The future of AI needs a new internet. Coinbase is laying the foundation.  In this episode of The Index, host Alex Kehaya talks with Nemil Dalal, Head of Coinbase’s Developer Program, about how Coinbase is building crypto-native infrastructure to power the next generation of applications, starting with autonomous AI agents.Nemil shares his background in crypto, from meeting Brian Armstrong at Y Combinator to helping scale USDC from $10 million to $1 billion in market cap. Today, he&apos;s focused on making blockchain development more accessible by reducing friction around payments, APIs, and onboarding.A key part of that effort is X402—Coinbase’s implementation of the long-dormant HTTP 402 &quot;Payment Required&quot; status code. X402 allows AI agents and applications to autonomously pay for API access using cryptocurrency, without the need for API keys, credit cards, or manual account setup.We break down how X402 works under the hood:<ul><li>API requests return a 402 response when payment is required</li><li>Agents can immediately respond with a signed crypto transaction to unlock access</li><li>Just one line of JavaScript is needed to enable it</li></ul>This simple standard opens the door to a wide range of use cases—from AI agents accessing paid services to developers integrating crypto-powered paywalls with minimal overhead.If you&apos;re building in Web3, working with AI, or developing APIs, this episode offers a practical look at how Coinbase is creating tools that make decentralized development more seamless and scalable.🔗 Learn more about Coinbase: <a href='https://www.coinbase.com'>https://www.coinbase.com</a> 🐦 Follow Coinbase Dev on X: <a href='https://x.com/coinbaseDev'>https://x.com/coinbaseDev</a>Show Links <a href='https://www.podpage.com/the-index-podcast/'>The Index </a> <a href='https://x.com/theindexshow'>X Channel</a> <a href='https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP-VGLfPNwianYhY-oqq5zg'>YouTube</a>

<description>&lt;p&gt;The future of AI needs a new internet. Coinbase is laying the foundation.&lt;br/&gt; In this episode of &lt;em&gt;The Index&lt;/em&gt;, host Alex Kehaya talks with Nemil Dalal, Head of Coinbase’s Developer Program, about how Coinbase is building crypto-native infrastructure to power the next generation of applications, starting with autonomous AI agents.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Nemil shares his background in crypto, from meeting Brian Armstrong at Y Combinator to helping scale USDC from $10 million to $1 billion in market cap. Today, he&amp;apos;s focused on making blockchain development more accessible by reducing friction around payments, APIs, and onboarding.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A key part of that effort is X402—Coinbase’s implementation of the long-dormant HTTP 402 &amp;quot;Payment Required&amp;quot; status code. X402 allows AI agents and applications to autonomously pay for API access using cryptocurrency, without the need for API keys, credit cards, or manual account setup.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We break down how X402 works under the hood:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;API requests return a 402 response when payment is required&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Agents can immediately respond with a signed crypto transaction to unlock access&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Just one line of JavaScript is needed to enable it&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;This simple standard opens the door to a wide range of use cases—from AI agents accessing paid services to developers integrating crypto-powered paywalls with minimal overhead.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you&amp;apos;re building in Web3, working with AI, or developing APIs, this episode offers a practical look at how Coinbase is creating tools that make decentralized development more seamless and scalable.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;🔗 Learn more about Coinbase: &lt;a href='https://www.coinbase.com'&gt;https://www.coinbase.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt; 🐦 Follow Coinbase Dev on X: &lt;a href='https://x.com/coinbaseDev'&gt;https://x.com/coinbaseDev&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Show Links&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;a href='https://www.podpage.com/the-index-podcast/'&gt;The Index &lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;a href='https://x.com/theindexshow'&gt;X Channel&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;a href='https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP-VGLfPNwianYhY-oqq5zg'&gt;YouTube&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

The future of AI needs a new internet. Coinbase is laying the foundation.  In this episode of The Index, host Alex Kehaya talks with Nemil Dalal, Head of Coinbase’s Developer Program, about how Coinbase is building crypto-native infrastructure to power the next generation of applications, starting with autonomous AI agents. Nemil shares his background in crypto, from meeting Brian Armstrong at Y Combinator to helping scale USDC from $10 million to $1 billion in market cap. Today, he's fo...

