The Brave Technologist

Latest Episodes:

Building an Intelligent Internet: AI's Future is in Specialized Agents Dec 17, 2025

Show notes

Emad Mostaque, founder and CEO of Intelligent Internet, discusses his vision for an open and intelligent internet, along with the impact it can have on everyday users. He acknowledges the risks of AI surpassing human capabilities, but shares an optimistic view of where the true strength of a society lies. He also discusses the ways communities can withstand these disruptions and thrive in a changing world.

Key Takeaways:

What problems AI agents are ready to solve today, and when we can expect future unlocks
The future of low-cost intellectual work, and how specialized AI agents can be designed to safely reduce cognitive friction
The implications of AI on a nation's gross domestic product (GDP), and the importance of measuring community intelligence
Advice for parents raising the next generation of users

Guest Bio: Emad Mostaque is the founder of Intelligent Internet, and is dedicated to advancing distributed and accessible artificial intelligence systems. As founder of Stability AI, he influenced the widespread availability of generative AI tools for image, audio, and video, reaching over 300 million downloads. He contributes to the development of open source AI infrastructure, including as an advisor to Render Network.

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About this Show:

The Brave Technologist is here to shed light on the opportunities and challenges of emerging tech. To make it digestible, less scary, and more approachable for all!

Join us as we embark on a mission to demystify artificial intelligence, challenge the status quo, and empower everyday people to embrace the digital revolution. Whether you're a tech enthusiast, a curious mind, or an industry professional, this podcast invites you to join the conversation and explore the future of AI together.

The Brave Technologist Podcast is hosted by Luke Mulks, VP Business Operations at Brave Software—makers of the privacy-respecting Brave browser and Search engine, and now powering AI everywhere with the Brave Search API.

Music by: Ari Dvorin

Produced by: Sam Laliberte

Zcash and the Fight for Privacy in the Digital Age Dec 10, 2025

Show notes

Arjun Khemani, memetic warlord at Zcash, shares his journey from questioning conventional thinking to becoming an advocate for rational optimism and privacy in the digital age. He discusses the importance of fighting for freedom, why memes are powerful tools for spreading ideas, and why users should remain skeptical of authority.

Key Takeaways:

Why privacy is fundamental to freedom and how Zcash is helping us get closer to that ideal
The role of shielded transactions in increasing your anonymity
What's at stake if we don't transact privately, including broader implications for personal and financial autonomy
How memes shape culture and technology, along with the dangers and opportunities they present
The increasing need for independent and critical thinking in the digital world

Guest Bio: Arjun Khemani is an author, podcaster, and memetic warlord, helping spread rationally optimistic memes to create a better world. He's currently working on the Zcash mission—a privacy-focused cryptocurrency which features an encrypted ledger using zero-knowledge proofs.

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About this Show:

The Brave Technologist is here to shed light on the opportunities and challenges of emerging tech. To make it digestible, less scary, and more approachable for all!

Music by: Ari Dvorin

Produced by: Sam Laliberte

Live From Rare Evo: What's Stopping DeFi from Going Mainstream? Dec 03, 2025

Show notes

Thorsten Jaeckel, Head of Product at 0x and Matcha, discusses the biggest hurdles facing DeFi adoption—including regulatory uncertainty, user experience challenges, security concerns, and the need for better education. Discover what it will take for decentralized finance to reach the masses and get a glimpse of the path forward for DeFi.

Key Takeaways:

How the rise of Layer 2 solutions are shaping (and complicating) the next phase of DeFi.
What's holding back tokenized equities, and what it'll take to overcome regulatory hurdles.
The significance of execution transparency in building user trust.
The importance of creating DeFi products that feel as seamless as Web2 applications.
How Matcha is making it easier for newcomers to start trading in DeFi.

Guest Bio: Thorsten Jaeckel is the Head of Product at 0x and Matcha, where he leads product development for one of the top decentralized exchange aggregators in Web3. He's been building in crypto since 2017 and previously held product leadership roles at Coinbase and Square. Thorsten focuses on making DeFi more intuitive and trustworthy, with a particular interest in multi-chain UX and execution transparency.

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About this Show:

The Brave Technologist is here to shed light on the opportunities and challenges of emerging tech. To make it digestible, less scary, and more approachable for all!

Music by: Ari Dvorin

Produced by: Sam Laliberte

BrainChip: Bringing Brain-Inspired AI to Everyday Devices Nov 26, 2025

Show notes

Sean Hehir, CEO of BrainChip, discusses their innovative neuromorphic technology, which mimics the way the human brain processes information to enable smarter, more efficient edge computing. We explore the real-world impact of bringing AI directly to devices, from wearables to smart home products, and what this means for speed, privacy, and energy efficiency. Tune in to learn how BrainChip is paving the way for a new generation of intelligent electronics and what's next for brain-inspired artificial intelligence.

