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Explaining cryptography to your mom? Kostas Kryptos nails it: Crypto = secret Graphy = writing It’s just secret writing - the math behind WhatsApp encryption, digital signatures, zero-knowledge proofs & privacy Podcast out Thursday MystenLabs.sui Sui

MR SHIFT 🦁

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28,559 views • 6 months ago •via X (Twitter)

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. Kostas Kryptos was supposed to be a doctor. But growing up in Greece during the financial crisis, where capital controls and banking failures were the norm, changed everything. He realized that security, payments, and privacy weren’t abstract ideals - they were survival tools. So he dropped out of med school, joined Facebook to learn how to build for 2B users, and now dedicates his life to MystenLabs.sui and the Sui Network. Not to chase hype. To give the unbanked and unseen a system that actually serves them. Crypto isn’t just code. For some, it’s personal. Sui

. Kostas Kryptos was supposed to be a doctor. But growing up in Greece during the financial crisis, where capital controls and banking failures were the norm, changed everything. He realized that security, payments, and privacy weren’t abstract ideals - they were survival tools. So he dropped out of med school, joined Facebook to learn how to build for 2B users, and now dedicates his life to MystenLabs.sui and the Sui Network. Not to chase hype. To give the unbanked and unseen a system that actually serves them. Crypto isn’t just code. For some, it’s personal. Sui

MR SHIFT 🦁

18,790 views • 6 months ago

It started on a napkin. Turing Award winner Leslie Lamport on sketching a piece of modern cryptography in a Berkeley coffee shop, and how the fault model behind every blockchain came from research on keeping airplanes in the sky: "I was one of the few people in the world who happened to have heard about digital signatures… So I just wrote, literally on a napkin, a simple algorithm for writing digital signatures." "They had to assume that it could do anything, and therefore they were faced with the Byzantine generals problem… Once hackers started appearing on the scene, it was obvious that you really did need Byzantine fault tolerance."

It started on a napkin. Turing Award winner Leslie Lamport on sketching a piece of modern cryptography in a Berkeley coffee shop, and how the fault model behind every blockchain came from research on keeping airplanes in the sky: "I was one of the few people in the world who happened to have heard about digital signatures… So I just wrote, literally on a napkin, a simple algorithm for writing digital signatures." "They had to assume that it could do anything, and therefore they were faced with the Byzantine generals problem… Once hackers started appearing on the scene, it was obvious that you really did need Byzantine fault tolerance."

a16z crypto

52,453 views • 29 days ago

E155: Mysten and Sui – Stablecoins, Privacy, and Quantum Safety - All on One Chain Kostas Kryptos is the Co-Founder and Chief Cryptographer at Mysten Labs. Today, we discuss quantum-resistant blockchain, AI-powered robots, encrypted WhatsApp payments, and stablecoin-powered superapps. This conversation maps out the real future of Web3, privacy, and programmable finance. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 1:31 Please Subscribe 1:56 Time Difference In Dubai vs U.S 3:47 Why You Don't Sleep 6:18 Changing This 8 Year Habit 6:52 How Did You Realize That This Wasn't Healthy 7:23 The Biggest Algorithm In Your Life 8:17 Payment Methods With Crypto Coming Faster Than We Think 10:35 What Is A Cryptographer Explained To Your Mom 11:48 Partnerships: Jupiter KAST 12:52 How Secure Are WhatsApp Messages From Governments POVs 18:18 Can You Debunk The Bitcoin Worry Of Quantum Computing 24:43 Are You Aware Of Bitcoin Or Ethereum Developers Working On This 26:08 Most Companies Lack Strong Cryptography Teams 27:52 Do You See This Happening With Mysten, Growing Too Big To Make Decisions Quickly 30:48 Why You Dedicated Your Life To Mysten & Building The SUI Network 32:59 Partnerships: Paradex Zashi is now Zodl Mantle 34:03 Something Others Don't Yet Understand About The SUI Network 38:28 Something SUI Is Uniquely Bad At 40:23 Where Is The One Big Breakthrough For SUI Located 47:12 What Is SUI Doing At The Intersection Of AI, Crypto, And Robots 50:03 Why SUI And No One Else With Robots 50:32 Partnerships: Trezor Sui 51:05 SUI's Technical Advantages For Robots - Larger Blocks & Walrus Storage 52:38 Programmable Tunnels For Off-Chain Robot Control 53:42 Crypto Fights, Betting, And Racing With Robots 54:28 Seal Protocol For Data Encryption & Monetization 55:18 Why SUI Is Better Suited For Complex Technologies Than Other Blockchains 56:35 Closing Remarks - The Most Passionate Co-Founder

E155: Mysten and Sui – Stablecoins, Privacy, and Quantum Safety - All on One Chain Kostas Kryptos is the Co-Founder and Chief Cryptographer at Mysten Labs. Today, we discuss quantum-resistant blockchain, AI-powered robots, encrypted WhatsApp payments, and stablecoin-powered superapps. This conversation maps out the real future of Web3, privacy, and programmable finance. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 1:31 Please Subscribe 1:56 Time Difference In Dubai vs U.S 3:47 Why You Don't Sleep 6:18 Changing This 8 Year Habit 6:52 How Did You Realize That This Wasn't Healthy 7:23 The Biggest Algorithm In Your Life 8:17 Payment Methods With Crypto Coming Faster Than We Think 10:35 What Is A Cryptographer Explained To Your Mom 11:48 Partnerships: Jupiter KAST 12:52 How Secure Are WhatsApp Messages From Governments POVs 18:18 Can You Debunk The Bitcoin Worry Of Quantum Computing 24:43 Are You Aware Of Bitcoin Or Ethereum Developers Working On This 26:08 Most Companies Lack Strong Cryptography Teams 27:52 Do You See This Happening With Mysten, Growing Too Big To Make Decisions Quickly 30:48 Why You Dedicated Your Life To Mysten & Building The SUI Network 32:59 Partnerships: Paradex Zashi is now Zodl Mantle 34:03 Something Others Don't Yet Understand About The SUI Network 38:28 Something SUI Is Uniquely Bad At 40:23 Where Is The One Big Breakthrough For SUI Located 47:12 What Is SUI Doing At The Intersection Of AI, Crypto, And Robots 50:03 Why SUI And No One Else With Robots 50:32 Partnerships: Trezor Sui 51:05 SUI's Technical Advantages For Robots - Larger Blocks & Walrus Storage 52:38 Programmable Tunnels For Off-Chain Robot Control 53:42 Crypto Fights, Betting, And Racing With Robots 54:28 Seal Protocol For Data Encryption & Monetization 55:18 Why SUI Is Better Suited For Complex Technologies Than Other Blockchains 56:35 Closing Remarks - The Most Passionate Co-Founder

