Today I'm excited to announce a new chapter of Story: Chapter 2. Chapter 1 was about laying the tech foundations: building a purpose-built L1, the programmable IP protocol, and proving out early use cases. >200k+ IPs later, including some of the most iconic IPs in the world, we achieved that. But there's still so much to do. Chapter 2 is about addressing the most pressing needs of the next decade when it comes to data, IP and AI. My theses: >> 1. real world data is now the biggest bottleneck of AI. I'm hearing left and right in convos with AI companies that now that the internet is scraped, the next frontier is *real world data*. this type of data can't be crawled like regular online content. It's scarce, it's personal, and it's a new form of IP that the biggest AI companies are all scrambling for. Data providers deserve to be compensated when their data trains the next autonomous robot, and Story will be the data layer that makes this possible. More to come on this very soon. >> 2. the world's biggest IP needs to be set free, not locked away. we started with the top music in the world (e.g. Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Black Pink, BTS, ...). The breadth and scope of the $70T IP market is SO vast that we have lots more work to do! By bringing the best IP onchain, we make it easier for the world to remix, turn it into a liquid asset class, and as a result easier to monetize. >> 3. we need to flip the licensing model on its head. remixing is human nature. Remember the studio ghibli moment? This is culture now: instant, viral and unstoppable...(and theoretically illegal!) people create first, ask permission never. I believe the future isn't about preventing/stopping natural behavior, it's about brands being smart enough to embrace viral moments with modern tools to retroactively license great content. We're building that. More to come on this too. This isn't just about disrupting this archaic system. It's about accepting that the world has fundamentally changed: AI will remix everything, creators will mash up whatever they want, IP has to evolve and adapt to this, not the other way around. I strongly believe we can build a world where creation is permissionless but still profitable and sustainable. Where AI companies pay for the precious real-world data they train on. Where the default reaction to IP use is not a DMCA takedown or a cease and desist, but a new monetization opportunity that is win win for both the IP holder and the creator. All of this will be made possible on Story. Much more to come. Very packed rest of the year.