Why One Internet Pioneer Thinks The Original Model Broke

a16z’s Joel de la Garza sits down with DoxxNet founder Barrett Lyon to discuss what it would take to rebuild the internet around privacy, direct communication, and less dependence on centralized intermediaries.

Barrett explains why he thinks traditional VPNs only solve part of the problem and how DoxxNet is building a parallel mesh network where users can communicate peer-to-peer, transfer large files, make calls, and message without routing those interactions through a central application server. He also explains why the company owns its infrastructure and runs its AI systems locally rather than relying on third-party inference providers. doxxnet_assembly

They also get into the growing amount of tracking embedded across the internet, what happens when that data can be analyzed by increasingly capable AI, and why Barrett believes the underlying protocols of the internet are due for another wave of experimentation. Along the way, he shares lessons from decades of building internet infrastructure, from fighting early DDoS attacks to mapping the internet and building global networks.

Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
00:51 - Barrett's engine failure over Oakland
07:08 - What Doxxnet actually is
10:11 - When censorship comes home to the US
12:59 - Why VPNs don't cut it
17:56 - The FBI's trojan messaging app
22:05 - Running a network with AI, no sysadmin
25:03 - The data center misinformation campaign
28:40 - Ad trackers know you better than your spouse
32:35 - Prolexic, Russian hackers, and MoMA

Resources:
Learn more about DoxxNet: https://doxx.net
Follow Barrett Lyon on X: https://x.com/BarrettLyon
Follow Joel de la Garza on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/3448827723723234/

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