show & Hosts

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

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

(00:00) - Tale of Two Cities
(07:12) - 90s vs Today
(10:32) - Jacksonian Echoes
(16:16) - Crypto and the Macro Maze
(22:21) - Record Art Sales
(28:20) - AI Coding and LLM Bubble
(42:33) - Shows, Books, and Education
(53:40) - Welcome & Disclaimer

Ep55 We Fight For The Living

NET Society — Mon, 17 Nov 2025 08:00:00 -0500

The Net Society crew digs into a wide range of topics this week, starting with the latest moves around Zcash, privacy expectations, and how crypto incentives shape market behavior. From there, the group unpacks an anthropic AI cybersecurity incident and the broader risks of local models creating real-world chaos. The conversation shifts into geopolitical tension, shadow conflict, and the surprising magic of Marble World before closing with a sharp look at elite networks, institutional trust, and a final discussion on automation, humanism, and TV recommendations.

Mentioned in the episode

Zcash moment https://x.com/pridesai/status/1988256631948226750

Cypherpunk https://x.com/cypherpunktech

Anthropic cyber attack https://x.com/AnthropicAI/status/1989033793190277618

World Labs - Marble https://marble.worldlabs.ai/

Show & Hosts

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

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

(00:00) - Opening and Warmup
(05:37) - Zcash, Privacy, and Market Games
(09:02) - DAOs, Ecosystems, and Crypto Incentives
(10:32) - AI, Cybersecurity, and Local Model Chaos
(14:32) - Geopolitics, Cyber Warfare, and Marble World
(42:45) - Elites, Disclosure, and Institutional Trust
(55:04) - Automation, Humanism, and TV Corner
(01:01:57) - Welcome & Disclaimer

Ep54 Slavebots

NET Society — Mon, 10 Nov 2025 08:00:00 -0500

The Net Society crew returns to unpack the strange evolution of human AI relationships, from “slave bots” to sidekicks, companions, and schizophrenic mirrors of the self. Derek explores Sandbar and the search for the perfect AI form factor, Chris zooms out to spatial intelligence as the real unlock, and Pri probes whether emotional companionship with machines is healthy or inevitable. The group then turns to a16z’s growing media empire, the reality of building through a crypto winter, and the politics of AI power, before closing on the ideological chaos of New York’s new “vibe governance.”

Mentioned in the episode

Sandbar AI ring https://www.sandbar.com/

Falling in love with AI article https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/11/05/magazine/ai-chatbot-marriage-love-romance-sex.html

A16z new media https://x.com/liangsays/status/1986502829499162751?s=46&t=3cJ-BS7Y1NeBdjntkS2hZQ

Show & Hosts

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

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

(00:00) - AI Slave Bots and Sentience
(02:22) - Sandbar and the Search for the Right Form Factor
(08:25) - Spatial Intelligence and the Next Operating System
(10:35) - AI Companions and the Human Sidekick
(16:22) - A16z and the New Media Power Play
(26:14) - Building Through the Crypto Winter
(36:38) - OpenAI, Regulation, and the Politics of Power
(47:03) - New York, Vibes, and the Death of Governance
(01:08:30) - Welcome & Disclaimer

Ep53 From PvP to Exocapitalism and Gooning

NET Society — Mon, 03 Nov 2025 11:00:00 -0500

From techno-capitalism to gooning, the crew unpacks the contradictions of a world caught between overproduction and isolation. Aaron, Chris, and Pri trace the threads from Bill Ackman discourse to exo-capitalism, exploring how prediction, automation, and financial nihilism reshape the human condition. It’s Halloween, Bitcoin’s birthday, and the trenches are thinning, but the ideas keep multiplying.

Mentioned in the episode

Bill Ackman https://x.com/BillAckman

Prediction and postmodernism https://a16z.com/prediction-the-successor-to-postmodernism/

Exocapitalism https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/240662971-exocapitalism

Secondhand Time: The Last of the Soviets https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30200112-secondhand-time

The Good Squad https://harpers.org/archive/2025/11/the-goon-squad-daniel-kolitz-porn-masturbation-loneliness/

Farcaster pivot to tokens https://x.com/tednotlasso/status/1982810870716498396

Show & Hosts

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

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

(00:00) - Opening Grievances
(04:19) - Bill Ackman & Cultural Fatigue
(08:12) - Optimism, Propaganda, and the U.S.–China Lens
(11:25) - Gambling, Nihilism, and the Age of Prediction
(16:00) - Techno-Capitalism and the Anti-Human Economy
(24:06) - Exo-Capitalism, Gooning, and the Future of Labor
(42:43) - Crypto Parallels, PvP Markets, and the Trenches’ Decline
(58:16) - Market Resets, Token Buybacks, and Halloween Wrap-Up
(59:30) - Welcome & Disclaimer

Ep52 Tokens v. Tokens

NET Society — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 08:00:00 -0400

The Net Society crew dives into a wide-ranging conversation on crypto’s evolving landscape and its uneasy rivalry with AI. Chris opens by questioning his own “bearish” stance, leading to a lively debate on distribution, developer momentum, and the shifting perception of tokens as tools versus speculation. The group explores how AI and blockchain may ultimately converge, touching on Hyperreal Hospitality, post-authorship, and the importance of long-term relationships between builders and users. Later, they discuss postmodern exhaustion, prediction as a new cultural logic, and the consolidation of major players like Coinbase, Base, and Tether as crypto matures into its next institutional phase.

Mentioned in the episode

ADIN https://x.com/adinonline

OpenAI hires 100 investment bankers https://www.afr.com/companies/financial-services/openai-hires-100-investment-bankers-to-train-its-ai-20251022-p5n4er

Prediction is the successor to postmodernism https://a16z.com/prediction-the-successor-to-postmodernism/

David Phelps chains owning apps https://x.com/divine_economy/status/1981006512500720113

Tether https://x.com/Tether_to

Show & Hosts

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

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

(00:00) - Bearish on Crypto
(02:07) - AI vs Crypto Tokens
(10:07) - Comparing Tech and Scale
(15:38) - Building with Crypto and AI
(19:12) - Product vs Community
(26:09) - Postmodern Prediction
(32:00) - Consolidation and the New Banks
(49:28) - Welcome & Disclaimer

Ep51 Five pUNCs from Marfa

NET Society — Mon, 20 Oct 2025 11:00:00 -0400

The Net Society crew returns live and in person from Marfa for a special episode featuring Jonas from FlamingoDAO. Recorded during Art Blocks Weekend, the group reflects on five years of Flamingo, the evolution of Marfa as a cultural hub, and the abundance mindset shaping digital art. They dive into early NFT history, the legendary Alien Punk purchase, and the origins of Glitch Gallery. Chris shares insights from Hyperreal Hospitality and the future of intelligent design spaces, while the group explores the next generation of builders pushing creative and technical boundaries. A lively conversation full of stories, nostalgia, and vision for what’s next.

Mentioned in the episode

Jonas https://x.com/jonaslamis

404 (Bittensor) https://x.com/404gen_?lang=en

Remembering Flamingo buying alien punk https://www.coindesk.com/tech/2021/01/23/early-cryptopunk-digital-collectible-sells-for-762k-in-ether

Rekt by Chris https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/74924371-rekt

Show & Hosts

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

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

(00:00) - Live from Marfa
(01:37) - FlamingoDAO at Five
(06:09) - Marfa and the Culture of Abundance
(10:11) - The Next Generation of Builders
(13:07) - Hyperreal Hospitality and the Future of Worlds
(18:20) - Early NFT Days and the Alien Punk
(24:36) - Marfa Memories and Glitch Evolution
(37:07) - Welcome & Disclaimer

Ep50 The Quine is Now

NET Society — Mon, 13 Oct 2025 11:00:00 -0400

For their 50th episode, the Net Society crew marks the milestone with a timely conversation that captures the pulse of digital art and crypto innovation. They kick things off reacting live to Lava Labs’ Quine drop on Art Blocks, then look ahead to Marfa Weekend and what its growing scale means for the culture. The discussion moves through reflections on Burning Man, the evolution of creative communities, and parallels to crypto’s own cycles of growth. From there, they unpack Zcash’s resurgence, explore store-of-value narratives across assets and networks, and close with thoughts on the return of old ideas like decentralized storage and the rise of prediction markets.

Mentioned in the episode

Quine by Larva Labs on Art Blocks https://www.artblocks.io/collection/quine-by-larva-labs

Burning Man https://burningman.org/

Geeks, MOPs, and sociopaths https://meaningness.com/geeks-mops-sociopaths

Zero-knowledge proof https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero-knowledge_proof

$2 Billion investment in Polymarket https://finance.yahoo.com/news/york-stock-exchange-parent-company-135836830.html

Show & Hosts

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

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

(00:00) - Quine Drop and Lava Labs
(06:10) - Marfa Weekend Plans
(08:56) - Burning Man and Cultural Growth
(16:10) - Crypto Art and Protocol Reflections
(26:00) - Zcash and Privacy Tech
(31:27) - Store of Value and Network Effects
(36:10) - Old Ideas Returning and Prediction Markets
(43:12) - Welcome & Disclaimer

Ep49 Who is the Louis XIV of Slop?

NET Society — Mon, 06 Oct 2025 11:00:00 -0400

The Net Society crew talks about gearing up for Marfa with a look at the upcoming programming at Glitch, live coding competitions, and Chris’ upcoming book and apps. The conversation turns to the rise of Sora and Meta’s AI social experiments, and what new feed mechanics could mean for personalized algorithms. They dive into the risks of post-literacy, media evolution, and shifting cultural power, drawing parallels from Gutenberg to TikTok to memes as political weapons. The episode closes with a discussion on AI in Hollywood and the creative industries, and what comes next as adaptive media systems reshape how stories are told.

