Wild Web

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Wild Web explores crypto and web 3. My goal is to teach you the basics so you have the knowledge to participate in a new financial system, create wealth and achieve freedom. Do you want to be financially secure, independent and free to do what you want, when you want? Or do you want to trade time and labor for money the rest of your life while your savings are inflated from you, prices continue increasing, and new systems shift with or without you.

I’m here to shake you awake to the opportunities available within crypto and web 3. I started my journey in 2017 and dove deeper in 2018 after reading Naval Ravikant's famous tweet storm, “How to get rich, without getting lucky”. Basically, Naval lays out a framework of timeless principles to guide you in creating wealth, within 10 years to be a sovereign wealthy individual.

Today, I’m going to focus on the financial aspect because financial freedom is critical. As Naval says, money isn’t going to solve all your problems, but it will solve your money problems. If you want to invest in the future of the internet, automation, artificial intelligence, robotics, decentralization and global open protocol infrastructure to increase your wealth, then listen up. I’ve talked with so many different people since I started investing in crypto. I first bought Bitcoin when it was under $4,000 per coin, and I’ve been investing in it all the way up past $120,000 today. I’ve heard the same broken record over the years when I try to explain crypto to other people and it’s usually they either don’t understand it, are fearful, think the price is too high or they’re too late. I heard this when Bitcoin was $4000, $20,000, $60,000 and I’m hearing it again now as Bitcoin sits around $120,000.

I’m going to do my best now to explain crypto and web 3 so you can make an informed decision for yourself whether to invest in blockchain technology or stay idle on the sidelines as others around you participate in this massive transfer of wealth from the top down. The choice is yours. This is not financial advice but rather my personal opinion. I’ll provide an overview of the internet, blockchain technology and I’ll share 10 tokens to explore such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana and more. Let’s start with the history of the internet, connect the dots, and work our way up to life today in 2025.

The first internet connection was made in 1969, Email was invented in 1971 and the World Wide Web went public in 1991, starting the first era of the internet known as Web 1.

Web 1 was primarily read only spanning from 1990 to 2005 operating with open protocols, meaning no one controlled it. So companies like Google which launched in 1998 built a platform on top of the web. This enabled freedom and systems of trust but the content was limited with mainly read-only content, experienced like a magazine.

Web 2, started in 2005 with two competing models. Open vs Closed source systems. Closed systems became more popular because products like Twitter created a quicker and easier user experience than their competitor, RSS Feeds. Some people used RSS Feeds but Twitter was the clear winner because it was much easier to get started, communicate and interact in the social network for an intuitive experience. Web 2 offers smoother user interface and experience at the cost of user ownership and privacy. The big problems of Web 2 are that users don’t own and control their data, and it’s not portable. Rather it can be sold, hidden, restricted, or deleted. These are major problems that haven’t been solved, until Web 3.

Web 3 is an internet owned by users and builders orchestrated with tokens. Tokens such as Bitcoin are revolutionizing global markets. The Bitcoin white paper was published October 31, 2008 when an anonymous person (or group) called Satoshi Nakamoto shared a plan for a new peer-to-peer electronic payment system using blockchain technology for secure, direct payments without banks. The Bitcoin network officially launched on January 3rd, 2009 with the first "block" mined, kicking off the crypto revolution that now includes thousands of tokens in self operating global 24/7 decentralized markets. Bitcoin is known as digital gold for being a long term store of value because it is the most decentralized platform that operates outside the control of any 3rd party because users in Web 3 own and control their data with private keys. Users can buy, sell and trade tokens without gate keepers.

Bitcoin is the top performing asset of all time without question. A $1,000 investment in Bitcoin in 2012 at $5 per coin would be worth about $23 Million in August 2025 with Bitcoin at $120,000, delivering a 23,000x return. A $1000 investment in the S&P 500 (with dividends) would grow to about $6,600, a 6.6x return, while gold from $1,563 to $3,400 per ounce would reach roughly $2,180, just a 2.2x gain. It’s not even close. Bitcoin is the biggest, fastest, most revolutionary transfer of wealth in history. Early adopters that, hold, also known as HODL, which stands for “Hold on for dear life” have made exponential returns, receiving long term earnings, creating wealth. The purpose of wealth is freedom. So you can do what you want, when you want, without permission, with resources, rationally and ethically. The old model of labor and capital conditioned humans to think they need to work most of their life, doing something they don’t actually want to do.

Labor and capital is being replaced by code and media. You can either choose to exchange your labor for capital which is very limited or you can invest in code and use media as leverage to escape the debt slave system. If you work doing something you love then great, life has meaning, you provide value, are of service, and feel fulfilled with purpose, honor and respect. But for those who do not enjoy the work they do and are exchanging time only for money just to survive, pay bills and keep their head above water, then there’s good news, there’s solutions to escape debt and break free of the chains of the fiat monetary system with escape velocity.

The goal is to be rich and anonymous, not poor and famous. If you’ve been trading your time and energy for likes on Facebook, or hearts on Instagram, without compensation, genuine fulfillment or overall positive net value, and don’t own any bitcoin, then I highly suggest consider shifting your focus to build wealth instead of status. First become a king, then become a philosopher. Not the other way around, that’s putting the carriage before the horse. Everyone wants to be wealthy, healthy and happy but these things must be earned. As Naval says, “A calm mind, fit body and house full of love, these things cannot be bought, they must be earned”. This is the beauty and balance of life.

I feel the past 5 years can be described as running through a wild jungle on fire, being chased by predators with the earth shifting beneath our feet, while society tries to flag you down, sit, conform, be distracted, dazed, confused, ignore your instincts, question nothing, accept everything and shut up even if it’s ridiculous. Just listen to someone or something outside of yourself, other than your own internal moral compass, inner guidance system, discernment, your sacred intuition. Separating signal from noise is more important than ever, life or death, quite literally.

We’re living in a completely new paradigm with stark polarity, and finance is a big one. Either you’re investing in the centralized inflationary fiat system or you’re investing in decentralized finance. It’s my personal opinion that if you take the time to understand crypto and web 3 then you will stop everything nonessential, remove distractions and focus a lot more attention on learning, investing and participating to achieve financial freedom, true sovereign wealth, power and freedom.