MR SHIFT 🦁

46,120 views • 6 months ago

Your data is NOT yours—and it’s a global crisis! 🚨 Every 39 seconds, a cyberattack occurs. That’s not just a stat, it’s a ticking time bomb targeting OUR sensitive information. From social media profiles to our bank details, corporations are hoarding, storing, and SELLING our data. These centralized giants have made us a product, leaving us exposed to breaches, hacks, and exploitation. Our digital identity isn’t just at risk, it’s being hijacked. This is the cost of centralized systems: zero transparency, zero ownership, and zero security. As a solution, we introduced Pangea’s self-sovereign identity. 🔒 Powered by next-gen cryptography, it’s your ticket to taking back control. Own. Protect. Liberate. With decentralized technology, your data is YOURS, secure, untouchable, and free from exploitation. This isn’t just about privacy, it’s about POWER. It’s about FREEDOM. The future belongs to those who dare to demand it. Don’t wait to be the next statistic. Reclaim what’s yours. The revolution is decentralized, and it’s already here. 🌐

Your data is NOT yours—and it’s a global crisis! 🚨 Every 39 seconds, a cyberattack occurs. That’s not just a stat, it’s a ticking time bomb targeting OUR sensitive information. From social media profiles to our bank details, corporations are hoarding, storing, and SELLING our data. These centralized giants have made us a product, leaving us exposed to breaches, hacks, and exploitation. Our digital identity isn’t just at risk, it’s being hijacked. This is the cost of centralized systems: zero transparency, zero ownership, and zero security. As a solution, we introduced Pangea’s self-sovereign identity. 🔒 Powered by next-gen cryptography, it’s your ticket to taking back control. Own. Protect. Liberate. With decentralized technology, your data is YOURS, secure, untouchable, and free from exploitation. This isn’t just about privacy, it’s about POWER. It’s about FREEDOM. The future belongs to those who dare to demand it. Don’t wait to be the next statistic. Reclaim what’s yours. The revolution is decentralized, and it’s already here. 🌐

Tonomy

18,135 views • 1 year ago

BITCOIN RAILS #69: ZERO-KNOWLEDGE PROOFS FOR POST-QUANTUM BITCOIN | with Benedikt Bünz 🔗 YOUTUBE: 🌿 SPOTIFY: While many Bitcoiners remain hopeful the network will embrace zero-knowledge proofs for protocol-level use cases, practical adoption has remained limited outside of BitVM and a handful of experimental proposals. Most of the world’s ZKP research has circled around Ethereum and other ecosystems, where significant resources have been dedicated to advancing these systems, particularly for scaling and privacy applications. One of the most notable contributors to this research is Benedikt Bünz ☕️ — professor of cryptography at NYU and collaborator of Dan Boneh, who together inarguably form one of the strongest blockchain-applied cryptography teams in the world. The pair recently announced they’ll be leading the new post-quantum cryptography unit localhost research — the first dedicated PQ research effort within a major Bitcoin development organization. With Benedikt leading the charge on the use of zero-knowledge proofs for post-quantum mitigation, the question emerges: will the post-quantum transition be the catalyst to finally bring zero-knowledge proofs to Bitcoin's core protocol? In more detail, Benedikt and I discuss: - Why ZKPs haven’t been widely adopted by the Bitcoin technical community — and why the threat of quantum computers may change that posture going forward - How ZKPs could be used for signature batching to address larger post-quantum signatures in Bitcoin’s post-quantum era - Why Bitcoiners will likely prioritize hash-based signatures as an initial post-quantum scheme — rather than more efficient but less proven alternatives (e.g., lattice-based) - How ZKPs have evolved over the last decade and may finally be ready for Bitcoin’s strict requirements around trust assumptions - Why Benedikt and Dan are teaming up with localhost research to create the first post-quantum cryptography unit within a major Bitcoin development organization + what they hope to accomplish This episode of Bitcoin Rails is brought to you by: LayerTwo Labs LayerTwo Labs — developing research, software, and technologies for scaling Bitcoin via the integration of Drivechains (BIP 300/301) Hashi on Sui — a primitive for executing Bitcoin DeFi transactions, without having to trust a federated bridge or other centralized entity BitBox BitBox — an open-source Bitcoin-only hardware wallet, with smooth UX and no compromises on security. Check out Bitbox [dot] swiss and use code BITCOINRAILS to get a discount TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 — Intro 00:22 — Benedikt's background 04:10 — How Benedikt got into Bitcoin and cryptography 07:42 — First ZK project: proving exchange solvency after Mt. Gox 16:01 — ZK proofs explained 27:43 — How security gets popular & ZK proofs in Bitcoin 35:49 — Other applications of ZK proofs for Bitcoin 40:15 — Why ZK proofs haven't been adopted in Bitcoin 50:46 — Why the Bitcoin post-quantum transition needs ZK proofs 01:07:00 — Cryptographic agility and why lattices win 01:18:00 — The size problem and how SNARKs solve it 01:33:57 — Proving a Bitcoin block in a laptop in 1.5 seconds 01:37:12 — Bitcoin as the primary quantum target 01:40:47 — ZK proofs for seed phrase recovery

BITCOIN RAILS #69: ZERO-KNOWLEDGE PROOFS FOR POST-QUANTUM BITCOIN | with Benedikt Bünz 🔗 YOUTUBE: 🌿 SPOTIFY: While many Bitcoiners remain hopeful the network will embrace zero-knowledge proofs for protocol-level use cases, practical adoption has remained limited outside of BitVM and a handful of experimental proposals. Most of the world’s ZKP research has circled around Ethereum and other ecosystems, where significant resources have been dedicated to advancing these systems, particularly for scaling and privacy applications. One of the most notable contributors to this research is Benedikt Bünz ☕️ — professor of cryptography at NYU and collaborator of Dan Boneh, who together inarguably form one of the strongest blockchain-applied cryptography teams in the world. The pair recently announced they’ll be leading the new post-quantum cryptography unit localhost research — the first dedicated PQ research effort within a major Bitcoin development organization. With Benedikt leading the charge on the use of zero-knowledge proofs for post-quantum mitigation, the question emerges: will the post-quantum transition be the catalyst to finally bring zero-knowledge proofs to Bitcoin's core protocol? In more detail, Benedikt and I discuss: - Why ZKPs haven’t been widely adopted by the Bitcoin technical community — and why the threat of quantum computers may change that posture going forward - How ZKPs could be used for signature batching to address larger post-quantum signatures in Bitcoin’s post-quantum era - Why Bitcoiners will likely prioritize hash-based signatures as an initial post-quantum scheme — rather than more efficient but less proven alternatives (e.g., lattice-based) - How ZKPs have evolved over the last decade and may finally be ready for Bitcoin’s strict requirements around trust assumptions - Why Benedikt and Dan are teaming up with localhost research to create the first post-quantum cryptography unit within a major Bitcoin development organization + what they hope to accomplish This episode of Bitcoin Rails is brought to you by: LayerTwo Labs LayerTwo Labs — developing research, software, and technologies for scaling Bitcoin via the integration of Drivechains (BIP 300/301) Hashi on Sui — a primitive for executing Bitcoin DeFi transactions, without having to trust a federated bridge or other centralized entity BitBox BitBox — an open-source Bitcoin-only hardware wallet, with smooth UX and no compromises on security. Check out Bitbox [dot] swiss and use code BITCOINRAILS to get a discount TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 — Intro 00:22 — Benedikt's background 04:10 — How Benedikt got into Bitcoin and cryptography 07:42 — First ZK project: proving exchange solvency after Mt. Gox 16:01 — ZK proofs explained 27:43 — How security gets popular & ZK proofs in Bitcoin 35:49 — Other applications of ZK proofs for Bitcoin 40:15 — Why ZK proofs haven't been adopted in Bitcoin 50:46 — Why the Bitcoin post-quantum transition needs ZK proofs 01:07:00 — Cryptographic agility and why lattices win 01:18:00 — The size problem and how SNARKs solve it 01:33:57 — Proving a Bitcoin block in a laptop in 1.5 seconds 01:37:12 — Bitcoin as the primary quantum target 01:40:47 — ZK proofs for seed phrase recovery