Inside Coinbase’s Developer Tools: X402, AI Agents, and Crypto Payments with Nemil Dalal

What if launching a decentralized network didn’t require reinventing tokenomics or compromising on trust and security?This week on The Index, host Alex Kehaya sits down with Misha Putiatin, Co-founder of <a href='https://symbiotic.fi/'>Symbiotic</a>, to explore how their novel approach to universal staking is changing the game for protocol builders. Instead of issuing a new token to bootstrap security, Symbiotic enables networks to leverage existing assets like ETH, providing deep, native trust from day one.What makes Symbiotic particularly fascinating is its versatility. After thousands of customer conversations, one insight stood out: networks needed more than just security. They needed customizable staking infrastructure for use cases like insurance, complex collateral systems, and highly specialized validator requirements.Just weeks after launching on Ethereum mainnet, Symbiotic is already securing 14+ networks and hundreds of millions in value, proving that the future of staking isn’t one-size-fits-all, but modular, open, and composable.Misha also unpacks why open-source remains core to their mission (despite the risk of vampire attacks) and how permissionless infrastructure creates the conditions for real innovation.If you&apos;re building in crypto, this conversation is a masterclass in how to architect trust at scale.→ Learn more at <a href='https://symbiotic.fi/'>symbiotic.fi </a>and follow the team on <a href='https://x.com/symbioticfi'>X</a>. → Subscribe to The Index for weekly conversations with the builders shaping blockchain’s next frontier.Show Links <a href='https://www.podpage.com/the-index-podcast/'>The Index </a> <a href='https://x.com/theindexshow'>X Channel</a> <a href='https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP-VGLfPNwianYhY-oqq5zg'>YouTube</a>

<description>&lt;p&gt;What if launching a decentralized network didn’t require reinventing tokenomics or compromising on trust and security?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This week on &lt;em&gt;The Index&lt;/em&gt;, host &lt;b&gt;Alex Kehaya&lt;/b&gt; sits down with &lt;b&gt;Misha Putiatin&lt;/b&gt;, Co-founder of &lt;a href='https://symbiotic.fi/'&gt;&lt;b&gt;Symbiotic&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;b&gt;,&lt;/b&gt; to explore how their novel approach to &lt;em&gt;universal staking&lt;/em&gt; is changing the game for protocol builders. Instead of issuing a new token to bootstrap security, Symbiotic enables networks to leverage existing assets like ETH, providing deep, native trust from day one.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;What makes Symbiotic particularly fascinating is its &lt;em&gt;versatility&lt;/em&gt;. After thousands of customer conversations, one insight stood out: networks needed more than just security. They needed &lt;em&gt;customizable staking infrastructure &lt;/em&gt;for use cases like insurance, complex collateral systems, and highly specialized validator requirements.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Just weeks after launching on Ethereum mainnet, Symbiotic is already securing 14+ networks and hundreds of millions in value, proving that the future of staking isn’t one-size-fits-all, but modular, open, and composable.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Misha also unpacks why open-source remains core to their mission (despite the risk of vampire attacks) and how permissionless infrastructure creates the conditions for real innovation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you&amp;apos;re building in crypto, this conversation is a masterclass in how to architect trust at scale.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;→ Learn more at &lt;a href='https://symbiotic.fi/'&gt;symbiotic.fi &lt;/a&gt;and follow the team on &lt;a href='https://x.com/symbioticfi'&gt;X&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br/&gt; → Subscribe to &lt;em&gt;The Index&lt;/em&gt; for weekly conversations with the builders shaping blockchain’s next frontier.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Show Links&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;a href='https://www.podpage.com/the-index-podcast/'&gt;The Index &lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;a href='https://x.com/theindexshow'&gt;X Channel&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;a href='https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP-VGLfPNwianYhY-oqq5zg'&gt;YouTube&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

What if launching a decentralized network didn’t require reinventing tokenomics or compromising on trust and security? This week on The Index, host Alex Kehaya sits down with Misha Putiatin, Co-founder of Symbiotic, to explore how their novel approach to universal staking is changing the game for protocol builders. Instead of issuing a new token to bootstrap security, Symbiotic enables networks to leverage existing assets like ETH, providing deep, native trust from day one. What makes Symbiot...