If you had $100,000 in your bank or in cash under your mattress for the past 5 years, the value has decreased in purchasing power from $100k to $80k based on 25% inflation in the past 5 years, which is absolutely insane. If you put that $100,000 in Bitcoin 5 years ago, then it would be worth around $1 million dollars. Would you rather lose $20k in purchasing power or gain $1M in purchasing power?"

This is simple math, the stakes are so incredibly high yet there’s still so many people trapped in fear because they listen to everyone except themselves. I urge you to do your own research, stop asking everyone around you what they think is a good investment and take control of your own life, your own financial portfolio. Wake up! The good news is, we’re still very early. I predict Bitcoin will surpass $1 Million dollars per coin within 5-10 years and crypto will continue surging, building new systems powered by open protocols and decentralized infrastructure. Yes, there’s risk involved so do your own research, be smart and don’t over allocate. Balance your finances, emotions, think big and long term. Learn to understand at a core level. Don’t just scratch the surface and memorize, be confident and able to explain what you’re investing in, how it works, why you believe it’s valuable. If you’re stressed about your crypto portfolio at any time then you’re over allocated. Don’t gamble. Invest long term. Hold on for dear life.

Bitcoin is the core, most decentralized and arguably the safest bet for storing long term value. Let’s also look at Ethereum and other tokens to understand their value within the ecosystem. Ethereum is a super computer that is fully programmable. It’s a virtual computer that runs on a network of physical computers. I believe Ethereum is extremely valuable because it’s built with the blockchain technology of Bitcoin but can be upgraded and tweaked for performance. This is why many applications are built on Ethereum, because although it lacks the fully, truly decentralized nature of Bitcoin, it makes up for it with performance. This is the sacred dance between Bitcoin and other tokens. Bitcoin is truly owned by nobody, no company, no single person, group, country, nothing. A network that allows anyone with digital private keys to access the unrestricted cloud enabling digital private property. Anyone can own a piece of the internet without needing permission.

The most important factor to consider with any tokens that aren’t bitcoin, is, can you trust the organization and network behind the token? There is no Ethereum company, there’s a non profit foundation that supports research and development but over time a well functioning system will operate fully decentralized like Bitcoin. There’s new ways of governance being created in web 3. For example: A Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) is a blockchain-based entity where governance and decision-making are handled collectively by token holders through smart contracts, eliminating the need for centralized leadership or intermediaries. In the crypto and Web3 ecosystem, DAOs empower communities to manage funds, projects, and protocols transparently and collectively, fostering innovation in areas like DeFi, NFTs, and collective investments.

This is a very powerful method of governance supported with accountability and transparency. In this new philosophy, the value and control accrue to the users of the network, not to a company, because there is no company. Tokens are important because they are a mechanism by which value and control can be given to users and builders, instead of centralized companies. Think of users in the Airbnb network owning a piece of Airbnb, earning collective value, able to participate in value creation, control and governance. As Chris Dixon says, “when somebody owns something and has skin in the game, they want to evangelize it. Crypto and web 3 don’t rely on marketing, because tokens are self-marketing”. Skin in the game aligns incentives and produces net positive results. Systems that don’t produce net positive results will collapse. We’re seeing this accelerate as companies, networks and systems operating with negative outputs are collapsing. One example is companies going woke then going broke because they are out of touch with markets and instead operate from emotions, irrational behavior, subconscious programming, conditioning, and nonsense failing to resonate with their audience and customers. A note that I wrote a few years ago says:

“Centralized entities that are zero sum, require unconscious participants to function. It’s breaking down and is not sustainable. They will try to supplement with A.I but fail because of false functions causing friction, noise and irrational actions resulting in errors, waste and problems. Thus fail, as the system aligns to objective, true functions.”

I wrote this around 2021 and set it as a reminder to maintain awareness that the internet and global economies are shifting rapidly from centralized to decentralized control. This applies to everything, and means everyone can be wealthy and sovereign. As Naval says, “Wealth is a positive sum game, everyone can be wealthy”. It’s absolutely true, and very possible without negative subjective interference. This is why crypto and web 3 are so revolutionary and replacing old systems at warp speed, because the subjective input is minimized and held accountable with transparency through blockchains, public, open source decentralized exchanges of data and value. Crypto and Web 3 shifts how money and power flow on the internet. The opportunities to prosper, achieve wealth and freedom are available in many forms, and I believe crypto and web 3 offer massive leverage over only using labor and capital, with new ways to leverage code, media, create and invest in tokens with potential to increase exponentially in value.

Bitcoin is a perfect example, look at ETH and other tokens, do the math and realize you are able to participate if you want. Time is precious. This change is happening rapidly, I believe it’s critical to understand to be ahead of the adoption curve. You could have bought ETH for 42 cents in 2015. If you purchased $100 of ETH in 2015 at 42 cents, it would be worth over $1 Million today. That’s amazing, jaw dropping. Yet, we’re only getting started. Stop thinking of numbers in fiat amounts like an emotional subjective human, and think like a robot, like A.I using math as language. Bitcoin is divisible by 100 million fractions. 1 Bitcoin yields 100 million Satoshis for micropayments. I predict our economies will eventually measure primarily in Bitcoin and other dominant assets as they overtake the value of old incompatible systems. Owning a tenth of Bitcoin could be worth millions of dollars, yet people think they are too late because they can’t even buy one full bitcoin. I urge you to zoom out, expand your calculator, go deeper, think bigger.

