Keybase set out to solve online identity by anchoring it in cryptography rather than platforms. It allowed users to create a cryptographic identity and publicly prove ownership of existing social accounts, domains, and devices. Your keys were your identity, and trust was established through verifiable proofs instead of centralized authorities.

What made Keybase compelling was how usable it made these ideas. Encryption, signatures, and key management were packaged into tools people could actually adopt. Its eventual acquisition highlighted a recurring tension in decentralized systems: even when the technology works, identity becomes fragile once trust recentralizes.