Isabel Foxen Duke⚡️

19,872 views • 21 days ago

"As you realized, there was no money lost. And this is by design." Kostas Chalkias (Kostas Kryptos) is co-founder and Chief Cryptographer of Mysten Labs, the team behind Sui. When the network halted, he was in the war room. This is his breakdown of what actually happened. "The ideal option is to halt, compared to just losing money if something else happens." We cover: — Why halting the network was a deliberate design choice, not a failure — What was really going on behind the scenes while crypto Twitter panicked — The global war room: 50+ people across Europe and the US working through the night — Why a decentralized network recovers differently than one company flipping a switch — "Move fast and break things", why the Facebook motto is exactly wrong for money — Why Kostas believes most other blockchains wouldn't have recovered in days — Where the line sits between an honest edge case and a broken system — What the outage proved about how Sui is actually built Thanks to Kostas for coming on New Era Finance Podcast. Highlights: 00:00 — Intro 00:43 — What Happened During The Outage 03:45 — Why Halting Was The Right Call 05:30 — Inside The War Room 08:00 — Why Decentralized Recovery Takes Longer 11:00 — The Lessons That Made Sui Stronger 14:30 — Why AI Agents Are The Real Users Of Crypto 19:00 — Free Stablecoin Payments vs Bank Fees 23:00 — Own And Monetize Your Own Data 27:00 — Why A Fast Layer-1 Changes Everything

"As you realized, there was no money lost. And this is by design." Kostas Chalkias (Kostas Kryptos) is co-founder and Chief Cryptographer of Mysten Labs, the team behind Sui. When the network halted, he was in the war room. This is his breakdown of what actually happened. "The ideal option is to halt, compared to just losing money if something else happens." We cover: — Why halting the network was a deliberate design choice, not a failure — What was really going on behind the scenes while crypto Twitter panicked — The global war room: 50+ people across Europe and the US working through the night — Why a decentralized network recovers differently than one company flipping a switch — "Move fast and break things", why the Facebook motto is exactly wrong for money — Why Kostas believes most other blockchains wouldn't have recovered in days — Where the line sits between an honest edge case and a broken system — What the outage proved about how Sui is actually built Thanks to Kostas for coming on New Era Finance Podcast. Highlights: 00:00 — Intro 00:43 — What Happened During The Outage 03:45 — Why Halting Was The Right Call 05:30 — Inside The War Room 08:00 — Why Decentralized Recovery Takes Longer 11:00 — The Lessons That Made Sui Stronger 14:30 — Why AI Agents Are The Real Users Of Crypto 19:00 — Free Stablecoin Payments vs Bank Fees 23:00 — Own And Monetize Your Own Data 27:00 — Why A Fast Layer-1 Changes Everything

Michaël van de Poppe

172,880 views • 1 month ago

"What's the elevator pitch you'd give someone who has no idea what Sui is doing?" I asked Kostas Chalkias (Kostas Kryptos), co-founder of the team behind Sui, former lead cryptographer on Facebook's Libra, to explain it in plain terms. "You still pay to move your own money between banks on the same continent. We broke that. You can send money for free." "You log in with a Google account. No long passwords, no seed phrases to memorize. For the first time, using a blockchain feels like using anything else you already use." "And it's not just for trading anymore. We built the memory layer for AI agents, heavy data, big operations, things you simply can't do on other chains." "Imagine an agent buying 1% of the Burj Khalifa, selling it for gold, converting to dollars, all in one transaction. For that you need real speed. I can't see how the slower chains do it." Translation: most chains are still selling crypto to crypto people. Kostas is describing something else, infrastructure invisible enough that a normal user never thinks about the blockchain, and fast enough that the next users won't even be human. That's a different bet than "number go up." If your grandmother could use a blockchain without knowing it, would that change how big this gets?

"What's the elevator pitch you'd give someone who has no idea what Sui is doing?" I asked Kostas Chalkias (Kostas Kryptos), co-founder of the team behind Sui, former lead cryptographer on Facebook's Libra, to explain it in plain terms. "You still pay to move your own money between banks on the same continent. We broke that. You can send money for free." "You log in with a Google account. No long passwords, no seed phrases to memorize. For the first time, using a blockchain feels like using anything else you already use." "And it's not just for trading anymore. We built the memory layer for AI agents, heavy data, big operations, things you simply can't do on other chains." "Imagine an agent buying 1% of the Burj Khalifa, selling it for gold, converting to dollars, all in one transaction. For that you need real speed. I can't see how the slower chains do it." Translation: most chains are still selling crypto to crypto people. Kostas is describing something else, infrastructure invisible enough that a normal user never thinks about the blockchain, and fast enough that the next users won't even be human. That's a different bet than "number go up." If your grandmother could use a blockchain without knowing it, would that change how big this gets?

