What Most People Get Wrong About Web3

Welcome back to Talking Tokens. We’ve got one more episode from Buenos Aires / Devconnect that we’re putting out…and it’s a good one that goes beyond the normal crypto talk. We dive into GTM strategies alongside a cultural evolution with AI, how to maintain independence, privacy and more.

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The latest Talking Tokens podcast 🎙️

In this episode of Talking Tokens, I sat down with Amanda Cassatt, founder of Serotonin and the former CMO of Consensys, who played a foundational role in bringing Ethereum to market.

Amanda shares how she entered the Ethereum ecosystem, worked alongside early builders, and how those experiences shaped her thinking on storytelling, distribution, and product-market fit for crypto projects today. We discuss the evolution of L1s, why a general-purpose chain like Ethereum would struggle to launch in today’s market, and how new L1s must differentiate through niches or built-in distribution.

Amanda also talks through privacy tech, credible neutrality, and why marketing should feel like the “no-makeup, makeup look” to help people discover products naturally rather than forcing narratives. The conversation also dives into institutional adoption, the influence of enterprises on Ethereum’s early growth, the certification and corporatization of crypto, and how narratives get shaped (and reshaped) as the space matures. Amanda also shares her views on AI, digital homogenization, cultural flattening, and how individuals can preserve independence thought in a hive-mind world.

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

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Money and people moves

There have been lots of career and company updates in crypto this week…

1. Binance appoints its Co-Founder Yi He as co-CEO, joining existing CEO Richard Teng

2. Vulgar Usi joins MECX as chief operating officer

3. Speaking of Serotonin…the team brought on former Blockworks Sr. Editor Katherine Ross as its new editorial and communications strategist

4. Laz Pieper joins Coin Center as director of research

5. Davi Strazza joined Lightspark as chief business officer

6. Kate Aksay left Coinbase after 5 years to join Agora as head of engineering

7. Zerohash brings on Katie Perry (no, not Katy Perry the celebrity) as its CMO

8. Axis announced a $5M raise led by Galaxy to to bring institutional yield across USD, bitcoin, and gold

9. Harvard alumni-founded Ostium lands $24 million in fresh funding to scale onchain perpetuals for RWAs (The Block)

10. On the acquisition front:

    1. Stablecoin infra provider Rain has acquired Fern to expand its API optionality

    2. Context acquired PolyRouter to expand its API suite and prediction market capabilities

Talking points for the road

Crypto-focused headlines or research that caught my eye…

1. Bitcoin Miners Hunted After Stealing $1 Billion of Electricity From Malaysia Grid (Bloomberg)

2. Is Bitcoin Treasury Giant Strategy ‘Too Big To Fail’? (Decrypt)

3. Malaysian Forms Air and Ground Task Force to Shutdown 14,000 BTC Mining Rigs (CoinDesk)

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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.