Podcast Summary: "Uneasy Money: In a World of AI, Are Dino Privacy Coins a Good Bet?"

Podcast: Unchained
Host: Laura Shin
Guests: K. Warrick, Taylor Monahan (Metamask), Luca Net (Pudgy Penguins)
Date: January 18, 2026

Episode Theme Overview

This episode of "Uneasy Money" dives deep into the resurgence of privacy coins like Monero (XMR) and Zcash (ZEC) against the backdrop of an increasingly AI-driven and surveilled digital world. The hosts discuss whether these so-called "dino" coins are poised for a comeback, regulatory headwinds, technical differences between privacy coin architectures, and the broader intersections of blockchain, Web3, and social platforms like Twitter/X. Intertwined are candid reflections on crypto Twitter dramas, meme coins, the Ethereum evolution, and the technical and social battles shaping the future of crypto.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Altcoins, Privacy Coins, and AI: A New Meta?

• Bitcoin and Alt Season:
  K. Warrick kicks off discussing recent price action:
  “Bitcoin's gone from whatever, like 85k to 97 or something. We're about to go over 100k again. But let's talk about Monero...” (01:53)
• Monero and Zcash Surging:
  Monero reached new highs, compared by Peter Brandt to silver's historic breakout.
  “Peter Brandt compared Monero's long-term chart structure to silver’s decades-long consolidation before its breakout...” – K. Warrick (03:19)
• Dino Coins’ Endurance:
  Luca Net emphasizes their longevity despite regulatory scrutiny:
  “They have the standing of the test of time, which I think is important... I would be surprised if those two weren't in the top 10 performers over the next 10 years in crypto.” (05:08) Taylor Monahan updates: “No, no, Monero is at 780 now.” (03:16)
• AI & Privacy Layer Relevance:
  Luca Net draws a line connecting the rise of AI with the renewed importance of privacy coins: “If you think AI is going to be even a fraction of what we think, these privacy dino coins are going to be really good bets... Digital privacy tokenized via fixed supply is actually going to be extremely valuable.” (05:08)

2. Privacy Coins: Regulatory and Technical Hurdles

• Regulatory Troubles:
  K. Warrick outlines the scrutiny privacy coins face:
  “Tokens that were hit the hardest by [regulation] are obviously the privacy tokens... privacy is in its own category of regulatory overreach...” (06:55)
• Internal Governance Mess:
  “They're old tokens. Right? So their governance is a shit show as always.” – K. Warrick (03:19)
• Technical Differences:
  Taylor Monahan explains Monero’s ring signatures versus Zcash’s zk-SNARKs:
  “The technicals of XMR... they have these things called ring signatures... you're just creating a whole bunch of fake transactions and you're hiding in the mess. Where Zcash is actually all ZK obfuscation.” (09:56) “The main thing that's preventing you from having good privacy with Monero and Zcash is liquidity.” (09:56)

3. On-chain Privacy versus Real-world Privacy

• Opsec Failures:
  Taylor: “The reality is... still less about the onchain [privacy]... Your device is still talking to 8,000 advertisers... people are just really careless with their opsec in general.” (11:28)
• Example Fumble:
  K. Warrick recounts a near-catastrophe with his zcash wallet: “I had a long thread where I thought I lost like a couple hundred grand... I was sitting there for like four hours... I think I might have burned $10 million.” (13:04)

4. Market Narratives: Meme Coins, Rugs, and the PvP Meta

• Meme Coin Mayhem:
  K. Warrick on recurring scams:
  “If someone makes an NYC token, like, don't buy it. That's absolutely financial advice.” (15:02) Luca Net notes, “Safe Moon got 10 years for this. So, I don't know. Crazy...” (16:35)
• Celebrity Grifts:
  “This is the crypto equivalent of... selling the Brooklyn Bridge. Like, I'm selling the New York City IP. Like, it's New York City coin, bro. Just buy it.” – K. Warrick (17:09) Taylor sums up community frustration:
  “It frustrates me that really blatant scammers... can do this and everything’s fine, and that’s taking a huge amount of money away from more valuable things.” (17:55)
• It's Just PvP:
  “It’s literally just a PvP thing and people are betting on it, like, that’s it.” – K. Warrick (18:30)

5. Ethereum, Ossification, and Competing Chains

• Vitalik's Walkway Test:
  K. Warrick explores the “walkaway test” ala Vitalik:
  “Ethereum shouldn’t rely on humans, emergency coordination, or benevolent maintainers to keep running... the chain should be able to ossify to a point where it just works even if we’re all dead.” (21:58) Gabe Shapiro calls this “the Bahamas test.”
• Different Blockchain Philosophies:
  Luca Net:
  “There’s two different type of blockchains: one that is a human necessity... And those that are borderless payment rails. The conundrum is value accrual may differ between these classes.” (24:24)
• Ethereum’s Technical Progress:
  “Somehow in the last 2-3 years, it really feels like it’s compressed and we’ve got some stuff coming that could actually be the most immutable and the fastest...” – K. Warrick (27:36) Taylor: “For years I was like, is [proof of stake] going to ship?” (32:55)
• Tension as a Strength:
  “If you read Vitalik’s writings as a pretty sizable, influential piece, but... it’s not really actually going to completely change people’s incentives, then... it’s a better way of operating.” – Taylor (28:54)
• Credit and Critique of Ethereum Foundation:
  “We should give credit to EF when they get things right and we should criticize them when they don’t... The technical roadmap, the long term investment... is not incompatible with also finding ways to help curate the ecosystem.” – K. Warrick (36:49)