Mentioned in the episode

Meta Vibes AI video feed https://x.com/alexandr_wang/status/1971295156411433228

Sora 2 https://x.com/OpenAI/status/1973075422058623274

The age of books and brainrot https://resobscura.substack.com/p/the-age-of-books-and-the-age-of-brainrot

Tilly Norwood https://x.com/Variety/status/1972792784752193553

Show & Hosts

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

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

(00:00) - Marfa Countdown and Vibe Coding
(02:06) - Glitch Marfa Events (and Competitions)
(06:54) - Chris’ Book, Apps, and Complex Adaptive Media
(10:12) - Sora, Meta Backlash, and AI Social Platforms
(17:22) - The Future of Feeds and Personalized Algorithms
(31:44) - Post-Literacy, Media Evolution, and Cultural Shifts
(45:25) - AI in Hollywood, Creative Industries, and Beyond
(50:43) - Welcome & Disclaimer

Ep48 The Skynet Keiretsu Vibe Sesh

NET Society — Mon, 29 Sep 2025 11:00:00 -0400

The Net Society crew returns with a lively mix of culture, tech, and markets. They kick off with coffee rituals and the rise of the “performative male,” before turning to the resurgence of old tech titans and massive AI cross-investments that feel like the early stages of Skynet. The conversation shifts to media consolidation and empire building, then dives into TikTok’s valuation, the end of the attention economy, and the rise of the token economy. The group explores new NFT Strategy experiments aimed at Squiggles/generative art liquidity, before unpacking Kraken’s IPO path and what scaling does to company culture. They close with a speculative look at AI agents, robot futures, and how media might be reshaped in the years to come.

Mentioned in the episode

Female popstars and mediocre men https://www.economist.com/culture/2025/09/08/why-female-pop-stars-are-lambasting-mediocre-men

Eric Schmidt AI and tech innovation in the US https://www.rdworldonline.com/dont-screw-it-up-eric-schmidts-warning-on-u-s-innovation-as-new-data-shows-china-on-track-to-take-rd-lead/

Cloudflare and NET Dollar https://x.com/Cloudflare/status/1971212556011196859

TokenWorks releases new projects (SquiggleStrategy) https://x.com/token_works/status/1971590630762856910

Rizzbot https://www.instagram.com/p/DOQ0TuADYEh/

Show & Hosts

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

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

Aave https://x.com/aave/status/1969036780151169064

(00:00) - Coffee, Blank Street, and Performative Male Aesthetics
(09:03) - Old Tech Titans, Skynet Investments, and Cross-Pollination
(15:26) - Media Consolidation and Empire Building
(20:08) - TikTok Valuation, Attention Economy, and Token Economy
(31:10) - NFT Strategy, Punk Strategy, and Generative Art Liquidity
(38:26) - Kraken IPO, Scaling Companies, and Culture Shifts
(44:19) - AI Agents, Robot Futures, and Media of Tomorrow
(56:46) - Welcome & Disclaimer

Ep47 Low-risk Podcasting

NET Society — Mon, 22 Sep 2025 17:04:29 -0400

The Net Society crew gears up for Marfa while unpacking the latest waves of on-chain experimentation. They dive into the launch of $PNKSTR and its protocol mechanics, weighing the lessons from early hiccups and the potential for new NFT-ERC20 hybrids. From there, the conversation broadens into questions of utility and adoption, tracing connections to low-risk DeFi and Vitalik’s vision for Ethereum’s future. The group considers the mounting pressure stablecoins place on global banking and the trillions waiting in money markets, before shifting to AI’s recent milestones and the media power plays shaping culture. The episode closes with a deep appreciation of Eric De Giuli’s Zero and reflections on the evolving role of collectors.

Mentioned in the episode

$PNKSTR and NFTStrategy https://x.com/token_works/status/1968361945226166754

Low-risk defi from Vitalik https://x.com/VitalikButerin/status/1969522612750672132

Bank of England stablecoin caps https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bank-england-plan-cap-stablecoin-064322101.html

Eric De Giuli - Zero (Broken Symmetry) https://x.com/eeedg__/status/1966175168142913979

Ask Aaron about getting link to open ai winning coding competition

Poet Engineer https://x.com/poetengineer__

Show & Hosts

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

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

(00:16) - Marfa Anticipation and Event Planning
(02:07) - $PNKSTR NFTStrategy and Protocol Innovation
(07:15) - Utility, Adoption, and Builder Strategies
(12:07) - Low-Risk DeFi and Vitalik’s Vision
(16:02) - Stablecoins, Banking Pressure, and Money Markets
(24:09) - AI Milestones, Models, and Media Power Plays
(38:12) - Eric De Giuli’s Zero and Collector Reflections
(47:38) - Welcome & Disclaimer

Ep46 The Night is Dark & Full of Terror

NET Society — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 11:00:00 -0400

The Net Society crew returns with a sweeping conversation that spans regulation, culture, and technology. Derek kicks things off with a recap of his recent trip to Washington, where he led an SEC workshop on AI and crypto. From there, the group dives into the rise of custom AI stacks, the tension between open source models and tokenized services, and what it means for the future of software. Talk shifts toward escapism in an age of surveillance, touching on music, bunkers, and Marfa as a much-needed oasis. The crew wrestles with algorithms, radicalization, and the illusion of control, before zooming out to consider global unrest, institutional turnover, and generational frustration. They close with a forward look at AI agents, video models, and the seismic changes barreling toward media, advertising, and education.

Mentioned in the episode

Derek visits the SEC in DC https://x.com/derekedws/status/1965272290548920610

Palantir https://x.com/PalantirTech

Exit Society Meme https://conceptbureau.substack.com/p/exit-society?r=xww4p&utm_medium=ios&triedRedirect=true

Nepal chooses next PM on Discord https://www.indiatoday.in/technology/news/story/gen-z-protestors-have-chosen-next-nepal-pm-via-vote-on-discord-what-is-discord-and-how-it-is-used-2786279-2025-09-12

Albania’s new AI ‘minister’ https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/albanias-leader-new-cabinet-includes-ai-minister-fight-125504401

AI generated podcasts https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/ai-podcast-start-up-plan-shows-1236361367/

Show & Hosts

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

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

(00:00) - AI and Crypto at the SEC
(07:19) - Building Custom AI Stacks
(13:01) - Escapism and Surveillance
(23:32) - Marfa as Escape Hatch
(26:15) - Algorithms, Radicalization, and Control
(31:01) - Global Unrest and Institutional Shifts
(49:10) - AI Agents, Video Models, and the Future of Media
(01:01:35) - Welcome & Disclaimer

Ep45 Punk Devs, AI Doomers & Robot Fight Clubs

NET Society — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 11:00:00 -0400

This week on Net Society we’re joined by special guest Seth Goldstein, who brings his perspective on building creative AI agents and the future of digital culture. The crew dives into the growing backlash against AI and fears around jobs, then explores the thrill of coding benders and the new sense of empowerment they bring. From there, the group wrestles with psyops, rabbit holes, and how cultural memory shapes our adoption of technology, before tracing historical parallels in how innovations diffuse over time. The conversation shifts to vibe coding, creativity, and the contrasting energies of East and West Coast approaches, then into on-chain experiments, autonomous agents, and the emerging religion of AI. The episode closes with reflections on entropy, weirdness, and the collective need to loosen up.

Mentioned in the episode

Special Guest Seth Goldstein https://x.com/Seth

Coinbase Brian Armstrong 40% code is AI generated https://x.com/brian_armstrong/status/1963315806248604035

Eden Art https://x.com/Eden_Art_

Show & Hosts

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

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

(00:00) - AI Backlash and Job Fears
(08:04) - Coding Benders and New Empowerment
(15:20) - Rabbit Holes, Psyops, and Cultural Shifts
(26:07) - Technology Diffusion and Historical Parallels
(33:15) - Vibe Coding, Creativity, and West vs East Coast Energy
(39:05) - Agents, On-Chain Experiments, and AI Religion
(53:03) - Weirdness, Entropy, and Closing Banter
(01:02:02) - Welcome & Disclaimer

Ep44 Hansel & Gretel Are Dead

NET Society — Mon, 25 Aug 2025 11:00:00 -0400

Aaron and Derek are both out this week, leaving Chris and Pri to hold down the fort for Net Society’s first ever two-person episode. Things get a little unhinged as they wander into the woods of digital culture, comparing fairy tales and existential plays to the state of crypto. The conversation turns to Kanye’s short-lived token and the meme coin churn, then drifts through waterparks, slang, and the curious emergence of “clanker” as an AI slur. From there they unpack the world of AI boyfriends and what it says about loneliness in 2025, before diving into Jerome Powell’s latest remarks and the Fed’s shifting policy stance. The back half of the episode revisits radicalizing moments from the Iraq war to the 2008 bailouts, connecting them to Bitcoin’s origins, and closes with a hopeful turn as the pair find themselves excited again about generative art.