Michaël van de Poppe

29,843 views • 1 month ago

ZKForge V1 is now live and the source code is public on GitHub: Visit: Users can sign up, log in, and chat privately using zero-knowledge authentication (ZK-STARK) with full end-to-end encryption and non-custodial wallet integration. No passwords, no stored private keys, all encryption and identity verification happen locally on the user’s device. Core Features • Zero-Knowledge Authentication (ZKAuth) Users sign up and log in using a locally generated Ed25519 keypair. Authentication uses zero-knowledge proofs (ZK-STARK-compatible), proving identity ownership without revealing the secret key. The backend never sees or stores private keys , only the derived public key and Solana address. • End-to-End Chat Encryption Every conversation is encrypted with per-room symmetric keys (nacl.secretbox AES-grade security). Keys are sealed and exchanged using ephemeral Curve25519 boxes derived from each user’s Ed25519 keypair. Messages are signed for sender authenticity. The server cannot decrypt messages; all encryption happens client-side. • Global Lounge (Public Encrypted Room) Encrypted public discussion room using a temporary shared key. Messages self-destruct after a defined time window. Rate-limit and anti-spam protections are enforced through Supabase RLS policies. • Wallet Integration (Non-Custodial) Each user derives a Solana wallet from their zero-knowledge secret. Private keys are generated and stored locally, never sent to the backend. Supports in-app USDC transactions signed locally. • WebSocket-Based Real-Time Updates Secure WebSocket channel for live message delivery, typing indicators, and presence tracking. Each message includes cryptographic nonce, ciphertext, and signature validation before render. Architecture Overview Frontend (React + Tailwind): Encryption, proof generation, local key storage, message rendering. Backend (Express + Supabase): Stateless API for sessions, rate limits, and metadata. Crypto Layer (tweetnacl, ed2curve, bs58): Signing, sealing, encryption primitives. Database (Supabase PostgreSQL): Stores ciphertext and public keys only. Realtime (WebSocket): Delivers encrypted payloads instantly. Key Design Principles Zero Storage of Private Keys All signing keys exist only in the user’s local storage. Provable Authentication Login requests include cryptographic proofs verified without revealing secrets. Encrypted-At-Rest and In-Transit All messages are encrypted before leaving the device. Verifiable Sender Identity Each message includes a detached Ed25519 signature verifying authorship. Tech Stack Frontend: React, TailwindCSS, TypeScript, Vite Backend: Node.js (Express), Supabase, MongoDB Cryptography: TweetNaCl, ed2curve, bs58, genSTARK Blockchain: Solana Web3.js Realtime: WebSockets Security: Row-Level Security, JWT Sessions, Proof Verification What’s next x402 protocol implementation

ZKForge V1 is now live and the source code is public on GitHub: Visit: Users can sign up, log in, and chat privately using zero-knowledge authentication (ZK-STARK) with full end-to-end encryption and non-custodial wallet integration. No passwords, no stored private keys, all encryption and identity verification happen locally on the user’s device. Core Features • Zero-Knowledge Authentication (ZKAuth) Users sign up and log in using a locally generated Ed25519 keypair. Authentication uses zero-knowledge proofs (ZK-STARK-compatible), proving identity ownership without revealing the secret key. The backend never sees or stores private keys , only the derived public key and Solana address. • End-to-End Chat Encryption Every conversation is encrypted with per-room symmetric keys (nacl.secretbox AES-grade security). Keys are sealed and exchanged using ephemeral Curve25519 boxes derived from each user’s Ed25519 keypair. Messages are signed for sender authenticity. The server cannot decrypt messages; all encryption happens client-side. • Global Lounge (Public Encrypted Room) Encrypted public discussion room using a temporary shared key. Messages self-destruct after a defined time window. Rate-limit and anti-spam protections are enforced through Supabase RLS policies. • Wallet Integration (Non-Custodial) Each user derives a Solana wallet from their zero-knowledge secret. Private keys are generated and stored locally, never sent to the backend. Supports in-app USDC transactions signed locally. • WebSocket-Based Real-Time Updates Secure WebSocket channel for live message delivery, typing indicators, and presence tracking. Each message includes cryptographic nonce, ciphertext, and signature validation before render. Architecture Overview Frontend (React + Tailwind): Encryption, proof generation, local key storage, message rendering. Backend (Express + Supabase): Stateless API for sessions, rate limits, and metadata. Crypto Layer (tweetnacl, ed2curve, bs58): Signing, sealing, encryption primitives. Database (Supabase PostgreSQL): Stores ciphertext and public keys only. Realtime (WebSocket): Delivers encrypted payloads instantly. Key Design Principles Zero Storage of Private Keys All signing keys exist only in the user’s local storage. Provable Authentication Login requests include cryptographic proofs verified without revealing secrets. Encrypted-At-Rest and In-Transit All messages are encrypted before leaving the device. Verifiable Sender Identity Each message includes a detached Ed25519 signature verifying authorship. Tech Stack Frontend: React, TailwindCSS, TypeScript, Vite Backend: Node.js (Express), Supabase, MongoDB Cryptography: TweetNaCl, ed2curve, bs58, genSTARK Blockchain: Solana Web3.js Realtime: WebSockets Security: Row-Level Security, JWT Sessions, Proof Verification What’s next x402 protocol implementation

ZKForge

24,207 views • 8 months ago

GROK 4 JUST LEVELED UP - AND NOW IT READS CONTRACTS BETTER THAN YOU Grok 4 isn’t just spitting out basic answers anymore. It’s doing math, reading fine print, and breaking down dense info like a financial lawyer with caffeine. It figured out company margins, compared writing styles to spot how many people wrote something, and even flagged sneaky stuff in contracts like “uncapped liability.” Basically: it's like having a nerdy lawyer-accountant-researcher in your pocket. Smart enough to catch the stuff humans skip. Scary smart. Source: Box

GROK 4 JUST LEVELED UP - AND NOW IT READS CONTRACTS BETTER THAN YOU Grok 4 isn’t just spitting out basic answers anymore. It’s doing math, reading fine print, and breaking down dense info like a financial lawyer with caffeine. It figured out company margins, compared writing styles to spot how many people wrote something, and even flagged sneaky stuff in contracts like “uncapped liability.” Basically: it's like having a nerdy lawyer-accountant-researcher in your pocket. Smart enough to catch the stuff humans skip. Scary smart. Source: Box

Mario Nawfal

95,377 views • 1 year ago

Years ago, Atul Gawande wrote a book called "Being Mortal" that grappled with death as beautifully as anything I've ever read. A few weeks ago, I finally got the chance to interview him. When I think about doctors who write well, he's the first person who comes to mind. His work's been shaped by the thousands of hours he's spent in operating rooms and the conversations he's had with people who are breathing their last breaths. He's written four books and countless articles for The New Yorker, and this conversation is all about how he's managed to write so well and contemplate life's deepest questions. Timestamps: 01:49 Say “yes” before you’re 40 06:11 Why should a surgeon write? 10:10 How to write with a full-time job 13:18 The New Yorker 17:07 How to write a great opening 25:54 What makes writing timeless? 28:08 Writing to improve your thinking 44:45 Writing a book is just like math 53:28 Atul’s secret to great writing 59:15 AI in medicine + writing I've shared the full conversation with Atul Gawande below. If you'd rather watch on YouTube, or listen on Apple / Spotify, check out the reply tweets.

Years ago, Atul Gawande wrote a book called "Being Mortal" that grappled with death as beautifully as anything I've ever read. A few weeks ago, I finally got the chance to interview him. When I think about doctors who write well, he's the first person who comes to mind. His work's been shaped by the thousands of hours he's spent in operating rooms and the conversations he's had with people who are breathing their last breaths. He's written four books and countless articles for The New Yorker, and this conversation is all about how he's managed to write so well and contemplate life's deepest questions. Timestamps: 01:49 Say “yes” before you’re 40 06:11 Why should a surgeon write? 10:10 How to write with a full-time job 13:18 The New Yorker 17:07 How to write a great opening 25:54 What makes writing timeless? 28:08 Writing to improve your thinking 44:45 Writing a book is just like math 53:28 Atul’s secret to great writing 59:15 AI in medicine + writing I've shared the full conversation with Atul Gawande below. If you'd rather watch on YouTube, or listen on Apple / Spotify, check out the reply tweets.

