a16z crypto: The Most Resilient Infrastructure Companies Build Application Verification Technologies Themselves
a16z crypto stated that the most durable infrastructure companies do not wait for external developers to validate their technologies, but instead build applications on their own tracks first, thereby proving their capability to require others to build.
This viewpoint emphasizes that infrastructure projects need to validate product-market fit through self-use verification.
Source: Public Information
ABAB AI Insight
a16z crypto has previously invested in several blockchain infrastructure projects, and this viewpoint continues its investment philosophy of "infrastructure first building applications," similar to how early projects like Solana and Aptos validated their network capabilities through self-built DeFi and NFT applications.
In terms of capital, infrastructure companies prioritize resources for their own application development, directing funds towards vertical scene validation, motivated by attracting external developers and capital through real usage data.
Similar to how AWS served Amazon internally before opening up in the Web2 era, this statement highlights the transition of blockchain infrastructure from purely foundational to application-driven stages.
Essentially, this is a reconstruction of technology validation: infrastructure companies prove their capabilities through self-built applications, lowering the barriers for external adoption, and shifting pricing power towards platforms that can validate in a closed loop. The mechanism is that real usage data is more persuasive than white papers, with funds concentrating on infrastructure that has tangible products rather than conceptual projects.
ABAB News · Law of Cognition
Self-use first attracts others to co-build.
Infrastructure is not just a track, but also a runway.
The faster the validation loop, the steeper the adoption curve.