The Real Happy Meal Is Financial Sovereignty
PLUS: Verifiable AI, Ethereum’s next big upgrade (Pectra), and everything else you should know this week.
We didn’t think we’d open this week’s newsletter with McDonald’s — but here we are.
A conservative think tank (and McDonald’s shareholder) just asked the fast food giant to add Bitcoin to its balance sheet. Yes, really.
The proposal argued that Bitcoin is a better store of value than real estate — and much more liquid. Their pitch? McDonald’s isn’t just a burger chain, it’s a real estate empire. So why not stack BTC too?
The SEC stepped in and sided with McDonald’s, giving them the go-ahead to ignore the request under “ordinary business operations.” Translation: the Bitcoin plan won’t even be brought up at the shareholder meeting in May.
Still, it’s telling — what used to be a meme (corporate BTC treasuries) is now a recurring boardroom discussion. Even at the golden arches.
📖 Read the full story via The Block →
You might not walk away with any McSats this week… but you should get some fries for making it through this issue.
We’re diving into an absolute gem from the Web3 corner of YouTube — content that doesn’t just explain the future, it levels you up for it. and ofc, so much more.
Let’s get into it 👇
Verifiable AI: The Future of Agents, Governance & Autonomy
First up — if you’re not already following Jordan Mickiny on YouTube, do yourself a favor and fix that. Right now.
The production quality? Chef’s kiss. The content? even better.
This week’s featured video hits right at the intersection we’ve been talking about - especially as we kick off our AI Editions every Tuesday.
These two technologies - AI and crypto - aren’t just evolving in parallel. They’re on a collision course. And the fusion? It’s going to be massive. AGI is approaching fast — and with it, the rise of millions of high-IQ agents capable of running science, investment firms, and even governance.
But without verifiability - the kind made possible by systems like Ethereum and EigenLayer - these agents risk becoming tools of centralized control rather than public infrastructure.
Crypto offers something AI alone can’t: transparent, permissionless systems and an open financial layer that can empower truly autonomous agents. As AI evolves into a universal interface for everything - from booking travel to managing DeFi strategies to summarizing the news - ensuring that these systems remain trustworthy becomes critical.
That’s where verifiable AI comes in: models whose outputs, memory, tools, and decision-making processes can be independently audited, so the power behind the interface stays accountable. Jordan also dives into deeper questions — reimagining what structures we’ll need as AI becomes embedded in society, from new models of governance to fully autonomous orgs. It’s not just a technical discussion - it’s a political and philosophical one too.
Pectra Upgrade Set for May
Ethereum’s upcoming Pectra upgrade, scheduled for May 7, marks a major leap forward for the network’s performance and usability. Combining changes to both the execution layer (Prague) and the consensus layer (Electra), Pectra introduces technical improvements that make staking more efficient, validator management more flexible, and wallet interactions smarter. For example, validators will now be able to stake more than 32 ETH without having to split into multiple nodes, and exits can be triggered directly from withdrawal addresses—reducing reliance on custodians and improving decentralization. Validator deposits will also process much faster, shrinking onboarding time from hours to minutes.
On the user side, EIP-7702 brings Ethereum closer to account abstraction, allowing regular wallets to temporarily behave like smart contracts during a transaction. That means smarter UX, custom authentication, and the kind of seamless wallet experience that could finally onboard the next wave of users. While these changes won’t make headlines like a flashy price move might, they’re a powerful reminder of what’s being built under the hood.
The protocol keeps evolving — and with upgrades like Pectra, Ethereum is pushing past its limitations and getting closer to its full potential. We’re still early. And it’s exciting.
If you want to dive deeper and explore the technical details behind Pectra — from validator key structures to the nuances of execution layer exits — we’ve got you. Here’s the full breakdown from Consensys.
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🛰️ Eigen Summer Fellowship Just Landed
EigenLayer has officially launched its Summer Fellowship program - an 8-week, in-person experience designed for ambitious builders at the frontier of crypto infrastructure.
Fellows will work alongside the Eigen team to prototype agent-powered apps, experiment with AVS tooling, and contribute to the growing restaking ecosystem.
-Seattle (on-site)
- 8 weeks | Summer 2025
- $5,000/month + housing + meals
- Mentorship from Eigen core contributors including @sreeramkannan and @dabit3
With fast build cycles, weekly demos, and potential pathways to full-time roles, this fellowship is designed for those ready to move quickly and build with purpose.
Cornell Tech Crypto Conference - April 25th
Cornell's "New Era of U.S. Innovation in Crypto" Conference is coming to NYC on April 25th. The lineup features notable speakers from Visa, MoonPay, Fireblocks, and Ava Labs, along with regulatory perspectives from NYDFS.
Panel topics include DeFi developments, Crypto-AI integration, stablecoin competition, and comparative blockchain architectures. The event concludes with the Cornell Blockchain Accelerator Demo Day.
Early Bird tickets available until April 4th: $10 for students, $50 general admission.
Yale Blockchain Conference - April 4th
You thought we were done after one Ivy? Think again. We’re heading to Yale to explore how blockchain is reshaping industries - from finance and infrastructure to art, AI, and beyond.
Hear from speakers at Paradigm, a16z crypto, Microsoft, BitGo, Galaxy, Movement Labs, the Whitney Museum, and more as we dive into the theme:
“Blockchain Applications Across Industries.”
Panel topics include decentralized infrastructure, institutional adoption, cultural innovation, and the next wave of crypto-native products.
CollegeDAO members receive an exclusive discount - use promo code COLLEGEDAO for student tickets.
Job Opportunities & Internships
Crypto Data Scientist Intern – Apply Here | Token Metrics
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AI Research Intern - Apply Here | Sentient
Analytics Engineer - Apply Here | Messari
internal Audit Analyst - Apply Here | Coinbase
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From protocol labs to VC firms, our students have landed roles at places like Coinbase, Pantera, dYdX, Solayer, and more.
Whether you’re polishing your resume, preparing for a technical screen, or figuring out where you actually want to be — we’ve got your back. 👇
TOKEN2049 RESULTS COMING SOON :)
TOKEN2049 Dubai kicks off in just a few weeks (April 30 – May 1), setting the stage for one of the most pivotal years in Web3 yet. With 40,000+ attendees expected across the full global series — from Dubai to SuperAI Singapore (June) to the flagship TOKEN2049 Singapore (October) — the AI x crypto convergence isn’t just real, it’s global.
This year, student energy is at an all-time high — and the College DAO presence? Let’s just say it’s going to be felt. We know many of you are waiting on app confirmations — hang tight. We’ve got you.
Outside of that, things have been pretty calm this week in crypto.
No major fires, no juicy announcements — just a solid stretch of learning, building, and leveling up.
Well… actually, there is something.
Sam Bankman-Fried is now headed to a “notoriously tough” federal prison in California, before being transferred to a low-security facility in LA.
No joke — that was the actual headline in our inbox.
We read it, now you have to too. And speaking of upgrades — we hope this week’s issue gave you something new to think about, build toward, or explore further.
Whether you’re deep in finals mode, hunting down internships, or just vibing through April — remember:
The frontier doesn’t slow down. And neither do you.
We’ll see you next Tuesday with fresh roles, sharp recaps, and some wild new AI drops from Google we can’t wait to unpack.