Mentioned in the episode

Kanye launches $YZY memecoin https://x.com/WatcherGuru/status/1958708989576806714

American Dream Mall Waterpark https://www.americandream.com/venue/dreamworks-water-park

My Boyfriend is AI Subreddit https://www.reddit.com/r/MyBoyfriendIsAI/

Fed Chair Jerome Powell announcement https://x.com/WatcherGuru/status/1958893683299717477

Quantizer by Harm van den Dorpel https://verse.works/series/quantizer-by-harm-van-den-dorpel

Scribbs by Fingacode https://verse.works/series/scribbs-by-fingacode

Dominoes in Fluxus by Ivona Tau https://braindrops.cloud/projects/24

Zach Lieberman https://x.com/zachlieberman

Show & Hosts

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

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

(00:00) - Hansel & Gretel Opener
(05:01) - Kanye’s Token and Meme Coin Chaos
(07:07) - Waterparks, Slang, and the Rise of “Clanker”
(11:34) - AI Boyfriends and the Loneliness Question
(18:10) - Powell, Policy, and the Fed’s Balancing Act
(30:23) - Radicalizing Moments and Bitcoin’s Origin Story
(42:01) - Generative Art Rekindled
(47:46) - Welcome & Disclaimer

Ep43 Deuce Birbalo Crypto Gigolo

NET Society — Mon, 18 Aug 2025 11:00:00 -0400

The Net Society crew returns without Derek this week, diving into a caffeine-fueled opener that spirals into musings on Ayn Rand, Objectivism, and strange hotel lobby encounters. From there, they pivot to Moonbirds’ unexpected resurgence, the shifting middle tier of the NFT market, and how squiggles and character IP are competing for cultural relevance. The conversation widens to explore NFT IP as Hollywood’s new frontier, from Pudgy Penguin backpacks to hypothetical Pete Davidson cameos. A detour into Washington’s mixed signals on Bitcoin reserves morphs into satirical pitches for a Milady movie, before the group digs into the risks of LLM overuse, school phone bans, and how AI could reshape education. They close with thoughts on the SEC’s sudden pro-crypto tone, Solana’s place in the market cycle, and a timeline takeover of Howard Stern-era media nostalgia.

Mentioned in the episode

The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fountainhead

Moonbirds https://x.com/moonbirds

Milady Maker https://x.com/MiladyMaker333

WSJ Autism and LLMs article https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/ai-autism-risks-openai-chatgpt-2311254d

Show & Hosts

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

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

Ep42 Soft Handed Robots

NET Society — Mon, 11 Aug 2025 11:00:00 -0400

The Net Society crew is back with a packed conversation spanning immersive tech, AI breakthroughs, and the evolving art market. They open with the latest in metaverse development, exploring how new world models could reshape interfaces, AR adoption, and virtual environments. From there, the discussion shifts to robotics, asking how close we are to shaking hands with machines and the societal quirks that might come with it. The release of GPT-5 takes center stage next, with early impressions on its programming capabilities and what it means for the future of software creation. A spirited debate follows on the role of Figma and other design tools in an AI-driven workflow, before turning to the announcement of the Art Blocks 500 and what it signals for generative art’s legacy. The crew closes with thoughts on renewed NFT market energy, the missing middle in on-chain culture, and how future communities might thrive without falling into old tokenized traps.

Mentioned in the episode

Genie 3 AI model release https://x.com/GoogleDeepMind/status/1952732150928724043

GPT-5 release from OpenAI https://x.com/OpenAI/status/1953504357821165774

Art Blocks 500 https://x.com/artblocks_io/status/1953120356945842542

Show & Hosts

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

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

(00:00) - Is the Metaverse Back?
(07:35) - AR, XR and Soft Handed Robots
(15:13) - GPT-5 Release and Early Impressions
(21:06) - Figma, Design Tools and the AI Stack
(34:54) - Art Blocks 500 and What’s Next
(43:36) - NFT Market Check and ETH Tailwinds
(49:28) - Rethinking Tokenized Communities
(57:08) - Welcome & Disclaimer

Ep41 Another Day, Another DAT

NET Society — Mon, 04 Aug 2025 11:00:00 -0400

The Net Society crew returns with a wide-ranging conversation on digital art, crypto markets, and shifting policy winds. They kick things off with market sentiment and recent activity in the Art Blocks Discord, then dive into a discussion about what’s due for a comeback in the space. The group unpacks the consumer crypto playbook and shares thoughts on the potential of projects like Rekt. A deep dive into the SEC’s evolving stance on tokens and a new White House crypto report sparks a thoughtful look at tokenized equity, ICOs, and regulatory timelines. The episode closes with a celebration of artist conviction, spotlighting the work of Eric De Giuli, Kim Asendorf, and others.

Mentioned in the episode

Art Blocks acquires Trame Paris https://x.com/artblocks_io/status/1950239952773795963

Digital Assets White House market report https://x.com/derekedws/status/1950629069189771398

Eric De Giuli (EDG) https://x.com/eeedg__

Kim Asendorf https://x.com/kimasendorf

Andreas Gysin https://x.com/andreasgysin

Noper https://x.com/bagdelete

INFINITEYAY https://x.com/infiniteyay

Claire Silver https://x.com/ClaireSilver12

Show & Hosts

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

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

(00:00) - Off-Chain Summer and Market Sentiment
(03:03) - Art Blocks Discord Resurgence
(05:53) - What's Dead and What Isn't
(12:26) - Consumer Crypto and Rekt Analysis
(18:35) - Policy Shifts and the SEC's Crypto Framework
(37:41) - The Future of Tokenized Equity
(43:48) - Artist Conviction: EDG, Kim, Infinite Objects
(51:58) - Welcome & Disclaimer

Ep40 Off-Chain Summer

NET Society — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 11:00:00 -0400

The crew dives into shifting market vibes, from meme stock rallies to the resurgence of NFTs, and unpacks how institutional vehicles are shaping digital asset exposure. They debate the risks of NFT treasury structures, liquidity challenges, and what it means for collectors when markets heat up. From the alien vs. ape punk showdown to reflections on “off-chain summer,” the conversation explores where digital culture, finance, and community are headed next.

Mentioned in the episode

Gamesquare acquires Ape Punk https://x.com/GSQHoldings/status/1948368197473677664

Only jobs left meme https://www.linkedin.com/posts/blockchainheadhunter_blockchainheadhunter-activity-7336748981680513024-zRJr

Sonso + alien punk tweet https://x.com/saintsonso/status/1948387453855035867

Show & Hosts

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

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

(00:00) - Market Vibes and Meme Stocks
(05:09) - Financial Nihilism and AI Influence
(09:22) - NFT Momentum and Institutional Interest
(16:14) - Risks of NFT Treasury Vehicles
(26:25) - Liquidity, Pricing, and Market Dynamics
(40:58) - Aliens vs Apes: Punk Collection Debates
(47:12) - Off-Chain Summer and Future of Digital Assets
(51:12) - Welcome & Disclaimer

Ep39 The Big WAGMI

NET Society — Mon, 21 Jul 2025 11:00:00 -0400

Derek is out this week, but Aaron, Chris, and Pri dive into a wide-ranging conversation that starts with GM energy and WAGMI nostalgia before moving into market momentum, off-chain activity, and the forces driving renewed optimism in digital assets. They debate Coinbase’s cultural identity and the broader phenomenon of corporations acting like modern religions through brand world-building, then pivot to the challenges of tokenized media, the state of consumer crypto, and the tension between speculation and real innovation. The discussion zooms out to examine neoliberalism, network states, and shifting global dynamics, before closing with thoughts on AI’s inward turn, the evolution of curation, and how information platforms might transform the way we engage with content.

Mentioned in the episode

Get your BASE juice https://x.com/base/status/1945883117698593093

Chris loves Ryan Reynolds https://x.com/Mintmobile/status/1932879714479206600

Backyard missiles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWlOZa3Yfyc

Deepnewz https://deepnewz.com/

Show & Hosts

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

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

(00:00) - GM Energy and WAGMI Nostalgia
(02:20) - Market Momentum and Off-Chain Activity
(06:07) - Coinbase, Culture, and Corporate Identity
(20:27) - Corporations as Religion and Brand World-Building
(30:04) - Tokenized Media, Consumer Crypto, and Speculation
(40:09) - Neoliberalism, Network States, and Global Shifts
(56:59) - AI, Curation, and the Future of Information Platforms
(01:09:15) - Welcome & Disclaimer

Ep38 Holy Toledo Gen Art is Dead

NET Society — Mon, 14 Jul 2025 11:00:00 -0400

In this episode of Net Society, the crew reflects on the Toledo Museum show and what it signals for digital art’s place in contemporary culture. They discuss how institutional interest is rising just as public sentiment cools, explore the macro drivers behind recent crypto market momentum, and consider what Gary Vee’s renewed NFT talk means for broader adoption. The conversation moves into questions of scale, conviction, and why generative art isn’t dead, despite what the timeline says. Finally, they unpack the shifting landscape of building in public, solo dev workflows, and how AI is redrawing the boundaries of collaboration.

Mentioned in the episode

Toledo Museum of Art https://x.com/toledomuseum

VeeFriends https://x.com/veefriends

Show & Hosts

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

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

(00:00) - Toledo Museum Show and Full Circle Reflections
(08:59) - Mainstream Curiosity and the Adoption Lag
(12:22) - Macro Trends and Crypto Market Drivers
(19:18) - NFTs, Gary Vee, and the Scaling Gap
(25:14) - Generative Art Is Dead?
(34:34) - Time, Patience, and Long-Term Conviction
(38:12) - AI Tools, Solo Building, and the Future of Teams
(57:47) - Welcome & Disclaimer

Ep37 Don’t Say S******e Or Else

NET Society — Mon, 30 Jun 2025 11:00:00 -0400

The Net Society crew is together in person this week during NFT NYC with special guest Erick Calderon, aka Snowfro, founder of Art Blocks and creator of the Chromie Squiggle. What starts as a reflection on the energy of NFT NYC and the evolution of NFT culture opens up into a wide-ranging discussion. The group digs into the maturation of the space, the idea of homeostasis versus equilibrium, and why digital art’s native display might just be your phone screen. From there, they explore the tension between abundance and scarcity in collectibles, the blurred lines between art, product, and entertainment, and what it will take to bring collecting to a global scale without tipping into cringe. Along the way, they wrestle with the role of physical galleries, the memory of the speculative mania of 2021, and how to stay at the forefront of the next wave of innovation.

