Mighty Buddha
AI, DePIN and emerging tech — through the lens of utility, adoption and human behavior.
I share my views and observations predominantly on X, exploring the intersection of decentralized technology and human psychology. From cognitive biases that fuel hype cycles to the adoption barriers that kill promising projects — I focus on the patterns most people miss. In a space engineered to extract value from unsuspecting participants, I believe critical thinking and honest discourse are the best tools we have. No shilling, no hype — just signal.
Follow on XWhat I care about
Background in clinical psychology and corporate change management. Now applying that lens to the technologies reshaping how we think, work and interact.
The psychology of technology adoption — why people resist, adopt or abandon new tools, and what builders consistently get wrong
Cognitive biases in crypto and AI — from sunk-cost traps in node running to confirmation bias in project evaluation
Real utility over speculation — focusing on what decentralized infrastructure actually delivers versus what it promises
Honest project assessment — looking at communication, transparency and community health as indicators of long-term viability
The human cost of hype — how the space churns through people and what it takes to navigate it without getting burned
Tools and projects I’m actively using
What is DePIN?
DePIN stands for Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks. Instead of relying on centralized corporations to provide cloud computing, data storage, networking or connectivity, DePIN projects let everyday people contribute physical resources — a spare phone, a hard drive, bandwidth — and earn rewards in return.
Think of it as the infrastructure layer of Web3: real hardware, real utility, run by real people rather than a handful of data centres. The promise is compelling. The reality is still being tested. That tension is exactly what makes it worth paying attention to.
Where does AI fit in?
AI systems are only as good as the data they train on and the compute they run on. Several DePIN projects are building the decentralized backbone for AI — providing distributed compute, verified data pipelines and open infrastructure that challenges the dominance of a few large providers. Whether this delivers on its promise remains an open question, and one I explore regularly.
Acurast is building a decentralized cloud computing network powered by mobile phones. Anyone with a compatible device can become a compute provider, contributing processing power to a permissionless, censorship-resistant infrastructure layer.
One of the more tangible DePIN projects — you can actually see your phone doing real work. Onboarding has friction, but the team is actively improving it.
DeNet provides decentralized file storage built on the peaq network. Instead of trusting a single cloud provider with your data, files are distributed across a network of independent storage providers — encrypted, redundant and censorship-resistant.
Storage is one of DePIN’s clearest use cases. DeNet is tackling it with a focus on mobile accessibility and ease of use.
Grass is building a decentralized data and context layer for AI. By contributing unused internet bandwidth, participants help create verified, structured datasets that AI models need for training — while maintaining transparency about where that data comes from.
The AI data supply chain is one of the least understood and most important pieces of the puzzle. Grass is attempting to decentralize it.
Anyone Protocol is a decentralized anonymity network built on Tor technology. It provides private, censorship-resistant internet access through a distributed network of relay operators — combined with a staking mechanism that incentivises participation and network growth.
Privacy infrastructure is foundational. Anyone Protocol combines proven Tor technology with DePIN incentives, which is an interesting model to watch evolve.
Hidden domain service: mightybuddha.anyone
Want to talk?
DM me on X, ping me on Telegram, or send an email. Open to conversations about DePIN adoption, AI’s impact on how we work and think, or anything you think I’m getting wrong.