6. Solana Competition and Community Vibes

• Ecosystem EQ:
  Luca: “Everyone here is always excelled on the IQ side of things. But, like, that emotional... that makes the difference. They’ve been doing a really good job there.” (38:45)
• User Experience Wars:
  “If I’m a new user, I go on Phantom, I fund... I still think today it’s probably still the best experience. But, hey, Metamask is getting a lot better.” (38:45)
• The Race Isn’t Over:
  “Who’s going to win the blockchain race is yet to be seen.” – Luca (40:24)

7. Crypto Twitter/X, Algorithm Chaos, and Social Platform Strategy

• Algos and Engagement:
  K. Warrick recounts a period where crypto content was shadowbanned or deprioritized:
  “There was only one topic you could talk about at any time... almost every person with 50, 100, 250k followers just stopped getting any engagement.” (41:13) Nikita, X’s new head of product (with Solana ties): “This is not our fault. You guys are suiciding yourselves by ruining your own reach by tweeting GM all the time.” (43:50)
• Bot vs Human Reach:
  “The organic reach was almost zero... bots don’t care. Bots will brigade everything you do... Hunter seeker bots that are coming to fud you.” – K. Warrick (45:49)
• Fixes and Workarounds:
  Luca Net: “We’ve obviously made a focus to distribute our communities through a bunch of different platforms, which I recommend any builder and founder listening to, like, make that a really big focus.” (45:09) Taylor on personal tactics: “The way I got rid of the political stuff from sneaking in is to share the cat videos or the sugar glider videos. But then... I’m not actually fixing my feed, right?” (48:23)
• On Bots and Scams:
  “Remember the whole premise for Elon getting out of buying X... was the bots he was going to shut down bots. Bots are so much worse now than they’ve ever been.” – K. Warrick (49:54) Taylor: “On the MetaMask account, we’d tweet and then hide [bot] replies. Over time, they just stop replying... Fishers do actually monitor their campaigns.” (52:10)

8. Looking Ahead: Platform Integrations and Alt Season Potential

• Buying Crypto on X?
  “If this cash tag thing works and Twitter now allows you to buy crypto on Twitter... you want an alt season, that’s where it’s coming from.” – K. Warrick (53:17) Taylor pushes back: “Wait, you’re buying alt season? K, this seems like lower brow meme coin season.” (53:38) Luca: “I gotta hustle a Twitter listing. That’s my new focus.” (53:45)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Privacy Coins & AI:
  “Anybody who understands AI understands that something like [privacy coins] is going to be very valuable.”
  – Luca Net (05:08)

• On Meme Coin Scams:
  “If someone makes an NYC token, like, don’t buy it. That’s absolutely financial advice.”
  – K. Warrick (15:02)

• On Current Crypto Twitter:
  “You could imagine, like, this could just be an underground knife fight and people are betting on people trying to kill each other. Like, it's literally just a PvP thing and people are betting on it.”
  – K. Warrick (18:30)

• On Ethereum Philosophy:
  “There’s two different types of blockchains, right? There’s a blockchain that is a human necessity... and there are blockchains whose businesses are to compete with Visa, MasterCard, Stripe, PayPal...”
  – Luca Net (24:24)

• On Progress & Trade-offs:
  “Most of the long term bets, even if the timing has been wrong... have paid off, and we're now in a period of time where it might be the best blockchain without any of the trade offs.”
  – K. Warrick (32:55)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:53] – Altcoins, Privacy Coin Rally, Regulatory Hurdles
• [05:08] – AI, Privacy Meta, Long-term Value, Luca’s Dino Coin Bet
• [09:56] – Technical Deep Dive: Monero vs Zcash & Privacy Tech
• [13:04] – K. Warrick’s $10M Wallet Panic
• [15:02] – Meme Coin Scams, Rugs, NYC Token Disaster
• [21:58] – Vitalik’s “Walkway Test” and Blockchain Ossification
• [24:24] – Blockchain Philosophy: Human Necessity vs Business
• [32:55] – Ethereum Upgrades: Proof of Stake, Long-term Bets
• [38:45] – Ecosystem Community/Emotional Intelligence
• [41:13] – Twitter/X Algorithmic Chaos
• [45:09] – Adapting Crypto Communities to Social Platform Risk
• [49:54] – Bots vs People on X, The Ongoing Spam Problem
• [53:17] – Alt Season or Meme Coin Mania if Buying on X Launches

Tone & Style

Authentic, irreverent, slightly chaotic, and deeply embedded in crypto-native humor and language. The hosts riff on each other, sharing both technical and cultural insights with self-deprecating candor, profanity, and lived experience as builders in the space. The episode oscillates between bullish speculation, technical detail, market battle stories, and critiques of both industry and community foibles.

Conclusion

This lively episode delivers both a macro and a micro look at how crypto—especially privacy coins—could matter more than ever in a world ruled by AI and surveillance. Listeners walk away with a nuanced appreciation for the regulatory battles, the technical architectures, market psychology, and the evolving overlap of crypto with mainstream social platforms. Whether you're a privacy purist, a meme coin realist, or an Ethereum philosopher, this episode gives you plenty to chew on—and more than a few laughs along the way.