Mentioned in the episode

Special guest Snowfro https://x.com/ArtOnBlockchain

Glitch x Snowfro https://x.com/glitchmarfa/status/1938206917001613430

Joe Pease https://x.com/joepease

Die With The Most Likes https://x.com/toadswiback

Show & Hosts

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

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

(00:00) - NFT NYC Week and First Reflections
(05:47) - Snowfro on Maturity, Homeostasis, and the NFT Journey
(20:21) - Digital Art Display, Internet Culture, and Hypocrisy
(38:10) - The Role of Physical Galleries vs Digital Presentation
(43:11) - Scale, Abundance, and the Future of Collecting
(48:06) - Art vs Collectible vs Product: The Blurred Lines
(56:11) - Final Thoughts on Craft, Value, and the NFT Singularity
(58:48) - Welcome & Disclaimer

Ep36 The Podcast About Nothing

NET Society — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 11:00:00 -0400

The Net Society crew goes fully freeform this week in an episode aptly titled The Podcast About Nothing. What starts as a conversation about die with the most likes's Gristle Buddeez quickly unravels into reflections on novelty in NFT art, the implications of the Genius stablecoin bill for DeFi, and how AI models are getting a little too chatty. From there, it spirals into heatwaves in New York, NBA playoff drama, and the Telegram founder’s 100-child inheritance plan. The gang rounds it out with thoughts on brand-driven advertising, the $10B Lakers valuation, and whether private equity is the new Steve Aoki of sports franchise buyers.

Mentioned in the episode

Genius stablecoin bill https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/17/genius-stablecoin-bill-crypto.html

NFT NYC https://x.com/NFT_NYC

Telegram founder says his 100+ children will get a share of his estate https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/20/tech/durov-100-children-inheritance-scli-intl

Show & Hosts

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

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

(00:00) - Winging It and Gristle Buddies
(04:42) - Novelty Fatigue and Creative Stagnation
(06:13) - Clarity Act and the Future of DeFi
(13:26) - Digital Art Mile and NYC Heat
(15:26) - NBA Playoffs, AI Chatbots, and Weird UX
(20:36) - 100 Kids and the Tech-Futurist Ethos
(39:01) - Branding, Basketball, and Billion-Dollar Franchises
(51:52) - Welcome & Disclaimer

Ep35 Unc & Oldhead Get Chipped

NET Society — Mon, 16 Jun 2025 11:00:00 -0400

Derek is out this week, so the Net Society crew is joined by special guest Colby Mugrabi, founder of mmERCH, for a deep dive into the intersection of fashion, fandom, and crypto infrastructure. The episode opens with the gang dissecting Stripe’s acquisition of Privy and a wave of stablecoin developments, before zooming out to examine what these signals mean for digital assets and institutional adoption. They explore the evolving role of NFTs, drawing parallels between fashion houses and iconic collections like Meebits. Colby shares the vision behind mmERCH 2.0, a new layer of networked experience powered by wearable tech and gamified incentives. The conversation moves toward the future of on-chain consumer behavior, the limits of app fatigue, and how tokens might become the new links of the internet. The crew closes with a speculative look at hardware breakthroughs, AR glasses, and whether the post-phone era is already here.

Mentioned in the episode

Special guest Colby Mugrabi https://x.com/MinnieMuse_eth

Shopify accepting USDC https://x.com/base/status/1933236681836282171

mmERCH https://x.com/mmERCH

Life After Lifestyle by Toby Shorin https://subpixel.space/entries/life-after-lifestyle/

New Snapchat Spectacles https://www.spectacles.com/spectacles-24

Show & Hosts

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

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

(00:00) - Stablecoins and Stripe’s Crypto Play
(06:46) - NFTs, Market Momentum, and Institutional Shifts
(11:02) - Meebits, Fashion, and IP Revival
(19:05) - mmERCH 2.0 and the Rise of Experience Networks
(30:59) - Superfans, Wearable Wallets, and Gamified Fandom
(42:09) - AR, Smart Glasses, and Future Hardware
(46:57) - Tokens, Networks, and the End of the Phone Era
(57:46) - Welcome & Disclaimer

Ep34 M is for Meathead

NET Society — Mon, 09 Jun 2025 11:00:00 -0400

The Net Society crew dives into the headline-grabbing showdown between Elon Musk and Donald Trump, unpacking what it reveals about power, influence, and the shifting relationship between Silicon Valley and Washington. They explore whether tech leaders are now more powerful than governments and what a “Valley-backed” political realignment could look like. From there, the conversation shifts to ADIN, Tribute Labs new AI-powered investment tool, and how it represents the dawn of algorithmic venture capital. They break down the architecture behind ADIN’s autonomous agents, why Moneyball is the perfect analogy for the future of private markets, and how AI might soon outperform traditional investors. The episode closes with a look at the Circle IPO, the ETH finance landscape, PolyMarket’s deal with X, and a final sidestep into coaching changes and playoff narratives from the world of sports.

Mentioned in the episode

Elon tweets about Trump in Epstein files https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1930703865801810022

Tired of attention economy tweet https://x.com/BoonaETH/status/1930834503917813830

ADIN https://x.com/ADINonline

Circle IPO https://x.com/circle/status/1930595433220386997

X and Polymarket partnership https://x.com/X/status/1931001329129844987

Show & Hosts

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

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

(00:00) - Elon vs Trump and the Political Power Games
(07:08) - Silicon Valley’s Real Influence on Policy
(19:02) - Inside ADIN: Algorithmic Venture and Autonomous Agents
(31:02) - Moneyball for Private Markets
(40:02) - Human-AI Decision Loops and the Future of Work
(45:40) - Circle IPO, ETH Finance Tools, and PolyMarket’s Big Win
(50:39) - Neoliberalism, Coach Tibbs, and Sports Talk Closeout
(50:45) - Welcome & Disclaimer

Ep33 The Sands of Tokens

NET Society — Mon, 02 Jun 2025 11:00:00 -0400

The Net Society crew returns for a wide-ranging conversation on the state of crypto, AI, and digital culture. They explore the installation phase of crypto, the role of blockchain in gaming, and whether asset ownership is the real unlock. The conversation shifts to Worldcoin’s user growth and the broader question of identity in an AI-driven world, before zooming out to examine how Web2 giants like Meta and OpenAI could reshape crypto’s future. They close by debating the post-iPhone landscape, new interaction models, and the promise of AI as the next layer of infrastructure.

Mentioned in the episode

Worldcoin https://x.com/worldcoin

Sam Altman and Jony Ive introduce io https://openai.com/sam-and-jony/

World model https://odyssey.world/

Show & Hosts

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

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

(00:00) - The Installation Phase and Crypto’s Business Logic
(05:06) - Gaming on Blockchain: Hype vs. Reality
(12:23) - Worldcoin, Identity, and the Human-Bot Divide
(25:33) - Web2 Giants Entering Crypto: A Tectonic Shift
(38:06) - Post-iPhone World: New Devices and Interaction Models
(53:58) - Welcome & Disclaimer

Ep32 Signal in the Sprawl

NET Society — Mon, 26 May 2025 22:28:33 -0400

The Net Society crew does some subscriber appreciation before getting down to the business of NFTs and metaverse viability. From there, the crew gives a tour of top signals of the past and present in the context of mainstream adoption. The conversation shifts to Crypto Twitter, analyzing its decline in engagement and what that says about attention dynamics and the fragmentation of online communities. From there, the group outlines how crypto might reframe its cultural and social ambitions going forward, focusing less on speculative energy and more on infrastructure and transaction layers. They revisit the role of AI agents in shaping both tech and culture, then close with a discussion of Moodeng’s unexpected reappearance via Robinhood, and what it signals about longevity and narrative in crypto.

Mentioned in the episode

Meebits https://x.com/MeebitsNFTs
Genius Act https://x.com/SenatorHagerty/status/1924643607899685205
$MOODENG on Robinhood https://x.com/RobinhoodApp/status/1925651095503675611

Jony Ive x Open AI https://x.com/OpenAI/status/1925235156157440438
Mark Zuckerberg interview https://x.com/collision/status/1920579882976723284
DX Terminal + DXRG https://x.com/DXRGai/status/1919784428521529592

Show & Hosts

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

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

Ep31 Bits, Bytes, and Belief

NET Society — Mon, 19 May 2025 11:00:00 -0400

The Net Society crew dives into the limits of economic theory, kicking things off with a sharp critique of rational market assumptions and the myth of the economist as a neutral observer. From there, they explore the shifting role of the U.S. dollar, imagining a world of FX swaps and decentralized monetary systems. The conversation pivots to big news in NFTs as Yuga Labs transfers CryptoPunks IP to Node Foundation, sparking a broader discussion on cultural stewardship, scarcity, and the future of digital art. Celebrity conviction enters the chat as Jay-Z’s punk loyalty leads to speculation on long-term holders. The gang explores value across enduring, ephemeral, and emergent networked economies, from meme tokens to programmable incentives. They unpack the Grok system prompt leak and question transparency and control in AI systems before closing with a deep dive on Bittensor, where incentive design becomes a new frontier for organizing intelligence.

