Smart contracts

Jesse Pollak argues that cheaper, faster blockchains, clearer regulation, mature stablecoins, and simpler wallets make this a strong time to build crypto products. He explains how stablecoins provide programmable access to dollars and local currencies, and how smart contracts can make financial and commerce systems cheaper and easier to use. He encourages founders to start with real customer problems, learn the technology by building, and look for ways open networks can improve markets dominated by intermediaries. He also discusses tokenizing existing assets, creating new markets for creator content, and using crypto for AI verification and agent payments.

Thiago explains how he moved from React Native development into Web3 and describes his work on an NFT fashion project. The talk introduces DeFi, GameFi, and the challenges that scams and difficult onboarding create for newcomers. It outlines a React Native Web3 stack: a low-level blockchain library such as viem, a wallet connection kit, and hooks such as wagmi. Thiago explains why browser-focused tooling often requires polyfills in React Native and discusses efforts to make Web3 apps and cross-platform development easier.

Linda Xie and Avichal Garg explain the core ideas behind crypto, including blockchains, tokens, consensus, and smart contracts, then discuss where decentralized systems may be useful. They see payments and privacy as promising near-term applications, while many decentralized apps depend on solving scaling problems first. They also cover regulation, identity, governance, developer infrastructure, and the risks of token sales, arguing that founders should raise money thoughtfully and align incentives through vesting. The talk closes with privacy, government adoption, and ways people might begin using crypto without realizing it.