David Perell

135,089 views • 8 months ago

🚨 Ripple’s Clarity Act Secret Weapon Exposed: Trillions Could Flood XRPL’s Digital Wallets and Native Assets Sandy Kaul: The CLARITY Act could burst open the doors for younger investors ready to explore investing natively on-chain. Ripple’s UBRI has supercharged 50+ universities worldwide including UC Berkeley’s new Digital Assets Center, UDAX XRP accelerator, USF blockchain labs, and more, training the next generation of on-chain builders with real RLUSD funding. Once passed, younger investors stacked with crypto profits, get seamless on-chain diversification: Pouring those gains straight into wallet-native assets for true long-term wealth compounding. With zk-privacy being the biggest game changer, DNA Protocol powers private identity using XDNA by applying zero-knowledge proofs, in addition to XRPL’s upcoming private transactions feature. The same is happening in Asia through Japan’s SBI-Ripple Asia. CLARITY ACT = The spark that lights the global on-chain bonfire. 🔥

🚨 Ripple’s Clarity Act Secret Weapon Exposed: Trillions Could Flood XRPL’s Digital Wallets and Native Assets Sandy Kaul: The CLARITY Act could burst open the doors for younger investors ready to explore investing natively on-chain. Ripple’s UBRI has supercharged 50+ universities worldwide including UC Berkeley’s new Digital Assets Center, UDAX XRP accelerator, USF blockchain labs, and more, training the next generation of on-chain builders with real RLUSD funding. Once passed, younger investors stacked with crypto profits, get seamless on-chain diversification: Pouring those gains straight into wallet-native assets for true long-term wealth compounding. With zk-privacy being the biggest game changer, DNA Protocol powers private identity using XDNA by applying zero-knowledge proofs, in addition to XRPL’s upcoming private transactions feature. The same is happening in Asia through Japan’s SBI-Ripple Asia. CLARITY ACT = The spark that lights the global on-chain bonfire. 🔥

Stellar Rippler🚀

37,848 views • 3 months ago

Joe Rogan just said what nobody in finance wants to hear about quantum computing. Rogan: “It’s over. Like there’s no privacy.” He’s not being hyperbolic. He’s being early. Every dollar in every bank account on Earth is protected by one thing. Math. Not vaults. Not guards. Not governments. Math problems that current computers can’t solve fast enough to break. That’s it. RSA encryption. Elliptic curve cryptography. The same math guarding your savings account guards sovereign wealth funds. Defense networks. Nuclear launch protocols. Quantum computing doesn’t pick the lock. It removes the door. A quantum system at sufficient scale breaks RSA encryption in hours. The same problem would take a classical computer longer than the age of the universe. This isn’t theoretical. Google, IBM, and China are racing toward fault-tolerant quantum systems. The timeline isn’t a century. It’s a decade. Maybe less. Rogan: “I think the real problem is the financial market. It’s all numbers, right? It’s all just ones and zeros.” He’s right. And it’s worse than he thinks. The first entity to reach that threshold doesn’t gain an advantage. They gain access. Every encrypted financial transaction ever recorded. Every classified document. Every crypto wallet. Every private key. Every medical record. Every secret ever sent over a wire becomes a postcard. China holds more quantum computing patents than any nation on Earth. Their research runs without public oversight or shareholder pressure. They’ve been harvesting encrypted Western data for years. Intelligence agencies have a name for the strategy. Harvest now, decrypt later. Rogan: “If somebody controls that before we do, if somebody breaks through with this type of technology and then just shuts all the other ones off.” If a foreign power achieves this before post-quantum encryption is deployed, there is no countermove. You can’t un-read stolen data. You can’t restore trust in a system whose entire security model became fiction overnight. People talk about AI as the defining technology of the century. They might be wrong. AI needs data and compute and infrastructure to be dangerous. Quantum computing just needs to exist. One breakthrough. One machine. One moment where the math that protects everything stops being hard enough. Most people heard Rogan and thought exaggeration. The ones paying attention heard a countdown. We built the entire modern world on one assumption. That certain math problems would stay unsolvable forever. Nobody promised us that.

Joe Rogan just said what nobody in finance wants to hear about quantum computing. Rogan: “It’s over. Like there’s no privacy.” He’s not being hyperbolic. He’s being early. Every dollar in every bank account on Earth is protected by one thing. Math. Not vaults. Not guards. Not governments. Math problems that current computers can’t solve fast enough to break. That’s it. RSA encryption. Elliptic curve cryptography. The same math guarding your savings account guards sovereign wealth funds. Defense networks. Nuclear launch protocols. Quantum computing doesn’t pick the lock. It removes the door. A quantum system at sufficient scale breaks RSA encryption in hours. The same problem would take a classical computer longer than the age of the universe. This isn’t theoretical. Google, IBM, and China are racing toward fault-tolerant quantum systems. The timeline isn’t a century. It’s a decade. Maybe less. Rogan: “I think the real problem is the financial market. It’s all numbers, right? It’s all just ones and zeros.” He’s right. And it’s worse than he thinks. The first entity to reach that threshold doesn’t gain an advantage. They gain access. Every encrypted financial transaction ever recorded. Every classified document. Every crypto wallet. Every private key. Every medical record. Every secret ever sent over a wire becomes a postcard. China holds more quantum computing patents than any nation on Earth. Their research runs without public oversight or shareholder pressure. They’ve been harvesting encrypted Western data for years. Intelligence agencies have a name for the strategy. Harvest now, decrypt later. Rogan: “If somebody controls that before we do, if somebody breaks through with this type of technology and then just shuts all the other ones off.” If a foreign power achieves this before post-quantum encryption is deployed, there is no countermove. You can’t un-read stolen data. You can’t restore trust in a system whose entire security model became fiction overnight. People talk about AI as the defining technology of the century. They might be wrong. AI needs data and compute and infrastructure to be dangerous. Quantum computing just needs to exist. One breakthrough. One machine. One moment where the math that protects everything stops being hard enough. Most people heard Rogan and thought exaggeration. The ones paying attention heard a countdown. We built the entire modern world on one assumption. That certain math problems would stay unsolvable forever. Nobody promised us that.

