A year ago today, Read Write Own was released. So much has happened in crypto since then.

The past year, I spent a lot of time traveling and speaking at events—some crypto-focused, some not. Even as crypto faced regulatory uncertainty in Washington and sustained criticism from mainstream media, I kept hearing something different from the people I met: passion and optimism. There was a clear gap between the narrative out there and what I was seeing on the ground.

So, while I’m excited to see the tides turn with growing bipartisan and institutional support, I’m not entirely surprised. Crypto was never going away. At some point, the value of what blockchains enable—stablecoins, DeFi, AI systems, games, social experiences, and more—had to be recognized. We’re still far from the full vision I described in Read Write Own, but we’re moving forward. 

Huge thanks to all the founders, builders, and supporters who tuned out the noise and kept building. Onward.