Molly Jane Zuckerman

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Off-Topic-with-Molly-Jane_20230616a-1.png?w=1024&amp;h=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-60166" width="840" height="210" srcset="https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Off-Topic-with-Molly-Jane_20230616a-1.png?w=1024 1024w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Off-Topic-with-Molly-Jane_20230616a-1.png?w=300 300w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Off-Topic-with-Molly-Jane_20230616a-1.png?w=768 768w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Off-Topic-with-Molly-Jane_20230616a-1.png?w=428 428w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Off-Topic-with-Molly-Jane_20230616a-1.png?w=470 470w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Off-Topic-with-Molly-Jane_20230616a-1.png?w=389 389w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Off-Topic-with-Molly-Jane_20230616a-1.png?w=80 80w" sizes="(max-width: 840px) 100vw, 840px" /></figure>



People talk about getting invites to crypto conferences with the same hushed reverence as celebs talk about getting invites to the Met Gala.



The difference? Crypto conferences have much, much worse fashion, as <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/cryptocurrency-blockchain-fashion">I’ve already addressed here</a>.



Oh, and they are also work conferences. There’s not even anything fun in the name. Work. Conference. A conference about work. Yippee.



The leadup to these events, due to the ever-growing creativity of crypto marketing campaigns, can be quite genius in instilling that feeling of “I just HAVE to be there or I’ll die.” With native apps that add a social media aspect to connect attendees, NFT giveaways just for showing up, <a href="https://twitter.com/Permissionless">entire parody Twitter accounts</a> dedicated to the proliferation of conference-specific memes, not being there can feel as bad as not getting an invite to the cool girl’s sleepover birthday party.



And this strange allure of the crypto conference manages to persist across both bull and bear cycles.



Back when Bitcoin was weird, crypto events themselves were the news story. If you worked at a news outlet, your entire pitch could just be: “Let me attend this conference.”&nbsp;



The Cut had a hellish <a href="https://www.thecut.com/2021/10/partying-with-blockchain-bros-and-crypto-socialites.html">NYC crypto bro party story</a> in 2018. Breaker Mag (rest in peace) had one of my favorites, an even more hellish <a href="https://lauriepenny.substack.com/p/ship-of-fools">extended crypto conference party feature</a> on an actual cruise ship, also in 2018.



These types of stories contributed to the myth of the crypto conference, a magical, unhinged place filled with easy-to-write-about personalities like Brock Pierce and John McAfee, or get-rich-quick bros and their Lambos. When Bitcoin was still niche, crypto conferences as THE places to be made sense — you got to observe extravagant amounts of wealth being thrown around by people who didn’t fit in anywhere else.



But Bitcoin is more mainstream now, and conferences are following suit. The mechanical bull at last year’s Bitcoin Miami felt forced (and wasn’t even <a href="https://twitter.com/nvk/status/1127258403708002304">real!</a>), without crazy announcements like the president of El Salvador accepting Bitcoin as a national currency to accompany it.



But no matter — it’s crypto conference season again, and the appetite for attending these events has not been dampened in the slightest. Even though Bitcoin is nowhere near $70,000, even though crypto companies are being sued for securities fraud left in right, even though the possibility of another authoritarian country accepting Bitcoin as their national currency is essentially zilch.



I bet your entire Twitter feed right now is filled either with photos of people’s feet resting uncomfortably on the back of an airplane chair with the caption “gm from X conference, Crypto Twitter!” or tweets like “you conference goers are making me mute my feed out of FOMO #cryingemoji.”&nbsp;



And as the day goes on, you might see more and more photos of blurry panelists taken in darkened amphitheaters. Sometimes, someone posts a photo of an <a href="https://twitter.com/DrNickA/status/1588836869382754305?lang=en">empty room</a> and mockery descends in the comments. Other people are <a href="https://twitter.com/madladshad/status/1681206783539290112">angry</a> about the exclusivity or <a href="https://twitter.com/rossreports/status/1681368676270735367?s=20">cost</a> of afterparties —&nbsp;after all, hundreds of attendees paid full price for unlimited access to sit inside rooms and listen to panels of three to five men and one woman, usually the moderator, talk about crypto all day. Occasionally, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/aug/17/edward-snowden-speaking-fees#:~:text=Edward%20Snowden%20has%20taken%20%241.2,says%20%7C%20Edward%20Snowden%20%7C%20The%20Guardian">a highly paid celebrity</a> zooms in to give a <a href="https://www.coindesk.com/business/2022/06/11/edward-snowden-says-use-crypto-dont-invest-in-it/">virtual talk</a>. Doesn’t anyone subjected to that deserve a free cocktail in a rooftop bar?



