Endgame with Amanda Cassatt

“The scammy elements of crypto are turning people off—and that’s something we need to fix.”In this episode of Endgame, Amanda Cassatt sits down with Yat Siu, co-founder of Animoca Brands, to unpack crypto’s evolution—from idealism to hype cycles—and what comes next.They explore AI agents, the open metaverse, and who actually benefits as technology scales. Yat argues blockchain was built for a future of billions of AI agents—and we’re closer than we think.The conversation also dives into creativity, education, and what it means to stay human in an increasingly automated world.At its core, this episode asks: who owns the system—and is the future being built one worth living in?Stay Connected:Yat Siu on X: https://x.com/ysiuSubscribe to Endgame: https://www.youtube.com/@endgamepodcast Amanda on X:  https://x.com/amandacassatt  Serotonin on X: https://x.com/serotonin_hq Links to Follow:Endgame on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/45B9szUxVXEwfCDA6uRxwq?si=HT9XXqF9Q2CcM9hfLbmkVg   Endgame on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/endgame-with-amanda-cassatt/id1801809440  Substack: https://substack.com/@UCInZsV3L1nDGoFjxoNUnPQQ

Most of the people running the world are not evil masterminds; they are sincere operators trapped in an “epistemic maze.”In this episode of Endgame, Amanda Cassatt sits down with Curtis Yarvin to explore why the rules-based international order was always fragile and how elite decision-makers operate on unexamined assumptions. They unpack Yarvin’s “interchangeable baby theory,” the 20th-century belief that human outcomes are largely interchangeable, and how this flawed idea shaped policy without ever being questioned.The conversation shifts to modern finance, where deposit insurance, bailouts, and informal guarantees create a tower of promises barely anchored in reality. From there, they tackle AI, arguing that machines could make most humans economically useless unless society redesigns work, introducing artificial constraints so humans retain meaningful roles.This episode examines the hidden assumptions in power, money, and labor, and what happens when technology exposes the gaps in a system built on faith and untested ideas.Timestamps: 00:00 Intro01:25 The Fate of the Rules-Based International Order08:47 Interchangeable Baby Theory and Its Implications17:58 The Stability of the US Dollar and Financial Systems29:34 AI, Technology, and the Future of Society34:07 The Craving for Violence in Media34:29 Artificial Difficulty in Gaming and Crafting34:57 Labor Supply and Demand in a Changing World36:07 The Economic Uselessness of the Majority36:38 Cultural Reflections on Indigenous Peoples and Welfare38:11 AI's Impact on Employment Across Professions38:34 The Dilemma of Meaningful Work vs. Automation39:41 Autarky and Competing Economies40:58 The Pursuit of Meaning Over Luxury43:01 The Role of Technology in Shaping Labor44:58 Cultural Stagnation and AI's Influence46:05 The Aesthetic of AI and Over-OptimizationStay Connected:George on X: https://x.com/realGeorgeHotz Subscribe to Endgame: https://www.youtube.com/@endgamepodcast Amanda on X:  https://x.com/amandacassatt  Serotonin on X: https://x.com/serotonin_hq Links to Follow:Endgame on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/45B9szUxVXEwfCDA6uRxwq?si=HT9XXqF9Q2CcM9hfLbmkVg   Endgame on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/endgame-with-amanda-cassatt/id1801809440  Substack: https://substack.com/@UCInZsV3L1nDGoFjxoNUnPQQ

George Hotz, computer engineer and entrepreneur famous for iPhone jailbreaking and autonomous driving work. He debates AI’s true productivity versus illusion. They probe algorithmic manipulation, power concentrated in chips and software moats. Conversation touches on a possible split between augmented humans and a ‘monkey class’ and why electricity and steel are more honest measures of progress.

As artificial intelligence agents become the dominant interface to the web, the question is no longer just “Who are you?” but “Who is acting on your behalf?” In this episode of Endgame, Amanda Cassatt sits down with Billions Network CEO Evin McMullen to examine the rapid shift toward agent-mediated internet use. At the end of last year, roughly one in every 31 website visits was conducted by a non-human actor, up sharply from just one in 200 earlier in the year. Increasingly, we are delegating our online activity to digital butlers.But delegation does not eliminate identity. It compounds it. Evin argues that we are moving beyond traditional KYC, Know Your Customer, into a new paradigm called KYA, Know Your Agent. If AI agents are making payments, accessing age-gated services, or interacting with financial and government systems, they must be able to prove who they represent. Identity becomes inheritable, and agents must cryptographically demonstrate the human or organization on whose behalf they act.This reframes the identity debate. The problem is no longer just login friction or platform data extraction. It is the structural need to bind autonomous systems to accountable humans. As armies of specialized sub-agents begin coordinating tasks across domains, payments, compliance, and trust all depend on pairing the person with the agent.Ultimately, identity becomes the backbone of the agentic internet. As humans step back from direct interaction and software takes the wheel, sovereignty shifts from logging in yourself to equipping your agents with portable, provable credentials so they can act and sign on your behalf.Timestamps00:00 Introduction 01:25 Understanding Identity in the Digital Age05:15 The Flaws of Current Identity Systems09:59 Reimagining Identity Workflows13:00 User Control and Data Ownership14:30 Incentives and the Future of Identity18:28 The Role of Crypto in Identity Management22:27 Proving Human Identity in a Digital World25:27 The Future of Agents and Identity30:23 Navigating the New Digital Landscape33:09 The Intersection of Technology and Regulation

