a16z Podcast

NFTs, Explained

Linda Xie, Jesse Walden, and Sonal Chokshi

Posted November 25, 2021

Given all the activity and interest recently around crypto and web3, as well as in upcoming holidays and art events, we’re re-running our episode all about NFTs (from March 2021) — where we covered everything you need or want to know about NFTs. You can also find a curated list of resources to learn all about NFTs at future.com/nftcanon. That list, and this episode, has something for everyone — from artists and creators and other builders to big companies and institutions or just anyone seeking to understand or even explain to others NFTs.

Here, we’ve cut through the noise around NFTs to share the signal, covering everything from:

  • what NFTs are and the underlying crypto big picture, before we dig into specifically what forms they take;
  • common myths and misconceptions — from confusing overlaps with other concepts to addressing commentary like it’s “just a JPG” or that it’s just hype
  • to the question of energy use, also covering briefly how NFTs work
  • providing a quick overview of the players/ ecosystem
  • and throughout, covering various applications too.

Joining host Sonal Chokshi are Jesse Walden, now of Variant Fund, and formerly co-founder of Mediachain Labs, which was acquired by Spotify; and Linda Xie, now of Scalar Capital, and formerly an early product manager at Coinbase. As a reminder, NONE of the following should be taken as investment advice, for more important information please see a16z.com/disclosures.

More About This Podcast

The a16z Podcast discusses the most important ideas within technology with the people building it. Each episode aims to put listeners ahead of the curve, covering topics like AI, energy, genomics, space, and more.

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