Open Conversations: Building the Systems of Tomorrow (Ethan Frey & Jake Hartnell)

Thu, Oct 2, 2025, 12:00 AM

Web2 gave us speed, scale, and easy access to the world’s information—but only by concentrating trust in single systems. Web3 promised trustless confidence through distributed ledgers—but at the cost of speed, scope, and siloed computation. In this Open Conversation, Ethan Frey (CTO of Layer) and Jake Hartnell (CEO of Layer) explore how we can combine the best of both worlds. Together, they argue that programmable value, open networks, and strong communities are the building blocks for institutions that really serve society. Filmed at Funding the Commons Forum Berlin, June 2025. Relevant Projects: Layer: https://layer.xyz Funding the Commons: https://www.fundingthecommons.io Thank You to Our Sponsors: Protocol Labs: https://www.protocol.ai NEAR Foundation: https://near.foundation Stellar Development Foundation: https://stellar.org Layer: https://layer.xyz Octant: https://octant.app human.tech by Holonym Foundation: https://human.tech/ Drips: https://drips.network Self Protocol: https://self.xyz/ Gitcoin: https://gitcoin.co