Possible

Reid Hoffman

  • 27 minutes 50 seconds
    The grid(lock) slowing AI down

    With AI moving from apps into the devices we use every day, Reid and Aria explore where the real value will be created. From Google Gemini powering hundreds of millions of devices to ChatGPT entering cars, Reid argues that distribution alone won’t decide winners but that depth of use, iteration, and personalization will. They also examine the $650B race to build AI infrastructure, the hidden bottlenecks and geopolitical risks behind it, and why U.S. capital still provides a key edge. Finally, they highlight the Trust in American Institutions Challenge and its winner as a case for how AI can help rebuild trust by making institutions more transparent and accountable.


    15 April 2026, 7:01 am
  • 23 minutes 15 seconds
    AI’s expanding attack surface

    Reid and Aria unpack the geopolitical battle over chips, from U.S. export controls to China’s push for self-sufficiency, and how the race for compute is reshaping global power. They then turn to how AI is rapidly expanding the attack surface, driving more frequent breaches and exposing new vulnerabilities deep in the software stack as speed and scale outpace traditional defenses. Finally, they explore why enterprise AI adoption has been slower and more uneven than expected, and how network effects, organizational inertia, and trust constraints are shaping the path forward. Together, these forces show how AI is not just advancing technologically, but quietly transforming the foundations of security, competition, and economic power.


    8 April 2026, 7:01 am
  • 58 minutes 32 seconds
    Should we give AI a bank account?

    In this episode of Possible, Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger talk with Sean Neville, co-founder of Circle and architect of USDC, about building the financial infrastructure for an AI-driven economy. Now leading Catena Labs, Neville is working on what he calls the first AI-native bank—designed for autonomous agents that can transact, comply, and interact without humans in the loop. The conversation explores what breaks when AI tries to use today’s financial rails, why stablecoins may power machine-to-machine commerce, and why new concepts like “Know Your Agent” could become the foundation of trust in an AI financial system.

    For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/

    1 April 2026, 7:01 am
  • 20 minutes 46 seconds
    After SaaS

    Is SaaS actually dead or just evolving? Reid and Aria break down why the traditional seat-based software model is under pressure as AI reshapes how products are built, priced, and delivered. They discuss how these fundamental changes have started shifting SaaS software toward customization, token-based economics, and deeply integrated AI systems. The conversation digs into what this change means for engineers, why network effects and customer relationships still matter, and how new moats will emerge as software becomes faster, cheaper, and more dynamic than ever before.

    For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/


    25 March 2026, 7:00 am
  • 24 minutes 22 seconds
    Humans secretly prefer AI writing

    Reid and Aria unpack three emerging fault lines in the AI era: where real power sits in the AI stack, how AI is reshaping human creativity, and whether governments could ultimately treat AI as critical national infrastructure. Reid responds to Jensen Huang's "five-layer cake" framing of AI, arguing that while compute, infrastructure, and models carry geopolitical weight, the greatest economic value tends to emerge at the application layer. The episode then turns to a broader debate over a viral NYT experiment that pitted humans against AI writing. Reid and Aria close by examining Palantir CEO Alex Karp's warning about AI nationalization, weighing the tensions between innovation, national security, and democratic values as AI becomes foundational technology.


    18 March 2026, 7:00 am
  • 34 minutes 16 seconds
    The AI Kept Choosing War

    Reid and Aria unpack new research on AI decision-making in simulated nuclear crises—and what it reveals about the limits of machine reasoning. They explore why frontier models consistently escalated to nuclear conflict in war game scenarios, and what that says about the enduring importance of human judgment. Then Reid examines the rise of software agents that can be hired like employees, and the broader shift from hourly labor toward ownership and leverage in the AI economy. The episode closes with Reid and Aria debating AI-powered manufacturing—why automation may be the only viable path to rebuilding U.S. industrial capacity, and why embracing AI-amplified industries is essential for long-term competitiveness.


    11 March 2026, 7:01 am
  • 1 hour 42 seconds
    How Notion rebuilt for the age of AI

    In this episode of Possible, Reid and Aria talk with Ivan Zhao, co-founder of Notion, about what happens when intelligence becomes abundant rather than scarce. Zhao shares his philosophy of treating computing as a material — like steel or steam — and why organizations must be built for human scale in an AI-driven world. From Renaissance cities to Xerox PARC, the conversation traces a shift from productivity software to cognitive infrastructure, and arrives at a clear conclusion: in an AI-powered future, human judgment, taste, and values matter most.


    For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/

    4 March 2026, 8:01 am
  • 22 minutes 56 seconds
    Network effects, AI medicine, and the fight for free speech

    In this episode, Reid and Aria are live from New York as they unpack why predictions about the “death” of San Francisco and New York keep missing the mark and how network effects continue to anchor these cities as the world’s leading tech and finance hubs. Reid also shares advice for young founders choosing where to build and explains how to align your startup with the right economic network by breaking down lessons from companies like Shopify and Spotify that scaled outside Silicon Valley. The conversation then shifts to the future of AI in biotech as Reid offers an update on Manas AI and why curing disease hinges on regulation as much as technological breakthroughs. The episode closes with a candid discussion on media, political pressure, and the dangers of “pre-obeying” authority. Reid reflects on free speech, institutional courage, and what a volatile post-midterm landscape could mean for American democracy.

    25 February 2026, 8:01 am
  • 26 minutes 37 seconds
    Does AI really save time?

    In this episode, Reid and Aria examine a growing tension at the heart of the AI moment: whether these tools are actually saving time or simply accelerating the pace, volume, and expectations of work. The conversation touches on workflows across investing, engineering, legal, and management and why faster output rarely means less work. From there, Aria and Reid engage with competing essays about the AI moment, pushing back on both apocalyptic predictions of immediate white-collar collapse and dismissive claims that today’s AI are merely “tool-shaped objects.” The episode closes with a reframing of AI not as an inevitable force of gravity, but as a strategic capability that rewards those who are able to learn how to adapt more effectively as the landscape continues to shift.

    18 February 2026, 8:01 am
  • 30 minutes 21 seconds
    Making sense of the layoff wave

    In this episode, Reid and Aria unpack the growing panic around layoffs, the actual impact of AI on work, and why autonomous agents are reshaping productivity faster than most people realize. Reid points out that today’s layoffs are being erroneously blamed on AI, rather than on economic turbulence and post-COVID refactoring. The conversation then turns to the viral ClawdBot/Moltbot/OpenClaw moment and explores what it means for productivity, security, and trust when autonomous agents can not only act across email, calendars, files, and financial systems, but also interact and gather with each other. The episode closes with a pivot to politics, as Reid explains why Silicon Valley and business leaders can no longer claim neutrality in today's polarized political landscape, arguing that real leadership requires speaking up before it’s too late.

    11 February 2026, 8:01 am
  • 49 minutes 21 seconds
    CryptoPunks creators: from art experiment to cultural movement

    Before NFTs were a category and crypto was an industry, two artists released 10,000 characters into the world with no roadmap, no pitch, and no expectations. What started as an art experiment in code ended up flourishing into a movement about ownership and identity. In this episode of Possible, Reid sits down with Matt Hall and John Watkinson, co-founders of Larva Labs and creators of CryptoPunks, to trace how a small creative experiment became one of the most influential cultural phenomenons of the internet era. They reflect on what it means for art to live on-chain, why decentralization was a design choice rather than a slogan, and how digital identity became one of the most valuable real estates online. From museums and blockchains to profile pictures, permanence, the conversation explores how letting go of narrative control can allow culture and community to write the story themselves.


    4 February 2026, 8:01 am
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