a16z

Livepeer has officially launched the Livepeer Foundation, a non-profit entity designed to steward the long-term growth and decentralization of its thriving video infrastructure network. 
The launch stands in direct contrast to a recent report by venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), which argued that the foundation model has outlived its usefulness in the crypto space. Livepeer, which operates the world’s largest decentralized video infrastructure network, believes the opposite: that credible neutrality and sustainable coordination still matter—especially as real-time AI video emerges as a transformative force in the industry. 
The Foundation is now live and fully operational, serving as the connective tissue between network participants, independent developers, and ecosystem builders.
“The Livepeer network is at a pivotal moment,” said Rich O’Grady, Executive Director of the Foundation. “Real-time AI video represents a massive opportunity, but realizing this potential requires more than product execution. The Foundation creates the coordination infrastructure needed to align our diverse ecosystem around shared goals while enabling broader community participation.”
The Case for Coordination Over Control
The Livepeer Foundation’s launch comes just weeks after a16z published a lengthy critique claiming that foundations have become an inefficient workaround for regulatory uncertainty and a drag on crypto innovation. According to a16z, developer companies—not foundations—should carry networks forward.
But Livepeer, a network that already processes millions of video minutes per week and serves applications reaching millions of users, sees things differently. The team believes that sustainable decentralization doesn’t emerge from abandoning shared governance, but from maturing it.
"Livepeer Inc remains dedicated to driving demand and finding product-market fit at the intersection of video and AI,” says Doug Petkanics, CEO of Livepeer, Inc. 
“The Foundation creates space for the community to run additional initiatives and contribute meaningfully to the network while we pursue our thesis for next-generation video platform," Petkanics added.

Why the Livepeer Model Defies the Trend
While a16z calls foundations a structural crutch, Livepeer is demonstrating how a well-designed foundation can function as a force multiplier. Rather than relying on vague mandates or rigid legal separations, the Livepeer Foundation has been structured around three pillars designed for scale and transparency:
Strategy and Vision through community-led Advisory BoardsCore Network Development in partnership with Special Purpose Entities (SPEs)Ecosystem Growth via targeted onboarding and grant support
Unlike many foundations criticized for centralizing power or lacking accountability, Livepeer’s structure is explicitly designed to decentralize decision-making over time. It introduces a multi-year roadmap that begins with support and gradually hands over protocol stewardship to the broader community.
A Rebuttal to the a16z Thesis
The a16z report argues that companies provide better incentive alignment, capital deployment, and talent acquisition. But Livepeer’s approach suggests that the dichotomy between companies and foundations is a false one. 
The Foundation doesn’t replace Livepeer Inc—it complements it. One focuses on commercialization, the other on coordination. Together, they allow the network to scale responsibly while maintaining open access and neutrality.
Furthermore, Livepeer’s team argues that removing foundations from the equation doesn’t remove centralization risks—it just hides them behind corporate structures.
Overall, Livepeer’s bet is that the next era of crypto won’t be built by abandoning coordination, but by doubling down on it—with transparency, community involvement, and a clear mission. While new tools like DUNAs and BORGs may enhance onchain governance in the future, Livepeer sees immediate, actionable value in a live, structured foundation that can execute today.

#CryptoNews #Livepeer #a16z #LivepeerFoundation

This article will describe the evolution of venture capital dynamics in blockchain-related entities over the past 15 years, focusing on the shift in some companies toward liquid investments, where VCs do not acquire equity but instead acquire tokens with a vesting schedule.
In addition, famous investment institutions like a16z will be listed as making their first investments in the crypto space, such as their investment in OpenCoin (later Ripple Labs) in April 2013.
In the early days of Bitcoin, from 2009 to 2012, VCs had little interest in the crypto space, so this article will start the analysis from 2012. It is also worth noting that the long-term correlation between Bitcoin price and funding amount does not disappear until 2023.

#a16z #trump #biden
Tyler Winklevoss called the debate “a must-see” and highlights “how terrible the Biden-Harris Administration has been for the cryptocurrency industry.”
Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) founders Ben Horowitz and Marc Andreessen recently discussed the various challenges the cryptocurrency industry has faced under the current administration, during which they also endorsed former President Donald Trump.
The founders were openly critical of the Biden-Harris Administration's handling of the cryptocurrency industry, highlighting a number of regulatory challenges that they believe are stifling innovation and growth in the sector.

A recent report from A16zcrypto titled 'Estimating the Number of Active Cryptocurrency Users' found that only up to 60 million current holders are actively using their cryptocurrency each month.
These numbers represent only 10% of the estimated 617 million global holders, a figure released by Crypto.com in June.
The report assesses that 'this difference shows there is a very large opportunity to convert current cryptocurrency holders — who are primarily passive holders — into active users.'

As 2024 approaches, giants in the cryptocurrency space such as a16z and Messari have released industry-leading research papers. These papers cover many aspects, including narratives such as DePin, DeSoc, and DeSci, depicting what the future cryptocurrency world will look like. This article will provide an in-depth interpretation of the views of these giants, while sharing a list of cryptocurrency stories that individuals are looking forward to in the new year.

a16z’s insights
a16z (Andreessen Horowitz) has been a significant player in the cryptocurrency space, and its 2024 Cryptocurrency Paper provides a valuable outlook for the industry. Concepts such as DePin (decentralized privacy), DeSoc (decentralized social networking), and DeSci (decentralized technology) involved in the paper reveal to us the possible development direction of future technology. The realization of these concepts is expected to change our understanding of digital assets and create a more secure, privacy-protecting, and social cryptocurrency experience.