Eric Pulier says his company Vatomic began creating programmable digital objects called Vatoms in early 2015, which he describes as “Smart NFTs.” His account does not establish that he founded NFTs as a whole or that Vatoms were definitively the first NFTs. What he says comes next is a broader vision: personal control over identity and data, wallets holding digital and tokenized real-world objects, and AI agents helping people interact with brands and services.
What does Eric Pulier think comes next for NFTs?
In a LinkedIn post, Pulier describes digital wallets as more than places to store tokens. In his vision, a wallet would help people manage their identity, choose what information to share, and hold rewards and other useful digital objects. He writes: “The goal is a world where everyone has a self-sovereign ID, owns their own data, and keeps a digital wallet for personal data and unique objects.” Read Pulier’s post on LinkedIn.
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He says people could decide what to share with brands, doctors, and other organizations, and receive value for sharing what he calls “zero party data”—information people intentionally provide. He also imagines wallets containing coupons, points and tokens, achievement badges, and representations of real-world or digital objects that can be used in augmented or virtual spaces.
Another part of the vision is AI assistance. Pulier says Vatom is working on systems that could negotiate with brands on a person’s behalf, guided by that person’s goals. These are his aims and predictions, not evidence that the capabilities are already broadly available or that businesses and consumers will adopt them.
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What is a Vatom?
“Vatom” is the name Vatomic gave to its programmable digital objects. Pulier’s account places the work in early 2015 and calls the objects “Smart NFTs.” A 2021 Tech Times article also attributes an early-2015 NFT proposal to Pulier, but the available sources do not independently confirm that Vatoms were the first NFTs or that Pulier founded NFTs as a category. Tech Times’ 2021 account is best read as dated reporting on the company and its claims, not definitive proof of historical priority.
The concept is an object that can be interactive rather than a static digital collectible. The 2021 article described Vatoms as capable of incorporating graphics, animation, sound, and responses to external events. Those descriptions explain the platform’s launch-era pitch; they should not be taken as a complete or current feature list.
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How did the Vatom platform develop?
Tech Times reported that the Vatom NFT Platform went live on June 21, 2021. Its launch-era description included a marketplace, game federation, analytics, payments and e-commerce, Shopify integration, wallet features, and an “interscripted” framework for dynamic behavior. That dated list shows how the company presented the platform at launch; it does not establish that every listed capability remains available today.
The same article included claims about issuance and wallets that are not independently verified here, so they are not useful as established measures of adoption. The more relevant distinction for readers is between the early story about programmable digital objects and the broader engagement platform Vatom describes today.
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What does Vatom offer now?
Vatom’s current company pages position it as an enterprise engagement and digital-experience platform. The described components include physical activations, digital engagement, wallets, transactions, interactive “Smart Digital Objects,” virtual spaces, no-code tools, and an AI layer. Vatom’s company site and platform page present the company’s current positioning; they are company descriptions, not independent evaluations of product performance.
Vatom’s site reports “5M+ wallets issued,” “70%+ retention,” and a “36% viral share rate.” Those are company-reported figures, and the retrieved page does not provide measurement periods, definitions, or methodology. They should not be treated as independently verified benchmarks.
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Does Vatom’s wallet match Pulier’s self-sovereign identity vision?
Not necessarily. Pulier’s vision emphasizes people owning their identity and data and choosing what to disclose. Vatom’s developer documentation describes wallet integrations and identity options, while its Identity SDK documentation says its identity system can support passwordless access, social logins, enterprise single sign-on, and web3 authentication. That documentation also describes the wallet technology as custodial.
These terms describe different things. A custodial wallet is managed through a service provider’s system; “self-sovereign identity” generally signals a stronger form of user control over identity and credentials. The company’s current wallet description should not be treated as proof that the more ambitious user-controlled identity architecture in Pulier’s post is already implemented.
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What should a business assess before using digital objects or wallets?
For a business considering this kind of engagement platform, the important questions are practical rather than historical. The label “NFT” alone does not establish what a customer can do, what data is collected, or who controls access.
- Identity and custody: Determine who manages credentials and recovery, whether users can move or revoke them, and what “ownership” means in the service.
- On-chain and off-chain design: Ask which objects or records are on a blockchain and which depend on the provider’s systems. Vatom documentation notes that some objects can be off-chain.
- Consent and data access: Specify what information is requested, who receives it, how long it is retained, and whether a user can participate without sharing optional data.
- Integration: Check how the wallet works with the organization’s existing apps, identity systems, payment processes, and customer support.
- Actual user utility: Define what a person can do with an object—redeem a reward, access an experience, or transfer it—and what happens if the campaign or platform ends.
What is established—and what remains a claim?
Pulier’s own post is a direct source for his account of Vatomic’s early work and his future-facing ideas. The 2021 article supplies a dated account of the platform launch and its features as described at that time. Vatom’s company pages and documentation explain how the company currently presents its products and identity tools.
That evidence supports a useful distinction: the early-2015 story is Pulier’s account of Vatomic and Vatoms, while the future of personal data wallets, tokenized objects, and AI negotiation remains a vision. The sources do not settle NFT historical priority, independently validate the company’s performance figures, or establish broad adoption of that vision.
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