Universal Staking and Network Security with Symbiotic Co-founder Misha Putiatin

What does it take to make DeFi yield simple, transparent, and unstoppable?In this episode of The Index, we sit down with Sunand Raghupathi, Co-founder and CEO of VEDA, to explore his journey from leaving a computer science PhD program to building one of DeFi’s fastest-growing platforms. VEDA has grown to $2 billion in assets and 100,000+ users in just over a year, proving there’s massive demand for easy, accessible crypto yield.What sets VEDA apart from failed centralized yield platforms like Celsius and FTX is its radical commitment to transparency. “When you put things on-chain, that’s the best possible user experience,” says Raghupathi. By combining user-friendly design with on-chain verifiable constraints, VEDA eliminates the hidden leverage and risky practices that doomed its predecessors.We also explore VEDA’s breakthrough cross-chain architecture, which lets users tap yield opportunities across multiple ecosystems without the headaches of complex bridging. As VEDA expands beyond Ethereum-compatible chains to Solana, Raghupathi highlights the unique market structures and liquidity dynamics that create fresh yield strategies and points to Bitcoin as “a massive, untapped opportunity” for DeFi to unlock.If you’re a blockchain developer, investor, or founder looking for insights into the next phase of DeFi, this episode is packed with sharp takes on why Sunand is even more bullish on the space today than during the 2021 bull run.Explore VEDA’s platform at <a href='https://veda.tech/'>https://veda.tech/</a>.Follow on X: <a href='https://x.com/veda_labs'>https://x.com/veda_labs</a>Show Links <a href='https://www.podpage.com/the-index-podcast/'>The Index </a> <a href='https://x.com/theindexshow'>X Channel</a> <a href='https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP-VGLfPNwianYhY-oqq5zg'>YouTube</a>

<description>&lt;p&gt;What does it take to make DeFi yield simple, transparent, and unstoppable?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In this episode of &lt;em&gt;The Index&lt;/em&gt;, we sit down with Sunand Raghupathi, Co-founder and CEO of VEDA, to explore his journey from leaving a computer science PhD program to building one of DeFi’s fastest-growing platforms. VEDA has grown to $2 billion in assets and 100,000+ users in just over a year, proving there’s massive demand for easy, accessible crypto yield.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;What sets VEDA apart from failed centralized yield platforms like Celsius and FTX is its radical commitment to transparency. “When you put things on-chain, that’s the best possible user experience,” says Raghupathi. By combining user-friendly design with on-chain verifiable constraints, VEDA eliminates the hidden leverage and risky practices that doomed its predecessors.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We also explore VEDA’s breakthrough cross-chain architecture, which lets users tap yield opportunities across multiple ecosystems without the headaches of complex bridging. As VEDA expands beyond Ethereum-compatible chains to Solana, Raghupathi highlights the unique market structures and liquidity dynamics that create fresh yield strategies and points to Bitcoin as “a massive, untapped opportunity” for DeFi to unlock.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you’re a blockchain developer, investor, or founder looking for insights into the next phase of DeFi, this episode is packed with sharp takes on why Sunand is even more bullish on the space today than during the 2021 bull run.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Explore VEDA’s platform at &lt;a href='https://veda.tech/'&gt;https://veda.tech/&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Follow on X: &lt;a href='https://x.com/veda_labs'&gt;https://x.com/veda_labs&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Show Links&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;a href='https://www.podpage.com/the-index-podcast/'&gt;The Index &lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;a href='https://x.com/theindexshow'&gt;X Channel&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;a href='https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP-VGLfPNwianYhY-oqq5zg'&gt;YouTube&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

What does it take to make DeFi yield simple, transparent, and unstoppable? In this episode of The Index, we sit down with Sunand Raghupathi, Co-founder and CEO of VEDA, to explore his journey from leaving a computer science PhD program to building one of DeFi’s fastest-growing platforms. VEDA has grown to $2 billion in assets and 100,000+ users in just over a year, proving there’s massive demand for easy, accessible crypto yield. What sets VEDA apart from failed centralized yield platforms li...

