Digital Freedom to OpenAI: Reclaiming the Internet with Danny O’Brien, Filecoin Foundation

The Index Podcast

What if the original vision for the internet—a decentralized, permissionless, and open system—could still be realized?

On this episode of The Index, host Alex Kehaya is joined by Danny O’Brien, Senior Fellow at the Filecoin Foundation, to explore how we got here—and how we can build something better.

Danny’s career spans decades at the frontlines of digital freedom, from the early days of the free software movement to today’s push for decentralized infrastructure and open AI. He shares stories connecting the dots—from Bash shell's origins as free software (the same Bash running on the Mars helicopter) to the modern struggle against walled gardens and platform lock-in.

Together, we unpack why centralized systems pose such a risk to innovation, how the ethos of “just build together” remains vital, and why open-source collaboration is more than a philosophy—it’s the backbone of digital sovereignty.

We also dive into the future of “open intelligence”: AI systems built on transparent, community-driven infrastructure. Danny argues this is the continuation of a 60-year project, where the tools we build reflect the freedoms we value.

If you're a builder in Web3, an open-source contributor, or working at the intersection of AI and decentralized protocols, this conversation is for you.

Let’s dive in and rebuild the internet from first principles.

Website: https://fil.org/

Follow Danny O'Brien on X

Show Links
The Index
X Channel
YouTube

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1. Welcome to the Index Podcast (00:00:00)

2. Open Source Origins and Philosophy (00:01:24)

3. Building Together: The Open Source Ethos (00:05:59)

4. From Free Software to Web3 Evolution (00:10:54)

5. Empowerment Through Open Source (00:17:41)

6. Open Intelligence and AI on Crypto Rails (00:24:49)

7. Decentralized Storage and Future of the Web (00:32:36)

8. Episode Wrap-up (00:39:26)