Crypto's Killer App?

14 snips

Dec 10, 2025

Guest

Zach Abrams

Guest

Sean Neville

Sean Neville, cofounder of Circle and mastermind behind USDC, joins Zach Abrams, founder of Bridge, to discuss the evolution of stablecoins. They dive into the origins and mission behind USDC and the recent surge in stablecoin adoption due to regulatory advancements. Zach shares insights on transitioning from NFTs to stablecoin infrastructure at Bridge, while both guests emphasize the need for decentralized payment solutions. They explore the impact of AI on financial workflows and the importance of finding product-market fit in a transforming industry.

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INSIGHT

Money Running At Internet Speed

Sean Neville saw the core need as fiat that can run at internet speed rather than a pure technical blockchain breakthrough.
He designed USDC as a dollar on programmable rails to enable money movement across many chains.

INSIGHT

Regulation Drove Timing More Than Tech

Stablecoins' rise was driven more by regulatory and partner maturity than pure technical progress.
Circle spent years educating regulators and building distribution before product economics matured.

ANECDOTE

Calm During The 2017 Crypto Crash

Robert recalls visiting Circle in 2017 during a market crash and finding the team calm and running an OTC desk.
Sean recounts surviving mini crises like bank partner issues and Mt. Gox fallout while staying resilient.

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with @zcabrams @psneville @rhackett

In this episode, Robert Hackett sits down with Sean Neville, cofounder of Circle and co-creator of the USDC stablecoin, and Zach Abrams, founder of Bridge (now part of Stripe), for a deep dive into the real story behind stablecoins, finding product-market fit, and the future of payments infrastructure.

They explore the earliest days of USDC — when stablecoins were far from obvious and regulatory frameworks didn’t exist. Sean shares how his conviction in “money running at internet speed” helped shape a multibillion-dollar asset. Zach recounts Bridge’s pivot from NFTs to stablecoin infrastructure — and how his business has changed since joining Stripe.

Together, they break down:

Why stablecoins are having their moment now
What counts as product-market fit (and why founders rarely “feel” it)
The challenges of building crypto and AI products within heavily regulated environments
Why new base-layer chains like Arc, Tempo, and others may be needed
How decentralization, liquidity moats, and interoperability will define the next decade of blockchain adoption
What the future of programmable money and AI-driven financial workflows looks like

Whether you’re a founder, a crypto-curious builder, or someone trying to understand where global payments are headed, this conversation — originally recorded live at our recent a16z crypto Founders Summit — offers insights from two operators at the center of an industry-defining transformation.

Guests:
• Sean Neville — Cofounder, Circle; CEO and cofounder, Catena
• Zach Abrams — Founder and CEO, Bridge (acquired by Stripe)

Highlights:

01:26 — Origins of USDC

02:44 — Why stablecoins are having their moment now

04:14 — Circle’s early product experiments

06:19— Surviving crypto cycles

07:35 — Bridge: From NFT payments to stablecoins

08:58 — What product-market fit actually feels like

20:02 — Inevitability and the founder vs. employer mindset

20:58 — Why Bridge joined Stripe

26:18 — How AI changes company building

29:38 — What students should study now

30:27 — Why new payment chains (Tempo & Arc)?

35:55 — Decentralization as imperative

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