Conferences in and of themselves are just as important to the crypto world’s sense of self as blockchain technology, NFTs, altcoins, DEXes. We as a society have made what is essentially several days of school&nbsp;followed by shuttles to a series of party prisons (sorry, afterparties) an integral part of our lives.



Read more Off Topic: <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/cryptocurrency-blockchain-fashion" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Crypto&#8217;s next top model doesn&#8217;t exist</a>



And at the end of the day, if we can believe social media and what people shout to us over the loud music at conference afterparties, we do seem to actually be having a good time.



Is all of this a giant lead-up in the weirdest advertisement ever to convince you to buy a ticket to Permissionless II? Nope (but click <a href="https://blockworks.co/event/permissionless-2023" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>).



Does my classification of crypto conferences as party prisons mean that I don’t actually want to go to anymore events? Also nope.



Because working in crypto while not caring that much about either technology or finance (if you’re shocked, read the tagline to this column at the bottom of the page, please), is about getting all of the perks that I can get. And if that means flying to Lisbon/Paris/Austin for a few days of highly air-conditioned lectures, free socks and a chance to meet many of my internet friends in person?&nbsp;



I’m guilty of falling for the crypto conference allure, guilty even of feeling like a “moderator” role confers some minor “status” even though I know better. I will continue to thoroughly enjoy a chance to “not work” while working, aka secure my media pass and spend several days wandering around a conference hall looking for free socks.&nbsp;



I am essentially a giant hypocrite.



So please, don’t read this op-ed and start revoking my media passes. You’d be condemning me to a life without new socks.



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I don’t care much about tech, I don’t care a whole lot about finance, either. I care about writing stories and watching weird things unfold. And that’s why I’ve ended up in crypto. But because I’m missing that passion for what crypto and blockchain are all about — finance, tech, privacy, yadda yadda — I’m going to write instead about what I am actually interested in. Everything about crypto that has very little to do with crypto. That’s what this column will be about. All the tangential stories that come out of the blockchain and crypto space, what I think about them, and how I navigate it all as a skeptical former Russian literature major. It’s precisely my perch as an outsider that lets me do what I do: Opine on all sides of any crypto issue, no strings attached, no skin in the game. If you want to talk crypto with me, let’s go off topic.

The most hypocritical article you will ever read about crypto conferences

Shalini Nagarajan

<div id="highlights-block_62ac587927134" class="highlights">
 <ul>
 <li>A fourth annual NFT (non-fungible token) event featuring 1,500 speakers will take place next week across seven venues in New York City</li>
 <li>“We don&#8217;t allow people to come and talk about crypto because we don&#8217;t want that,” the event producer told Blockworks</li>
 </ul>
 
</div>



NFT.NYC is an annual conference aiming to thrust new projects into the spotlight by providing a stage for <a href="https://www.nft.nyc/speakers" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">speakers</a> from various domains and disciplines.



This year’s event takes place June 20-23 across seven venues in New York City. General admission tickets are priced at $849, while VIP access costs $1,999.



Slumping cryptocurrency prices in recent weeks appear to have sparked renewed interest in snapping up NFTs (non-fungible tokens) at a bargain price. Trade <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/bored-ape-yacht-club-nft-prices-slump-along-with-market/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">volumes</a> for some of the most popular collections surged earlier this month following a broad market sell-off, which pushed some floor prices down 30% in US dollar value.



Despite sinking valuations, Twitter is abuzz with NFT cheerleaders calling on each other to attend NFT.NYC. While 70% of the event’s attendees are expected to come from the US, 30% will be from 80 other countries, according to the event’s organizers.



