2016: if it's free, your data is the product (sold to advertisers)
2026: if it's free, your data is the product (sold to AI labs)
Ed Chang retweeted
1/ @buttonxyz is building around a shift in markets: the edge has moved from access to synthesis.
Data is no longer the moat. Everyone can pull price history, onchain data, X, prediction markets, and research feeds. The edge is turning all of it into a decision faster.
I wasn’t ready to make the switch to chatgpt yet so I’m using Claude code channels with discord for now with my max account
code.claude.com/docs/en/chan…
after spending the last 3 months DEEP in pokemon cards, the collectibles opportunity in web3 is still undervalued
- one of the largest whales in the space @MTG_AlphaInvest says the majority of his buyers are paying in crypto
- @Courtyard_io announces a $30m series A raise
- meeting some of the best communities/smartest investors in web3 discords like @Collector_Crypt
reminds me of the early esports/twitch days where i felt like i was in my own really niche hobby but finding more and more friends were as obsessed
time will tell if i need to thank or blame these people but @inhuman @WhatDrivesJohn @bwandon @TradingAloha have been the sherpas in this journey
and then there were 2. proud that @sophon remains one of the only validiums officially recognized by l2beat!
> markets are slow
> get back into pokemon cards
> snag a couple booster boxes, start ripping packs
> realize EV is extremely low
> see how much older sets have appreciated
> start strategizing what sealed boxes to invest in
> realize its more fun
crypto has rewired my brain
Spending the last week getting hustled by car dealers has me thinking about how the industry is stuck in the 1980’s and needs a revamp:
1) Information asymmetry is the business model
Dealers hide their best price, forcing you to physically come in. They hit you with "let me talk to my manager" theater to make you feel like you're getting a deal and the entire system works as long as customers have less info.
2) Time-wasting as leverage
They deliberately waste your time because exhaustion leads to worse decisions. 4 hours at a dealership and you just wanna get the hell out of there.
3) No price discovery mechanism
Why can't I see what the last 50 people paid for the exact same car? That data exists but is deliberately obscured.
This market is begging for an onchain solution where:
- Transaction history is transparent
- Pricing is verifiable
- Offers and negotiations happen in the open
Can the whole thing be built on web3? Probably not but it can introduce some massive efficiencies and ease consumer stress.
Will someone build this before my next car purchase? Probably not. Are you working on this? Sophon will fund this tomorrow!
Nostalgia, scarcity and status drive markets.
These collectibles outperformed the S&P 500:
- AWP Dragon Lore: 35.4%
- PSA 10 Jordan Fleer Rookie: 18%
- Nike Yeezy Red October: 34.7%
Verifiable ownership + programmable rarity + composability will unlock new exciting primitives
The psychology behind bear market behavior fascinates me.
Look at where attention flows today: RWA slot machines (Courtyard, Phygitals, Ripfun) and speculative games (Bigcoin, Onchain Heroes, Defi Dungeons) — all in pursuit of big returns
This isn't irrational. During slow declines in traditional assets, our brains naturally seek volatility and opportunity. We're pattern-seeking creatures wired to hunt for ways to recover our losses.
Bear markets reveal a key insight about user experience: people want more than just utility—they crave narrative, community, and the promise of growth.
The most successful consumer products combine these emotional drivers with real value creation. They recognize that users decide with both heart and mind.
Building for humans means embracing these psychological patterns, not resisting them.
