Written by: Zhao Xuan, Mao Jiehao

Recently, the term “Web4” has become very popular, especially after frameworks like OpenClaw for multi-agent (AI Agent) emerged, AI and Crypto are mentioned together more frequently. In the past two weeks, I have discussed and shared with friends at several online and offline events, and I want to say to those interested in Web4: forget about those obscure codes and technical terms, let’s return to the essence of Web4.

From Web1 to Web4, this has never been a simple technological iteration. It is a historical progression of power regarding data ownership, wealth distribution, and who controls productivity. Understanding the transfer of power allows you to see where future money and opportunities will flow.

Web1: Read-Only Era and One-Way Broadcasting of Power

In the early internet, it was like a giant library moved onto screens. Sina, Sohu, and Yahoo were the kings of that era.

The characteristics of this era—

Power form: Unidimensional. Platforms hold the microphone. They write, we read. They decide what the headlines are today, and we can only discuss what they choose.

Asset ownership: Irrelevant to you. At this stage, users had no digital assets.

We were just traffic, pairs of eyes in front of screens.

In short, compared to before the era of the internet, Web1 broke physical distance and enabled costless information dissemination. However, it has a fatal flaw: ordinary people cannot participate in value creation, let alone share in the profits. Thus, the era moved forward.

Web2: Panoramic Transparency and Invisible Asset Expropriation

This is the era we are primarily in today. WeChat, Douyin, Didi. We not only consume content but also create content. We post on social media, hail rides, and order food delivery.

On the surface in this era, power seems decentralized, and everyone has a voice. But in reality, this is the largest invisible asset expropriation in human history.

The characteristics of this era—

• Power form: Panoptic dictatorship. Borrowing from philosopher Foucault, super platforms are a “panoptic prison.” Algorithms in the central tower watch you, recording your every click. The platform is both the rule-maker and the referee. A single agreement can permanently erase your social life.

• Asset ownership: Labor and earnings are completely misaligned. You contribute all the data, feeding algorithms, but the trillion-dollar market value generated by this data belongs to the platform's shareholders, not you. Your account, fans, and game items, you only have “usage rights,” not “ownership.”

This type of play is bound to lead to monopolies and is certain to backfire. Antitrust fines are increasing, and user dissatisfaction is mounting. The business world requires a “violent dismantling” — to return what rightfully belongs to everyone, back to everyone.

Web3: What is Yours, Truly Belongs to You

In my eyes, Web3 is not some coin speculation game. It is a movement for digital rights — every ordinary person reclaiming what should belong to them from the hands of big internet companies. Its core weapon is cryptography. It does not trust the big companies' claims of “we don’t do evil”; it only trusts the mathematics that “you cannot do evil.”

What does this era look like—

• Power: No one can call the shots.

No need to trust banks or large companies anymore. Trust is placed in distributed nodes and public codes. The forms of companies are changing; DAOs are emerging — organizations without bosses, where everyone votes to do work.

• Assets: What is yours, is truly yours; no one can take it away.

This is the first time in human history that you can truly “own” a piece of digital asset without needing any institution to vouch for you. As long as you hold the private key (a string of passwords known only to you), no platform can freeze your wallet. The rules are no longer dictated by the platform but are hardcoded in the code, which no one can change.

But reality isn’t that rosy.

In the disputes we have dealt with, we have seen countless times when “code is law” crashes into real law — hacking theft, cross-border money laundering, contract loopholes. Web3 is still rough; there are pitfalls everywhere.

But it must be admitted that Web3 has indeed established a financial settlement system that traditional rules cannot operate. It has everything prepared, except for one thing — a tireless “labor force” to truly put it into use.

Web4: The Rise of Machine Economy and Silicon-Based Labor (40%)

Now, the singularity has arrived. The sword of Web3 has finally met its master — AI.

The EU has given Web4 a grand definition, calling it a grand integration of AI, IoT, blockchain, and XR. But when stripped down, the core business logic comes down to one line:

Web4 = AI Agent (working AI) + Crypto (money that machines can use)

Large models are just tools for chatting, but AI Agents are different — they can work for themselves, trade for themselves, and make money for themselves.

1. Why must AI use Crypto for transactions?

Imagine: your AI assistant discovers an investment opportunity and needs to buy data from another company's AI; the question is — how do these two programs transact?

Banks won’t open accounts for a line of code. Alipay does not support two AIs trading a thousand times per second with a few cents each time. This kind of interaction can only be handled by Crypto.

Crypto is essentially “money for machines.” In Web4, AI will have its own wallets, they will work for themselves, spend money, and sign contracts. While you sleep, your AI might have already worked all night and earned money for you.

2. Power: Humans start to lose control.

In Web4, power has “overflowed” from human hands for the first time. AI is no longer a tool but an independent “economic entity.”

You can hire a team of AIs; they will automatically divide tasks among themselves, haggle, and even negotiate collaborations. You only need to give instructions, and the rest will be taken care of by them. Humans are shifting from “doers” to “directors.”

3. Trouble: If AI messes up, who takes the blame?

This is the real problem we are facing.

If an AI holding assets worth tens of millions suddenly “malfunctions” one day, manipulating the market or signing a contract that leaves you bankrupt — who is responsible?

Should we hold the programmer who wrote the code accountable? Sue the large model company? Or are you, the “owner,” to bear the responsibility?

Traditional corporate law and contract law fall short here. Before the machine economy erupts, we must first fill the legal gaps.

4. Future: Paradise or Abyss?

The end of Web4 might lead to two completely opposite directions —

• Ideal state: Productivity is entirely liberated. AI handles all the tedious and laborious tasks, and Crypto eliminates the middlemen for profit. Humanity finally does not have to worry about making a living, allowing them to focus on creation and decision-making, no longer just becoming cogs in the assembly line.

• Harsh reality: Widening class divides. If the top AI models and computing power are monopolized by a few giants, they can command billions of “silicon slaves” at zero cost, pocketing all the money. By then, ordinary people will not even have the “exploited value,” entirely relegated to the margins of the system.

Whether it’s paradise or abyss depends on the choices we make now.

Conclusion: Our Survival Rules in the Web4 Era

In the face of this reconstruction of power and assets, what should we do? It’s simple, three sentences:

• Work: Be a distributor, not an executor. Concrete intellectual labor will quickly devalue. Learn to delegate specific “tasks” to AI; users are only responsible for setting the direction, overseeing ethics, and bearing risks — understanding the rules is more important than understanding the technology. You do not need to write code, but you must understand the system's logic. The boundaries you set for AI will define the boundaries of your business empire.

• Investment: Be cautious, see through the mist. Avoid projects that forcibly combine AI and Crypto to issue worthless tokens. Things that genuinely serve AI or are inherently aligned with future development trends are more likely to be the future.

• Risk control: Let innovation dance on the edge of compliance. The more cutting-edge the business, the more top-notch compliance design is needed. Do not wait until AI turns your assets into courtroom evidence before realizing the importance of compliance.

Final Thoughts

The wheels of history are grinding down old consensus. Power is shifting towards algorithms, and assets are moving onto the chain. Standing before the gates of Web4, fear is meaningless, and mindless following is disastrous. Understand the underlying logic, and seek the legitimacy of innovation at the edges of rules. We look forward to reliable partners, walking side by side in the future world.

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