TLDR;
- Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev predicts a new wave of solo entrepreneurs empowered by AI and blockchain.
- He suggests the future will see “one-person companies” tokenized and traded like assets.
- Tenev compares Bitcoin to a personal brand created by one individual—Satoshi Nakamoto.
- The rise of AI agents and tokenized assets could redefine ownership, identity, and trust online.
Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev believes that artificial intelligence and blockchain technology will give rise to the next Satoshi Nakamoto.
AI Could Empower the “Next Satoshi”
Reflecting on how Bitcoin was created by a single anonymous figure, Tenev argued at the Bitcoin 2025 conference in Las Vegas Tuesday, that future innovation will increasingly be the work of solo builders, powered by powerful AI tools and decentralized infrastructure.
“We’re approaching a world where companies of one will become the norm,” said Tenev. “These individuals will use AI to generate value at scale, and blockchain to tokenize and trade that value globally.”
According to him, anyone with a laptop, a neural network, and a blockchain address could become a new kind of economic entity, capable of attracting investment, offering services, or launching protocols independently.
The Rise of Tokenized Individuals
Tenev went further to describe a future where people themselves, or at least their projects, can be invested in directly through tokenization. These tokenized entities could be traded on-chain much like stocks or bonds, allowing global investors to back innovators without the need for traditional intermediaries.
“Bitcoin is, in many ways, Satoshi’s personal brand backed by technology,” said Tenev. “What if that model becomes more common?”
This isn’t just theory. Robinhood is reportedly developing a blockchain-based platform to trade U.S. securities in Europe, with Arbitrum and Solana emerging as potential tech partners. The platform would enable tokenized equities to be traded peer-to-peer, marking a shift from centralized exchanges to decentralized, borderless finance.
Aptos CEO: AI Agents Need Crypto Access
Tenev’s vision echoes recent statements from Aptos Labs CEO Avery Ching, who emphasized the need for AI agents to access on-chain assets such as cryptocurrencies, tokenized real estate, and even digital treasuries. With this access, AI agents could build and manage personalized financial portfolios, making investing smarter and more accessible.
“We’re heading toward an economy where both liquidity and intelligence are decentralized,” Ching said. “AI agents can unlock massive efficiencies, but only if they’re integrated into the crypto ecosystem.”
He also highlighted blockchain’s potential as a defense mechanism against AI-generated misinformation. With data hashed and timestamped on a public ledger, the original content can always be verified—an increasingly crucial feature in an age of synthetic media.
One-Person Economies
While Tenev’s vision might seem futuristic, it aligns with growing trends in the tech world. The combination of AI’s automation and blockchain’s transparency is creating the conditions for “one-person economies” to flourish. These individuals could create, market, and monetize projects at a global scale without the need for staff, offices, or even banks.