Dustin

11,669 views • 3 months ago

🚨😳 GAME-CHANGING RED PILL FROM RIPPLE CEO BRAD GARLINGHOUSE’S INTERVIEW “The government owns your identity and Blockchain-based identity is the ONLY way to stop governments from controlling our personal documents.” And XRPL just launched this massive breakthrough. Enter XRPL confidential MPTs + DNA Protocol’s zk-privacy stack: Your sensitive data generates irreversible zero-knowledge proofs anchored directly on the XRPL ledger with $XDNA. ✅ Institutions get private environment, the exact feature crypto industry lacked until now ✅ Verify credentials, age, credentials, or access rights ✅ Zero data exposure ever ✅ Quantum-resistant (no reusable secrets) ✅ Fully private zk-transactions + sovereign identity DNA Protocol executed the FIRST-EVER ZK-Proof Privacy Transaction LIVE on XRPL No more centralized databases. No more surveillance state. No more “your papers please.” This is the infrastructure for true digital freedom: private, permissionless, unstoppable. You now have Private Transactions + Private Identity Verification on XRPL. Epstein mails exposed that this was the reason they saw Ripple as a threat to their ecosystem and Epstein wanted physical control over the keys of ZCash so that they can market it in a disguise of “privacy token.” The sovereign era of privacy is here🛡️🐦‍🔥

🚨😳 GAME-CHANGING RED PILL FROM RIPPLE CEO BRAD GARLINGHOUSE’S INTERVIEW “The government owns your identity and Blockchain-based identity is the ONLY way to stop governments from controlling our personal documents.” And XRPL just launched this massive breakthrough. Enter XRPL confidential MPTs + DNA Protocol’s zk-privacy stack: Your sensitive data generates irreversible zero-knowledge proofs anchored directly on the XRPL ledger with $XDNA. ✅ Institutions get private environment, the exact feature crypto industry lacked until now ✅ Verify credentials, age, credentials, or access rights ✅ Zero data exposure ever ✅ Quantum-resistant (no reusable secrets) ✅ Fully private zk-transactions + sovereign identity DNA Protocol executed the FIRST-EVER ZK-Proof Privacy Transaction LIVE on XRPL No more centralized databases. No more surveillance state. No more “your papers please.” This is the infrastructure for true digital freedom: private, permissionless, unstoppable. You now have Private Transactions + Private Identity Verification on XRPL. Epstein mails exposed that this was the reason they saw Ripple as a threat to their ecosystem and Epstein wanted physical control over the keys of ZCash so that they can market it in a disguise of “privacy token.” The sovereign era of privacy is here🛡️🐦‍🔥

Stellar Rippler🚀

18,489 views • 4 months ago

🚨 BoJ Banker Apologized for Measures That Would “Affect People Globally”… Hours Later the U.S. Seized Control Scott Bessent just found the secret switch to DELAY the catastrophic RCT unwind… by seizing control of the Bank of Japan’s policy operations. Japan is now forced to weaponize the International Repo Facility (FIMA) to artificially prop up the Yen WITHOUT dumping their mountain of U.S. Treasuries. Short-term “stability.” Long-term? Absolute disaster. Overnight loans force endless rollovers that can get yanked anytime. Costs are higher than market rates. $60 Billion cap is tiny for real defense. It’s just a temporary Band-Aid, yen weakness keeps getting worse. Brace for bigger pain. The unwind was already so nuclear that Bessent is now personally overseeing and directing BoJ operations from Washington. This only happened AFTER the BoJ and Japan’s finance minister threatened bold actions to save the Yen and Yuto 🇯🇵 warned the measures prepared would hit people globally and even apologized for it, in advance. The second that warning dropped, the U.S. stepped in, took the wheel, and put the BoJ on a leash. They just kicked the biggest can in financial history straight off a cliff. The delayed unwind will be far more catastrophic when it finally hits. The Yen “boost” is pure theater. The real price comes later. Japan is hoping for an escape plan with digital assets. The country which was not so crypto friendly has suddenly passed their version of Clarity Act before the U.S. > Crypto has now been declared as financial assets. > Bitcoin and XRP are now being allowed as corporate treasury assets. > Ondo and Solana chosen for Japan’s first phase of tokenization. > Japan is even getting institutional privacy in their digital asset infrastructure through DNA Protocol’s zero-knowledge proofs in cryptography. Japan is preparing the ultimate off-ramp from this dollar-dominated trap.

🚨 BoJ Banker Apologized for Measures That Would “Affect People Globally”… Hours Later the U.S. Seized Control Scott Bessent just found the secret switch to DELAY the catastrophic RCT unwind… by seizing control of the Bank of Japan’s policy operations. Japan is now forced to weaponize the International Repo Facility (FIMA) to artificially prop up the Yen WITHOUT dumping their mountain of U.S. Treasuries. Short-term “stability.” Long-term? Absolute disaster. Overnight loans force endless rollovers that can get yanked anytime. Costs are higher than market rates. $60 Billion cap is tiny for real defense. It’s just a temporary Band-Aid, yen weakness keeps getting worse. Brace for bigger pain. The unwind was already so nuclear that Bessent is now personally overseeing and directing BoJ operations from Washington. This only happened AFTER the BoJ and Japan’s finance minister threatened bold actions to save the Yen and Yuto 🇯🇵 warned the measures prepared would hit people globally and even apologized for it, in advance. The second that warning dropped, the U.S. stepped in, took the wheel, and put the BoJ on a leash. They just kicked the biggest can in financial history straight off a cliff. The delayed unwind will be far more catastrophic when it finally hits. The Yen “boost” is pure theater. The real price comes later. Japan is hoping for an escape plan with digital assets. The country which was not so crypto friendly has suddenly passed their version of Clarity Act before the U.S. > Crypto has now been declared as financial assets. > Bitcoin and XRP are now being allowed as corporate treasury assets. > Ondo and Solana chosen for Japan’s first phase of tokenization. > Japan is even getting institutional privacy in their digital asset infrastructure through DNA Protocol’s zero-knowledge proofs in cryptography. Japan is preparing the ultimate off-ramp from this dollar-dominated trap.

Stern Drew

372,862 views • 1 day ago

Ep. 16 | Free The Money | Zcash & ZODL: Why Encryption Wins in an AI Driven World In this episode, I’m joined by Tony Margarit 🛡 , former Finance & Ops at the Electric Coin Company (ECC), the original team behind Zcash 🛡️ and the Zashi wallet. Tony breaks down what’s happening inside the Zcash ecosystem, why the former ECC team launched Zcash Open Development Lab, and what they’re building now with their newly rebranded wallet, Zodl (fka Zashi). We talk about the bigger mission: making privacy normal and scaling private digital cash to billions. Tony explains why Zcash isn’t “corporate controlled,” and how decentralized development actually works across multiple teams and contributors. We also discuss Tachyon, a major upcoming upgrade designed to dramatically improve Zcash’s scalability and prepare the network for billions of users. We get into the product leap that matters most for real adoption: world-class UX + real utility. Tony explains Near Intents and why it’s a major unlock, enabling more seamless swaps across ecosystems so users can keep value encrypted while still interacting with other assets. Tony also explains CrossPay as a key bridge to adoption: the ability to pay friends or vendors in the currency they want while keeping your own holdings private. We cover why Zcash still supports transparent transactions, how that helps with exchange access and adoption without weakening shielded privacy, and why Ledger/Trezor shielded support could be a major catalyst for growing the shielded pool. Finally, we go deep on the AI angle — blockchain surveillance, wallet deanonymization, and why encryption (not just obfuscation) matters as AI gets more powerful. We wrap with how zero-knowledge proofs could reshape identity, governance, and everyday verification online. Sign up for ITrustCapital with this link for $100 funding bonus. See why people are opening a tax-advantaged Crypto, Gold & Silver IRA for their future: 00:00 Tony’s Background: From CPA to Crypto 4:44 Why Privacy Clicked During COVID 08:03 What Happened at ECC & Launching Zcash Open Development Lab 11:15 ZODL Wallet: UX, Utility & Why It Matters 12:18 Near Intents & CrossPay: A Major Unlock for Zcash 14:40 Shielded Pool Growth & Hardware Wallet Catalyst 18:57 Transparent vs Shielded Transactions (Why Both Exist) 21:39 AI Surveillance & Blockchain Deanonymization Risks. 25:11 Obfuscation vs Encryption 26:00 AI Agents & Micropayments 27:58 Tachyon: Scaling Zcash to Billions 31:04 Crypto, Taxes & Regulatory Friction 38:04 Zero-Knowledge Proofs Beyond Money 41:50 Privacy is normal

