The Chopping Block: Rugs, Incentives & Float Lies, Mosi Breaks It All Down
Welcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Robert Leshner, and Tarun Chitra break down the biggest stories in crypto. This week, we’re joined by one of the most iconic anons on Crypto Twitter: Mosi, aka @vanacharma. Known for calling out sketchy tokenomics and vaporware valuations, Mosi joins the crew for a ruthless teardown of market maker games, OTC dumps, and the “hallucination yield” driving this cycle’s worst bets. From the $60M Movement Labs fiasco to OTC pump schemes and the collapse of community trust, the gang goes deep on why crypto’s market structure is broken—and what it’ll take to fix it. If you’ve ever wondered how the sausage gets made in crypto token launches, this one’s for you. Show highlights 🔹 $60M Movement Meltdown – How a token deal gone wrong became crypto’s latest fiasco and dragged down one of the cycle’s most hyped L1s. 🔹 Anon vs. Everyone – Iconic CT anon @vanacharma breaks down the float games, OTC dumps, and tokenomics illusions plaguing the industry. 🔹 Market Makers or Middlemen? – When is liquidity real, and when is it just backdoor exits? We unpack how MM incentives are getting abused. 🔹 Hallucination Yield & Vapor Valuations – Why funds chase tokens with the fakest traction — and what happens when reality hits. 🔹 Are VCs to Blame? – The crew debates whether investors are complicit in these token games or just bad at picking founders. 🔹 Pump, Dump, Repeat – How OTC discounts, fake float, and circular trading fuel a Ponzi-like system hiding in plain sight. 🔹 Why Retail Gets Burned – Most people never stood a chance. We walk through how asymmetric info and hidden unlocks wreck public buyers. 🔹 Can This Be Fixed? – Haseeb and Mosi clash on the path forward: enforceable disclosures, exchange oversight, or do-nothing chaos? 🔹 Self-Regulation Is the Only Way Out – Before the SEC nukes everything, the industry must grow up. Here’s where that starts.
Inside Coinbase Ventures w/ Hoolie: How They’re Betting Big on Base, Builders & Onchain Innovation
In this special episode, I sit down with Hoolie, Head of Coinbase Ventures, one of the most respected VC firms in crypto. We cover everything from the origin of the Base Ecosystem Fund to how Coinbase Ventures is shaping the future of Web3 through strategic investments. 🧠🚀 From Echo investing to the rise of the Coinbase Mafia, this episode is packed with insights for founders, builders, and anyone curious about what it takes to get backed by one of the biggest players in the space. 🔥 What We Discuss: The story behind Coinbase Ventures and the Base Ecosystem Fund Echo investing & democratizing access to early-stage crypto deals Where CB Ventures is focusing today: stablecoins, crypto x AI, DeFi, and onchain consumer apps How they evaluate a good investment (real examples included) The culture of innovation at Coinbase and the rise of the "Coinbase Mafia" Hoolie’s personal story and journey to leading one of crypto’s top venture firms