Mentioned in the episode

NODE acquires CryptoPunks https://x.com/nodefnd/status/1922291376533995555

JayZ still has CryptoPunk pfp https://x.com/sc

Grok system prompt hack https://x.com/xai/status/1923183620606619649

Believe Token Launch https://www.coingecko.com/learn/what-is-believe-token-launchpad

Blackbird rewards program https://x.com/blackbird_xyz/status/1909600973510652119

Bittensor TAO https://x.com/bittensor_

Show & Hosts

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

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

(00:00) - The Economics Roast
(07:45) - Rethinking Reserve Currencies
(16:00) - The Cryptopunks IP Transfer
(29:00) - Celebrity Holders and NFT Legacy
(31:00) - The Grok Prompt Leak and Algorithmic Transparency
(32:45) - Launchpads, Tokens, and Internet Capital Markets
(50:00) - BitTensor and the Incentive Layer for Intelligence
(01:05:10) - Welcome & Disclaimer

Ep30 The Womb of a Simulated Cubicle

NET Society — Mon, 12 May 2025 11:00:00 -0400

Derek is out this week, so the Net Society crew is joined by special guest Poof for a mind-bending journey into simulations, AI, and the future of media. The episode opens with the origin story behind Poof’s name and career pivot into crypto, before diving into his latest project: a large-scale, multi-agent simulation “DX Terminal.” From there, the crew explores strange emergent behaviors from synthetic agents, including scam coin schemes and binary-only communication. A wide-ranging discussion follows on simulation theory, self-reinforcing media loops, and the coming age of customizable digital realities. They close with a candid look at the stagnation of traditional media, the tyranny of algorithms, and what it might take to break the internet open again.

Mentioned in the episode

Special guest Poof joins this week https://x.com/poof_eth

DX Research Group https://x.com/dxrgai

Tweet from Mat Dryhurst https://x.com/matdryhurst/status/1920130715129131161

Show & Hosts

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

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

(00:00) - Origin of Poof and Entry into Crypto
(03:37) - The X Terminal and Simulated Agents
(09:05) - Strange Behaviors in Multi-Agent Simulations
(17:08) - Simulation Theory and Living in Customized Realities
(33:00) - AI Training, Reinforcement Learning, and Self-Play
(48:00) - The Medium Is the Network: Matt Dryhurst’s Thesis
(54:28) - Cultural Stagnation, Algorithms, and Distribution Gridlock
(01:15:07) - Welcome & Disclaimer

Ep29 Baron Von Rainbows

NET Society — Mon, 05 May 2025 11:00:00 -0400

Pri is out this week, so the Net Society crew is joined by special guest VonMises for a deep dive into the shifting terrain of NFTs, crypto art, and AI. The conversation opens with a look at Grant Yun’s recent Fellowship drop and what it signals about the use of AI in contemporary art. From there, they explore the generative art landscape, asking whether the early hand-coded era is entering its golden age in hindsight. A spirited debate unfolds around ETH versus NFTs as long-term stores of value, before turning to which collections belong in the NFT canon. Squiggles take center stage with a wide-ranging discussion on their historical and technical significance. The crew then zooms out to the future of programmable media and dynamic art, closing with VonMises’ take on trade policy, global markets, and why the best may still be ahead.

Mentioned in the episode

Special Guest VonMises joins this week https://x.com/VonMises14

Grant Yun ‘Spaces’ Fellowship release https://x.com/fellowshiptrust/status/1917959157128523973

Provenance pod https://x.com/provenanceart

Chromie Squiggles https://opensea.io/collection/chromie-squiggle-by-snowfro

Show & Hosts

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

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

(00:00) - Grant’s AI Drop and the Artist’s Role
(08:04) - Generative Art, AI, and the Golden Era
(19:06) - ETH vs NFTs as Stores of Value
(27:31) - The Blue-Chip NFT Canon
(35:32) - The Case for Squiggles
(42:34) - Dynamic Media and the Future of Onchain Art
(48:11) - Tariffs, Trade Wars, and Closing Thoughts
(50:33) - Welcome & Disclaimer

Ep28 Nobody is an Atheist at 50x Leverage

NET Society — Mon, 28 Apr 2025 11:00:00 -0400

The Net Society crew is back this week, with Derek returning, to pick up part two of Death by a Thousand Turnings (just kidding). They open with a look at crypto art’s physical renaissance in New York and the emergence of the Node Foundation as a new cultural force. From there, they unpack the growing flattening of culture, tracing the rise of beige luxury, bland logos, and the slow erasure of aesthetic diversity. The conversation shifts toward Bitcoin, exploring why it may be entering its true decade of global relevance. They revisit Meebits and remnants, reflecting on the resilience of mass appeal and cultural persistence. The second half takes a detour into AI side hustles, from ghostwritten Amazon books to OnlyFans AI personas, before zooming out to Ethereum’s quiet resurgence and a fresh wave of conviction around crypto art as a store of value. They close with a meditation on scarcity, network effects, and why the next era may be shaped by those who build through the noise.

Mentioned in the episode

Heft Gallery opening https://x.com/heft_gallery/status/1915509377290703303

Node opens gallery in Palo Alto https://x.com/nodefnd/status/1912862607964577858

Why AI company logos look like buttholes https://velvetshark.com/ai-company-logos-that-look-like-buttholes

Beige is the color of money https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/14/style/beige-is-the-color-of-money.html

Derek’s Squiggle Bronco https://x.com/derekedws/status/1915109593518346481

Glitch Meebit https://opensea.io/item/ethereum/0x7bd29408f11d2bfc23c34f18275bbf23bb716bc7/6863

Noper x Meebits https://x.com/MeebitsNFTs/status/1915767768516878846

Chris’s NFT Collection https://opensea.io/collection/starholder

Show & Hosts

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

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

(00:00) - Death by a Thousand Turnings: Part 2 (not really)
(04:00) - Crypto Art’s New Physical Footprint: NYC and Node Foundation
(12:00) - The Flattening of Culture and the Beige Economy
(19:00) - Bitcoin’s Role in a New Decade of Risk and Wealth Preservation
(26:00) - Revisiting Meebits, NFTs, and Cultural Mass Appeal
(30:00) - AI Side Hustles: Amazon Ghostwriting and AI OnlyFans
(41:00) - Ethereum’s Quiet Strength and a Crypto Art Reawakening
(56:40) - Welcome & Disclaimer

Ep27 Death by a Thousand Turnings

NET Society — Mon, 21 Apr 2025 11:00:00 -0400

The Net Society crew returns, missing Derek this week, for a fiery post-mortem on content coins, Base, and the design failures showing up all over the crypto timeline. They break down why the latest wave of token launches feels more like narrative recycling than real innovation, and explore the growing exhaustion across the ecosystem. From there, the conversation shifts to consumer crypto, where brunch apps, stablecoins, and stealth NFTs suggest a quieter future ahead. Drawing comparisons to the decline of file sharing, they ask whether the degens are truly disappearing or just changing shape. They bring in Carlotta Perez’s theory of turning points to place crypto within a broader move from chaos toward maturity. The second half zooms out to a larger story of algorithmic governance, platform fatigue, and the growing challenge of living under systems we can no longer fully control. The episode closes with a speculative look at rogue AGI, quantum multiverses, and whether some systems have already grown too complex to manage.

Mentioned in the episode

Techno Utopia at sea https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/15/magazine/seasteading-libertarian-ocean-living.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

Show & Hosts

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

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

Ep26 Fear and Remixing in Slop Vegas

NET Society — Mon, 14 Apr 2025 11:00:00 -0400

The Net Society crew is back and they open with a market gut-check, asking whether Bitcoin has lost its identity as digital gold. From there, they track the ripple effects of the meme coin era, linking it to a broader decline in developer momentum. The conversation turns toward AI’s growing role in shaping crypto’s next primitives, with new ERC standards and vibe coding entering the scene. They zoom out to explore how blockchain’s rebellion has turned into fintech, and why that shift feels like the Spotify moment for the space. Remix culture takes center stage next, from squiggle Legos to 3D printing to the return of Creative Commons energy. The episode closes with a sweeping look at history, UGC, and the rising productivity unlocked by AI, ending on a question that lingers: what happens when output outpaces meaning?

Mentioned in the episode

CryptoPunk Alien sale https://x.com/cryptopunksbot/status/1910420121648070741

Derek’s Squiggle lego mockup https://x.com/derekedws/status/1909308457473257911

Show & Hosts

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

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

(00:00) - The Bitcoin Identity Crisis
(05:11) - Meme Coin Fallout and Developer Decline
(11:00) - Can AI Save Crypto’s Innovation Curve?
(14:15) - The Fintech-ification of Crypto
(18:00) - Physical Remix Culture and On-Demand Products
(25:01) - Remixing History and Genetic Mashups
(40:00) - AI, Productivity, and the Race to Capture Utility
(56:17) - Introduction & Disclaimer

Ep25 Token Thirst Trap

NET Society — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 11:00:00 -0400

The Net Society crew returns with a high-energy deep dive into the world of tokens, from crypto to compute. They kick things off by breaking down what tokens really are across AI and blockchain, then trace a growing meta trend: the shift from attention to raw token consumption as the driving force behind modern platforms. The conversation explores “token thirst traps,” the idea that the most successful products invite and optimize for compute. They debate whether distribution still depends on attention or if token volume is the new growth metric. HBO becomes a case study for legacy media's future as the crew imagines an immersive, token-powered content world. They wrap with a provocative look at AI’s labor impact, the fate of credentialed elites, and why marketplace coordination might be the most resilient moat of all.

