Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong revealed the company is testing AI agents modeled after former executives to assist employees with tasks via Slack and email. Armstrong stated these agents could soon outnumber human staff, aligning with his goal to automate workflows and have AI write over half of the company’s code. The initiative reflects a broader industry belief that AI agents will become dominant users of blockchain payments.
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong said the company has started testing AI agents on Slack and email to assist employees with work tasks. Armstrong stated, “Soon, it will be easy for any employee to spin up a new agent for themselves or their team.”
He speculated that AI agents could eventually outnumber human employees at the crypto exchange. Armstrong has been pushing for AI to automate more workflows, stating in September he wants more than 50% of the company’s code to be written by AI.
Coinbase has deployed two AI agents named Fred and Balaji, modeled after former executives. Fred, named after co-founder Fred Ehrsam, serves as a “strategic executive agent” to assist with strategic clarity and priority alignment.
Balaji, modeled after former chief technology officer Balaji Srinivasan, is designed to challenge assumptions and spark innovation. Coinbase had previously said one of its biggest focuses is transforming its workforce into “AI-Natives.”
The move comes amid a broad industry belief that AI agents could become the dominant users of blockchain payments. Armstrong predicted there will be “more AI agents transacting online than humans very soon.”
Earlier comments from Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire in January suggested “literally billions of AI agents” will be transacting onchain in three to five years. Former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao also said in January that crypto is the “native currency for AI agents.”
