Why Ethereum’s Potential Hasn’t Come True Yet

In this conversation, Karl Floersch, co-founder of Optimism and one of Ethereum's earliest builders, explains why AI agents could transform blockchain by autonomously trading, deploying smart contracts, and coordinating economic activity. He also discusses Optimism's long-term vision, the future of Ethereum scaling, why Base moving away from the OP Stack isn't the drama many believe, and how AI could finally unlock mass adoption for Web3. 00:00 AI + crypto: the next frontier 00:18 Why AI agents need blockchain 01:04 Machine intelligence meets market intelligence 02:40 The AI gold rush in crypto 04:09 What Optimism actually does 04:50 Base leaves the OP Stack: what really happened? 06:27 Why Karl left the Ethereum Foundation 07:25 The vision behind Layer 2s and the OP Stack 08:35 Why institutions matter for Ethereum's future 09:20 How AI could finally deliver Web3's promise 10:56 Final thoughts #AI #Ethereum #Crypto Follow COINTELEGRAPH: Website: https://cointelegraph.com/ Telegram: https://t.me/cointelegraph Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cointelegraph Twitter: https://twitter.com/cointelegraph Mobile app: https://linktr.ee/cointelegraph_mobile Cointelegraph covers everything Bitcoin, bringing you the latest news, prices, breakthroughs, and analysis, with emphasis on expert opinion and commentary from the digital currency community.