There’s no top to Bitcoin because there’s no bottom to Fiat. There are only 21 Million Bitcoin available, the supply is fixed and the price increases as demand increases. Fiat currency can be printed into infinity, Bitcoin cannot. Once people realize Bitcoin could be the global reserve currency and it’s not up for any one country or group to decide. It’s for the sovereign, decentralized Bitcoin network to decide. Some could argue your money is safer in fiat currency or other investments. Each person is unique and I truly believe there’s no one size fits all for investments. Owning real estate, stocks and other assets are valuable and I believe it’s healthy to have a balanced portfolio unique to the individual. Tesla is a great stock and there’s many others. Invest in companies, products and people you believe in. There are unique, divine elements to Bitcoin that impact finance, politics and every aspect of life on Earth. Here’s a very powerful direct quote from Naval because he summarizes crypto and web 3 beautifully here:

“We’re used to thinking of a computer program as an application run by a third-party where they control the code, they own the data and they own the platform and the economic benefits and then we get our scraps. We put a tweet, we put a podcast, maybe we get a few shekels from Spotify. Maybe we get a few hearts on Twitter and a few retweets, but it’s not a lot. The owners of Spotify are getting far richer than the creators and the podcasters on Spotify and the musicians on Spotify. Not to pick on Spotify, they’re just emblematic of the whole thing. We’ve had this transition where it’s like, Web1, okay, who won that? Microsoft, maybe Netscape and Google was a big winner of Web1. Then Web2, who won that? Well, it’s Apple, Google, and maybe Facebook. Is Web3 also going to be controlled by big companies? 

No, the beauty of Web3 is, for the first time, all the data is actually open. The data is literally living in the blockchain or in distributed systems, but it’s secured. It’s actually secured far better than these corporations can secure our data because each is secured by our own private key. So each of us has a safety deposit box now in the cloud that we can give selective access to with our private keys to people who need them when they need them and then close them off again.

So, they’re not leaked in the next credit reporting hack or the next big company hack. Then, who owns the platform underneath, as Chris said, its contributors own the platform instead of corporations own the platform. All the people who are pro-co-op and who are pro-collectivism should be embracing this because now we can own the platforms that we are actually building with our collective creative efforts. Finally, developers love this because the code is now open instead of being closed.

So, it’s this insane concept, a revolutionary concept. What we’ve flipped applications from being closed-code, corporations own the platform and users are the data, to open-code, contributors own the platform, and users own their data. So now these things become completely composable. One of the reasons why the Web3 revolution is going to be so non-linear and so unexpected and so fast is because open code means these applications plug into each other like LEGO blocks. You go buy a LEGO for your kids. Well, it connects to every LEGO piece that your kid already owns. It connects to all the other LEGO pieces of the kids down the block, and they can build anything they want out of it and that’s how code on Web3 works. That’s how data on Web3 works. That’s how even ownership on Web3 works, where I can own a little piece of every platform that I contribute to and this is absolutely a revolution.”

Wow! Naval, spitting absolute fire as always. Incomprehensible. That was from Naval on Tim Ferris with Chris Dixon in 2021. Such an amazing podcast episode from start to finish. I highly recommend listening to that episode. I’ve listened to it dozens of times to fully absorb the information and understand the details of crypto and web 3. The episode begins at 7 minutes and 35 seconds, past intro ads. Naval and Chris Dixon both emphasize the importance of composability, so let’s expand because it’s critical to understand.

Composability is the art of open collaboration to solve problems, build solutions and scale with compound interest for positive sum output. It’s a building block of Web 3 and a powerful form of leverage in today’s modern age of technology, communication and collaboration. Composability is powerful because each problem only needs to be solved once. Once a problem is solved then the entire ecosystem benefits and can move on to solve the next problem. This is the force multiplier and power of open protocols.

“Composability is to software as compound interest is to finance” -Chris Dixon 

Shared interest naturally aligns focus and output, leading to rapid progress and a positive sum game. The old paradigm consisted of misaligned interest. It was a zero sum game. Centralized governance has a place in the new paradigm but it must be rooted in authentic communication, ethics, and fundamental principles. You know, honesty and integrity? This is the wobbling wire between human and artificial intelligence. Objective vs. Subjective input. True vs. False. 1’s and 0’s from the perspective of code. Humans operate with subjective nature and code operates with objective nature, words vs math.

All apps on Web3 can team up and compose together using open protocols, which are necessary for automation, robotics, artificial intelligence, and true sovereignty. Centralized, closed protocols can be problematic with subjective input from humans. One example is the fact that fiat currency is not guaranteed by anything other than words and paper, without a scarce supply, causing inflation which is not a sustainable model for humanity especially with harmful subjective input. It’s a big jump to imagine fiat currency not being the dominant, highest valued currency globally. It’s not up to me to decide, it’s up to the open markets.

Bitcoin, crypto, blockchain and web 3 are creating new economies in this age of rapid innovation. Look at the progress being made and all the possibilities. If we leverage technology through automation, powered by artificial intelligence, on the blockchain, operating between web 2 and 3 upgrading analog to automation to achieve positive sum outcomes collectively, globally, then humans can live in abundance, focused on art, creativity or hobbies while the machines do the heavy lifting. All basic needs are met, world peace is abundant, we’re a multi planetary species that is advanced yet cares and preserves for Mother Earth. Balancing technology and the natural world. Maintaining connection with nature across mind, body, spirit, heart and soul. Advancing as a human species leading with love, light, peace, strength, truth, honor, respect, integrity, transparency, accountability, justice, freedom, safety, comfort, wealth, health, happiness, and purpose. Life is divine, time is sacred, choose your path.

Crypto and Web 3 are the sword and shield slashing the illusions of the fiat monetary system. In 1971, President Nixon shocked the world by suspending the US dollar's convertibility to gold transforming the USD into a fiat currency backed solely by government decree. This shift to unbacked fiat persists today through 2025, enabling endless money printing, persistent inflation, and economic centralization, fueling, from a crypto and Web 3 perspective, the rise of decentralized alternatives like Bitcoin as "digital gold," empowering individuals with censorship-resistant, scarce assets that challenge centralized financial control and promote peer-to-peer sovereignty. If you want financial freedom then I suggest you learn about crypto and web 3. You have the ability to buy Bitcoin, Ethereum and other tokens that you believe in to be a valuable part of the ecosystem, so do your own research, learn and take action if you think they will increase in value over time. I think crypto and fiat will coexist as financial layers. Look at crypto through the lens of math over words.

I view crypto and web 3 as investing in the labor and energy of artificial intelligence to do the heavy lifting, trading units of value across open protocols via smart contracts and infrastructure that supports automation. Look at the long term performance of Bitcoin since 2009, it went from $0 to $124,000 in 16 years. Remove your emotions from the equation and treat Bitcoin as an asset, a long term strategy for financial freedom. You must trust and the best way to validate is with knowledge. Take the time to fully understand blockchain technology, bitcoin, tokens, and web 3.

