344: Can Decentralized AI Fix Banking? Crypto, Brain OS, and the Future of Finance with Paolo Ardoino, Tether CEO

Paolo Ardoino is the CEO of Tether, the company behind the ticker symbol USDT, the world’s largest stablecoin. He also serves as CTO of the cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex and co-founded Holepunch, a platform for peer-to-peer applications. Ardoino holds a Master’s in Computer Science from the University of Genoa and is one of the most visible proponents of improving the banking system with cryptocurrencies.

In this conversation, we discuss:

• How Paolo built the infrastructure behind the world’s most used stablecoin and why he believes math, not politics, should govern money
  
  
• Why he believes Bitcoin is the first form of money governed by math, and how that math could reshape global finance
  
  
• How USDT became the most used digital dollar by solving practical challenges in regions with limited banking access
  
  
• Why Paolo believes traditional finance is broken and how decentralized tech offers a more inclusive infrastructure
  
  
• The case for brain–computer interfaces and why Paolo sees human and AI symbiosis as the next frontier of intelligence
  
  
• Why he’s optimistic about AI’s role in society, even as he argues that long term AI safety might be an illusion

Resources:

• Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work Newsletter
• Connect with Paolo on LinkedIn or on X
• AI fun fact article
• On How to Ensure the AI and Workplace Technologies Align with Civil Rights Laws