Uneasy Money: Why Crypto Still Can't Overcome Its ICO Struggles

Unchained

Laura Shin

News, Tech News, Business News

4.6 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 23 January 2026

⏱️ 77 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Thank you to our sponsors! Fuse: The Energy Network MultiChain Advisors Trove Markets crashed at launch after a hyped ICO. X has pulled the plug on the InfoFi meta. Farcaster has been absorbed. In this packed Uneasy Money episode, hosts Luca Netz, Kain Warwick and Taylor Monahan delve into how Trove's crash suggests that crypto's ICO struggles persist. Kain suggests X's move to block out InfoFi applications is “bullish” for the platform and the crew explores what's next for decentralized social media along with the takeaways from Farcaster's run. They also discuss the pervasiveness of wallet poisoning scams, why Cosmos is struggling despite its good tech and why Paradex's rollback suggests that crypto's “code is law” ethos may be dying out. Don't miss out on how Luca nearly got wrapped up in the Trove drama and Tay's tips to spot suspicious projects. Plus, why Kain thinks two people building with AI could succeed where Farcaster failed. Hosts: Luca Netz, CEO of Pudgy Penguins Kain Warwick, Founder of Infinex and Synthetix Taylor Monahan, Security at MetaMask Links: Uneasy Money: ICOs Are Back and Why Airdrops Are Instantly Dumped X Bans Incentivized Posting Apps, Prompting Shakeup in Crypto Engagement Platforms Linda Xie on How Mini-Apps Are Helping Farcaster Take on Web2 Social Media Ethereum Sets New Activity Record as Network Upgrades Pay Off Paradex Rollback Raises Hard Questions After Pricing Glitch Triggers Liquidations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	It's completely insane.
0:01.2	Like, how is it that we can't figure out a fucking way to sell tokens to people and not have it just blow up immediately?
0:10.8	The idea that you're just, like, write three random words under every tweet and hope that that works is kind of wild, right?
0:19.6	Like, I don't know how anyone thought that was a good strategy.
0:22.6	No, no test transaction. Just moving $20 million, no test, just boom, boom, boom.
0:27.6	You got some balls, yeah.
0:32.6	Hey, everyone. I'm Kayne Warwick and welcome to UnEasy Money because what happens on chain never stays on chain. I'm here with my co-host, Taylor, security at Meta Mosque and Luca, the CEO of Pudgy Penguins. One quick thing before we start, nothing you hear on UnEasyMoney as financial advice. We're just three builders talking about what's happening on chain and we want you to always do your own research before aping in. You can find all our disclosures at unchainedcrypto.com slash uneasy money.
0:58.8	Before we begin, I'll hear the word from our sponsors.
1:02.1	The energy network is an intelligent, decentralized grid that coordinates smart devices
1:07.8	to balance supply and demand. Energy Dollar is the native token of the network from one of Europe's fastest growing energy
1:15.2	startups.
1:16.7	Follow at Fuse Energy.
1:18.5	To be or not to be.
1:21.2	Right now we're offering a range of incentives across Audi models.
1:24.9	That is the...
1:25.9	But only until the 28th of February.
1:28.4	The...
1:29.1	Um...
1:30.3	So stop whatever you're doing.
1:32.8	Um...
1:33.6	I'll be right back.
1:35.4	Just carry on without me.
	...

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