As artificial intelligence becomes the dominant interface for work, creativity, and competition, some people are adapting to it far faster than others.In this episode of Endgame, Amanda Cassatt sits down with Dragonfly Capital’s Haseeb Qureshi to explore a generational shift in technological advantage: the biggest winners of every major tech transition are not the most experienced, but the most “pluripotent.” Younger people, who haven’t yet locked themselves into fixed professional identities, are better positioned to experiment and use new tools as leverage.Haseeb explains how AI intensifies this dynamic. The key emerging skill is no longer traditional engineering or management, but the ability to talk to models. Younger builders are becoming fluent in prompting, cross-agent workflows, and systems where AI agents write, review, and coordinate each other, patterns discovered by people actively building, not by institutions.This reframes what talent and leadership mean. The edge now belongs to those who remain cognitively flexible and let technology reshape how they think and work. In an AI-native world, the most effective founders aren’t the best coders or managers, but the ones who can reason about complex systems and continuously adapt alongside fast-moving tools.Ultimately, AI becomes a generational filter. Those who grow up fluent in these systems will treat them as a natural extension of thought, while older cohorts experience them as something they must translate through. As with every technological shift, the people who adopt the medium as native are the ones who end up defining the future.Chapters:0:00 Intro01:23 The Intersection of AI and Crypto06:13 The Role of AI Agents in Software Development09:00 Shifting Profiles of Founders in Tech11:55 The Future of Knowledge Work and AI14:57 Decentralized AI and Security Concerns17:57 The Future of AI and Crypto Integration20:51 The Role of Stablecoins in the Crypto Ecosystem24:01 The Evolution of Legal Systems in Tech26:46 The Future of Labor and Capital in AI30:01 Global Perspectives on AI and Crypto32:54 The Future of Venture Capital in Tech35:59 The Intergenerational Wealth Transfer of Crypto39:01 The Future of AI and Crypto Regulation42:04 The Role of Innovation in CryptoIf this expanded your thinking, don’t forget to Like, Comment & Share. For future cities, global systems & bold ideas, Subscribe now!

Technology is the most powerful force in history, and whether it liberates or consumes us depends entirely on how aligned it is with human agency.For Amanda Cassatt, this belief underpins her techno-optimism: the conviction that progress must be actively built, not passively awaited. In this solo episode, she explains how she sees technology as upstream of culture, economics, and politics, and views optimism as a necessary stance for shaping systems that improve the future rather than accepting stagnation.In her view, one of AI’s most powerful use cases will be hyper-addictive entertainment and persuasion, with millions of intelligent agents optimized to capture attention, shape behavior, and extract value. But Cassatt argues that AI also holds the potential to act as a personal ally: an intelligent layer that enforces individual priorities, shields users from exploitative systems, and restores agency in an increasingly manipulative digital environment.As technology progresses, so will the need for “envelope technologies” and personal AI systems that protect users, preserve agency, and give people real control over the tools that mediate their lives. For Cassatt, the future of technology hinges on alignment and ownership, determining whether we build systems that mine human attention or systems that empower humans to shape their own trajectories.Timestamps00:00 Introduction01:31 Telling the Story of New Technology 05:13 Innovation or Financial Nihilism? 09:12 Birth of Two Markets15:38 Key to Successful Startups18:14 The Role of Brands27:06 Stories to Understand the World29:01 The AI Conundrum39:02 Is AI the Tool or Are We? 44:11 The Case for Techno OptimismSubscribe to Endgame: https://www.youtube.com/@endgamepodcast Edge City on X: https://x.com/JoinEdgeCityTimour Kosters on X: https://x.com/timourxyzAmanda on X: https://x.com/amandacassatt Serotonin on X: https://x.com/serotonin Endgame on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6iSvbKOJWoEPiAoGmiulkd Endgame on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/endgame-with-amanda-cassatt/id1801809440 Substack: https://substack.com/@UCInZsV3L1nDGoFjxoNUnPQQIf this expanded your thinking, don’t forget to Like, Comment & Share. For future cities, global systems & bold ideas, Subscribe now!

