Expert's Take: The Beginning Of The End Of Crypto's 'AOL Era' With Polygon Labs

Some 17 years since Satoshi Nakamoto published the Bitcoin white paper, cryptocurrency has reached a crucial turning point as new innovations around blockchain technology promise to end its "AOL era."

The crypto industry's AOL era has been marked by poor scalability, limited interoperability, and sluggish adoption as doubts lingered around the innovation.

Over a decade on, and advances such as blockchain aggregation are showing much promise at the beginning of the end of an era where crypto has been held back from its full potential.

In an exclusive with International Business Times, Leon Stern, the Head of Marketing at blockchain infrastructure pioneer Polygon Labs, delved into the astonishing similarities between the evolution of crypto and the early internet and how such parallels allow for predicting the future trajectory of the crypto sector.

What's Been Holding Crypto Back All These Years?

Crypto has seen dramatic growth in the last few years, but mainstream adoption remains a huge challenge for many companies in the field.

There are various facets affecting the slow adoption of blockchain and crypto, but Stern noted that much of it revolves around scalability. For instance, most blockchains today are just not fast or cheap enough for everyday use.

There's also the issue on fragmentation. There's a lot of innovation around blockchain, but unfortunately, chains don't collaborate as much. Liquidity and users are scattered, similar to how the internet was before everything was connected.

Finally, there's also the fact that crypto remains complicated for most. For one, managing private keys is a challenge for people in areas where technology has seen slow growth. It's not the most user-friendly innovation, and while projects such as Polymarket are making things easier for people to hop into the train, there's still a lot of work to be done.

Key Blockchain Advancements That the Industry May be Taking for Granted

While crypto and blockchain continue to evolve, some key developments are being overshadowed or aren't given much thought these days.

A few years ago, it was impossible to run thousands of transactions per second on Ethereum without being charged with sky-high fees. Scaling solutions like Polygon PoS have allowed for millions of transactions to take place daily for a fraction of the costs some years back.

Aside from scaling solutions that help improve transactions, Zero-knowledge (ZK) technology has also evolved from theory to reality. Privacy and verification have become seamless, and users can prove things without exposing personal data – such level of security and efficiency just wasn't possible in the first years of blockchain.

Blockchain aggregation is also one of the major advancements that is finally solving the issue on fragmentation. Technologies like Agglayer are helping connect everything into a seamless network.

The industry has also produced development tools that help builders deploy across multiple chains with minimal hassle, unlocking more innovation and providing users with better apps to explore.

"It's kind of like how we don't think about broadband anymore—we just expect the internet to be fast. Blockchain is evolving at an even crazier pace. What used to take decades in tech now happens in years, and entire economies are being built in months. That's why this matters—because the next leap is coming faster than we expect," Stern said.

The rise of advancements that are addressing the main issues around broader adoption in crypto and blockchain only means crypto is getting smoother, faster, and more accessible, he added.

The End of Crypto's 'AOL Era' Is at Hand

The internet took around two decades to move from ARPANET to mainstream adoption, but crypto is moving much faster, suggesting that crypto's "broadband" era may have already started.

Stern noted how blockchain is making the massive leap toward mainstream adoption in just about a decade. "Open source development, a flood of talent, and massive capital investment are accelerating progress at a pace we've never seen before," he said.

This only means one thing. "Crypto's broadband moment isn't coming—it's already starting," Stern pointed out.

For Stern, crypto's "AOL era" is coming to an end. He expects crypto to reach its "broadband phase" sometime in 2025 or in 2026.

"Network effects are finally kicking in. As more users join blockchain networks, their value grows, pulling in even more users. We're already seeing this play out in prediction markets, gaming, collectibles, stablecoins, and real-world assets (RWAs)—where real traction is building," he said.

What the Industry Can Do to Accelerate the End of the AOL Era

Stern noted that for crypto to really take off, there's no question that builders and companies in the industry should focus on "what actually matters."

• Projects solving real problems – Projects like Polymarket are bringing transparency to prediction markets, while Courtyard allows for verifying authenticity for collectibles. Such projects are driving real adoption because they solve real-world problems. "People use them because they're valuable, not just because they're on-chain," Stern explained.
• Blockchain must fade into the background – Mass adoption will only happen when people begin benefiting from a certain technology without even realizing it's there. Similar to how the internet works, "blockchain should be the invisible engine powering better experiences, not something users have to navigate."
• Choosing collaboration over competition – Stern noted that the broader ecosystem must move beyond competition and start working together to deliver top-notch offerings. Blockchains are still operating like isolated islands, he said. "For crypto to truly scale, networks need to connect seamlessly, allowing assets, liquidity, and information to flow freely. That's what will make blockchain a real alternative to traditional finance and tech," he said.

The Role Polygon Plays in Ending Crypto's AOL Era

Infrastructure is the foundation of mainstream adoption. Just as the internet needed TCP/IP and DNS before it could scale and reach more consumers, blockchain needs a foundation that enables different networks to work together without issues.

Polygon Labs enters the picture with technologies such as Agglayer that are solving fragmentation problems and enabling faster interoperability.

Notably, Polygon's technology doesn't force chains to conform to a single standard. Instead, it enables them to connect while retaining their unique strengths. For users, it means a smoother experience where they can interact with blockchains without worrying which chain they're on.

Users also don't need to be crypto experts to benefit from advanced technologies since Polygon is focused on building the next version of the internet that's more open, transparent, and valuable for everyone.

Originally published on IBTimes