Here’s a brief overview of 10 tokens, their functions, potential value, and analogy to help understand:

Bitcoin (BTC) is like the Earth. The foundational, unshakeable ground we all stand on, a vast and decentralized store of value that's like digital gold, capped at 21 million coins to hedge against inflation, secured by proof-of-work for peer-to-peer payments without intermediaries, making it ideal for global adoption and long-term holding as the bedrock of the crypto world.

Ethereum (ETH) is like the superhighway connecting cities across the world, a programmable network that links everything together, powering a thriving ecosystem of dApps, DeFi, NFTs, and smart contracts that automate finance, gaming, and more, with proof-of-stake efficiency and upgrades for scalability, serving as the main artery for innovation and connectivity in Web3.

Solana (SOL) is like the high-speed lane for vehicles moving at fast paces, a turbocharged blockchain that handles thousands of transactions per second at minimal costs, powered by proof-of-history and proof-of-stake for DeFi, gaming, and meme coins, attracting developers and institutions with its scalability for real-world, high-velocity applications.

Chainlink is like the oracle mapping real-world objects to digital objects with units of value, a bridge that connects off-chain data to the blockchain highways, enabling secure smart contracts for DeFi, insurance, and beyond by providing reliable, community-driven feeds of external information, ensuring the entire system can interact with the physical world accurately and trustlessly.

Cardano (ADA) is like the sustainable, research-driven eco-cities built thoughtfully on the planet, a proof-of-stake blockchain emphasizing environmental friendliness and real-world utility, supporting smart contracts for DeFi, supply chain tracking, and education credentials, with modular design and community governance fostering impact in emerging markets like Africa, all while prioritizing long-term viability.

Uniswap (UNI) is like the bustling, open-air marketplaces along the highways where anyone can swap goods instantly, a decentralized exchange with automated market makers that enables permission-less token trades through liquidity pools, where UNI holders govern and earn fees, revolutionizing DeFi by cutting out middlemen and sparking constant innovation in trading hubs.

Avalanche (AVAX) is like the network of swift, branching mountain passes and avalanches of speed. An eco-friendly consensus mechanism that zips through thousands of transactions per second across customizable subnets, tailored for DeFi, gaming, and enterprise needs, with strong interoperability and low costs positioning it as a rival route to Ethereum for efficient, interconnected journeys.

Filecoin (FIL) is like the global network of decentralized warehouses and libraries scattered across the Earth, a peer-to-peer storage system built on InterPlanetary File System, where anyone can earn by renting out space or pay for secure, censorship-resistant file hosting, using proof-of-replication and spacetime to challenge centralized cloud monopolies and provide trustworthy, scalable data solutions for the digital age.

Zcash (ZEC) is like the ATM and cash, a private, shielded way to handle money discreetly, using zk-SNARKs to hide transaction details while keeping the network verifiable, offering anonymous payments with optional transparency for audits, ideal for users who value financial privacy in a world full of surveillance.

Polygon (POL) is like the HOV lane on the highway, an optimized fast-track layer built on Ethereum that boosts speed and slashes fees for dApps and NFTs using rollups and sidechains, allowing massive throughput while staying seamlessly compatible with the main Ethereum ecosystem, great for developers creating affordable, interconnected experiences without congestion.

Hedera (HBAR) is like the efficient, corporate-backed grid of high-tech infrastructure overlaying the Earth, an enterprise-grade hashgraph that's faster and more energy-efficient than traditional blockchains, enabling secure dApps, tokenization, and micropayments with proof-of-stake, built-in compliance, and backing from major companies for scalable real-world uses in IoT, finance, and beyond.

Others worth exploring are: Livepeer, Litecoin, Helium, Cosmos, Stellar Lumens, Tezos, Dogecoin, Optimism, Arbitrum, Compound, and Flow to name a few. Do your own research. There are many cryptocurrencies with different functions and values. It’s important to learn about the tokens, read white papers, listen to podcasts with the founders, team, study, follow updates, research, use discernment, see which people and projects, you trust, are inspired by, and believe have value. I consider investment groups like A16z crypto with Chris Dixon. Their portfolio is public on their website so the fact they vetted and invested in these tokens carries some weight. There are many variables to factor and consider.

I’ve been investing in cryptocurrencies since 2018 so here’s some personal advice from my own experiences. I believe the best investments come from your own research and deep understanding so I recommend you learn about crypto rather than listen to your friend who has a hot tip. This includes me. I’m simply providing my perspective. I got pulled into a few crypto projects that were recommended by friends rather than my own research and some did not work out. I didn’t understand the technology, product and team, instead I trusted personal subjective input and it resulted in negative financial return. I learned a lot through the process so overall there was positive net value in the experiences for wisdom.

It’s effective to sprint, rest, review, iterate. Absorb what is true, reject what is false. Optimize. The tokens I researched myself, learned about, understood at a core level and invested because I believe in the function, value and future of the tokens are bringing strong returns in value. Be mindful to invest in tokens you truly believe will succeed and increase in value over time. I’m not suggesting the crypto markets are for everyone, you must be disciplined, focused and trust in the journey. I’ve seen many come and go in crypto, focused on short term results rather than trusting in long term investment.

It’s misunderstood as the Wild West of finance when actually, it’s the most transparent and secure financial network with the fastest growing markets. You’re either investing in the future or the past. The choice is yours. Knowledge is power. The value of a token is directly proportional to the community around it, who’s using, promoting, and working with it. These are only some factors that go into making a token valuable, so do your own research.

I have no affiliation with any crypto projects. For the past 8 years I’ve been working full time in a Web 2 company in software. The future is to become a Web 3 company and help bridge the gap between Web 2 and 3 to solve errors, using composability to align the systems with objective functions, math backed systems that are able to achieve automation. The path to automation is math and code. So, if you’re building systems rooted in Web 2 without open protocols to operate in Web 3 then you may be building in the wrong direction. Climbing the wrong hill. Read Chris Dixons article on Hill Climbing. Automation is achieved with objective functions operating without errors caused by subjective input. Web 3 is the internet for sovereign individuals, groups and countries. Countries will continue buying bitcoin and crypto for their treasury. Nations and individuals that fail to adopt scarce math backed currencies and try to stop the natural innovation will go down in history as villains, losers and failures. It’s that simple. 