Ep. 16 | Free The Money | Zcash & ZODL: Why Encryption Wins in an AI Driven World In this episode, I’m joined by Tony Margarit 🛡 , former Finance & Ops at the Electric Coin Company (ECC), the original team behind Zcash 🛡️ and the Zashi wallet. Tony breaks down what’s happening inside the Zcash ecosystem, why the former ECC team launched Zcash Open Development Lab, and what they’re building now with their newly rebranded wallet, Zodl (fka Zashi). We talk about the bigger mission: making privacy normal and scaling private digital cash to billions. Tony explains why Zcash isn’t “corporate controlled,” and how decentralized development actually works across multiple teams and contributors. We also discuss Tachyon, a major upcoming upgrade designed to dramatically improve Zcash’s scalability and prepare the network for billions of users. We get into the product leap that matters most for real adoption: world-class UX + real utility. Tony explains Near Intents and why it’s a major unlock, enabling more seamless swaps across ecosystems so users can keep value encrypted while still interacting with other assets. Tony also explains CrossPay as a key bridge to adoption: the ability to pay friends or vendors in the currency they want while keeping your own holdings private. We cover why Zcash still supports transparent transactions, how that helps with exchange access and adoption without weakening shielded privacy, and why Ledger/Trezor shielded support could be a major catalyst for growing the shielded pool. Finally, we go deep on the AI angle — blockchain surveillance, wallet deanonymization, and why encryption (not just obfuscation) matters as AI gets more powerful. We wrap with how zero-knowledge proofs could reshape identity, governance, and everyday verification online. Sign up for ITrustCapital with this link for $100 funding bonus. See why people are opening a tax-advantaged Crypto, Gold & Silver IRA for their future: 00:00 Tony’s Background: From CPA to Crypto 4:44 Why Privacy Clicked During COVID 08:03 What Happened at ECC & Launching Zcash Open Development Lab 11:15 ZODL Wallet: UX, Utility & Why It Matters 12:18 Near Intents & CrossPay: A Major Unlock for Zcash 14:40 Shielded Pool Growth & Hardware Wallet Catalyst 18:57 Transparent vs Shielded Transactions (Why Both Exist) 21:39 AI Surveillance & Blockchain Deanonymization Risks. 25:11 Obfuscation vs Encryption 26:00 AI Agents & Micropayments 27:58 Tachyon: Scaling Zcash to Billions 31:04 Crypto, Taxes & Regulatory Friction 38:04 Zero-Knowledge Proofs Beyond Money 41:50 Privacy is normal

Bri Teresi

41,834 views • 5 months ago

Picture this: you have a driver's license in your wallet. When someone needs to check your age, you just pull it out. You don't have to call the DMV and ask permission first. Now imagine trying to do that same thing online. Today, every time you need to prove something about yourself digitally - your age, your identity, that you're a real person - you have to go through some company's server. Google's. Facebook's. Some random third party that now has all your data. And here's the worse part: those systems don't talk to each other. The government ID system can't talk to your bank. Your bank can't talk to new stuff like crypto payments. Everything is siloed. If you want AI agents to pay for things on your behalf? Forget it. Nothing connects. So Evin McMullen evin, Billions Network co-founder and CEO, asked: why can't your digital identity work like your physical wallet? Your government already signed your passport. That signature is tamper-proof. What if you could generate zero-knowledge proofs straight from your device - proving you're over 18 without revealing your birthdate, proving you're human without exposing who you are? No middleman. No surveillance. No permission needed. Just pull out your proof whenever you want, like pulling out your driver's license. That's what Billions Network built with institutions like the European Commission and government systems. W3C open standards that connect everything: government ID systems, blockchain payment rails for AI agents, legacy infrastructure. One signature. Infinite proofs. Your device. Video clip from #TheBraveTechnologist podcast episode 106 with Evin hosted by LukΞ Mulks 🦁⟁◎⟁ 🙏

Picture this: you have a driver's license in your wallet. When someone needs to check your age, you just pull it out. You don't have to call the DMV and ask permission first. Now imagine trying to do that same thing online. Today, every time you need to prove something about yourself digitally - your age, your identity, that you're a real person - you have to go through some company's server. Google's. Facebook's. Some random third party that now has all your data. And here's the worse part: those systems don't talk to each other. The government ID system can't talk to your bank. Your bank can't talk to new stuff like crypto payments. Everything is siloed. If you want AI agents to pay for things on your behalf? Forget it. Nothing connects. So Evin McMullen evin, Billions Network co-founder and CEO, asked: why can't your digital identity work like your physical wallet? Your government already signed your passport. That signature is tamper-proof. What if you could generate zero-knowledge proofs straight from your device - proving you're over 18 without revealing your birthdate, proving you're human without exposing who you are? No middleman. No surveillance. No permission needed. Just pull out your proof whenever you want, like pulling out your driver's license. That's what Billions Network built with institutions like the European Commission and government systems. W3C open standards that connect everything: government ID systems, blockchain payment rails for AI agents, legacy infrastructure. One signature. Infinite proofs. Your device. Video clip from #TheBraveTechnologist podcast episode 106 with Evin hosted by LukΞ Mulks 🦁⟁◎⟁ 🙏

Billions

22,014 views • 5 months ago

Typing on my phone was second nature until I ditched it for good. Introducing Typeless | Typeless on Android: speak, and your words become polished text in an instant. The pioneer voice keyboard on Android, it seamlessly integrates across platforms—WhatsApp, Slack, emails, Notes, even ChatGPT. Just speak naturally, and let Typeless handle the magic. Here’s what grabbed my attention 👇 - Cuts out filler words like “um” and “uh” ✂️ - Eliminates repetition for precise text 🔁 - Adapts when you self-correct mid-sentence 🔄 - Converts spoken points into sharp, formatted content 🗣️📝 - Tailors tone to match the app you're in 🎨 - Supports over 100 languages, including mixed speech 🌍 - Adapts to your writing style over time 🕰️ - Allows custom words via a personal dictionary 📚 Privacy triumphs: No data storage, no data training—everything stays on your device. On mobile, it’s faster than typing. Stuck on your phone for writing? This is a game-changer. Download the Android app: Available on iOS, Mac, Windows: #WorkSmarter #ProductivityTools #VoiceTyping #Typeless

