This week on Net Society, we’re joined by special guest Brady Dale to talk through a moment that feels like a real inflection point for crypto, AI, and media. The conversation opens with why this cycle feels different, touching on deleveraging, fading speculation, and how AI has absorbed both capital and cultural attention. From there, the group explores what a post casino crypto world looks like, including utility, payments, stablecoins, Ethereum’s internal dynamics, and whether builders are quietly shifting priorities. The episode then moves into regulation, breaking down why legislative clarity may not arrive, why it might not matter, and how rulemaking is likely to shape the industry regardless. In the second half, the discussion widens to AI agents, automation, labor, and whether crypto is foundational infrastructure or simply attaching itself to a larger narrative. The episode closes with a reflection on the collapse of traditional media, the limits of Substack and subscriptions, AI’s impact on writing and news, and how crypto’s evolving aesthetics quietly signal where the industry may be headed next. Mentioned in the episode Guest Brady https://x.com/BradyDale Brady’s Substack https://www.frontstageexit.com/ Multicoin co-founder steps down https://www.coindesk.com/business/2026/02/04/multicoin-co-founder-kyle-samani-steps-down-after-nearly-a-decade-to-pursue-other-areas-of-tech Deleted tweet https://x.com/MiyaHedge/status/2019317927141679190?s=20 Clarity Act https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/3633/text Show & Hosts Net Society: https://x.com/net__society Aaron Wright: https://x.com/awrigh01 Chris F: https://x.com/ChrisF_0x Derek Edwards: https://x.com/derekedws Priyanka Desai: https://x.com/pridesai Production & Marketing Editor: https://x.com/0xFnkl Social: https://x.com/v_kirra (00:00) - Crypto Winter, AI Dominance, and the End of Speculation (08:24) - Utility, Builders, and the Post-Casino Crypto Era (17:16) - Ethereum Power, L1 vs L2, and the Commons Problem (24:26) - Regulation, Clarity, and the Real Shape of Crypto Policy (36:10) - AI, Agents, and Whether Crypto Really Matters (47:12) - Media Collapse, Substack, and the Future of News (01:15:45) - Aesthetics, Culture, and What Crypto Communicates Now (01:19:28) - Welcome & Disclaimer