Key Takeaways:

How BrainChip is working across health tech, automotive, and consumer electronics to make brain-inspired AI a reality in the products we use every day.
How BrainChip worked with Onsor Technologies to unveil AI-powered wearable glasses that predict epileptic seizures before they happen.
Neuromorphic computing: what it is, why it's important, and how Brainchip is innovating in this area.
Why energy efficiency is the hidden frontier we need in AI's next big leap.

How Edge and Cloud AI are different and how they'll work together over time.

Guest Bio: Sean Hehir is the CEO of BrainChip, the company behind Akida™, which is the world's first neuromorphic AI processor, mimicking how the human brain works to bring intelligence directly onto devices. After decades driving global partnerships at Microsoft, HP, and Cisco, he now leads BrainChip's push to move AI from the cloud to the edge—making it faster, safer, and dramatically more energy-efficient.

Under Sean's leadership, BrainChip is powering breakthroughs across health tech, automotive, and consumer electronics, including AI-powered wearable glasses (built with Onsor Technologies) that can predict epileptic seizures before they happen. Sean is also a frequent industry speaker and serves on the board of the Silicon Valley Executive Network.

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About this Show:

The Brave Technologist is here to shed light on the opportunities and challenges of emerging tech. To make it digestible, less scary, and more approachable for all!

Music by: Ari Dvorin

Produced by: Sam Laliberte

LIVE From Rare Evo: The Hidden World of Web3 Asset Trading Nov 19, 2025

Show notes

Jay Chrawnna, director of The Kus, dives into the subtle ways people are already using Web3 in everyday transactions (often without realizing it) and what this means for the future of consumer Web3. He explores how gaming projects like FIFA Rivals are redefining digital asset ownership, and highlights how entities like the Indonesian government are leveraging blockchain to improve transparency, efficiency, and mainstream accessibility.

Key Takeaways:

How the next wave of Web3 could be completely invisible to users.
Why Polkadot may be the only platform capable of scaling Web3 at full potential.
What "Consumer Web3" really means, and why it's about more than wallets and tokens.
How blockchain is being used to reimagine institutions at a massive scale.

Guest Bio: Jay Chrawnna is the director of The Kus, a media broadcaster for Polkadot. On the Space Monkeys Podcast and weekly Attempts at Governance liveshows, the DOT eco's top movers and doers drive discourse and shape the second age of Polkadot. Jay exclusively uses the Brave browser.

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About this Show:

The Brave Technologist is here to shed light on the opportunities and challenges of emerging tech. To make it digestible, less scary, and more approachable for all!

Music by: Ari Dvorin

Produced by: Sam Laliberte

The $500 Trillion Opportunity: Tokenizing the Real World Nov 12, 2025

Show notes

Juan Leon, Senior Investment Strategist at Bitwise Asset Management, unpacks the rapid institutional adoption of Bitcoin and Ethereum, fueled by ETFs, regulatory clarity, and the rise of tokenization. He shares key trends shaping the next phase of crypto, including the integration of traditional finance and DeFi, and how this evolution could redefine corporate treasuries and real-world asset investing.

Key Takeaways

How major financial institutions are embracing stablecoins and blockchain infrastructure
What the surge in tokenization means for the $500T real-world asset opportunity
How Ethereum treasuries could unlock new income streams for traditional investors
Why the convergence of Wall Street and DeFi may be closer than ever

Guest Bio: Juan Leon is the Senior Investment Strategist at Bitwise Asset Management, where over the past 4 years he has helped lead research, product strategy, fund management, and sales engagements. He is a CFA charter holder, and prior to Bitwise Juan was a Portfolio Manager of equities, fixed-income, and commodities at a global asset manager.

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About this Show:

The Brave Technologist is here to shed light on the opportunities and challenges of emerging tech. To make it digestible, less scary, and more approachable for all!

Music by: Ari Dvorin

Produced by: Sam Laliberte

Pinecone is Democratizing Access to Vector Database Technology Nov 05, 2025

Show notes

Jack Pertschuck, former Principal Engineer at Pinecone, discusses what vector databases are and why they matter for AI and search applications. He also discusses the challenges of communicating the value of this technology when the problem isn't widely understood.

Key Takeaways:

Advice for teams looking to adopt vector search technology
The importance of hybrid and cascading retrieval methods
The significance of context engineering and evaluation metrics in AI systems
How Pinecone is democratizing vector database technology for AI and machine learning applications

Guest Bio:

Jack Pertschuk is a former Principal Engineer with Pinecone, the market leader in vector databases. As the company's founding engineer and lead for algorithms, applied research, and platform, Jack is responsible for the roadmap and execution across research and engineering for search index efficiency and accuracy. Prior to Pinecone, Jack was a founder of SidekickQA and creator of the NBoost open source neural ranking engine. He is an active member of the Rust and Information Retrieval research community, and is passionate about solving problems at the intersection of ML and systems.

