Chris Campbell:

Nobody Cares About Crypto (Not Even AI)

It starts with something obvious:

Biotech. AI. Crypto. Quantum computing. Robotics. Space tech.

We are not ready for what’s coming.

We think we are. We talk like we are. The experts toss around terms like “multi-agent orchestration,” “zero-knowledge provenance,” and “recursive inference pipelines” like anyone knows what that means.

But truth is, nobody can predict the future. Not even the experts. Especially not the experts.

Even so, I went to all the big crypto gatherings last year. Because the world’s largest crypto conferences promised something bigger than hype.

They promised actionable ideas.

And the best ones I found? They’re happening where crypto smashes into AI. So here’s the biggest takeaways.

Starting with the harsh truth:

Nobody Cares

The one thing crypto builders (and investors) are realizing today? Nobody cares.

Not your cousin. Not your Uber driver. Not the institutions. People care about useful stuff. Period. They care if it helps them make money, save time, or get laid. Everything else is noise.

One example of how much has shifted: A decade ago, every conversation at a crypto conference started with decentralization. Today? It rarely even comes up.

Crypto’s not a cause anymore. It’s a utility.

Eric Winer from Near AI described the new zeitgeist simply: “We’re not going to win by pushing the principles. We’re going to win by building better stuff.”

Same for David Fields from ReadyAI, who said: enterprise cares more about data privacy and ownership than they do about your philosophy.

If OpenAI is going to use your proprietary info to train a model and disrupt your business? You’ll start looking for decentralized alternatives real fast. But you’ll want it to work. And be invisible. And frictionless.

“Decentralization is a feature,” said Winer, “not a pitch.”

This might feel like betrayal to the die-hards. But every revolutionary technology follows the same curve. At first, it’s about the why. Later, it’s about the what. Eventually, it becomes about the how fast can I plug this in and forget it exists.

Nobody talks about TCP/IP, FTP, or AC vs. DC. They just want Wi-Fi and a phone that charges.

Good tech doesn’t tell you how it works. It disappears. It does things without you speaking its language. It runs on its own. That’s why crypto’s developed a new crush: AI.

The Next 10 Billion Users

While nobody cares about crypto…

Everyone seems to care about AI agents.

Why? Because who doesn’t want to automate their compliance paperwork, their bills, their side hustles, their LinkedIn humblebrags—and maybe even their therapist.

But, according to Winer, most people are getting ahead of themselves: “We’re at the iPhone beer-drinking app stage of agents. It looks cool, but it’s just the beginning.”

This tech, says Winer, hasn’t even hit puberty yet. And yet, the stakes are already enormous.

Because if AI agents can start talking to each other, settling deals, doing your taxes, negotiating contracts, and splitting revenue—all without a human in the loop—then we’re in an entirely new economy.

One thing the AI crowd agrees on: AI agents are going to want wallets. Not bank accounts. Not credit cards. Not ACH rails from 1962.

Wallets. With stablecoins. With programmable payments. With escrow baked in. As agents talk to other agents, they’ll need ways to pay for services, split revenue, and execute contracts. Automatically. Autonomously.

You can’t do that with Visa.

Many major blockchains are working on this already. Think affiliate revenue. Royalties. Micropayments. 1-cent transactions. All without human intervention.

What happens when you wake up to your AI agent having closed three deals overnight, negotiated with three other agents, and paid your rent in stablecoins?

It’s not science fiction. It’s incentives. It’s automation. It’s APIs.

And, though we’re in the early innings, it’s happening faster than anyone expected.

Here’s my bet:

Crypto's first 1 billion users will be human. But the next 10 billion? AI agents.

And they won’t care about crypto either. Just that it works.

If you’re just getting into crypto (or are a crypto vet), here’s the biggest takeaways: Bet on the rails, not the riders. Look for crypto that behaves like plumbing. Boring, reliable, and absolutely essential.

That’s where the money will be made.

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The Harsh Truth About Crypto

Posted January 02, 2026