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">🚨 NFT NYC Security Tips 🚨 I&#39;ve seen a couple posts about NFT NYC and keeping your digital assets secured while there&#8230; Honestly I don&#39;t think most of the posts or threads go nearly far enough. You are a major target, and here is how you can protect yourself:&mdash; Jon_HQ (@Jon_HQ) <a href="https://twitter.com/Jon_HQ/status/1537491373888536576?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 16, 2022</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div></figure>



Jodee Rich launched NFT.NYC in 2019 as part of a joint effort with top collectibles marketplace OpenSea. Currently wearing the event producer cap, Rich is a long-time innovator who wants to build out the practical and mainstream uses of the technology to power commerce and strengthen global brands. 



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Blockworks interviewed Jodee Rich, NFT.NYC’s executive producer:



Blockworks: What triggered your interest in NFTs?



Jodee: In 2018, [OpenSea co-founder] Devin Finzer and I were having lunch at Bar Pitti in New York, and we were both wondering how to communicate something that used initials like NFT. We decided on a conference, reached out to the community and ended up with about 100 speakers. At one point, in February 2019, there were more speakers than attendees. We&#8217;ve always wanted to be very community-focused and put as many thought leaders on stage as possible. That is why we have 1,500 people on stage this year. It was 600 last year, the year before I think it was 300 and the year before that it was 100.



Blockworks: What are some NFT projects that stand out to you?



Jodee: I like what Ticketmaster is doing. They&#8217;re giving people live stubs, commemorative stubs — things to remember the events people go to. A number of brands such as PwC, SAP and Coach are releasing collectible NFTs. I think the idea of NFTs doubling as awards is really fun. We’ll be giving awards at the NFT.NYC award night, and those will be both physical and in NFT form.



Blockworks: How do you see NFTs evolving going forward?


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="alignright size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/NYC-NFT.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-23048" width="179" height="268" srcset="https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/NYC-NFT.jpg?w=555 555w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/NYC-NFT.jpg?w=200 200w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/NYC-NFT.jpg?w=171 171w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/NYC-NFT.jpg?w=174 174w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/NYC-NFT.jpg?w=146 146w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/NYC-NFT.jpg?w=53 53w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/NYC-NFT.jpg?w=33 33w" sizes="(max-width: 179px) 100vw, 179px" /><figcaption>NFT.NYC Executive Producer Jodee Rich | Source: NFT.NYC</figcaption></figure></div>


Jodee: My friend Jehan Chu [managing partner at blockchain venture capital firm Kinetic] and I are soon talking on stage at Radio City about “dynamically compositing” NFTs, which sounds like a mouthful. But it really interests me. I think the next phase for NFTs sees tokens grow, evolve and morph with external inputs. An NFT doesn&#8217;t have to be static. It doesn&#8217;t always have to look the way it does. It can carry metadata. Compositing means overlaying different images on NFTs as it evolves and is passed from one person to another. 



My personal favorite NFT evolution would be identity. I look forward to the day when my NFT controls advertising and social network access to me. I look forward to the day where Google properly indexes NFTs so that when people search for me, they see all of the NFTs I&#8217;ve touched and that I&#8217;m interested in. I think NFTs will become a way of expressing both our brand identity and our personal identity.



Blockworks: Do you have tips for NFT buyers who are only looking to trade their collectibles?



Jodee: I don&#8217;t think about that very much. For me, it&#8217;s the least interesting part of the ecosystem. We don&#8217;t allow people to come and talk about crypto because we don&#8217;t want that. We want thought leadership around NFTs. The trading part of it is probably the least interesting. This year we have a stage where people can come and talk about their drops, and we&#8217;re helping them by putting them on stage.&nbsp;



Blockworks: Is it still early days?



Jodee: If you say there are 1,000 days in the life of NFTs, I think we&#8217;re really only at day one. We are barely at the beginning. The good news is that your taxi driver probably knows what an NFT is.&nbsp;



This interview was edited for length and clarity.



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