Look at countries like Bhutan and El Salvador. Powerful examples of countries that have been adding Bitcoin to their national reserve to transform them into wealthy nations. — Compare the USA and other free markets that support freedom of speech and finance, versus North Korea and nations that try to enforce top-down control over the population to limit freedoms and control individuals. The top 5 countries owning bitcoin include USA at number one with about 340k Bitcoin valued about $37 Billion USD. China is directly behind at number two with 190k Bitcoin valued at $21 Billion. United Kingdom is number three with about 61k Bitcoin valued at $7 Billion. Ukraine, at number four with 46k Bitcoin valued at $5 Billion. Bhutan, a small country nestled between India and China, at number five with about 9,969 Bitcoin valued at $1.1 Billion USD. Bhutan's reserves stem almost entirely from strategic, state-sponsored mining operations powered by its abundant hydropower resources. El Salvador holds around 6,274 Bitcoin valued around $700 Million USD. El Salvador announced a bold strategy to buy 1 Bitcoin per day starting on November 17, 2022, when Bitcoin was priced around $16,800. They maintained this for over 1,000 consecutive days, accumulating significant holdings by mid-2025. This puts El Salvador at number 6 which is very impressive. 

MicroStrategy, a public company owns more than 640k Bitcoin valued around $71 Billion. That’s about twice the amount of USA. The opportunity for individual, sovereign wealth is available. One way I look at Bitcoin, is it’s like an army of united individuals that have agreed as a social contract to leverage Bitcoin as an unstoppable way to transfer wealth from the top down using math and free markets to shift the paradigm from centralized to decentralized. Bitcoin is an unstoppable force and anyone that tries to get in the way has been and will continue to be, steamrolled. If you’re surrounded by people that bash Bitcoin, crypto and web 3 but can’t explain why then consider you’re surrounded by the wrong people. This goes for finance, politics and everything. If you can’t explain it, you don’t understand it, and you have no credibility to criticize and speak about it. Lead, follow, or get out of the way. I’ve learned to detect, deter and completely ignore nonsense from people, places and things trying to inject irrational opinions rooted in fear, not facts.

As Michael Saylor says: “Everyone gets Bitcoin at the price they deserve”. This transcends cryptocurrency, serving as a metaphor for life: The "price" you pay for opportunities and outcomes reflects your timing, beliefs, and the influences you allow to shape your path. Early adopters of transformative truths, whether in finance, health, relationships, or personal growth, reap rewards for their foresight and courage, while those swayed by doubt or delay face higher costs in missed opportunities, regrets, or even survival risks.

There are two key protocols in the Bitcoin ecosystem: Ordinals and the Lightning Network.

These are not standalone "networks" but rather innovative layers or protocols built on Bitcoin's blockchain to expand its functionality. Ordinals enable the creation of unique digital assets (like NFTs) directly on Bitcoin, while the Lightning Network is a scaling solution for faster, cheaper transactions. Both have significantly evolved Bitcoin from a simple store of value into a more versatile platform for Web3 applications, including DeFi, NFTs, and machine-to-machine payments. These protocols are driving Bitcoin's adoption, with Ordinals fueling creative use cases and Lightning enabling practical, everyday scalability.

Lightning Network The Lightning Network (LN) is a Layer-2 payment protocol launched in 2018, designed to address Bitcoin's scalability limitations—such as slow transaction times (about 7-10 TPS on the base layer) and high fees during peak congestion. It operates by creating bidirectional payment channels between users, allowing off-chain transactions that are settled on the Bitcoin blockchain only when channels are opened or closed. This enables near-instant, low-cost micropayments (often fractions of a cent) without burdening the main network. Key features and stats:

• How it works: Users lock BTC in a multi-signature smart contract to open a channel. Transactions occur privately off-chain via invoices and routing through interconnected nodes. Multi-hop payments allow sending BTC through a network of channels without direct connections.

• Capacity and adoption: As of mid-2025, LN has over 12,673 nodes, ~4,099 BTC in capacity (worth ~$456 million at $111K/BTC), and supports millions of transactions monthly. It's integrated into wallets like Wallet of Satoshi and exchanges like Coinbase.

• Benefits: Reduces fees to near-zero and boosts speed to seconds, making Bitcoin viable for everyday use (e.g., coffee purchases or streaming payments). It also enhances privacy and supports atomic swaps for cross-chain trades.

• Challenges and updates: Early issues like channel liquidity and routing failures have improved with upgrades like Channel Splicing (allowing dynamic fund adjustments) and Taproot integration for better efficiency. Recent developments, such as "Lightning Network 2.0" concepts (e.g., SatoshiNet), aim to support Ordinals and Runes for high-frequency DeFi on Bitcoin.

• Real-world impact: Used in El Salvador's Bitcoin economy, remittances, and emerging M2M transactions in IoT/AI ecosystems. It's seen as key to Bitcoin's role in global cloud infrastructure and interplanetary finance.
  
  Lightning transforms Bitcoin into a high-throughput payment system while preserving its security and decentralization.
  Ordinals Protocol Ordinals, introduced in January 2023, is a protocol that assigns unique identities (ordinal numbers) to individual satoshis (the smallest Bitcoin unit, 1/100,000,000 BTC). This allows "inscribing" arbitrary data—such as images, text, videos, or code—onto satoshis, effectively creating non-fungible tokens (NFTs) or digital artifacts native to Bitcoin. Key features and stats:

• How it works: Satoshis are serialized in the order they're mined (e.g., the first sat is ordinal 0). Using Taproot and SegWit upgrades, users inscribe data via a transaction's witness field, making it immutable on-chain without altering Bitcoin's core rules.

• Ecosystem growth: Over 60 million inscriptions by 2025, with marketplaces like Magic Eden and Ordinals Wallet handling billions in volume. It spawned standards like BRC-20 (for fungible tokens) and Runes (simplified token protocol).

