The transition from more data to better thinking via inference-time compute. Reasoning is becoming a post-training capability rather than a pre-training byproduct.
Use AI for anti-gravity coding to automate bug fixes and data visualization. Treat the model as a passive aura that buffs the productivity of every senior engineer.
AGI will not be a collection of narrow tools but a single model that reasons its way through any domain. The gap between closed labs and open source is widening as these reasoning tricks compound.
The transition from static LLMs to interactive world models marks the move from AI as a tool to AI as a persistent environment.
Monitor the Hugging Face release of the 2B model to build custom image-to-experience wrappers for niche training or spatial entertainment.
Local world models will become the primary interface for spatial computing within the next year, making high-end local compute more valuable than cloud-based streaming.
The Strategic Pivot: The transition from "Understanding-First" science to "Prediction-First" engineering. We are building artifacts that work perfectly but remain theoretically opaque.
The Tactical Edge: Audit your AI stack for "Leaky Abstractions." Don't assume a model's reasoning capabilities in one domain will hold when the underlying causal structure changes.
AGI isn't just an engineering milestone; it's a philosophical wager. If the brain isn't a computer, we are building a very powerful helicopter, not a synthetic human.
The pivot from "Understanding-First" science to "Prediction-First" engineering creates massive technical liability in our models.
Audit your AI implementations for "Leaky Abstractions" where the model fails to account for physical edge cases.
High-performance automation is not the same as sentient reasoning. Builders who recognize this distinction will avoid the cultural illusion of inevitable AGI.
The transition from deterministic software to agentic networks. Companies are moving from rigid workflows to fluid systems that plan and execute autonomously.
Build an internal LLM gateway early. Centralizing model routing and cost monitoring allows you to swap providers as the model horse race changes without refactoring your product.
AI is not just a feature but a fundamental restructuring of the corporate cost center. Efficiency gains allow a static headcount of 300 engineers to support a business growing 5x.
The Macro Shift: The Great Re-Shoring. National security now depends on domestic production of critical minerals and semiconductors.
The Tactical Edge: Build for Scale. Prioritize manufacturing competence over pure software features to win government contracts.
The Bottom Line: The defense industrial base is being rebuilt from the ground up. The next decade belongs to the builders who can merge Silicon Valley speed with the Pentagon's scale.
Funding Rates Are a UX Bottleneck. For RWAs to succeed on-chain, derivative models must offer predictable costs. The volatile funding rates of crypto-native perps are a major barrier to mainstream adoption, pushing innovation toward CFD-like structures.
The Airdrop Is Dead; Long Live the Curated ICO. Capital formation is shifting from broad, farmed airdrops to sophisticated, curated token sales. Projects now act like luxury brands, hand-picking investors to ensure long-term alignment, killing the "spray and pray" distribution model.
Political Wins Can Backfire. The CZ pardon highlights the double-edged sword of crypto's political maneuvering. The perceived corruption and mainstream backlash create a massive reputational headache that undermines the industry’s push for legitimacy.
Banks Can't Ignore the Genie: Jamie Dimon's reversal and JPMorgan's new crypto services signal that institutional resistance is crumbling. The catalyst is the disruptive threat of stablecoins to core banking models.
Consolidation is the Game: Mature sectors like exchanges and L1s are consolidating. The strategic play is to identify the dominant platforms (e.g., ETH, Solana, major exchanges) poised to compound value as moats widen.
Regulation is the Kingmaker: Political moves, such as Trump pardoning CZ, are reshaping the competitive map. Access to the U.S. market will be a critical battleground, making regulatory strategy more important than ever.
**The "Bloomberg for Crypto" is the Endgame.** The most valuable companies will provide institutional-grade data and software. Blockworks' pivot is a bet on this future, moving from a crowded news business to a high-growth data platform with clear product-market fit.
**Tokenization is Now a Publicly Traded Thesis.** With Securitize’s IPO, investors can make a direct, public-market bet on the tokenization of real-world assets. It will likely be valued as a high-growth proxy for the entire sector.
**Adoption is Bought, Not Begged.** Layer 1s are aggressively paying for partnerships with brands like Western Union. For investors, the question is whether these deals create a sustainable flywheel or just a temporary boost.
The Q4 Pump is a Trap. The widespread belief in a year-end alt season has become a crowded exit strategy. When everyone plans to sell into the same pump, there’s no one left to buy.
ETH's Fundamentals are Hollow. Ethereum's valuation is propped up by narratives, not reality. Weak on-chain activity and a value-accrual model that benefits apps over the base layer make its current price unsustainable.
The Sellers Are Here. From VCs with token unlocks to treasury companies turning into paper hands, identifiable sellers now outweigh the speculative buyers, signaling the cycle has turned.
Survive, Then Thrive. After massive liquidations, the strongest assets and narratives (e.g., privacy plays like Zcash) recover first. Focus capital on names showing relative strength post-wipeout, as they are the first to capture returning liquidity.
Revenue is the New Narrative. The game has changed. The market now demands clear revenue streams and legal structures that align token holders with protocol success. Valueless governance tokens are out; tokens tied to real business operations are in.
On-Chain TradFi is Here. Platforms like Hyperliquid are successfully bringing assets like the NASDAQ on-chain, proving crypto-native demand for traditional markets. This represents a major new frontier for DeFi protocols looking to capture volume.
**Fiscal is the new Fed.** Government spending, not central bank policy, is the dominant force in the economy. Stop looking for a traditional recession; the deficit is the stimulus that won’t quit.
**The Fed is re-opening the liquidity spigot.** The era of Quantitative Tightening is over. A gradual but persistent expansion of the Fed's balance sheet is coming, which will provide a tailwind for assets.
**Own scarce assets.** The long-term debasement of fiat currency is the default path. Alden remains constructive on Bitcoin, viewing its current phase as a prelude to a significant move higher in the coming years.
