Podcast

166 - Leaving Web2 with Sriram Krishnan

Sriram Krishnan is a GP at a16z Crypto and a defector from Web2 to Web3. Formerly a Product Lead at Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat, Sriram has seen basically everything there is to see in the world of Web2, and especially Web2 social.

Apr 6, 2023 • 1 min read

He also hosts a podcast with his wife covering tech and internet creators, so he knows a thing or two about the world of creators, internet social platforms, and crypto.

What’s broken about Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook? And how can it be fixed? Can it be fixed? Sriram has many profound ideas.

Growing up in a small town in India with little opportunity, Sriram used the internet to change the course of his life. Now he worries that these same opportunities won’t be available for the next generation. He believes Web3 is the only way to keep the internet full of opportunity for the next generations.

In today’s episode, we cover why Sriram defected from Web2 to Web3, why Twitter can topple world governments but can’t sell ads effectively, why every social media network has to start with status, how crypto and AI intersect, and much more.

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Intro

7:14 Eliezer Yudkowsky

8:19 Sriram’s Thoughts on A.I.

11:35 Sriram’s Background & North Star

16:10 The Early Internet Explained

19:54 The Permissionless of the Internet Today

22:18 What Are API Keys?

25:55 Towers vs. Townsquares

28:24 TikTok Hearings & Web2 Solutions

36:13 Twitter

43:25 New Age of Twitter

49:29 Web3 Social Tour

1:02:46 Overcoming Web2 Network Effects

1:20:20 How to Crypto-Pill Elon

1:22:38 Web2 Pausing Web3 Adoption

1:26:32 Future of Creators

1:30:25 Web3 & Creators

1:35:06 Crypto & AI

1:40:33 Sriram’s Closing Arguments

1:42:22 Closing & Disclaimers

Resources

Sriram & His Wife’s Podcast

https://www.youtube.com/@AarthiAndSriram/videos

https://www.aarthiandsriram.com/

Sriram’s Twitter

https://twitter.com/sriramk

Eugene Wei’s Status-as-a-Service

https://www.eugenewei.com/blog/2019/2/19/status-as-a-service

Not financial or tax advice. This newsletter is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. This newsletter is not tax advice. Talk to your accountant. Do your own research.

Disclosure. From time-to-time I may add links in this newsletter to products I use. I may receive commission if you make a purchase through one of these links. Additionally, the Bankless writers hold crypto assets. See our investment disclosures here.

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