• Benefits: Brings NFT and token functionality to Bitcoin's secure, decentralized network, rivaling Ethereum's ecosystem but with lower costs long-term. Rare "exotic" satoshis (e.g., from block 0) add collectible value.

• Challenges and updates: Initial launches caused network congestion and high fees in 2023, but optimizations and Layer-2 integrations (e.g., with Lightning) have mitigated this. Debates persist on whether it dilutes Bitcoin's "pure money" ethos, but it has boosted innovation.

• Real-world impact: Used for art, memecoins and even code storage. It's evolving Bitcoin into a cultural platform, building tools for Ordinals discovery.
  Ordinals have sparked Bitcoin's "NFT renaissance," making it a hub for digital collectibles and tokens.

Ordinals and Lightning complement each other: Lightning provides the speed for trading, while Ordinals add utility to Lightning's payment rails (tokenized assets in channels). Together, they position Bitcoin as a foundation for Web3.

Now, let’s review a few key concepts to color in our view of crypto and web 3:

Byzantine Generals Problem: How do you get people to coordinate when nobody knows each other, nobody trusts each other? By using proof of work to have a credible vote. Only those who've invested effort get a say, preventing cheats. This decentralizes systems from central powers to credible votes by network participants. In Web3 networks are run by investors with money, resources, or proof of work.

Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) are unique digital assets on the blockchain representing ownership of items like art, music, collectibles, or virtual real estate, with each token's metadata ensuring irreplaceable scarcity and provenance. In the crypto and Web3 ecosystem, NFTs revolutionize creator economies by enabling direct peer-to-peer sales, royalties on resales via smart contracts, and decentralized ownership that challenges traditional intermediaries in media and gaming. NFTs are powerful, transformative, upgrading the new earnings system in web 3 where ownership flows directly to and from source.

Gall's Law: A rule of thumb for systems design that says you can't build a fully complex system from top-down without failure; instead, you must start with a basic, functional foundation and build upward iteratively. This is why companies can accrue value over time. Those who try to just copy and paste the model fail in a complex system. Understanding Gall’s Law is very important. This is one reason Elon Musk knew the value of Twitter and the established network effect. Others think he overpaid when in actuality he knew what he was doing. Plus, saving free speech was most critical, especially during a time when free speech is heavily under attack.

Principal Agent Problem: The principal-agent problem is the misalignment between owners who delegate and employees who execute, where agents chase their own perks over the principal's goals, breeding inefficiency in hierarchies. Naval says: Act like an owner—think long-term, take skin in the game, and true ownership will come naturally.

Portability: Crypto assets can be carried digitally across borders via a wallet, making them highly portable without physical constraints or intermediaries.

Censorship Resistance: Transactions can't be blocked by authorities, promoting freedom in Web3 where users maintain sovereignty over their funds and data.

Transparency: Blockchain ledgers are public and verifiable, fostering trust and accountability in crypto and Web 3 platforms over opaque traditional finance.

Security: Advanced cryptography protects against hacks and fraud, with private keys giving users full control in decentralized Web3 environments.

Borderless Access: Crypto enables global, instant transfers without currency conversion fees, driving financial inclusion in Web3 for the unbanked worldwide.

Immutability: Once recorded, blockchain data can't be altered, ensuring reliable records for smart contracts and ownership in Web 3 ecosystems.

Innovation Catalyst: Bitcoin sparked Web 3 advancements like NFTs, DeFi, and DAOs, enabling peer-to-peer economies that challenge centralized power structures.

Decentralization: Bitcoin and crypto operate without central authorities, empowering users in Web 3 to control their assets directly, reducing reliance on banks or governments.

Fixed Supply: Bitcoin's capped 21 million coins prevent inflation from endless printing, unlike fiat, ensuring scarcity and value preservation in the crypto ecosystem.

Divisibility: Bitcoin is divisible into satoshis (1/100,000,000th), allowing micro-transactions and precise value transfers, enhancing usability in Web3 applications.

Betting on crypto is betting that decentralized math backed systems will become more valuable than centralized, subjective systems. This applies to autonomous driving, shipping, trucking, cleaning and many other functions that are far better suited for robots than humans. Humans are good at being creative, original, unique, intelligent, biological, physiological, mind, body, spirit, heart and soul. Robots are programs, written by humans in code.

The way to solve big problems with humanity is to have leaders in positions of power that are authentic, truthful, acting with integrity.

I went through experiences with central banks and web 2 data breaches, spying, cloning and hacking that further supports my belief that web 3 is better than web 2 and crypto dominates centralized fiat currencies.

Imagine how much paper money has been printed across all global currencies over time. I’m guessing this number is insanely high, underestimated, and the fact that we can’t guarantee precisely is an unsustainable system for balance, law, order and precision. Think about all the money printed in paper currencies plus all the counterfeit paper money in circulation. The system worked for an analog society but technology and innovation today demand open protocols. Objective functions crush subjective in the age of technology, A.I and innovation. Bitcoin is like voting. I invest in the future that I want to create. I support decentralized infrastructure and reject people, places and things that are nonsensical, irrational, corrupt and simply, unacceptable. I believe people and countries that fail to adapt and adopt crypto and web 3 will continue to fall behind, as they stay stuck in the old paradigm of dying systems and structures.

Institutional adoption such as MicroStrategy's 600K+ BTC holdings, nations like El Salvador building reserves) and ETF inflows ($50B in 2025) accelerate this. Predictions from experts like Michael Saylor forecast Bitcoin hitting $200K+ by end-2025 and $3M by 2050 as a reserve asset.

This shift is driven by surging demand from emerging technologies:

• AI: AI's exponential energy needs (data centers consuming 8% global power by 2030) align with Bitcoin mining's renewable integration, creating "AI-Bitcoin symbiosis" for efficient compute monetization.

• Crypto/Web3: With DeFi at $200B TVL (Total Value Locked) and 562M users, Bitcoin anchors Web3 as "digital gold," enabling smart contracts via layers. It outpaces fiat in transparency, reducing fraud with DAOs and NFTs.

