In this episode of The Slow Hunch, I spoke with Juan Benet, the founder and CEO of Protocol Labs. Juan is best known for creating IPFS and Filecoin—two foundational technologies in the decentralized web. Through Protocol Labs, Juan wants to use decentralized protocols to unlock new ways of organizing capital, governance, and research.

This conversation was recorded more than a decade after we first met, when USV seed funded Protocol Labs. Juan is one of the deepest thinkers I know, so naturally this conversation has a wide aperture. We touched on internet history, crypto network design, public goods funding, and the future of intelligence itself.

Hope you enjoy!

Chapters:

00:00 Cold open
00:07:39 Discovering the power of P2P tech
00:11:10 Decentralization versus central planning
00:17:44 Juan’s slow hunch
00:21:16 Protocol Labs as a way to plug the R&D funding gap
00:24:03 The genesis of IPFS and Filecoin
00:30:45 Layering protocols for success
00:33:18 New frontiers in governance
00:41:09 The role of public utilities
00:47:39 Juan’s thoughts on the future of work
00:52:41 Blockchains as a governance layer for AI agents
01:01:32 Evolving into a new species

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