#307 – Brian Armstrong: Coinbase, Cryptocurrency, and Government Regulation

Artificial Intelligence Podcast

Podcast Notes ​Key Takeaways “We want [Coinbase] to be the way that a billion people access the open global financial system.” – Brain Armstrong All of Brian’s friends thought Coinbase was a dumb idea when he first started building it in 2010; there was a lot of uncertainty around Bitcoin at the time, which was trading at $10 per coin Most of the best leaders are able to contribute a net positive to the world and do not care if they anger a certain percentage of people You’ll never do something authentic to yourself if you care too much about what people think Early startups need to “keep doing stuff” and aggressively iterate on their product or service “Startups are like sharks; if they stop swimming they die.” – Paul Graham People who are uncertain about their future don’t try as hard to make or achieve things because everything they produce and earn could be gone tomorrow; good property rights are foundational Bitcoin is a new technology that can bring economic freedom to everyone around the globe, specifically in places where economic freedom had not previously existed “I think Bitcoin could end up becoming the reserve currency of the world.” – Brain Armstrong Companies are getting distracted from working on their core missions by “the current thing”, which is destructive to their productivity It’s not Coinbase’s job to solve the most important societal issuesFocus on work at work and pursue your other interests during your own time To become a better leader, consistently do things outside of your comfort zone so that your comfort zone growsIt is easy to be a critic; be the person in the arena that uses technology to improve the world and is a part of the solution and not a part of the problem 

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