Bitcoin’s Next Frontier, DeFi’s Future & On-Chain Finance | VEDA Co-founder Sun Raghupathi

What if blockchains could communicate as easily as APIs? In The Index&apos;s Everything SVM episode, Alex Kehaya and Omar Zaki sit down with Dean Little, Co-founder and Chief Scientist at Zeus Network, which is building a seamless way to connect Bitcoin and other major blockchains to the Solana ecosystem. His other work includes cryptography research at Jupiter Research Center, where he focuses on advancing secure blockchain systems. In this episode, Dean unpacks the breakthroughs driving cross-chain interoperability forward.The Everything SVM conversation dives into JupNet — a groundbreaking SVM chain designed to “aggregate anything, verify anywhere,” unlocking seamless cross-chain activity without the usual friction. Dean breaks down what sets JupNet apart from protocols like IBC, from its novel approach to validator trust to the way its architecture hides complexity behind an intuitive user experience.We also explore Dean’s cutting-edge Quantum Vault project, where he’s using Winternitz One-Time Signatures (WOTS), to build quantum-resistant vaults on Solana — a bold move to safeguard crypto assets against the looming threat of quantum computing.If you’re serious about building cross-chain systems, exploring SVM innovation, or staying ahead of where blockchain infrastructure is headed, this is an episode you can’t afford to miss.👉 Learn more at <a href='https://zeusnetwork.xyz/'>https://zeusnetwork.xyz/</a> 👉 Follow Zeus Network on X: <a href='https://x.com/zeusnetworkhq'>https://x.com/zeusnetworkhq</a>Show Links <a href='https://www.podpage.com/the-index-podcast/'>The Index </a> <a href='https://x.com/theindexshow'>X Channel</a> <a href='https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP-VGLfPNwianYhY-oqq5zg'>YouTube</a>

<description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;What if blockchains could communicate as easily as APIs?&lt;/b&gt; In &lt;em&gt;The Index&lt;/em&gt;&amp;apos;s &lt;em&gt;Everything SVM&lt;/em&gt; episode, Alex Kehaya and Omar Zaki sit down with Dean Little, Co-founder and Chief Scientist at Zeus Network, which is building a seamless way to connect Bitcoin and other major blockchains to the Solana ecosystem. His other work includes cryptography research at Jupiter Research Center, where he focuses on advancing secure blockchain systems. In this episode, Dean unpacks the breakthroughs driving cross-chain interoperability forward.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The &lt;em&gt;Everything SVM&lt;/em&gt; conversation dives into JupNet — a groundbreaking SVM chain designed to “aggregate anything, verify anywhere,” unlocking seamless cross-chain activity without the usual friction. Dean breaks down what sets JupNet apart from protocols like IBC, from its novel approach to validator trust to the way its architecture hides complexity behind an intuitive user experience.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We also explore Dean’s cutting-edge Quantum Vault project, where he’s using Winternitz One-Time Signatures (WOTS), to build quantum-resistant vaults on Solana — a bold move to safeguard crypto assets against the looming threat of quantum computing.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you’re serious about building cross-chain systems, exploring SVM innovation, or staying ahead of where blockchain infrastructure is headed, this is an episode you can’t afford to miss.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;👉 Learn more at &lt;a href='https://zeusnetwork.xyz/'&gt;https://zeusnetwork.xyz/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt; 👉 Follow Zeus Network on X: &lt;a href='https://x.com/zeusnetworkhq'&gt;https://x.com/zeusnetworkhq&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Show Links&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;a href='https://www.podpage.com/the-index-podcast/'&gt;The Index &lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;a href='https://x.com/theindexshow'&gt;X Channel&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;a href='https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP-VGLfPNwianYhY-oqq5zg'&gt;YouTube&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

What if blockchains could communicate as easily as APIs? In The Index's Everything SVM episode, Alex Kehaya and Omar Zaki sit down with Dean Little, Co-founder and Chief Scientist at Zeus Network, which is building a seamless way to connect Bitcoin and other major blockchains to the Solana ecosystem. His other work includes cryptography research at Jupiter Research Center, where he focuses on advancing secure blockchain systems. In this episode, Dean unpacks the breakthroughs driving cross-ch...

