How Crypto Is Rebuilding Finance From First Principles

Guy Wuollet thinks crypto will have succeeded when we stop calling it crypto. Financial services will simply run on blockchains, much as other businesses now run on the internet. What will it take to get there?

In this conversation with Robert Hackett, the a16z crypto general partner explains where he sees opportunities to build, from stablecoin payments and perpetual futures to new markets for energy and compute. They discuss what tokenization changes for Wall Street, why faster and cheaper blockchains make different businesses possible, and how crypto’s cypherpunk roots fit with its growing commercial adoption.

Guy also shares his path from a16z intern to general partner, including a research project to build a decentralized internet service provider. Along the way, he explains how he evaluates founders, why early token liquidity doesn’t change his investment horizon, and what he looks for in people who want to spend decades building a company. Plus, oil painting and some strongly held opinions about how pants should fit.

Highlights
00:00 A preview of the conversation
00:52 From a16z intern to crypto general partner
11:51 Bitcoin and Guy’s cypherpunk roots
14:34 From technological revolution to practical products
19:28 Why timing matters for crypto adoption
23:31 Token launches, liquidity, and going public
28:20 Backing founders for the long term
31:39 How Guy evaluates founders
36:21 Where Guy sees opportunities in crypto
38:42 New markets for energy and compute
39:49 Stablecoins and finance’s digital transformation
43:29 Why perpetual futures are gaining traction
45:26 What tokenization changes for Wall Street
49:04 Oil painting and the pleasure of making things
51:02 Guy’s smallest hill to die on

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