Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 days ago
What happens when AI agents become the internet’s dominant users?
This week, Jason sits down with Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince to explore how AI agents could fundamentally reshape the internet’s business model.
They discuss 1,000x agent traffic, why everything wrong with the world is Google's fault, AI flattening organizations, micropayments at unprecedented scale, and whether AI becomes the new interface to the internet. Enjoy!
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Intro
00:45 How The Internet Got Here
05:52 Did Ads Break Society?
10:20 Why AI Labs Fear Google
16:59 What Cloudflare Actually Does
19:56 Ads (Token2049, Avalanche Summit)
21:35 When Cloudflare Went AI-First
27:20 AI Is Flattening Companies
35:39 What Happens To Human Work?
39:18 Why Public Markets Work Better
43:59 Who Pays For The Agent Internet?
54:08 Do Agents Need Blockchains?
01:01:09 What Breaks In The Agent Internet?
01:07:30 Will AI Become The Internet?
FOLLOW GUEST
› Matthew – https://x.com/eastdakota
› Cloudflare – cloudflare.com
FOLLOW THE SHOW
› Empire – https://x.com/theempirepod
› Jason – https://x.com/jasonyanowitz
› Telegram – https://t.me/+CaCYvTOB4Eg1OWJh
› Blockworks – https://x.com/Blockworks
EVENTS
› Join us at Digital Asset Summit 2026 Asia October 7th & Digital Asset 2026 London November 10-11th
blockworks.com/events
› TOKEN2049 Singapore is back October 7–8, bringing together 25,000 attendees, 300 speakers, and 500 exhibitors for one of the biggest weeks in crypto.
Get your TOKEN2049 tickets here: checkout.token2049.com/events/asia?promo=DASPODCAST10&utm_source=Empire&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=daspodcast&utm_id=DASPODCAST
› Avalanche Summit NYC lands Sept. 16–17. Save 15% with code BLOCKWORKS15: avalanchesummit.com/registration
DISCLAIMER
Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only. Any views expressed are opinions, not financial advice. Hosts and guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.
What happens when AI agents become the internet’s dominant users?
This week, Jason sits down with Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince to explore how AI agents could fundamentally reshape the internet’s business model.
They discuss 1,000x agent traffic, why everything wrong with the world is Google's fault, AI flattening organizations, micropayments at unprecedented scale, and whether AI becomes the new interface to the internet. Enjoy!
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Intro
00:45 How The Internet Got Here
05:52 Did Ads Break Society?
10:20 Why AI Labs Fear Google
16:59 What Cloudflare Actually Does
19:56 Ads (Token2049, Avalanche Summit)
21:35 When Cloudflare Went AI-First
27:20 AI Is Flattening Companies
35:39 What Happens To Human Work?
39:18 Why Public Markets Work Better
43:59 Who Pays For The Agent Internet?
54:08 Do Agents Need Blockchains?
01:01:09 What Breaks In The Agent Internet?
01:07:30 Will AI Become The Internet?
FOLLOW GUEST
› Matthew – https://x.com/eastdakota
› Cloudflare – cloudflare.com
FOLLOW THE SHOW
› Empire – https://x.com/theempirepod
› Jason – https://x.com/jasonyanowitz
› Telegram – https://t.me/+CaCYvTOB4Eg1OWJh
› Blockworks – https://x.com/Blockworks
EVENTS
› Join us at Digital Asset Summit 2026 Asia October 7th & Digital Asset 2026 London November 10-11th
blockworks.com/events
› TOKEN2049 Singapore is back October 7–8, bringing together 25,000 attendees, 300 speakers, and 500 exhibitors for one of the biggest weeks in crypto.
Get your TOKEN2049 tickets here: checkout.token2049.com/events/asia?promo=DASPODCAST10&utm_source=Empire&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=daspodcast&utm_id=DASPODCAST
› Avalanche Summit NYC lands Sept. 16–17. Save 15% with code BLOCKWORKS15: avalanchesummit.com/registration
DISCLAIMER
Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only. Any views expressed are opinions, not financial advice. Hosts and guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.