As nation-states double down on borders, nationalism, and readiness for war, some people are choosing not to wait around to see how that ends.Amanda Cassatt sits down with Timour Kosters, who worked alongside Vitalik Buterin on Zuzalu, and co-founder of Edge City, a borderless pop-up society where highly driven builders, thinkers, and creators experiment with life beyond the nation-state. Emerging directly from the Zuzalu experiment in Montenegro, Edge City functions as a live prototype for post-national belonging, a place where identity, culture, and collaboration are designed deliberately rather than inherited by accident.Timour explains how Zuzalu shaped Edge City’s core philosophy: opting out of national identity, rejecting reflexive patriotism, and building high-trust communities that can survive disagreement without collapsing into tribalism. Edge City offers sovereignty within, giving people a way to escape inherited identities, nationalistic pressures, and the growing assumption that global conflict is inevitable.Heterogeneity and multidisciplinarity are intentional. Edge City incubates startups, launches new fields of inquiry, and partners with emerging cities and jurisdictions, turning the community itself into a platform for coordination and long-term impact. The result is a network that produces ideas, companies, and alliances that would be difficult or impossible to form inside traditional state structures.Edge City even tracks an unusual metric of success: children, and conceptions. Including families is not sentimental, it is strategic. It binds people to the community, creates continuity across generations, and embeds the next cohort inside a society actively experimenting with alternatives to nation-states. In a world increasingly organized around borders and conflict, Edge City is betting that opting out early is the real advantage.Timestamps00:00 Introduction01:05 Vitalik’s goal: a minimum viable “crazy thing” that’s long enough to become real life03:00 What Zuzalu was really for (and Timour’s role running the AI track)08:10 Edge City’s design goal: heterogeneity and multidisciplinarity (and the fault lines)10:40 AI safety vs accelerationism, crypto skeptics, political diversity—and why debate is hard16:50 Where Edge City fits in a world of geopolitical blocs19:40 Timour’s personal relationship to Russia and why he’s not a nationalist22:10 Can network societies become bridging nodes across spheres of influence?24:10 Historical parallel: the “International” before WWI—and what’s different now26:10 Fear as a political tool—and why hope is “really punk”32:00 The missing step in the Network State: kinship before land36:10 Startup example: Constellation and the compressed loop from idea → data → investors41:20 Working with towns and jurisdictions: Esmeralda, Bhutan, and “drop-shipping” talent47:10 Why kids are a North Star metric—and how families change the entire vibe49:30 “Conceptions” as an internal joke metric—and what it signals about community health51:00 Closing: building futures that feel livable, not hollowSubscribe to Endgame: https://www.youtube.com/@endgamepodcast  Edge City on X: https://x.com/JoinEdgeCityTimour on X: https://x.com/timourxyzAmanda on X:  https://x.com/amandacassatt  Serotonin on X: https://x.com/serotonin  Endgame on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6iSvbKOJWoEPiAoGmiulkd   Endgame on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/endgame-with-amanda-cassatt/id1801809440  Substack: https://substack.com/@UCInZsV3L1nDGoFjxoNUnPQQ

What if aging and reproduction were engineering problems, not biological limits?In this episode, Amanda Cassatt sits down with AthenaDAO founder Laura Minquini to unpack how reproductive biotech could transform same-sex reproduction, family structures, and the future of population growth.Laura explains how AthenaDAO and the DeSci movement are using crypto to fund research that has previously not been prioritized by the FDA or mainstream pharma, arguing that reproductive biotech is one of the most consequential frontiers in modern science, from ovarian tissue cryopreservation and in vitro gametogenesis (IVG) to artificial wombs that could radically extend not just fertility, but women’s healthspan.She details how ovarian tissue cryopreservation works, a surgical procedure originally developed for cancer patients where ovarian tissue is removed, frozen, and later reimplanted to restore ovarian function. She describes how this technique is now being offered electively, what it realistically enables, and why it may be the most direct path to delaying menopause.The two dig into why menopause drives systemic aging, why women live longer but spend more years in disease, and how reproductive biology has been sidelined by traditional biotech funding.Timestamps:00:00 Why the future of biotech isn’t evenly distributed 02:05 Ovarian tissue cryopreservation and extending fertility 06:30 Why menopause affects the entire body—not just reproduction 10:45 Longevity, ovarian function, and why women live longer with more disease 15:10 Why women’s health research is so underfunded 19:40 Clinical trials, fertility risk, and why female data is missing 24:30 Artificial wombs: science fiction or near-term reality? 29:00 In vitro gametogenesis (IVG) and the future of egg creation 34:20 Radical reproductive unlocks and societal implications 39:30 Why controversial technologies need human-first framing 44:50 Decentralized science (DeSci) and crypto-funded research 49:20 Why crypto struggles with long-term scientific timelines 53:40 The AthenaDAO business model and token-equity hybrid approach 58:10 Menopause prediction, HRT, and what Laura uses personally 01:01:30 Moonshots, legacy, and redefining women’s reproductive futuresSubscribe to Endgame: https://www.youtube.com/@endgamepodcast  Laura on X: https://x.com/LauraMinquiniAthenaDAO on X: https://x.com/athena_DAO_Amanda on X:  https://x.com/amandacassatt  Serotonin on X: https://x.com/serotonin  Endgame on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6iSvbKOJWoEPiAoGmiulkd   Endgame on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/endgame-with-amanda-cassatt/id1801809440  Substack: https://substack.com/@UCInZsV3L1nDGoFjxoNUnPQQ

