x402: Long-term optimism, short-term restraint—rewriting the internet payment protocol layer
I remain optimistic about x402. In simple terms, it is 'very optimistic in the long term + clear and restrained in the short term'. x402 is rewriting the 'payment protocol layer of the internet', born for pay-per-use / pay-per-call / small and frequent payments. In the world of AI / API / Agent, paying per use is the most natural billing method. Model calls, tool calls, knowledge calls, are all small transactions. For Web2 products, x402 is essentially: 'Directly connecting to the global stablecoin payment track through an HTTP request', without needing to go through the old paths of binding cards, payment channels, and localization again.