Recently, Anthony Pompliano had an insightful conversation with JP Thor, a lead contributor to Thorchain, discussing an array of groundbreaking ideas about the future of humanity, technology, and cryptocurrency. This article brings you the key parts of the discussion. You can watch the full conversation at the end of this piece.
The Myth of Peak Humanity
JP Thor eloquently debunks the idea that humanity has reached its peak. He calls this notion an “absolute fallacy” perpetuated by those who wish to decelerate progress. “The next billion years are incredibly exciting, and we can be involved in that. Humanity hasn’t peaked; the population should be 100x bigger. We should be on many other planets and stars,” he asserts.
Thorchain: Decentralized, Resilient, and Robust
Thor explains the philosophy and journey behind creating Thorchain, which aimed to be decentralized and community-driven from inception. “I knew that the protocol had to be launched on its own merits and had to solve some hardcore technology problems first. It shouldn’t have an ego attached to it,” he clarifies.
Thorchain is presently a leading decentralized cross-chain liquidity protocol, vital for the crypto community. “Thorchain is currently the largest, so 80% of cross-chain liquidity flows between major assets like Bitcoin, ETH, and Dogecoin,” says Thor.
Anonymous Founders and Community-Driven Development
One of the highlights of the talk was JP Thor’s journey as an anonymous founder. He shared, “My fake profile was this Dev on the Discord called Lena, a humble, mediocre dev. It was very disarming for people to approach me because of my outward projection of who I was.”
Building with Small Teams and Community Resources
Thorchain was developed with a small core team but leveraged a much larger community. “We built the team around five core engineers, but we had probably 100 engineers globally distributed, working remotely through developer grants and ecosystem initiatives,” notes JP Thor.
The Future of Silicon Machines and Human Evolution
JP Thor envisions a future where silicon machines will take over much of what humanity currently does. “Our purpose is to hand that responsibility over to the silicon machines so they can explore the universe and continue to express intelligence,” he says.
He further elaborates on how these silicon machines could surpass us, “Silicon machines are not just tools; soon they will become conscious as they gain the ability to express agency and accrue value. They will navigate the universe and potentially surpass human capabilities in every domain.”
Challenges and Opportunities in Crypto
JP Thor delves into the complexities of the current crypto landscape, especially around regulation and brand perception. “Crypto needs a rebranding and needs to redefine what actually DeFi is. It allows free transfer of value with very little middleman intervention, offering better finance options like better lending terms and better savings terms,” says JP Thor.
He is also actively working on advanced solutions to improve self-custody and user experience within DeFi. “I’m raising $50 million to do a giant DeFi rollup, solving user experience problems and branding issues to aggregate services into a larger, more reliable ecosystem,” he reveals.
Living Beyond Earth: A Vision for Human Evolution
JP Thor’s vision extends far beyond terrestrial boundaries. He discusses ambitious ideas like creating a “giant accelerator tunnel in Mount Everest to shoot pods into space at Mach 20.” He argues, “Our purpose is to export humanity’s genetic and memetic repositories to Mars and beyond.”
His most radical idea involves removing human brains from their bodies to place them in silicon bodies that are more capable of surviving and thriving in space. “Your skeleton is just a vehicle to express agency and intelligence. I’d like to see us develop the technology to take our brains out, map our spinal cords onto new devices, and send these into space for longer, more sustainable lives,” he predicts.