It’s our weekly roundup. Let’s dive into what caught our attention over the past week.

First up, let's talk about Sarah's new nails – a rainbow of colors. She’s got her own unique style going, and it’s honestly the simplest nails she's ever done. When I asked if she did them herself or went to a Korean salon, she surprised me by saying she goes to a Russian one. Always full of surprises, Sarah.

Anyway, let’s get into the news. On Friday, Sarah highlighted PayPal’s stablecoin, PYUSD, launching on Solana. Previously limited to Ethereum, this move could boost their market dominance despite their current low market share. Sarah’s skepticism about the need for another stablecoin, given the dominance of USDT, USDC, and DAI, made for a great discussion. With Tether reporting a $6.2 billion profit in 2023, it’s clear there’s big money in stablecoins.

On Monday, Sarah passed the mic to me to cover Biden’s veto of the SEC’s Staff Accounting Bulletin 121, which was a guidance on crypto custody by companies. Congress felt the SEC overstepped, but Biden backed the SEC, signaling potential anti-crypto sentiments. This move seemed more about supporting his appointed SEC chair rather than a direct stance against crypto. It’s a classic case of office politics in action.

Tuesday was all about Roaring Kitty, the man behind the GameStop frenzy. He revealed he holds over $200 million in GameStop shares, causing the stock to surge 48%. This raised questions about market manipulation, but as Sarah and I discussed, it’s more about his influence and less about any foul play.

By Wednesday, Bitcoin was back in the spotlight, crossing $71,000 with $880 million in ETF inflows. Fidelity, BlackRock, and ARK were major players, while Grayscale saw outflows. We debated the potential for Bitcoin’s value, with predictions ranging from conservative to wildly optimistic. The real question is, can the market sustain these high valuations?

Finally, on Thursday, we discussed the innovative vision of Carl Pei and the Nothing Phone. Pei’s idea of integrating AI deeply into our phone usage could revolutionize how we interact with technology. The challenge will be balancing convenience with privacy concerns, as AI would need significant access to personal data to function effectively.

That’s a wrap for this week’s review. Thanks for tuning in, and we’ll see you next time. Happy HODLing!

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Observability with Hunter Madison