Nerdcon- AI Hyped vs. Reality
The “AI in Practice” bootcamp reinforced the AI hype vs. reality. It seems like AI is everywhere, yet many teams are still early on practical adoption, another reminder of how the most powerful tools require the most responsible usage, and other companies get that. Listening to other organizations discuss their AI experiences was fascinating. They shared their struggles, significant achievements, and the critical moments when integrating AI became essential.
While diving deep into AI interaction, it often feels like the possibilities are endless. However, this session provided a valuable “zoom-out” perspective, showcasing the real-world progress (or lack thereof) within the fintech industry. As I look at where Dash’s Product Team is headed in 2026, I see a calculated and methodical approach to leveraging AI at scale. While we have current processes in place that leverage AI in ancillary ways, we have paved the way for scaling our AI usage in a very controlled way.
Stablecoin Session
Stablecoin madness was palpable at NerdCon! From the Main Quest Stage speakers, it felt like stablecoins could solve all our money-movement related issues. However, despite the eagerness of banks and fintech companies leveraging this technology, challenges such as regulatory clarity, interoperability, risk management, and viable business cases still need to be addressed at scale.
Translation: I’m not yet sold on stablecoins, and the rest of the world doesn’t seem to be either.
I especially enjoyed OpenDoor’s CEO Kaz Nejatian’s session (more like rant at times) on consumer checkout flows becoming a pseudo-KYC process. His take on reworking the current consumer checkout flow and breaking out the meaningful pieces back into organic touchpoints with the consumer made a lot of sense to me. I’m not sure if this is an exact quote, but the sentiment of, “It doesn’t have to be this way! It can be better!” It rang especially true.
It was so refreshing to be in a fintech–specific, nerdy environment with like-minded builders. Event hall chats and panel Q&A sessions were the exact energy Nerdcon’s organizers were going for and what I felt. Glad to have met such talented folks within fintech.
✨ Thoughts as a Product Manager at Dash
Big thanks to Matt Frye for sending me to NerdCon to make connections, explore, and learn. Utilizing the energy and enthusiasm shared from all my colleagues at NerdCon, I foresee great things for Dash in 2026!
Written by: Andrew Naumann, Product Manager
