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Web3 should draw newcomers, not be a ‘money grab from brands’ — Tech CEO

Using Web3 and NFTs to create another slate of millionaires isn’t a good use of the technology, says EndeavourXR CEO Amy Peck.

The crypto industry should focus on building blockchain-based solutions everybody can benefit from instead of launching cash grabs for brands, says Amy Peck, CEO of tech-focused consulting firm EndeavourXR.

Peck told Cointelegraph at the Lisbon Web Summit that Web3 firms should be build-first oriented and create attractive products to draw newcomers.

She added using Web3 and nonfungible tokens (NFTs) as “just another money grab from brands” to create another slate of multi-millionaires “doesn’t seem like a good look” nor a good use of what is an “elegant technology.”

“This is an infinite landscape. The money’s going to be there, right? Let’s build a better bread box. We have the opportunity to do something really interesting and reinvent this economic construct, invite more people to the party, not just create another 1%.”

Obtaining an on-chain proof of identity, taking control and ownership of one’s data, connecting blockchain-based assets to the real world and interacting in the creator economy are among the top things Peck says builders should focus on to extract the most value from Web3.

Following FTX’s collapse and other industry shortfalls, Peck said much of her firm’s client base says they “don’t want to touch crypto” and that “Web3 is all shenanigans.”

Lisbon Web Summit on Nov. 16. Source: Joe Hall/Cointelegraph

Peck acknowledged it’s currently unrealistic for big brands to fully transition to Web3 but says there’s already a “Web2.5 center lane” that these firms can leverage.

Providing consumers with more control and ownership over their data is already possible with blockchain, Peck stressed.

Related: How AI is changing crypto: Hype vs. reality

She added a more “transparent exchange” is becoming more crucial than ever, particularly with the emergence of devices collecting data such as fingerprints and faces.

“What is coming with these immersive devices is biometric data that will allow the people who own that data to know more about us than we know, and the level of manipulation will be exponential.”

On cryptocurrency exchange-traded funds, Peck said it’s great that Wall Street firms are now taking the industry seriously but is wary that they will try to twist what has been built to suit their liking.

“They’re going to try and wrestle it to the ground and make it behave like these existing financial mechanisms.”

Magazine: Singer Vérité’s fan-first approach to Web3, music NFTs and community building

Additional reporting by Joe Hall.

Price analysis 7/5: BTC, ETH, BNB, SOL, XRP, DOGE, TON, ADA, AVAX, SHIB

Web3 threatened by Web2.5 and regulations, exec warns

Outlier Ventures founder Jamie Burke warns that as projects compromise with products that are not interoperable, it blurs the vision of Web3.

As Web3 remains in its early stages, its ideals and original vision of creating an interoperable financial landscape are under attack, according to Jamie Burke, the founder and CEO of Web3 accelerator Outlier Ventures.

In an interview with Cointelegraph, Burke outlined several aspects of Web3 that are currently threatened by Web2.5 and regulatory actions. The executive said that while these are “understandable,” it takes Web3 away from its original purpose and impedes its wider vision.

Interview with Outlier Ventures founder Jamie Burke. Source: Cointelegraph 

According to the executive, some projects are settling down and compromising on limited versions of Web3. Working with startups, Burke said that there are founders who are building temporary fixes due to various technical limitations. “Whether it’s an independent app developer or large enterprise, they’re all kind of making these compromises,” he said. This ends up creating products that are not interoperable. He further explained that: 

“They just want to build products people can use that have Web3-like characteristics, but because they’ve been built in silos, that means that they’re not fully interoperable.”

This becomes a huge problem, especially in decentralized finance (DeFi), where fluidity and composability are necessary aspects of the space. Burke argued that when these silos are created, it ends up with app chains that are not interoperable with other app chains.

And while some argue that these are temporary, the executive highlighted that as business models get built within these Web2.5 paradigms, more people will want to defend them. “And so, Web2.5 becomes permanent, and we never really realize the full vision,” he added.

Related: Peer-to-peer crypto exchanges struggle to navigate shifting legal landscape

On the other hand, Burke said that the industry is also facing regulatory attacks from government factions who want to exercise control over the industry. He believes the United States and Europe want central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) to replace stablecoins.

“They can directly control who you do what with they have full auditability, but they are, by design, in state capture. So, the state can then send it to you, and they can block you,” he said.

Burke believes that as these regulatory challenges allow more control for governments, it leads to the “stifling of innovation” and creates a “problematic version of Web3.” He explained that instead of these, it would be better to support peer-to-peer markets. Burke suggested:

“What I would propose is that when you enable basic economic primitives, like digital property rights, like the sovereignty of identity and wealth, you enable peer-to-peer markets.”

Burke suggested that these markets will increase the amount of exchange of value. When this happens, it will result in greater tax income for the state.

Magazine: Here’s how Ethereum’s ZK-rollups can become interoperable

Price analysis 7/5: BTC, ETH, BNB, SOL, XRP, DOGE, TON, ADA, AVAX, SHIB