Mentioned in the episode

Yacht Rock https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a55pyQsI3GQ

Show & Hosts

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

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

Ep24 My Neighbor Sloptoro

NET Society — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 11:00:00 -0400

The Net Society crew is back and they open with the viral surge of Studio Ghibli-style image generation, tracing how creative tools and internet behavior fused to create a moment of mass prompting. From there, they zoom out to explore the flattening of culture and the eerie resemblance between AI media cycles and speculative assets. The conversation shifts to NFTs as potential memetic stores of value, asking whether blockchain can timestamp and preserve meaning in a world of aesthetic churn. They debate whether AI trends harm or help iconic IP, and whether tokens can offer fair compensation in a remix-heavy world. The crew contrasts longform storytelling with speculative markets, then rounds things out with a deep dive into meme fashion, fast manufacturing, and whether the future is 3D-printed, AI-enabled, and delivered straight to your door.

Mentioned in the episode

Studio Ghibli art style takes over timeline https://x.com/Zeneca/status/1904774204769411196

Stewart Brand Pace Layering https://jods.mitpress.mit.edu/pub/issue3-brand/release/2

Derek’s Squiggles across art history thread https://x.com/derekedws/status/1905023985903079523

Greg Isenberg tweet https://x.com/gregisenberg/status/1905409166232989715

The White House low EQ tweet https://x.com/WhiteHouse/status/1905332049021415862

Derek’s thoughts on CC0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PjEAH2yr_A&t=1103s

Show & Hosts

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

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

(00:00) - Ghibli-fication and the Viral AI Aesthetic
(06:13) - Meme Coins, Media Decay & the Flattening of Culture
(14:00) - NFTs, Time, and the Memetic Store of Value
(22:13) - IP, AI, and the Question of Creator Compensation
(25:05) - Speculation, Storytelling, and the Problem of Pace
(33:01) - Evergreen IP & Meme Fashion
(43:14) - The Future of Physical Goods & Cloud Kitchens
(45:44) - Introduction

Ep23 Opposable thumbs

NET Society — Mon, 24 Mar 2025 11:00:00 -0400

The Net Society crew is back together and deep in the trenches as Aaron shares a three-hour descent into NFT Twitter Spaces, setting the stage for a wide-ranging conversation. They kick things off with a heated debate around Beeple and pop art criticism, unpacking what makes certain artists lightning rods in digital culture. From there, they explore signs of life in the NFT market, touching on PFP comebacks, new drops, and the return of curiosity across collector circles. The crew then zooms out to look at the broader vibe shift in crypto, including post-regulatory thaw, meme coin nihilism, and the internet’s habit of forgetting. They revisit the royalty debate and explore how sustainable models might return, before diving into Pudgy Penguins’ ETF and what bridging TradFi with NFTs could look like. The episode wraps with a lively back-and-forth on robots, asking whether we really want humanoids in our homes or just cute little machines doing our chores.

Mentioned in the episode

Good Vibes pfp https://opensea.io/collection/good-vibes-club

Infinite Garden by Leander Herzog https://www.infinite-garden.xyz/

ArtXCode Virga by William Watkins https://www.artxcode.io/collections/virga

Show & Hosts

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

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

(00:00) - NFT Trenches & Beeple Discourse
(06:56) - NFT Market Vibes
(12:58) - Introduction
(13:23) - Comebacks & Community Energy
(18:19) - Regulation, Meme Coins & Memory
(24:58) - Royalties & Market Mechanics
(25:24) - Pudgy ETF & TradFi Bridges
(30:48) - AI Tools, Metaverse & Robots

Ep22 Everything is a Computer

NET Society — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 11:00:00 -0400

The Net Society crew (minus Derek) is joined by special guest Gmoney, founder of 9dcc and longtime crypto native, for a conversation that jumps between memes, AI, and the future of digital culture. They kick things off with the JD Vance meme phenomenon, discussing how AI-generated content is entering the mainstream and whether this marks a turning point in public perception. From there, they shift to the Sphere in Vegas, debating its longevity and the increasing presence of digital art in physical spaces. The conversation then turns to AI’s growing role in creativity as they explore the tension between automation and human-driven experiences. Will the future be hyper-automated or hyper-handmade? Gmoney shares his thoughts on consumer culture and experiential retail, discussing how brands are shifting toward community-driven spaces. The crew also unpacks the current state of crypto markets, grappling with the disconnect between bullish policy moves and bearish sentiment. They wrap up with a look at localized manufacturing and hyper-customization, imagining a future where personal style and production are fully on-demand.

Mentioned in the episode
Special guest Gmoney joins this week: https://x.com/gmoneyNFT

SBF prison interview https://nypost.com/2025/03/08/us-news/sam-bankman-fried-gets-solitary-after-unauthorized-jailhouse-interview-report/

JD Vance memeshttps://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/surprising-reason-wild-jd-vance-213128188.html

AI Poetry Survey https://x.com/colin_fraser/status/1861324416375722257

Tech in Texas https://x.com/MrGoldBro/status/1856109587251761204

Chris AI music/video https://x.com/ChrisF_0x/status/1900307097801175226

Show & Hosts

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

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0xL9GlO8rF14UAqirNvNyN?si=OeqeKwO8T3ujYOsWcGaXqg

(00:00) - The JD Vance Meme and AI’s Role in Culture
(05:53) - Introduction
(06:24) - The Sphere, Digital Art, and The Knicks
(11:11) - The Future of AI, Creativity, and Work
(18:41) - The Evolution of Content Creation
(26:16) - Crypto, Markets, and Macro Trends
(34:41) - The Future of Manufacturing and Hyper-Customization

Ep21 The Call is Coming From Inside The Blockchain

NET Society — Mon, 10 Mar 2025 11:00:00 -0400

The Net Society crew (minus Derek) is joined by artist 113 for a deep dive into the evolving intersection of art, crypto, and programmable cryptography. They kick things off with a discussion on Ethereum’s cultural role and whether its future is more about financial infrastructure or artistic settlement. The conversation then turns to NFTs, unpacking their identity crisis as they question whether they are truly art or just a cleverly packaged product. They explore crypto’s ongoing quest for legitimacy, debating the tension between institutional validation and groundbreaking innovation. 113 sheds light on the untapped potential of programmable cryptography, introducing new possibilities for digital expression and anonymous collaboration. The crew also touches on crypto’s frontier status, comparing it to past technological shifts and examining the battle between state control and digital sovereignty. They wrap up with reflections on where crypto culture is headed and how artists and builders can shape its next chapter.

Mentioned in the episode

Ethereum Org Tweet https://x.com/ethereum/status/1898077135916437718

Alan Kay - How to invent the future https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1e8VZlPBx_0

Xerox PARC https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PARC_(company)

0xPARC https://x.com/0xparc?lang=en

Conway’s Game of Life https://playgameoflife.com/

Numerai https://x.com/numerai

Doomscroll 15: Quinn Slobodian pod

Show & Hosts

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

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

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

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

113: https://x.com/0x113d

Production & Marketing

Bybit hack https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/feb/23/crypto-exchange-seeks-bybit-ethereum-stolen-digital-wallet

(00:00) - The Habsburgs and the Future of Ethereum
(01:33) - The Art of Crypto: NFTs, Collecting, and Cultural Value
(08:45) - The NFT Identity Crisis: Art vs. Product
(14:16) - Introduction
(17:00) - Crypto's Search for Legitimacy: Institutions vs. Innovation
(49:22) - Programmable Cryptography and the Future of Digital Expression
(01:07:17) - Anonymous Flirting: A Playful Vision for the Networked Future
(01:22:54) - Crypto as the Digital Frontier: Power, Control, and the Future Economy

Ep20 Western Beef

NET Society — Mon, 03 Mar 2025 11:00:00 -0500

The Net Society crew (minus Derek) dives into the evolving world of on-chain art, using Botto as a case study for how AI and decentralization are reshaping creativity. They break down the biggest takeaways from ETH Denver, from groundbreaking Web3 innovations to the shifting dynamics of the ecosystem. The conversation then turns to NFT loans, debating whether leveraging digital collectibles as collateral is the next step in crypto finance or a dangerous gamble. Security concerns take center stage with the Bybit hack, as they analyze its fallout and what it reveals about the broader landscape of exchange vulnerabilities. AI’s rapid development sparks a discussion on whether artificial intelligence is beginning to exhibit personality—and what that could mean for human interaction and trust. Finally, they wrap up with a market sentiment check, assessing crypto’s current trajectory and the forces shaping its next move.

Mentioned in the episode

Botto auction for “The Giraffe” https://x.com/krybharat/status/1895190523172004253

Sgt_slaughtermelon https://x.com/sgt_sl8termelon

Berachain https://x.com/berachain

Show & Hosts

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

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

(00:00) - The Future of On-Chain Art with Botto
(05:14) - ETH Denver: Key Takeaways & Trends
(19:40) - NFT Loans: Digital Collectibles as Collateral
(24:22) - Bybit Hack: What Happened & Why It Matters
(30:35) - AI with Personality? The Next Evolution
(35:59) - Introduction
(36:41) - Market Sentiment: Where Crypto Stands Today

Ep19 Armchair Disaster Response Unit

NET Society — Mon, 24 Feb 2025 11:00:00 -0500

The crew kicks off by dissecting the U.S. vs. Canada hockey showdown, exploring sports as a mirror of culture and national identity. They dive into the ethics and regulation of crypto, questioning if meme coin scandals and SEC shifts signal real reform or just more noise. The conversation turns to Christie’s "Augmented Intelligence" auction, examining AI art’s rising legitimacy and Sam Spratt’s "Masquerade" success as artists reshape digital art. They debate Botto’s generative art project, asking whether collective creation is transforming collector culture or diluting artistic quality. Finally, they explore the rapid acceleration of tech innovation, discussing quantum computing breakthroughs, AI-driven healthcare, and whether the venture capital landscape is evolving to fuel these transformative shifts. Plus, the tension between innovation and tradition in both art and finance, and what this means for the future.

