Featuring Galen Wolfe-Pauly, Co-Founder of Tlon
This week on Tech Can’t Save Us, host Paul David is joined by Galen Wolfe-Pauly, co-founder of Tlon. Tlon is a company radically reimagining the internet’s foundation to create a simpler, more personal computing experience.
They discuss the structural flaws of the modern internet, where users rely on centralized identifiers and servers they do not own, leading to issues with privacy, data mining, and a lack of digital permanence. Galen explains how Tlon addresses these failures through a peer-to-peer network of nodes, where every individual owns their own cryptographic identity and “virtual machine”.
The conversation covers:
- Digital Sovereignty: Why owning your entire computing stack is essential for building products that truly serve people.
- Architecture & Longevity: How Galen’s background in architecture influences his vision for digital tools that can last for decades or even centuries.
- The Tlon Messenger: A look at their current product—a highly customizable, extensible “super app” that allows communities to run their own servers.
- Craftsmanship in Software: Why the next “battle” on the internet is shifting from mediocre, ad-driven platforms to high-quality, carefully crafted digital environments.
Galen also shares the immense technical challenges of building a new programming language and operating environment from scratch and why Tlon’s mission to create software that outlives its creators provides a deeper sense of purpose.
Find more about Tlon here: https://tlon.io/
Follow Galen Wolfe-Pauly here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/galenwolfepauly/