Typing on my phone was second nature until I ditched it for good. Introducing Typeless | Typeless on Android: speak, and your words become polished text in an instant. The pioneer voice keyboard on Android, it seamlessly integrates across platforms—WhatsApp, Slack, emails, Notes, even ChatGPT. Just speak naturally, and let Typeless handle the magic. Here’s what grabbed my attention 👇 - Cuts out filler words like “um” and “uh” ✂️ - Eliminates repetition for precise text 🔁 - Adapts when you self-correct mid-sentence 🔄 - Converts spoken points into sharp, formatted content 🗣️📝 - Tailors tone to match the app you're in 🎨 - Supports over 100 languages, including mixed speech 🌍 - Adapts to your writing style over time 🕰️ - Allows custom words via a personal dictionary 📚 Privacy triumphs: No data storage, no data training—everything stays on your device. On mobile, it’s faster than typing. Stuck on your phone for writing? This is a game-changer. Download the Android app: Available on iOS, Mac, Windows: #WorkSmarter #ProductivityTools #VoiceTyping #Typeless

Atul Kumar

52,796 views • 6 months ago

Kevin Kelly is one of the most influential tech writers of the last half-century. He's published 14 books, founded Wired magazine, and maybe even traveled to more places in Asia than anybody in human history. Here are 28 of his best maxims for writing: 1. Don't aim to be the best. Be the only. 2. Don’t create things to make money; make money so you can create things. 3. The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing. 4. Always demand a deadline. Doing so weeds out the superfluous and prevents you from insisting on perfection (which will limit you as a writer). 5. To write about something hard to explain, write a detailed letter to a friend about why it is so hard to explain, and then remove the initial “Dear Friend” part and you’ll have a great first draft. 6. The work on any worthy piece of writing is endless and infinite. Since you cannot limit the work, you must limit your hours. 7. Books are never finished, only abandoned. 8. When you are stuck, sleep on it. Give your subconscious an assignment while you sleep. You’ll have an answer in the morning or by the next time you sit down to write. 9. A multitude of bad ideas is necessary for one good idea. 10. The greatest teacher is called “doing.” 11. Efficiency is highly overrated; goofing off is highly underrated. 12. If you have a good idea, write it down. Don't assume you'll remember it. 13. Writing is not selfish; it's for the rest of us. If you don't do your thing and share your writing, you are cheating us. 14. Most articles and stories are improved significantly if you delete the first page of the manuscript. Start with the action. 15. The best way to learn anything is to teach what you know (and you can do it at scale by writing). 16. Productivity is often a distraction. Don't aim for better ways to get through your tasks as quickly as possible. Instead, look for writing projects that you never want to stop doing. 17. Occasionally your first idea is best, but usually it’s the fifth idea. You need to get all the obvious ideas out of the way. Try to surprise yourself. 18. Pay attention to what you pay attention to. 19. To be interesting just tell your own story with uncommon honesty. 20. Ironically, the best time to write a book is once you're done with the speaking tour for the book. 21. Read the books that your favorite authors once read. 22. When you find something you really enjoy, do it slowly. 23. The main reason to write something every day is that you must throw away a lot of good work to reach the great stuff. To let it all go easily you need to be convinced that there is “more where that came from.” You get that in steady production, which comes from a steady writing habit. 24. Habits are far more dependable than inspiration. Make progress by making habits. Don't focus on becoming a better writer. Focus on becoming the kind of person who never misses a writing session. 25. The quality of a piece of writing hinges on its structure. Nail the structure and the ideas will fall into place. You'll know the structure is good when the reader doesn't even notice it. 26. To write something good, just do it. To write something great, just redo it, redo it, redo it. The secret to publishing great writing is to spend a lot of time rewriting. 27. When in doubt, retreat to honesty. Say more of what you really think and feel instead of trying to sound smart. 28. Principles like what you see here are not laws. They're like a hat. If one doesn't fit, try another. Many of these maxims are directly from Kevin Kelly's book: Excellent Advice for Living, while others are from the interview I just published with him about his approach to writing. I've linked to our full conversation in the tweet below.

Kevin Kelly is one of the most influential tech writers of the last half-century. He's published 14 books, founded Wired magazine, and maybe even traveled to more places in Asia than anybody in human history. Here are 28 of his best maxims for writing: 1. Don't aim to be the best. Be the only. 2. Don’t create things to make money; make money so you can create things. 3. The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing. 4. Always demand a deadline. Doing so weeds out the superfluous and prevents you from insisting on perfection (which will limit you as a writer). 5. To write about something hard to explain, write a detailed letter to a friend about why it is so hard to explain, and then remove the initial “Dear Friend” part and you’ll have a great first draft. 6. The work on any worthy piece of writing is endless and infinite. Since you cannot limit the work, you must limit your hours. 7. Books are never finished, only abandoned. 8. When you are stuck, sleep on it. Give your subconscious an assignment while you sleep. You’ll have an answer in the morning or by the next time you sit down to write. 9. A multitude of bad ideas is necessary for one good idea. 10. The greatest teacher is called “doing.” 11. Efficiency is highly overrated; goofing off is highly underrated. 12. If you have a good idea, write it down. Don't assume you'll remember it. 13. Writing is not selfish; it's for the rest of us. If you don't do your thing and share your writing, you are cheating us. 14. Most articles and stories are improved significantly if you delete the first page of the manuscript. Start with the action. 15. The best way to learn anything is to teach what you know (and you can do it at scale by writing). 16. Productivity is often a distraction. Don't aim for better ways to get through your tasks as quickly as possible. Instead, look for writing projects that you never want to stop doing. 17. Occasionally your first idea is best, but usually it’s the fifth idea. You need to get all the obvious ideas out of the way. Try to surprise yourself. 18. Pay attention to what you pay attention to. 19. To be interesting just tell your own story with uncommon honesty. 20. Ironically, the best time to write a book is once you're done with the speaking tour for the book. 21. Read the books that your favorite authors once read. 22. When you find something you really enjoy, do it slowly. 23. The main reason to write something every day is that you must throw away a lot of good work to reach the great stuff. To let it all go easily you need to be convinced that there is “more where that came from.” You get that in steady production, which comes from a steady writing habit. 24. Habits are far more dependable than inspiration. Make progress by making habits. Don't focus on becoming a better writer. Focus on becoming the kind of person who never misses a writing session. 25. The quality of a piece of writing hinges on its structure. Nail the structure and the ideas will fall into place. You'll know the structure is good when the reader doesn't even notice it. 26. To write something good, just do it. To write something great, just redo it, redo it, redo it. The secret to publishing great writing is to spend a lot of time rewriting. 27. When in doubt, retreat to honesty. Say more of what you really think and feel instead of trying to sound smart. 28. Principles like what you see here are not laws. They're like a hat. If one doesn't fit, try another. Many of these maxims are directly from Kevin Kelly's book: Excellent Advice for Living, while others are from the interview I just published with him about his approach to writing. I've linked to our full conversation in the tweet below.

David Perell

370,603 views • 2 years ago