Mentioned in the episode

Canada vs USA Hockey https://x.com/NHL/status/1892793095667716601

Christies Auction https://onlineonly.christies.com/s/augmented-intelligence/lots/3837

Kanbas acquires X.Masquerade https://x.com/Kanbas_/status/1889709922197049650

Botto sells out 1st generative project https://x.com/BottoDAO/status/1891938816031629424
Rare genetic disorder treated in the womb https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00534-0

Show & Hosts

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

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

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

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

Production & Marketing

(00:00) - USA & Canada Hockey
(06:55) - Ethics and Regulation of Crypto
(20:14) - Introduction
(20:35) - Ethics and Regulation of Crypto continued
(23:00) - Christie’s Augmented Intelligence Auction
(27:25) - Sam Spratt’s Masquarade
(30:09) - Botto, Gen Art, and Collector Culture
(45:25) - Accelerated Tech Innovation
(55:34) - Future of VC and Funding Models

Ep18 The Hunt For Red Meebtober

NET Society — Mon, 17 Feb 2025 11:00:00 -0500

The crew kicks off with the sale of Meebits, breaking down its acquisition and whether it can become a major digital IP. They dive into the resurgence of social tokens, questioning if influencer-backed assets and meme coins are a real evolution or just another hype cycle. The conversation shifts to Ethereum’s identity crisis—is it still a compute layer, or is it becoming a monetary asset like Bitcoin? They explore staking, L2 token dynamics, and whether Ethereum’s future is dictated by market forces. Finally, they tackle the rise of AI-powered solo founders, discussing how billion-dollar projects are emerging from small teams and what that means for crypto’s traditionally network-driven ecosystem. Plus, the shifting role of marketing, Web2’s struggles, and the ideological tensions shaping the space.

Mentioned in the episode

Meebits is acquired by the MeebCo https://x.com/sergitosergito/status/1890437464675791296

Vitalik sparks conversation on communism https://x.com/VitalikButerin/status/1889771554512200166

Cursor AI https://x.com/cursor_ai

Suno AI music maker https://x.com/SunoMusic

Follow

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

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

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

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

(00:00) - The Sale of Meebits
(08:14) - Are Social Tokens Making a Comeback?
(12:51) - Introduction
(13:28) - Ethereum’s Evolution: Money or Compute?
(26:07) - The Return of Social Tokens
(34:55) - AI vs. Crypto: Individualism vs. Collaboration

Ep17 The Grift Stack

NET Society — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 11:00:00 -0500

The crew kicks off with Kanye’s rumored token and the broader trend of celebrity coins before diving into crypto’s market cycle—are we at the start of an institutional-led bull run, or is retail still stuck in a liquidity trap? They break down the growing role of institutional capital, massive token unlocks, and whether crypto-native projects need a new liquidity model. The conversation shifts to Uniswap v4’s innovations, exploring how it could reshape DeFi, lending, and automated trading. Finally, they tackle the rise of localized blockchains, debating whether cities, banks, and states launching their own L2s and stablecoins is inevitable—or just another crypto pipe dream.

Mentioned in the episode

Will Kanye launch a coin https://x.com/Polymarket/status/1887912402768859352

Botto p5.js https://x.com/jamiegourlay/status/1887872827275067646

Utah advances Bitcoin reserve bill https://deepnewz.com/regulation/utah-advances-strategic-bitcoin-reserve-bill-second-state-after-arizona-to-move-e6a96d67

Follow

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

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

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

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

(00:00) - Kanye and Celebrity Coins
(03:10) - Institutional vs. Retail Sentiment in Crypto
(08:08) - Token Unlocks and Liquidity Challenges
(12:05) - Institutional Interest in Tokenization
(17:24) - The Evolution of Crypto Market Dynamics
(21:17) - Base as a Model for Channel Marketing in Crypto
(24:54) - Muni Chain & the Future of Localized Blockchains
(36:05) - Crypto Art & AI-Generated Art Trends
(42:00) - Web3 Social & Tokenized Networks
(45:03) - Uniswap v4 & the Future of DeFi Innovations
(50:06) - States Accumulating Bitcoin & The Macro Perspective
(53:29) - Speculating on Regional Coins

Ep16 Quarter Zips & Internet Capital Markets

NET Society — Mon, 03 Feb 2025 11:00:00 -0500

The crew dives into the reemergence of meme coin mania, drawing parallels to the ICO era and questioning whether Web2 founders are using tokens as a new form of capital raise. They break down the DeepSeek AI controversy, exploring its potential impact on compute costs, geopolitics, and OpenAI’s dominance. The conversation shifts to OpenSea’s token launch and what it means for NFTs, royalties, and creator-first marketplaces. Finally, they tackle the rise of tokenized real-world assets (RWAs), debating whether we’re entering the era of "Internet Capital Markets" or if it’s just another buzzword.

Mentioned in the episode

DeepSeek R1 https://x.com/deepseek_ai/status/1881318130334814301

Uniswap V4 https://x.com/Uniswap/status/1885329579495080248

SEC’s Rescinding of SAB 121 https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2025/01/23/sec-withdraws-controversial-crypto-tax-accounting-bulletin

Tether announcement https://x.com/Tether_to/status/1885340138328244393

Follow

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

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

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

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

(00:00) - The Meme Coin Resurgence: ICOs 2.0?
(04:12) - Introduction
(04:38) - DeepSeek AI & The Cost of Intelligence
(16:00) - The AI Compute War: Geopolitics & GPUs
(26:18) - OpenSea’s Token Drop: Revival or Rerun?
(35:25) - Tokenized Everything: RWAs & Internet Capital Markets

Ep15 Moore’s Law and a Tin of ZYN

NET Society — Mon, 27 Jan 2025 11:00:00 -0500

This episode might require your tin foil hat. As regulatory clarity emerges in the U.S., the full Net Society crew discusses what it means for NFTs, meme coins, and the broader crypto landscape. Are we headed for another speculative boom, or is this the foundation for more sustainable innovation? The conversation explores the intersection of AI and crypto, diving into how agent-based interactions are reshaping online experiences and why stablecoins might play a bigger role in e-commerce than we think. The group also tackles existential questions around AI's rapid acceleration, societal shifts, and whether digital scarcity still holds value in an era of abundance. They also explore the implications of declassifying government documents—what secrets might be revealed, and how could they reshape public perception? Plus, the latest on Kim Asendorf’s groundbreaking new project PXL DEX.

Mentioned in the episode

Operator by OpenAI https://openai.com/index/introducing-operator/

AI Crypto & America https://medium.com/collab-currency/ai-crypto-and-america-f0c859a4ad86

Telepathy Tapes Podcast https://thetelepathytapes.com/

PXL DEX by Kim Asendorf https://opensea.io/collection/pxl-dex

Follow

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

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

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

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

(00:00) - NFTs, Memecoins, and the New Gold Rush?
(02:51) - Introduction
(03:13) - Fort Knox, But Make It Digital: The CryptoPunk Reserve
(12:58) - AI is Coming for Your Job… or Your Free Time?
(24:46) - Staring Into the AI-Powered Void
(38:19) - JFK and Alien Docs Declassified
(45:58) - PXL DEX Kim Asendorf

Ep14 Cryptoballs and the Future of America DAO

NET Society — Mon, 20 Jan 2025 11:00:00 -0500

The Net Society crew (minus Derek) dives into the intersections of AI, crypto, and culture. Chris reflects on using AI tools to finish his latest book, sparking a discussion on technology’s role in creative workflows and the future of software engineers. The team explores the Crypto Ball, Bitcoin as a reserve asset, and predictions for Ethereum and CryptoPunks, addressing rumors about Yuga Labs selling their CryptoPunks holdings and what it means for NFTs. They also unpack how second-screen habits are reshaping media consumption and discuss Hollywood’s reinvention amid new challenges.

Mentioned in the episode

Chris finishes writing his current book https://x.com/ChrisF_0x/status/1880009373675921873

Cursor AI code editor https://x.com/cursor_ai

Thread on AI replacing software engineers https://x.com/signulll/status/1879589762073579857?s=46&t=3cJ-BS7Y1NeBdjntkS2hZQ

Geeks, MOPS, and sociopaths in subculture evolution https://meaningness.com/geeks-mops-sociopaths

Challengers soundtrack https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Challengers_(soundtrack)

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

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

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

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

(00:00) - The Role of AI in Creative and Workflows
(07:21) - The Future for Software Engineers
(16:19) - Introduction & Disclaimer
(16:51) - The Crypto Ball and Cultural Crossroads
(19:02) - Bitcoin Reserve and Stablecoins in a Changing Economy
(27:10) - Predictions for ETH and CryptoPunks
(40:31) - Rumors of Yuga Selling CryptoPunks
(46:41) - Second Screen Media Theory
(54:00) - Reinventing Hollywood Amid Change

Ep13 Crypto & AI: Imagining a Fully Automated Luxury Commonwealth

NET Society — Mon, 13 Jan 2025 11:00:00 -0500

In this episode of Net Society, Pri returns to the mic, and just as we get one co-host back, Aaron decides to ghost us for a hackathon. Pri shares her bold predictions for 2025, catching up on what she missed last week and sparking a lively discussion on how shifts in venture capital, regulatory clarity, and experimental funding could reshape tech and crypto markets. The team also unpacks Derek’s newly released essay, "AI, Crypto, and America," diving into how transformative technologies might redefine the American dream. Finally, they explore the buzz around Rodeo, the crypto art platform shaking up how collectors and artists connect, and the debates it's igniting in the digital art world. As always, it’s a spirited conversation blending insights, technology, and plenty of fun.

