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HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons hosts the most downloaded sports podcast of all time, with a rotating crew of celebrities, athletes, and media staples, as well as mainstays like Cousin Sal, Joe House, and a slew of other friends and family members who always happen to be suspiciously available.
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What if the metaverse was never dead, just misunderstood?
Season 2 of High Stakes kicks off with Paul Thomas, CEO of Somnia, in a wide-ranging conversation with host Alex Nwaka about what it really takes to build Web3 infrastructure at scale. From Goldman Sachs to improbable startups, Paul unpacks his journey into gaming, blockchain, and why high-performance infrastructure - not hype - is the real unlock for immersive digital experiences. For institutional investors, AI founders, and Web3 operators, this episode offers a sharp look into what’s changing in infrastructure, valuations, and the future of on-chain content creation.
Tune into High Stakes for insights on the regulatory and infrastructure realities reshaping enterprise blockchain.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
• Why “the metaverse is dead” was a bad bet
• How Somnia pivoted from hype to fully on-chain experiences
• The underrated role of infrastructure partners in Web3 success
• Why scalability remains the bottleneck for consumer experiences
• What institutional investors should watch as valuation models shift
• The key mistakes founders make when onboarding Web2 devs
• How AI-generated tooling will unlock the next wave of creators
• The real traction metrics Paul cares about post-mainnet
• Why composability is Web3’s most powerful unlock
• How content, not tech, makes or breaks digital platforms
BEST MOMENTS
00:03:17. “The metaverse is a concept. It can’t really die.”
00:04:06. “Web3 has this incredible ability to attract a lot of users very quickly.”
00:06:39. “Without infrastructure partners, Somnia wouldn't exist.”
00:10:08. “People are valuing projects more like traditional finance now.”
00:13:20. “The blockchain was never the problem. It was boring content on top.”
00:17:08. “Consumers can now attend digital baseball matches in real-time, on-chain.”
00:21:32. “One token, one vote? That creates plutocracies and apathy.”
00:26:08. “The thing that keeps me up is enabling developers to build what we haven’t imagined yet.”
00:29:03. “The net inflow of Web2 to Web3 devs is increasing because regulation is getting clearer.”
🎧 New episodes every Tuesday. Tune in weekly for sharp, no-hype conversations on blockchain, AI, and enterprise innovation.
📢 Follow Validation Cloud for more insights:
• Website: validationcloud.io
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/validationcloud
• X (Twitter): x.com/HighStakesWeb3
• YouTube: youtube.com/@ValidationCloud
👤 Hosted by Alex Nwaka, CSO at Validation Cloud.
Cut through the noise. Stay ahead of the market.
This podcast has been brought to you by APodcastGeek. https://www.apodcastgeek.com
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