Tech Talks Daily 3397: From Wallets to Agents: The Next Chapter for Magic Labs
Aug 24, 2025
In a captivating conversation, Sean Li, co-founder and CEO of Magic Labs, dives into the fascinating worlds of crypto wallets and AI agents. With over 50 million wallets onboarded, he discusses innovative login methods like email and SMS. Sean introduces Magic Newton, an AI that could autonomously manage digital assets, acting as a financial concierge. They explore overcoming the challenges of crypto fragmentation and envision a future where everyone has AI agents to simplify financial management. It’s a thrilling glimpse into the future of finance!
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Fast Start: Email Wallet Origin Story
- Sean describes building Magic in 2018 to remove seed phrases and enable email/SMS wallet logins for users.
- That SDK approach led to onboarding over 50 million wallets across mainstream apps and enterprises.
Fragmentation Is The Core UX Problem
- Sean argues crypto UX problems stem from fragmentation across chains, VMs, protocols, and wallets rather than a single missing feature.
- He predicts agents will abstract that complexity and deliver intent-based financial experiences.
Require Protocol-Level Agent Policies
- Build policy and guardrail layers at the protocol level so agents can act autonomously without going rogue.
- Use cryptographic proofs, staking/slashing and reputation so agents prove they followed rules and regain user trust.
