In This Episode
Shawn interviews Mathias Buus, CEO of Holepunch, about revolutionizing the internet with peer-to-peer (P2P) technologies like Pear Runtime, Hypercore, and Keet. Mathias shares his journey from math student to open-source powerhouse with over 1,000 NPM modules, driven by empowering individuals. They discuss centralized platforms’ flaws, Keet’s open-source controversy, and how businesses can adopt P2P for a trustless future.
Guest Bio
Mathias Buus, Holepunch’s CEO, is a Copenhagen-based JavaScript wizard who’s published over 1,000 NPM modules with billions of downloads. Creator of Pear Runtime, Hypercore, and Keet, he organized the 2025 P2P Summit to rally developers against Big Tech’s grip. His mission: empower individuals with trustless, decentralized systems.
Highlights
- Mathias’s background: From university math’s humbling lessons to prolific open-source contributions, emphasizing individual empowerment through code.
- Origins of Holepunch: Inspired by BitTorrent’s resilience, Mathias generalized P2P for any data, removing infrastructure barriers for app building.
- Centralization flaws: P2P targets data control, censorship, and erosion of sovereignty by platforms like Meta, Google, and X.
- Keet controversy: Partial open-sourcing raises verifiability concerns; Mathias defends modular approach but acknowledges community demands.
- Future vision: A world of borderless, sovereign communication via owned devices; businesses should deprogram centralization and experiment with P2P.
- Practical steps: Start with hybrid models, join Keet communities for collaboration, and focus on sustainable decentralized business models.
Quotes to Remember
- “I'm very driven by the power of the individual… What can I do as a person myself to make an impact on my surroundings?” – Mathias Buus
- “How do you stop a population that has financial and communication independence?” – Mathias Buus on P2P sovereignty
- “You need to learn how to deprogram… Start thinking these crazy things like, what if we just didn't have servers?” – Mathias Buus on adopting P2P
Resources & Links
- Holepunch Official Website -https://company.holepunch.to - Overview of P2P technologies and company mission.
- Keet App Download - https://keet.io - Get the P2P chat app and explore its communities.
- P2P Summit 2025 Recap - https://company.holepunch.to/summit-2025 - Insights from Mathias’s developer event.
- Mathias Buus’s GitHub Profile - https://github.com/mafintosh - View his extensive open-source contributions.
- Mathias Buus’s X Profile - https://x.com/mafintosh - Follow for updates on P2P development.