Doug Petkanics is the founder and CEO of Livepeer, a platform for decentralized video streaming. Based in New York, New York, Livepeer aims to provide a more scalable, cost-effective, and decentralized video infrastructure through blockchain technology. ^[1][2][5]

Education

Doug Petkanics graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE) in Computer Science in 2006. During his time at the university, he was involved in various groups and held leadership positions, serving as the President of the Phi Chapter of Beta Theta Pi fraternity and the Hexagon senior engineering honors society. ^[1]

Career

Doug Petkanics has built a diverse and accomplished career in technology and entrepreneurship. In December 2016, he founded Livepeer, where he currently serves as CEO. Livepeer is a decentralized video streaming platform that utilizes blockchain-based crypto-token protocols, economic incentives, and open media servers to create a more scalable and cost-effective broadcasting solution.

Before Livepeer, Doug co-founded Wildcard Inc in January 2013, where he was the Vice President of Engineering. At Wildcard, he led the development of a native publishing platform and browser for the mobile web. The product was recognized as one of Apple’s Apps of the Year in 2015, highlighting its impact in the mobile web space.

In early 2012, Doug joined Groupon as a Member of Technical Staff in Palo Alto, California. This role followed his tenure at Hyperpublic, a data platform he co-founded in January 2010. Hyperpublic organized local information and was acquired by Groupon in February 2012. At Hyperpublic, Doug served as Vice President of Engineering, overseeing the technical direction of the company.

Doug’s earlier career includes his role as an Entrepreneur and Software Developer at Frogmetrics from May 2008 to November 2009. There, he led the development of tablet-based survey software using Python and C. Additionally, from July 2006 to May 2008, he worked as an Analyst in the Custom Software Architecture group at Accenture, where he focused on architecting and building large enterprise systems.

His career began with internships at Anzus, Inc. and AT&T Labs Research, providing him with early industry experience in technology and software development.

Doug Petkanics has shared reflections on his experience with Livepeer over the past six years. He notes that while the cryptocurrency market fluctuates, Livepeer’s mission-focused approach has provided stability, allowing the project to continue building during both bullish and bearish phases.

One challenge noted by Petkanics is the need for greater demand-side contribution from video developers, who have yet to fully embrace ownership and active contribution to the network. He suggests that more direct incentivization through Livepeer’s tokenomics could encourage greater participation and lead to a more diverse and robust network.

Petkanics also emphasizes the importance of expanding Livepeer’s capabilities beyond video transcoding to include features like video upload, storage, and playback. This comprehensive approach is crucial for attracting market actors on the demand side who require more than just transcoding services.

Despite these challenges, Petkanics observes the growing interest in blockchain-connected social and creator-focused media, noting that protocols like Lens, Farcaster, and DeSo are paving the way for new applications that leverage Livepeer for video capabilities. He believes that the next major social media platform could be blockchain-connected, positioning Livepeer as a key player in this emerging space.

Additionally, Petkanics underscores the importance of open software and infrastructure independence, arguing that the future of the open internet depends on decentralized networks and open protocols, rather than reliance on a few large cloud providers. He envisions Livepeer as part of the foundational layer of an open and independent internet. ^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

Interviews/Panels

The Demand for Generative AI

Doug Petkanics discussed the rising demand for AI computing power in 2024 due to the increased use of generative AI tools. According to him, this increase has created unprecedented computational needs, especially for training, fine-tuning and inference in AI.

Petkanics highlighted the balance between faster AI responses and economic viability, noting the high operational costs, such as OpenAI’s estimated $700,000 daily expenses. The shortage of suitable GPUs is a challenge, with crypto-coordinated DePIN networks playing a crucial role in addressing it.

He also emphasized that consumers are largely unaware of the infrastructure and costs behind AI computing, focusing instead on speed and relevance. Petkanics expressed concerns about AI monopolization by large tech companies and advocated for the open-source AI movement to ensure accessibility and mitigate centralization risks. ^[6]

Video Content is Transforming the Web3 Creator Economy

In another interview, Doug Petkanics discussed how video content is transforming the Web3 creator economy. He emphasized that Web3 technology allows creators to monetize their videos directly using digital assets and blockchain systems, enabling global and accessible support for creators. According to him, challenges include delivering high-quality online video, which Livepeer addresses with its decentralized infrastructure. Web3 also offers new monetization opportunities like token-gated live streams, video NFTs, and interactive tipping, fostering deeper community engagement and support. ^[7]