Acknowledgments

This book is the product of many years of blogging, thinking, writing, and participating in the internet industry and the crypto community, so there are countless inspirations behind the ideas presented here. I am especially grateful to the colleagues and founders I’ve worked with. The best part of my job is talking to and learning from you. I’d also like to acknowledge some specific people who helped shape the book and make it possible.

First and foremost, I want to thank Robert Hackett, who was an extremely valuable editing and thought partner throughout the writing process. He contributed so much time, attention, and care to the project. He also taught me how to be a better writer.

Thanks to Kim Milosevich and Sonal Chokshi, my longtime partners in all things creative, who nurtured the project from the start and guided me through the publishing process.

Thank you to my agent, Chris Parris-Lamb, and my editor, Ben Greenberg—and the broader Random House team, including Greg Kubie and Windy Dorresteyn—who made publishing this book far easier than I thought it could be. I am also grateful to Rodrigo and Anna Corral, who created the cover art and interior graphics.

There were many people who reviewed the book and gave insightful comments at various phases, but I especially want to thank Tim Roughgarden, Sep Kamvar, Miles Jennings, Elena Burger, Arianna Simpson, Porter Smith, Bill Hinman, Ali Yahya, Brian Quintenz, Andy Hall, Collin McCune, Tim Sullivan, Eddy Lazzarin, and Scott Kominers for their detailed feedback. Thanks also to Daren Matsuoka for data sourcing and analysis, Michael Blau for his NFT design, and Maura Fox for research and fact checking.

I’d also like to thank Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz for being great business partners and providing unwavering support for all my various endeavors over the years.

I dedicated this book to Elena, my wife and best friend, who has always stood by me and believed in me. I am so thankful for your patience and support while I worked on this book day and night (and countless weekends and holidays); it takes a remarkable, confident person who allows space for that while also pursuing her own passions and interests. I am so grateful to you, and thankful for meeting you all those years ago in NYC. You’re my partner in everything, and this book is as much yours as it is mine.

Finally, this book is for my son. You are the future; I hope it shines bright for you.