• Automation/Robotics: Machine economies require trustless, instant payments; Bitcoin's open protocols facilitate M2M (machine-to-machine) transactions without intermediaries, scaling via Lightning, with potential for 1 Billion+ transactions per second.

• Global Cloud Infrastructure: Open-source protocols, enable seamless, low-cost global transfers, outstripping legacy systems. Cloud giants integrating Bitcoin for borderless finance amplify this.

• Interplanetary Financials: For space economies, Bitcoin's censorship-resistant, borderless nature suits off-world trade. No reliance on Earth banks, with satellites enabling interstellar nodes. Elon Musk's vision ties this to Starlink/Web3 for "interplanetary money."
  
  MicroStrategy alone holds over 3x more BTC than the U.S. government, highlighting corporate adoption outpacing some nations in 2025. Private entities often acquire via mining or purchases, while countries rely on seizures. Fluctuations can occur rapidly due to market sales or additions.
  
  This is revolutionary. A private entity and private individual can have more value than countries. This completely shifts power dynamics. Code is speech, and can’t be controlled with freedom of speech. Code is just human logic, words, ideas that can be converted into value. All that matters is the output of the code. Anyone today has the opportunity to fully own and control their data, meaning you can generate wealth without permission, and with high leverage such as crypto, A.I and Web 3. There’s risks involved so do your research.

I invest in the long term value of Bitcoin, ETH and other tokens to increase in value as demand increases with A.I, robotics, automation and advancing technologies.

In the Web 2 world, assume everything is watched: your movements, calls, texts, posts—even "private" apps. Privacy isn't built-in, that's what Web 3 provides, with decentralized, user-owned data. You choose. In theory, all data in Web 2 can be recorded, stored, and sold. Governments, buyers, or hackers can use it to exploit, control, or manipulate by knowing habits, likes, and motives using pattern recognition and predictive analysis. This is why there’s been surges in cognitive dissonance, especially the past five years. Data in the wrong hands amplifies the effect for better or worse. A corrupt person uses data to manipulate, distort and control. An ethical person uses data to enhance, align and grow. I enjoy using technology but I think it’s critical to say out loud that there’s been many corrupt abuses of power across governments, companies, individuals and technologies, particularly social media platforms that have abused their power and manipulated algorithms to control narratives. Clear examples include Facebook, Instagram and Twitter from 2020-2024 bending a knee to corrupt external parties prioritizing profit over privacy. 

Stay sovereign in a watched world. I recommend shifting toward web 3, consider not using google for everything, especially sensitive information via email and web actions. Consider using browsers like Brave over Chrome, Proton Mail over Gmail, VPN’s over publicly displaying your IP Address. Web 3 offers better privacy but there’s many things you can do in Web 2 to safeguard your data, privacy and security. Emerging ideas like Web 4 (AI-driven, intelligent interactions) and Web 5 (user-centric, decentralized with mesh networks and advanced tech) build on this, but let's focus on Web 3 today—it's a huge upgrade from Web 2.

Whether it’s people, places, things, or financial systems, it’s best to align with authentic, ethical, rationale, optimistic, honest, high intelligence, high integrity with accountability, transparency and decentralized control. Individuals, groups, and companies that embody these principles leveraged with A.I can produce massive output, creating wealth, influence and new economies. One high intelligent, high integrity person can generate more wealth than a large company filled with unethical leadership because those systems are un-sustainable by nature. Crypto and web 3 accelerate this big time.

As Elon Musk says, "I’d rather be optimistic and wrong than pessimistic and right."

Think bigger. Do better. Be better.

Fears of AI replacing jobs are misunderstood, echoing historical resistance to technology while ignoring key facts: tech disrupts but creates superior opportunities. The Industrial Revolution displaced horse carriages but birthed the automotive industry and modern transportation, elevating living standards. Computers automated clerical tasks yet ignited the digital economy. Jobs evolve; machines tackle drudgery (e.g., manual data entry), freeing humans for creativity, art, and innovative problem-solving. Scarcity-mindset claims like "job theft" ignore automation's productivity boosts, cost savings, and new wealth that fuels demand. Inequality could be supported through UBI or retraining, not by halting progress—like rejecting cars to preserve buggy whips. Focused AI could eradicate global woes (hunger, disease) in a decade, ushering in utopian abundance with peace and leisure. Shift from hoarding scarcity to mastering discipline, balance, and wisdom. Embracing this path fuels humanity's flourishing. Choose rational optimism over fearful pessimism.

Decentralized systems like Bitcoin and Web3, backed by math and cryptography, outperform centralized, authoritarian models relying on force and compliance such as communism, socialism and Marxism. They enable voluntary transactions, curb inflation through fixed supplies, and boost prosperity via innovation, deregulation, lower prices, and higher wages. In contrast, these centralized systems often lead to inefficiencies, reduced incentives, and economic stagnation, as top-down planning overrides market signals. Such ideologies can appeal to those seeking quick fixes like "free services," but they overlook hidden costs: curtailed freedoms, widespread poverty, and historical failures, such as the USSR's collapse and Venezuela's economic crisis. While some point to mixed economies like Nordic countries (which blend market capitalism with social welfare, not pure communism or Marxism), history shows no enduring examples of full communism or Marxism thriving at scale without market elements.

Ultimately, authentic systems—decentralized and bottom-up, like crypto and Web 3—build trust through verifiable tools and empower individuals against exploitation in a volatile 2025 world of trade tensions, and extremism. False versions, like communism exploit empathy to promise equality via force, masking greedy, unethical, and violent top-down control that leads to division and suffering. Choose systems that align with your values and promote genuine progress. Consider if your mind is overriding your intuition with conditioned beliefs, propaganda, false narratives that don’t make sense or feel accurate. Playtime is over. It’s time for every individual on Earth to be held accountable for their actions through open systems of trust, transparency, immutability, and accountability. A solution and big upgrade is cryptography and web 3. It feels like the past five years has been a biblical, inexplicable, wild, extreme experience discerning true from false. As if bad people felt they could get away with corruption, deception and actions without being held accountable. Like the saying, while the cats are away the mice will play. Well, the divine, lions, panthers, and jaguars have returned causing the rats and hyenas to scatter and collapse. Operating in false functions catches fire from friction, collapses out of division, and is weakness disguised as strength. 

