The Brave Technologist

Anna Yuan, founder of Perena and ex-head of stablecoins at Solana Foundation, builds stablecoin-based fintech like USD*, a liquid yield token. She explains how spendable assets can earn continuous yield. Conversation covers trust and regulation in crypto, convergence of CeFi and DeFi, cross-border payments and remittances, and how AI agents might interact with yield-bearing stablecoins.

Elise Neel, Global Head of Strategy & Strategic Partnerships at Panasonic Go, a leader in AI-driven business transformation and former CEO of MapQuest. She discusses leaders moving from using AI to collaborating with it. She highlights cultural hurdles in legacy firms, why CHROs may steer AI integration, and how products could self-diagnose and reshape after-sale services.

Bri Teresi, host of Free The Money and crypto influencer who blends lifestyle with financial education. She talks about risks of platform dependency and creator censorship. She covers self-custody and emerging laws affecting crypto custody. Discussions include privacy tech, decentralized social networks, AI’s impact on creators, and getting more women into crypto.

Maggie Love, founder and CEO of SheFi and educator turning crypto into practical skills for women+, discusses making Web3 accessible through cohort-based learning and community. She talks about translating crypto jargon into relatable lessons. They cover UX friction in crypto, how communities enable trust and retention, the Brave partnership for scholarships, and where AI and crypto might collide.

Manoj Saxena, founder of Trustwise and pioneer behind IBM Watson, is a leading voice on ethical, agentic AI. He explores AI shifting from assistant to active participant. Short takes cover AI acting as a second workforce, HR-style onboarding and oversight for digital employees, the need for real-time governance and brakes on autonomous systems, plus new IP and trust-score ideas for managing agentic intelligence.

Kapil Gupta, an enterprise AI product and platform leader with two decades at Cigna, Capital One, and Deloitte, talks about making AI usable at scale. He contrasts generative and agentic AI. He discusses governance, fitting tech into existing workflows, legacy data hurdles, and designing products that feel invisible and magical.

Chastity Murphy, a former U.S. Treasury senior advisor and current Visiting Research Fellow researching privacy-preserving digital public money. She discusses how early stablecoin policy shaped views on digital payments. She explores financial surveillance risks, the gap between technologists and policymakers, cryptographic tools like selective disclosure, and prototypes for offline, anonymous payment systems.

Evin McMullen, CEO and co-founder of Billions Network, builds a mobile-first identity layer to verify humans and AI while preserving privacy. She discusses proving humanity with zero-knowledge proofs. She covers agent identity and accountability, balancing privacy with convenience, regulatory collaborations, and risks of agent swarms.

Charles Hoskinson is a co-founder of Ethereum, and the CEO and Founder of Input | Output (the company behind the Cardano blockchain). In this episode he shares his journey into the world of cryptocurrencies and his early influences. He also explains the conception and operational details of the Midnight Network (a privacy-focused, layer-two solution), and discusses his ambitious efforts in anti-aging and regenerative medicine. Key Takeaways: Trillion dollar disruption ideas and a vision for how users will interact with the Internet in 2035 Why regulation is the single most exciting opportunity for DeFi Ways we can bring the world together in 2026 by working more cooperatively and combatting polarization How regenerative species force us to rethink how humans should approach longevity Cutting-edge research involving exosomes, electrical fields and hyperbarics Guest Bio: Charles Hoskinson is a co-founder of Ethereum, and the CEO & Founder of Input | Output (the company behind the Cardano blockchain). He also owns and operates a state-of-the-art healthcare clinic in rural Wyoming focused on anti-aging; is part of the group that de-extincted the dire wolf; and co-founded a lab that is genetically engineering bioluminescent plants. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About this Show: The Brave Technologist is here to shed light on the opportunities and challenges of emerging tech. To make it digestible, less scary, and more approachable for all! Join us as we embark on a mission to demystify artificial intelligence, challenge the status quo, and empower everyday people to embrace the digital revolution. Whether you're a tech enthusiast, a curious mind, or an industry professional, this podcast invites you to join the conversation and explore the future of AI together. The Brave Technologist Podcast is hosted by Luke Mulks, VP Business Operations at Brave Software—makers of the privacy-respecting Brave browser and Search engine, and now powering AI everywhere with the Brave Search API. Music by: Ari Dvorin Produced by: Sam Laliberte

Dave Chatterjee, an Adjunct Associate Professor and cybersecurity strategist, discusses how AI is reshaping cyber threats and the need for a proactive approach to cybersecurity. He introduces his Commitment-Preparedness-Discipline (CPD) framework and highlights three underestimated AI risks. Chatterjee emphasizes the importance of using AI defensively and outlines the rise of adaptive deepfakes, sharing practical steps individuals can take to enhance their security. He also predicts the emergence of roles like Chief AI Security Officer to combat these evolving threats.