What Happens When a Blockchain Starts Being a Product

Welcome back to Talking Tokens.

Was this forwarded to you? subscribe here.

The latest Talking Tokens podcast 🎙️

For this week’s Tuesday episode, I interviewed Kevin Boon, president of Mysten Labs, the core team behind the Sui blockchain. From fine arts and law to building crypto infrastructure, Kevin shares his unconventional journey and what’s next for the Sui ecosystem.

They discuss how Kevin balances legal and leadership roles, how the community responded to the recent Cetus exploit, and why Mysten is building out its own full infrastructure stack. Kevin also talks about tokenized equities, stablecoins, and what DeFi products actually have product-market fit.

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 Walrus 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

Talking Tokens episodes are released on Spotify and Apple Podcasts at 6AM EST or YouTube at 8AM EST every Tuesday and Thursday. Listen in!

Make sure to subscribe to keep up with the latest episodes. Feel free to leave a review and tell us your thoughts.

Money and people moves

1. Connor King launches Novora, a crypto-native proprietary investment firm focused on public and private markets

2. Metaplanet plans $5 billion capital injection into US subsidiary to fuel global expansion (The Block)

3. Hedge Fund Executives Eye $100 Million to Accumulate BNB Token (Bloomberg)

4. Ex-Chorus One exec launches $20m pre-seed crypto fund Frachtis (Tech in Asia)

5. Circle Hits New Record With Market Cap Nearing That of Coinbase (CoinDesk)

Get involved and share the newsletter.

The more you refer, the more perks you could get!

And if you do (or don’t) like what you see, let me know by sending feedback to [email protected].

Please note that this content is for informational and entertainment purposes only. Any views shared should not be considered financial advice, nor should it be used to make investment decisions. Cryptocurrencies are high risk and you should consult a financial professional before making any financial decisions. Make sure you do your own research. We may have a direct or indirect financial interest in content mentioned in this newsletter.