Tiamond Gangsta 🌐📀

From the decisions that shaped @SonicLabs's past to the plans that could define its future, this conversation covered some important ground. @MattVisser had a pretty interesting conversation with @cryptomanran, covering everything from what went wrong with Sonic to what's coming next. If you haven't watched it yet, I'd definitely recommend checking out the full interview. For those who missed it, here are the key takeaways: ✍️ 1⃣ What went wrong with Sonic? The answer was pretty straightforward. Sonic's biggest problem wasn't the technology. It was the lack of professional management, a clear business strategy, and consistent direction. The old approach was basically "build it and they will come." The technology kept improving, but the business side wasn't keeping up. That's one of the main things the new leadership is trying to fix. 2⃣ Does Sonic still have enough money? According to the CEO, Sonic has enough financial resources to keep operating for at least the next couple of years. One of his first moves was cutting unnecessary expenses and reducing the company's burn rate. They've also sold some investments and assets, with more sales in progress. The goal is to use those resources more efficiently while building sustainable revenue streams. 3⃣ What is Sonic actually building? Four main areas are now in focus: ▫️Payments & FX: Fast, low-cost settlements, international payments, and cross-border transfers. ▫️AI & Agentic Commerce: Making it easier for AI agents to interact with financial infrastructure and execute payments. ▫️Prediction Markets: Building infrastructure that existing businesses can integrate into their products. ▫️RWAs & Tokenization: Bringing traditional financial assets onchain and expanding what people can do with them. A major part of this strategy involves working with businesses that already have customers. Rather than trying to attract every user directly, Sonic wants to provide the technology behind the services those people already use. 4⃣ The next 100 million users The vision is that the next 100 million people using Sonic might not even know they're interacting with a blockchain. Imagine sending money through a banking app or using a financial service without knowing Sonic is handling the settlement behind the scenes. That's the kind of adoption the team is aiming for. The emphasis is on real business use cases rather than simply chasing crypto narratives. 5⃣ Sonic's technology could become a business of its own Another interesting topic was the engineering talent that stayed with Sonic throughout its difficult periods. One example was Carmen, Sonic's database technology, which can significantly reduce storage requirements and potentially lower infrastructure costs. This technology isn't necessarily limited to Sonic. Technology developed for the network could also be licensed to other blockchain projects and businesses. That would open up another potential revenue stream beyond regular network transaction fees. 6⃣ Andre Cronje and the return of Fantom builders Ran also asked whether Andre is still involved with Sonic. His main focus remains Flying Tulip, but he and Matt are still in contact. Andre occasionally provides input when new protocols and technical ideas are being evaluated. There was also some interesting news about the ecosystem. Several original Fantom builders have started reaching out again, with discussions already taking place around updated versions of their previous protocols. The goal isn't to attract developers through temporary grants and incentives. It's to create an environment where projects can compete fairly, attract their own users, and build sustainable businesses. 7⃣ Sonic tokenomics and selling pressure The previous approach of minting additional tokens to fund business development came under criticism. Issuing more tokens without generating enough demand dilutes existing holders and can create additional selling pressure. The new direction is to stop discretionary token minting while keeping validator emissions necessary for network security. An independent token audit had also been completed, with its findings expected to be published. The review covers circulating supply, bridging-related issues, and potential selling pressure from previous allocations. But identifying selling pressure only addresses part of the problem. Sonic also needs to create sustainable demand for sonic-3:native. 8⃣ The CEO doesn't personally hold sonic-3:native Ran asked this directly, and the answer was no. The reasoning was that management decisions shouldn't be driven by short-term token price targets. Some previous contractor agreements were even criticized for rewarding temporary price increases. Instead, the current performance targets are focused on revenue. The priority is building a business with real customers and durable income rather than chasing short-lived price movements. 9⃣ What should we expect next? The first 100 days under the new leadership were described as much more chaotic than expected. Much of that time went into restructuring operations, reducing expenses, and addressing problems left behind. But things are starting to stabilize, according to the CEO. Sonic plans to provide quarterly updates so the community can follow its commercial progress. December was mentioned as the next checkpoint. By then, the hope is to demonstrate more strategic partnerships, stronger business traction, and greater confidence from industry players. And one point was made especially clear: Token price isn't the primary measure of management performance. Revenue is.