Compiled by: gonka.ai
Key Takeaways: As global capital floods into OpenAI, attempting to build algorithmic walls through centralized data centers, the legendary Liberman brothers ( Daniil & David Liberman ), Silicon Valley's most legendary "visionaries," have issued a warning. The serial entrepreneurs who sold their company to Snapchat for $64 million are now returning to the battlefield with Gonka, a decentralized AI computing network. They predict that the future will see an era of 10 billion robots, and in the face of this productivity singularity, humanity must either regain computing power sovereignty through decentralized technology or forever become digital sharecroppers of algorithmic giants.
From the Liberman brothers' perspective, AI is not a simple improvement in tools, but a "productivity explosion" that is enough to reshape the species contract.
“Over the past century, human productivity has roughly quadrupled every 30 years,” David Liberman points out. “But with the maturation of embodied AI, this pace will be completely shattered.” They make a striking prediction: there will be 10 billion robots on Earth in the future. This means that robots will no longer be mere metal lumps in factories, but rather “physical twins” of everyone. If you are a programmer, you will have a robot that works 24/7, tirelessly, with code logic synchronized with yours; if you are a designer, this robot will be a real-time extension of your creativity.
The Liberman brothers emphasize that this is essentially a "fourfold, or even tenfold, expansion of humanity as a production unit." When every "I" possesses an equivalent digital/physical doppelganger, existing labor theory of value, wage distribution systems, and even social security contracts will instantly crumble in the face of this extreme overproduction. This is not merely a technological leap, but an "existential crisis" for humanity as a species.
More than the overcapacity of production, the Liberman brothers were worried about whose cage this computing power would be locked in.
They are well aware of the power dynamics of the mobile internet—iOS and Android dominate distribution through the App Store. But in the AI era, the giants' ambitions go even further; they are attempting to achieve a **"generative monopoly"**:
Faced with this algorithmic totalitarianism, the Liberman brothers did not choose to talk about it in the lab, but instead incubated Gonka .
"Centralized AI will build magnificent 'skyscrapers' (centralized models), but what the world really needs are 'roads'," Daniil Liberman explained. Gonka's philosophy is extremely pragmatic: equal access to computing power.
Regarding the much-discussed "AI bubble," the Liberman brothers offered a profound and sobering perspective. They believe the current bubble stems from the giants' frantic discounting of "future excess profits." Once the cost of AI computing power drops significantly due to the emergence of decentralized networks (such as Gonka), the monopolistic high premiums that the giants originally envisioned will vanish.
However, just as the bursting of the dot-com bubble in 2000 left behind a network of fiber optic cables that stretched across the globe, the Liberman brothers believe that even if the AI bubble bursts, the "intelligent infrastructure" it leaves behind will fuel the next leap in civilization. In this process, whoever can master low-cost, high-efficiency decentralized computing power channels will be the first to break through the ashes after the bubble bursts.
When robots take over productivity, what is the meaning of humanity? The Liberman brothers, serial entrepreneurs and "applied philosophers," offer two highly practical methodologies:
1. Reject singular pursuits and embrace a "unique three-element combination".
If you're just a pure programmer, AI will easily replace you. But if you're a developer who is "fluent in Russian literature, understands quantum physics, and has a legal background," you're invincible.
While AI models are highly knowledgeable, they struggle to simulate the interdisciplinary and complex cognition that humans develop based on life experiences and cultural accumulation. This unique "trinity" perspective determines the level of questions you can ask AI (the essence of Prompt Engineering) and also creates barriers to your creative output.
2. Seizing the position of "responsible party"
AI can calculate, but it cannot take responsibility. In the social contracts of the future, "execution" will become cheap, while "decision-making" and "endorsement" will become expensive. Only those who dare to take responsibility for the output of AI will be the central nodes in the future collaborative system.
For regions outside of major powers like the US and China, the Liberman brothers offer a path of significant geostrategic value. By participating in open-source protocols like Gonka, smaller countries no longer need to survive under the constraints of chip bans imposed by major powers, but can instead:
“Small countries don’t need to compete with giants on the height of their skyscrapers; they just need to make sure they have an ‘AI highway’ right at their doorstep,” the Liberman brothers said.
The Liberman brothers are not just doing business; they are conducting a massive social experiment. In their view, OpenAI's closed-source and monopolistic nature is a fast track to a "digital Middle Ages," while decentralized AI, represented by Gonka, is the last chance for ordinary people to exercise their sovereignty.
This marathon of 10 billion robots has only just begun. Just as Bitcoin proved to the world that sovereign currencies can be decentralized, the Liberman brothers are trying to prove to the world that the most advanced productivity tools should not be locked in the basements of skyscrapers, but should flow to the fingertips of every free will.
A disclaimer at the end: This article is compiled from recent interviews with the Liberman brothers and their core viewpoints on the Gonka protocol, and does not constitute any investment advice. As an emerging AI infrastructure, Gonka still faces risks from technological iterations and market volatility; investors are advised to remain rational.