This is the age of the sovereign individual. Society is the world’s largest group, and groups naturally seek consensus. It can be detrimental to lean too heavily on groups while neglecting the individual self. To be an asset, not a liability. A lion, not a sheep. Think, and feel for yourself, without outside influence, trust your intuition, goosebumps. Radical systems might seem like solutions at first, often marketed with promises of free benefits, but in reality, they can become traps. I believe the centralized fiat monetary system is deeply flawed, so some form of universal basic necessities or similar support may be necessary to bridge the growing class divides caused by corruption, manipulation, and greed. The real path forward lies in decentralization and free markets, not in doubling down on more control and centralization. Separate signal from noise. Fact from fiction. True vs. False. Being wealthy in crypto and web 3 puts the power in the hands of the sovereign individual. 

I predict Bitcoin will become the global reserve currency, within 20 years. That’s a bold statement, but it’s my personal opinion. The beauty is, free markets decide. The British Pound Sterling was the global reserve currency from 1815-1945, then the U.S Dollar became the reserve currency from 1945 to present time. The Roman Empire existed for 1,229 years before falling. Systems, cultures and societies shift and evolve. Attachment can cause suffering. This is ancient wisdom. Apply it to empires, countries, systems, and currencies. Being able to accurately predict market trends can yield exponential returns, especially in crypto and web 3. The risk for reward system is intrinsic to human nature. As Naval says, we’re hardwired to be pessimistic from a primal survival instinct.

"If you were walking through the woods 1,000 years ago and heard something rustling in the bushes, you’d be right to be paranoid. Let’s say nine out of 10 times it’s a rabbit in the bushes, and one out of 10 times it’s a tiger. The optimist would catch a rabbit nine out of 10 times and get eaten by a tiger the 10th. The pessimist survives every time." - Naval

It’s up to you as a sovereign individual to know yourself, trust yourself, use discernment and take calculated risks with rationale optimism rather than be in fear, take no risks and move through life as a irrational pessimist. The amount of fear injected into society has clouded judgement causing people to react rather than respond. It’s your responsibility to turn off all distractions and tune into objective reality without subjective influence.

I’m surprised how many people trust others more than themselves whether it’s finances, health, politics or anything. I’ll dive deeper into this in another podcast but a brief overview of how I arrived at this deep belief in crypto and web 3 is advice from Naval saying “turn it all off”. I literally put my TV in the closet for periods of time, paused socializing and researched deeply.

I’m not claiming to be the arbiter of truth, but I will challenge illusions to help restore balance to common sense. Yes, common sense is subjective, but this is where the power of network effects comes into play: as more people engage, share perspectives, and build upon shared knowledge with composability, the collective wisdom strengthens, creating a feedback loop that amplifies reliable insights while diminishing false ones. Like how a social platform becomes more valuable and truthful with widespread, diverse participation. Over the past five years, however, we've seen an acceleration of disinformation, chaos, and propaganda at all-time highs, fueled by rapid technological advancements and polarized media landscapes, leading to widespread confusion, false narratives, and societal upheaval. This is precisely why Web 3 and blockchain emerge as vital solutions, offering unparalleled transparency, accountability, and functionality through decentralized systems that verify information immutably and reduce reliance on centralized gatekeepers.

Those clinging to the old paradigms of Web 2 and fiat currencies may find life increasingly difficult as these systems lose value, momentum, and influences shifting toward Web 3's innovative, trust-less ecosystems. 

Ultimately, everything boils down to true versus false. In this age of information abundance and technological innovation, cultivating a strong connection to your intuition and mental discernment is essential for deciphering reality without depending on third parties, whose subjective inputs could be flawed or even programmed, influenced by subconscious biases. Today's modern struggle is balancing the digital and physical worlds, which is why I strongly encourage maintaining a close bond with nature for equilibrium, especially if you spend extensive time in the digital realm. There's a quote I revisit often: "Look deep into nature, and you will understand everything better." Nature is objective and reality is neutral, real, and true. While news, TV, and humans in general are inherently subjective potentially causing distortion with lies and manipulation depending on error, whether intentional or not. People uniting can create beauty through truth, but without it, we descend into chaos as reality becomes distorted and misaligned. The path to peace is truth: peace is happiness at rest, and happiness is peace in motion. Humanity wants truth and peace. Math paves the way.

If you want to get started quick and easy then I recommend Coinbase and Gemini. You can also check out Kraken, MetaMask or others. Alternatively, you could get a hardware wallet to secure your private keys directly, physically. This is arguably the most secure and a good idea for some people and situations but I recommend starting with custodial options like Coinbase and Gemini to get started. I use several different methods. Coinbase is very user friendly, I like the overall experience. Gemini is great too, very user friendly and offers an excellent credit card with Mastercard that earns rewards in crypto. If you do the math with projections then the rewards in crypto offer the highest returns in the markets. I feel peoples biggest hurdle for getting started is, fear of the unknown. This is why I highly recommend you learn, to fully know and understand to replace fear with trust of a scarce math backed system to power the future of finance, technology, economies, innovation.

If so, then get started. Take ownership of your financial health and invest in the future. Disclaimer: This is not financial advice. The crypto markets are highly volatile but I believe volatility is good and necessary for transformative eras. This is why the ethos of bitcoin is to HODL, buy, and hold on for dear life. Meaning, don’t sell. Treat it as a long term financial investment to build wealth. Listen to yourself internally, silence the noise externally.

Note: The bulk of this episode was written and recorded in August 2025, so some numbers are a few months old. Since then, key updates include:

• US Government Bitcoin holdings surged to 325,000 BTC ($36 billion) following a record seizure of 127,271 BTC on October 14, 2025.

• Gold prices have risen sharply to $4,362 per ounce as of October 21, 2025, boosting the example 2012 $1,000 investment return to ~2.8x ($2,800).

• Lightning Network stats: Now 12,673 nodes and ~4,099 BTC capacity ($456 million at ~$111K/BTC).

• Bitcoin price is currently ~$110,000, and MicroStrategy's holdings are now about twice the USA's (not three times).
  
  That’s all for now, thank you.