From Bitcoin on Solana to Quantum Vaults | Dean Little, Zeus Network Co-founder

What if the world’s most powerful AI wasn’t controlled by a handful of tech giants, but was open, accessible, and owned by everyone?In this episode of The Index, we sit down with Vincent Weisser, Co-founder and CEO of Prime Intellect, to explore his groundbreaking vision for democratizing artificial intelligence. Vincent pulls back the curtain on the technical and philosophical innovations behind Prime Intellect, from distributed training systems that harness idle compute power around the world to the crypto-economic incentives designed to reward contributors and decentralize ownership.At the core of Prime Intellect’s approach is a radical rethink of how we train the next generation of AI models. Instead of relying on massive, centralized data centers, Prime Intellect distributes the workload across decentralized networks, achieving similar results with far fewer communication demands. This breakthrough not only unlocks cost-effective training at a global scale, but also reshapes who can participate in the AI economy.But this episode isn’t just about engineering. Vincent shares his bigger mission: building a world where intelligence is “too cheap to meter,” where abundance replaces scarcity, and where superintelligence becomes a public good, not a private monopoly. With the rapid pace of progress toward artificial general intelligence (AGI), the stakes have never been higher. As Vincent puts it, the race is on—not just to build AGI, but to decide who will own and benefit from it.Whether you’re building, investing, researching, or just reflecting on the future of AI, this conversation will challenge your assumptions and offer a rare glimpse into one of the most ambitious open-source projects shaping the future of intelligence.Explore more at <a href='https://www.primeintellect.ai/'>primeintellect.ai</a> and follow on X at <a href='https://x.com/primeintellect'>x.com/primeintellect</a>.Show Links <a href='https://www.podpage.com/the-index-podcast/'>The Index </a> <a href='https://x.com/theindexshow'>X Channel</a> <a href='https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP-VGLfPNwianYhY-oqq5zg'>YouTube</a>

<description>&lt;p&gt;What if the world’s most powerful AI wasn’t controlled by a handful of tech giants, but was open, accessible, and owned by everyone?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In this episode of &lt;em&gt;The Index&lt;/em&gt;, we sit down with Vincent Weisser, Co-founder and CEO of Prime Intellect, to explore his groundbreaking vision for democratizing artificial intelligence. Vincent pulls back the curtain on the technical and philosophical innovations behind Prime Intellect, from distributed training systems that harness idle compute power around the world to the crypto-economic incentives designed to reward contributors and decentralize ownership.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At the core of Prime Intellect’s approach is a radical rethink of how we train the next generation of AI models. Instead of relying on massive, centralized data centers, Prime Intellect distributes the workload across decentralized networks, achieving similar results with far fewer communication demands. This breakthrough not only unlocks cost-effective training at a global scale, but also reshapes who can participate in the AI economy.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But this episode isn’t just about engineering. Vincent shares his bigger mission: building a world where intelligence is “too cheap to meter,” where abundance replaces scarcity, and where superintelligence becomes a public good, not a private monopoly. With the rapid pace of progress toward artificial general intelligence (AGI), the stakes have never been higher. As Vincent puts it, the race is on—not just to build AGI, but to decide &lt;em&gt;who&lt;/em&gt; will own and benefit from it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Whether you’re building, investing, researching, or just reflecting on the future of AI, this conversation will challenge your assumptions and offer a rare glimpse into one of the most ambitious open-source projects shaping the future of intelligence.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Explore more at &lt;a href='https://www.primeintellect.ai/'&gt;primeintellect.ai&lt;/a&gt; and follow on X at &lt;a href='https://x.com/primeintellect'&gt;x.com/primeintellect&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Show Links&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;a href='https://www.podpage.com/the-index-podcast/'&gt;The Index &lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;a href='https://x.com/theindexshow'&gt;X Channel&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;a href='https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP-VGLfPNwianYhY-oqq5zg'&gt;YouTube&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

What if the world’s most powerful AI wasn’t controlled by a handful of tech giants, but was open, accessible, and owned by everyone? In this episode of The Index, we sit down with Vincent Weisser, Co-founder and CEO of Prime Intellect, to explore his groundbreaking vision for democratizing artificial intelligence. Vincent pulls back the curtain on the technical and philosophical innovations behind Prime Intellect, from distributed training systems that harness idle compute power around the wo...

Building & Training Open AI Intelligence | Prime Intellect Co-founder Vincent Weisser

What’s indexing this week in crypto, blockchain, and open-source AI? Find out on The Index, where we feature exclusive conversations that go beyond code. Each week, host and entrepreneur Alex Kehaya talks with founders, developers, and investors who are shaping the future of Web3. From startup advice to breakthrough strategies, our guests share their stories and take a deep dive into the decentralized future.

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