Today’s pod is with Stephen Hess, founder of @metaplex 🧱 We talk token launches, NFT standard upgrades, onchain IPOs, and why 99% of Solana’s tokens start here. Links below 👇

Today’s pod is with Tzvi Wiesel (@web4O), co-founder of @BAXUSco 🥃 We talk vaults, whiskey flipping, Solana infra, and how he’s turning spirits into DeFi collateral. Links below 👇

Can MEV be eliminated at the consensus level? @jackoholleran, co-founder of @skalenetwork and co-creator of the recently launched @FAIR_Blockchain, thinks so. FAIR aims to be MEV-resistant, while prioritizing for AI optimization. He shares on @_TalkingTokens why crypto infra has to evolve for an AI-driven future, the difference between SKALE and FAIR, and how the blockchain industry can move past hype and toward fundamentals. TIMESTAMPS 0:00 – Crypto’s future is stablecoin-native & MEV-free 1:02 – Jack’s journey: enterprise software to SKALE Labs 4:47 – Why SKALE scaled to 100M+ txs/mo 6:01 – What devs want: FAIR as L1 for DeFi & AI 7:16 – Why MEV is crypto’s invisible tax 9:01 – Encrypted mempools, front-running & Byte protocol 10:49 – How AI + stablecoins combine to enable real programmable money 13:11 – Why TradFi bans MEV, and crypto shouldn’t tolerate it 14:24 – The “spin” behind MEV as ‘real economic value’ 15:58 – MEV-resistance as default — not opt-in 17:06 – Why stablecoins may rival AI in impact 21:00 – Will AI payments break traditional banking rails? 24:00 – Infra vs apps: where AI funding should go 26:00 – FAIR launch: already live in testnet 27:00 – The developer traction and feedback 29:00 – SKALE x FAIR: how the dual-token model works 31:00 – Why SKALE supply will deflate as FAIR grows 33:00 – Timing, launch strategy & market sentiment 35:00 – Jack’s take on crypto hype vs utility 36:00 – Final advice: always dig under the hood

Today’s pod is with Jack O’Holleran (@jackoholleran ), co-founder of @SkaleNetwork ⚙️ We talk MEV resistance, encrypted mempools, the AI + stablecoin future, and launching the new FAIR L1. Infra-heavy, zero fluff. Links below 👇

"Many other protocols build up their governance principles, yes - but they're not battle tested yet" President of Mysten Labs, @KevinBoon_ML, talking about active governance and how the silver lining of the Cetus incident is durability in governance principles - emphasising on the fact that decentralisation does not mean stagnation - on @_TalkingTokens

Thank you for having me Jacquelyne, loved the convo, pumped and bullish for all the work ahead here on the continent 💪🔥

New @_TalkingTokens is with @ihate1999, CEO of @rcrsvcapital and @Btrustteam He's been a key player in Bitcoin’s growth across Africa, from launching a venture fund to working with @jack and Jay-Z and distributing over $1.7M in grants to developers. We discuss what’s driving adoption, why builders are choosing Bitcoin over web2 or AI, and what’s next for expansion and electrification across the Global South. TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 How Bitcoin is evolving in Nigeria and beyond 1:02 Who is Abubakar Nur Khalil? 2:16 Starting Recursive Capital and building a Bitcoin VC fund 4:47 Why they rebranded to focus solely on Bitcoin 5:45 The story behind Btrust and its $1.7M in grants 7:03 Why Btrust is expanding beyond Africa 9:01 Why developers want to be paid in Bitcoin 10:14 Abubakar’s Bitcoin thesis vs other crypto projects 12:07 The 3 biggest Bitcoin use cases right now 15:03 Why Bitcoin treasuries matter for African startups 16:07 How Recursive and Btrust stay separate 17:20 What surprised him most about building both orgs 20:00 Educating developers who don’t know Bitcoin careers exist 23:02 What governments are thinking about Bitcoin in 2024 28:00 Final advice: Align your principles, then act

Today’s pod is with Abubakar Nur Khalil @ihate1999 , CEO of Recursive Capital & @btrustteam We talk about building Bitcoin infra in Africa, mining for electrification, dev grants, and why Bitcoin — not crypto — is the real tool for sovereignty in the Global South Links below 👇

NEW @_TalkingTokens is with @KevinBoon_ML, the president of Mysten Labs (core team behind @SuiNetwork) We discuss tokenized equities, stablecoins, what DeFi products actually have PMF, what's next for the Sui ecosystem and the response to the recent $220M @CetusProtocol exploit. TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 Is Sui really decentralized? 1:02 Kevin’s journey: art school to crypto 4:47 How he became president of @Mysten_Labs 7:16 What it’s like leading a blockchain ecosystem 12:03 The Cetus exploit and community response 17:01 Governance vs centralization 20:12 What is @WalrusProtocol and why it matters 27:58 Real-world use cases: ads, telecom, storage 30:23 Building Mysten’s full product stack 32:10 What DeFi actually works 37:56 Stablecoins and institutional demand 42:04 Tokenized equities and new markets 44:47 The future: DeFi mortgages and beyond 47:38 Final advice: build for hard times

Today’s pod is with @KevinBoon_ML , President of @Mysten_Labs 🧱 We talk his path from law to leading @SuiNetwork , Mysten’s full-stack infra bet, DeFi product-market fit, and what’s next after the Cetus exploit and stablecoin push. Links below 👇