What is the future of Arbitrum now that L1 Ethereum is becoming scalable?In this episode, Amanda Cassatt sits down with Offchain Labs and Arbitrum co-founder Steven Goldfeder. Arbitrum began as Ethereum’s scaling answer, borrowing its security to add more bandwidth, faster confirmations, and better UX. As Ethereum solves the scalability problem that was Arbitrum's original raison d’être, Steven explains Arbitrum's next frontier: customization and institutional onboarding onto Ethereum, by providing privacy and KYC that won't become available at L1 anytime soon.The two discuss the specific ways and regions Robinhood is already - though invisibly to users - using Arbitrum, the precise path RWAs are taking to gain consumer adoption, and which traditional financial products are poised to come onchain. Steven clarifies where he aligns and departs from Vitalik's articulation of what Ethereum is for, and he tells us what he believes will happen when Ethereum grows beyond its original decentralization-first vision.Times are evolving, and institutions aren’t guaranteed to take on the cypherpunk ideology, but so long as the core system is preserved, Goldfeder believes that there are a lot of benefits to mass onboarding.Timestamps: 00:00 Scaling Ethereum: The Role of Arbitrum09:29 Customization for Institutions: Arbitrum's Unique Offerings12:43 Compliance and Privacy: Institutional Needs in DeFi16:21 The Philosophy of Ethereum: Freedom vs. Compliance22:39 The Future of Ethereum: KYC and Institutional Adoption25:03 The Evolution of Use Cases on Arbitrum31:44 Arbitrum's DAO: Governance and Decision-Making43:50 Balancing Power: Democracy vs. Monarchy in DAOs55:24 The Future of Arbitrum: Growth and User ExperienceSubscribe to Endgame: https://www.youtube.com/@endgamepodcast  Steven on X: https://x.com/sgoldfedOffchain Labs on X: https://x.com/OffchainLabsAmanda on X:  https://x.com/amandacassatt  Serotonin on X: https://x.com/serotonin  Endgame on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6iSvbKOJWoEPiAoGmiulkd   Endgame on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/endgame-with-amanda-cassatt/id1801809440  Substack: https://substack.com/@UCInZsV3L1nDGoFjxoNUnPQQ

What happens when crypto stops optimizing purely for profit and starts optimizing for people, planet, and long-term coordination?In this episode, Amanda Cassatt sits down with Gitcoin founder Kevin Owocki to discuss Ethereum’s public goods, swallowing the Green Pill, and what onchain coordination will look like in the future.Owocki maps the cultural fault lines inside Ethereum: the libertarian and cypherpunk roots, the rise of hyper-financialized degen culture, and the parallel effort to build something different: a regenerative ecosystem that funds public goods, sustains open source, and solves coordination failures instead of reproducing them.The two unpack what Green Pill really means and the choice it asks of builders, how Gitcoin funded $70 million in public goods and why grants and vibes aren’t enough anymore. Timestamps:00:00 Introduction to Regen and Degen02:57 The Green Pill Movement06:13 Public Goods in Ethereum09:10 Funding Challenges in the Ethereum Ecosystem12:07 Comparing Ethereum to Traditional Governments15:00 The Evolution of Public Goods Funding17:48 Incentive Alignment and the Tragedy of the Commons21:04 Building Proofs for Public Goods24:11 Ethereum's Unique Approach to Public Goods26:48 Meditations on Moloch and Coordination Failures29:39 Exploring Moloch and Ginsberg's Influence30:04 Addressing Coordination Failures in Ethereum34:48 The Future of Capitalism and Its Alternatives39:40 Balancing Different Forms of Capital45:03 Navigating Financial Nihilism Among Youth47:41 Success Stories in Building Parallel InstitutionsSubscribe to Endgame: https://www.youtube.com/@endgamepodcast  Kevin on X: https://x.com/owockiAmanda on X:  https://x.com/amandacassatt  Serotonin on X: https://x.com/serotonin  Endgame on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6iSvbKOJWoEPiAoGmiulkd   Endgame on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/endgame-with-amanda-cassatt/id1801809440  Substack: https://substack.com/@UCInZsV3L1nDGoFjxoNUnPQQ