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About this Show:

The Brave Technologist is here to shed light on the opportunities and challenges of emerging tech. To make it digestible, less scary, and more approachable for all!

Music by: Ari Dvorin

Produced by: Sam Laliberte

Nobody Sausage & Claynosaurz: Reaching Millions Through Frictionless Digital Collectibles Oct 29, 2025

Show notes

Andrew Pelekis, CEO of Claynosaurz, shares how they're making digital ownership fun, accessible, and frictionless. He also discusses the role of community and fan engagement in the success of digital brands.

Key Takeaways:

What they've learned from prior cycles about bringing blockchain projects to mainstream communities
How audience participation has changed, and what new revenue streams have become possible
The challenge of protecting original IP and the new fan intelligence system they're building
Evolving acceptance of crypto and the need for regulatory clarity
Challenges and opportunities of integrating Web3 technologies into mainstream brand building

Guest Bio: Andrew Pelekis is the CEO of Claynosaurz, a leading digital entertainment brand building expansive storytelling worlds through Web3, animation, and community-driven IP. He is also the creator of Nobody Sausage, a viral character phenomenon turned entertainment franchise that blends humor, art, and digital culture into a global fan experience.

At Claynosaurz, Andrew is pioneering how blockchain and emerging technologies can transform the way audiences engage with stories, characters, and creators. With Nobody Sausage, he has shown how a playful, internet-native idea can evolve into a full-fledged entertainment property, capturing the imagination of millions worldwide.

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About this Show:

The Brave Technologist is here to shed light on the opportunities and challenges of emerging tech. To make it digestible, less scary, and more approachable for all!

Music by: Ari Dvorin

Produced by: Sam Laliberte

Navigating AI Resistance: Overcoming Fears and Misconceptions Oct 22, 2025

Show notes

Liz Zaborowska, Founder & CEO of Bhava Communications and Spring Catalyst, explores the common fears and misconceptions that lead to resistance against AI adoption. She emphasizes the importance of proper training and support, ensuring that team members feel confident and secure in their use of AI tools.

Key Takeaways:

The business benefits of embracing AI, including practical strategies to overcome fears and successfully adopt artificial intelligence throughout your team
How AI tools can complement, rather than replace, human creativity
The ongoing importance of fact-checking in the digital age
Principles of responsible AI use and the policies that support it
Ways to maintain authenticity with AI-generated content

Guest Bio: Liz Zaborowska is the founder and CEO of Spring Catalyst, where she helps teams optimize performance and navigate AI adoption. With over 20 years in technology and deep expertise in team dynamics, she empowers organizations to transform how they create, communicate, and collaborate in the AI era. Liz has worked with AI companies for more than a decade and served in an advisory capacity for the Responsible AI Institute. Liz is also the founder of Bhava Communications, an award-winning marketing, PR, and social media agency that has helped hundreds of enterprise and consumer technology companies stand out as category leaders. Prior to founding her own companies, she ran technical, product, and corporate marketing on the tech startup side. She studied biology and theater at Tufts University, bringing a unique perspective that combines scientific rigor with creative ideation to help businesses and individuals thrive in our rapidly evolving technological landscape.

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About this Show:

The Brave Technologist is here to shed light on the opportunities and challenges of emerging tech. To make it digestible, less scary, and more approachable for all!

Music by: Ari Dvorin

Produced by: Sam Laliberte

Inside the Linux Foundation's Open-Source Movement Oct 15, 2025

Show notes

Daniela Barbosa, General Manager of Decentralized Technologies at the Linux Foundation, and Executive Director at LF Decentralized Trust, discusses the most promising open-source projects they've supported so far, and how more builders can get involved. She also emphasizes the importance of community contributions and cross-sector partnerships to accelerate the adoption and impact of decentralized technologies.

Key Takeaways:

How LF Decentralized Trust fits within the Linux Foundation and why it matters
Why open source collaboration is key to interoperable, secure trust frameworks
Common misconceptions about open-source blockchain
The role of open governance in driving enterprise and government adoption
How open-source communities are shaping next-gen secure, privacy-first technologies

Guest Bio: Daniela Barbosa serves as General Manager of Decentralized Technologies at the Linux Foundation, and Executive Director of LF Decentralized Trust. She has 20+ years of enterprise technology experience, including seven years driving the global, collaborative development of enterprise-grade blockchain and identity technologies at Hyperledger Foundation. She is a leading voice for the power of openly developed decentralized technologies to spur efficiency, privacy, and inclusivity.

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About this Show:

The Brave Technologist is here to shed light on the opportunities and challenges of emerging tech. To make it digestible, less scary, and more approachable for all!

Music by: Ari Dvorin

Produced by: Sam Laliberte

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