Mentioned in the episode

Bittensor https://bittensor.com/

AI, Crypto, and America (Derek) https://medium.com/collab-currency/ai-crypto-and-america-f0c859a4ad86

AI Predictions 1, 3, and 6 year https://simonwillison.net/2025/Jan/10/ai-predictions/

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

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

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

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

(00:00) - Catching Up Pri’s Predictions for 2025
(13:32) - Introduction
(14:19) - Unpacking Derek’s Latest Writing: "AI, Crypto, and America"
(24:54) - Taste in a Machine-Driven World
(33:25) - Let’s Talk About Rodeo

Ep12 2025 Prediction Machine Goes Brrr

NET Society — Mon, 06 Jan 2025 11:00:00 -0500

The NET Society crew (minus Pri) kicks off 2025 with bold predictions on crypto and AI, exploring Ethereum's growing dominance, the NFT market's revival, and the rise of staking-based ETFs. They discuss the evolution of meme coins, programmable NFTs, and the interplay between Bitcoin and Ethereum, while considering whether Bitcoin could surpass gold’s market cap. On the AI front, the team examines the push toward self-custody models and decentralized inference systems, all set against the backdrop of cheaper blockspace and the rise of consumer crypto. A fast-paced look at the trends shaping the future of tech and culture.

Mentioned in the episode
Zerebro https://x.com/0xzerebro
Zereborn https://magiceden.io/marketplace/zereborn
$MIRA and ZERO Token story https://cryptobriefing.com/zero-token-launch-controversy/

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

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

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

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

(00:00) - Introduction
(03:56) - ETH Strength, NFT Revival, and Staking ETFs
(09:20) - The Rise of Regulated ICOs
(12:33) - Stablecoin Bill Passes
(14:07) - Eigen AVS Market Grows
(15:15) - Advances in zkTech and Lower Block Costs
(19:33) - Solana vs. Base; ETH as a Monetary Asset
(26:29) - ETH-Bitcoin Composability and Bitcoin Alts Fade
(29:31) - New PFP Set with Built-In Meme Coin
(33:25) - Memes Evolve: From Toys to Movements
(35:25) - Programmable NFTs Become the Meta
(37:39) - Bitcoin as Reserve Currency Surpassing Gold
(39:07) - The Rise of Consumer Crypto via Cheaper Blockspace
(42:47) - Self-Custody AI Gains Traction
(44:54) - Decentralized Inference Systems Take Shape
(46:54) - Decentralized Memory Takes Center Stage

Ep11 Prompt & Circumstance: AI Prompting, '24 Recap and Predictions for Next Year

NET Society — Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:00:00 -0500

The NET Society crew (minus Pri) examines the evolving art of prompt engineering, as Aaron unveils plans for a New York meetup aimed at sharpening how we interact with AI systems. The discussion explores the current inefficiencies, the rise of chain-of-thought prompting, and whether future AI agents will outpace human-led creativity. Shifting gears, they reflect on the NFT market’s 2024 revival, from reanimated PFP projects to the search for more dynamic and programmable digital art. The conversation heats up with speculation on an OpenSea token and the ongoing marketplace wars, questioning whether a “PageRank moment” is on the horizon. Closing out, the team looks toward 2025, imagining a future where AI, art, and decentralized systems collide in unexpected ways. An insightful snapshot of technology, creativity, and the digital future in motion.

Mentioned in the episode

Clown Vamp exhibition in NYC https://x.com/ClownVamp/status/1869787639727206756

Pudgy Penguins launches token https://x.com/pudgypenguins/status/1869004982328213543

OpenSea launches OpenSea Foundation account https://x.com/opensea/status/1870121815982649823

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

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

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

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

(00:00) - The Evolution of Prompt Engineering
(12:00) - The Future of AI Reasoning
(20:27) - Introduction
(20:59) - NFT Market Revival in 2025?
(36:12) - OpenSea Token Speculation

Ep10 Can Quantum AI Smell What DeSci is Cooking?

NET Society — Mon, 16 Dec 2024 11:00:00 -0500

The NET Society crew dives into the excitement surrounding Noper’s mint, reflecting on its unique aesthetics and the joy of minting. The conversation shifts to DeSci, debating whether decentralized science is a revolutionary movement or just another crypto meme. Later, they explore quantum breakthroughs, from the surprising role of vibrations in smell to potential security implications for blockchains. Closing out, the team discusses DX01: SINGULARITY, a groundbreaking experiment in participatory media that blends AI, NFTs, and communal storytelling. A journey through the bleeding edge of art, science, and technology.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this episode are our own and do not reflect those of our employers or any affiliated organizations.

Mentioned in the episode

Noper Mint: https://flutter.flamingodao.xyz/noper

CRISPR-Cas9 https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/understanding/genomicresearch/genomeediting/

Project Osmo https://www.osmo.ai/

Google’s Quantum Chip https://www.theverge.com/2024/12/12/24319879/google-willow-cant-break-rsa-cryptography

DX Research Group https://x.com/dxrgai and https://singularity.fun/

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

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

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

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

(00:00) - Riding the Noper Mint Wave
(03:58) - Introduction
(04:23) - DeSci: Meme or Revolution?
(24:50) - Quantum Futures: Smell, Security, and Systems
(33:08) - DX01: A New Era of Participatory Media

Ep9 Czar and The Art of Crypto Bull Podding

NET Society — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 11:00:00 -0500

The NET Society crew discusses Bitcoin crossing $100K and the appointment of David Sacks as the new "czar" overseeing AI and crypto, marking a pivotal moment in the integration of these technologies. After a mid-episode introduction, they dive into an art market rundown, exploring the nostalgic vibes of new NFT projects like Chonks on Base. The conversation turns to the complexity of evaluating art, emphasizing that it’s more art than science, before closing with reflections on the uncertain future of AI art and how the category might mature. A thoughtful exploration of milestones and markets in the evolving digital landscape.

Mentioned in the episode
White House AI and crypto czar https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-appoints-former-paypal-coo-david-sacks-ai-crypto-czar-2024-12-06/
Chonks https://x.com/chonksxyz
Poof https://x.com/poof_eth
Delronde tweeting with chris https://x.com/delronde/status/1864775097321689584
Drunk, How We Sipped, Danced, and Stumbled Our Way to Civilization https://www.edwardslingerland.com/drunk

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

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

(00:00) - 100K Bitcoin and David Sacks the new czar
(18:00) - Introduction
(18:42) - Art market rundown
(20:32) - Chonks on Base and minting vibes
(26:54) - The evaluation of art isn’t a science
(36:33) - How will AI art mature?

Ep8 Two Birds One Pod: The Alpha & Oblique

NET Society — Mon, 02 Dec 2024 12:00:00 -0500

The NET Society crew reunites post-Thanksgiving with special guest Malte, who shares exclusive insights into FlamingoDAO’s upcoming free mint featuring artists Noper, Andrea Ciulu, and Andreas Gysin. They reflect on the joy of minting, FlamingoDAO’s curatorial vision, and how this project aims to bring some much needed fresh energy back to the NFT space. Later, using Brian Eno’s Oblique Strategies for inspiration, the discussion expands to explore the rise of “weird economies,” the implications of hyper-tokenization, and the role of strategic coin reserves in shaping the blockchain future.

Mentioned in the episode:

Special Guest Malte: https://x.com/maltefr_eth

Flamingo Artists:
Noper https://x.com/bagdelete

Andrea Ciulu https://x.com/andrea_ciulu

Andreas Gysin https://x.com/andreasgysin

Virtual agent aixbt https://x.com/aixbt_agent

Oblique strategy cards https://www.enoshop.co.uk/product/oblique-strategies.html

Kim k pics with robots https://www.instagram.com/p/DCk9PKUpQpV/?igsh=MThsank2MGQwcWU0cg==

Robot assistants carrying bags https://x.com/lilgreat21/status/1862532980008210666?s=46&t=3cJ-BS7Y1NeBdjntkS2hZQ

We Have Never Been Modern - Bruno Latour https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674948396

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

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

Ep7 The Hot Ball of Bananas

NET Society — Mon, 25 Nov 2024 12:00:00 -0500

The NET Society crew reflects on a big week for JPEGs post-Marfa, unpacking the impact of Art Blocks Weekend and headline-grabbing moments like Cattelan’s banana sale. They explore the rise of political art, levels of meaning in different forms of art, and the evolving power dynamics in art and crypto. Plus, a dive into the "hot ball of money" driving memecoins and the bright future of DeSci.

Mentioned in the episode:
Art Blocks Marfa Weekend: https://x.com/artblocks_io/status/1858256010617483606

Eno 2024: https://www.hustwit.com/eno

Oblique Strategies: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oblique_Strategies

Maurizio Cattelan’s Banana sold for $6.2M: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/that-viral-banana-duct-taped-to-a-wall-it-just-sold-for-6-2-million-180985523/

The Painted Protest - Dean Kissick: https://harpers.org/archive/2024/12/the-painted-protest-dean-kissick-contemporary-art/

Everything vs nothing: Joe Pease: https://www.everythingvsnothing.com/

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