Category: Daily

Things are getting quieter around crypto.

The laser eyes are gone, the price has stopped going straight up, JPEGs are fairly valued: worthless.

I got very excited about Ethereum and Bitcoin around 2016. The more I researched the underlying blockchain technology, the more excited I became.

Today, I barely touch crypto.

But once you have understood the underlying technologies behind crypto, everything changes, and you can’t really “leave crypto behind”.

You can’t leave it behind because you’ve understood the potential and the impact it’s going to have on the world, not just the financial system.

What you can leave behind instead are all the cults, the scams, the hype, and the broken technologies. When you leave that shit behind, it gets very quiet.

There aren’t many projects that survive the test of time – the test of real-world adaptation and use.

As the attention in crypto slowly shifts to creating solutions instead of getting rich quick, we will see the true potential of crypto, DeFi and the blockchain realized.

The time is ripe.

Yesterday, Mexico unveiled the mummies of two aliens during an official meeting of their congress. The two alien mummies were found in Peru and are believed to be over 1,000 years old. Since I’m a child, I’m very interested in aliens, UFOs, and the supernatural. The photos which have been published are one of the most exciting one’s I’ve seen for quite some time. Scientists of the Autonomous National University of Mexico found that over 30% of the specimens’ DNA was “unknown”.

What makes be dumbfounded – however – are not the mummies themselves but the surrounding silence. I saw more memes on X than I’ve seen curious reporting on them. Shouldn’t we assume the alien mummies are real? Otherwise, what is the incentive for Mexico to fake them? Shouldn’t we at least probe their authenticity? The question I ask myself: Where did all our curiosity go? For me, nothing is more exciting than alien life. I really don’t get it.

Someone asked me what I think about the stability of the eurozone and where Europe is headed. Here is my answer:

I think we are entering a very chaotic decade overall. Global power structures are changing rapidly towards a more multipolar world. The US is losing some relevance, OPEC+ is gaining power, China is in a massive housing bubble, Russia is cut off from the West. The problem with Europe is that we’re not just losing a little relevance, we seem to be losing almost all of our relevance. The EU and Germany are vassals of the United States. We have no pride, we have no self-confident foreign policy, we have no independent defense policy or defense capabilities.

Germany’s deindustrialization will threaten the eurozone, since the euro is largely dependent on Germany’s economic performance and rating. If Germany doesn’t wake up to reality sooner rather than later, I don’t see how the euro can survive.

Waking up means that Germany makes rigorous policy changes, from drastically reducing energy costs, to mediating peace in Ukraine, to massively reducing taxes and duties for individuals and businesses, to massively reducing red tape, to choosing the free market over a centrally planned green economy, and so on. If this does not happen, companies and their top performers will leave Germany for the United States and some for Central Asia.

The ultimate problem is to get out of this terrible socialist situation that we have gotten ourselves into – especially Germany. Politicians now have to make decisions that are unpopular with many voters. Just as an example, I recently read that in Germany a regular full-time worker earns only 300€ more than if he were unemployed (of which he has to buy gas, lunch, etc.). The German Fleiß (diligence) that made Germany and the EU strong is actively discouraged by attractive unemployment benefits, high taxes, high tariffs, high energy costs, high inflation. There’s basically no environment for Fleiß anymore, rather we’ve created an encouragement to shut down your business and not work – or leave the country (and ultimately the continent).

I’ve seen all of this coming since COVID-19 hit. It’s just shocking how everything is intensifying and nothing is happening to stop the downfall. I think we’re going to see very chaotic times in Europe, but out of chaos comes order. It might be wise to leave the EU for a while until everything collapses and then rebuild – economically and politically. With the collapse of the Euro, we may see strong independent currencies again, we may eventually see an adaptation of crypto, we may also see the Euro split into a North and South Euro. Competitiveness will probably improve to compete with the US and China. All of this will create opportunities for us as entrepreneurs. But right now we are seeing the fall, not the rise.

By the way, as I’m looking for companies to buy, I’ve talked to many dozens of entrepreneurs lately. Now, I often start the first meeting by asking if he plans to leave Germany after successfully selling his business. With increasing regularity, the answer is yes. We’re not alone. Something has to be done.

Overall, out of chaos comes order, and we as man must now be masculine, stand up, and (re)build.

Instead of laws, regulations, and protests we should focus on a Manhattan Project for making fusion reactors, 100% efficient solar panels, and a next generation of batteries a reality. The smartest people of our world should be working towards solutions, not discussing problems.

As our world becomes more high-tech and AI-powered, our natural desire to connect with others will become even more intense. We’re wired to be social animals, always looking for social bonds and moments to share. Our human nature craves that connection.

As the typical office (for example) becomes less relevant, where will people meet and socialize in the future?

I think hotels will play a much more central and important role in the future – as they have in the past.

In the past, before I was born, hotels were like the heartbeat of cities, bringing people together. They weren’t just for travelers. They were these bustling hubs where locals and visitors mingled, where events were held and connections were made. It was like a meeting place where stories, cultures, and experiences collided, creating this vibrant tapestry of interactions beyond just a place to sleep.

Today, hotels have basically been downgraded to a place where travelers only go when they need a place to sleep. Even though most hotels have a restaurant and bar open to everyone, they are not used as such.

Hotels should take advantage of this potential and start to re-create this meeting and melting point for locals and travelers. A large hotel lobby with a bar, café, and restaurant. Co-working spaces, meeting rooms and even a large gym – available to everyone, not just guests.

Most hotels market themselves exclusively to travelers, missing out on the potential of being THE social hotspot in a neighborhood, which will only become more important in an automated and AI-driven world.

There are many values, qualities, and virtues that we look up to. Most of us try to live ethical and morally correct lives. In business, we try to build a great culture where everyone feels welcome and challenged. We all try to be kind, compassionate, and loving to those around us. But no matter what value, quality or virtue we’re talking about, I’ve learned that we should all be very critical of those individuals or organizations that shout the loudest.

I have found that the people who use the word ethical the most are usually the ones who are the most unethical. Business people who talk the loudest about how trustworthy they are usually end up betraying you. Companies that talk the most about innovation tend to be the least innovative. Political parties that talk the loudest about saving the planet or helping the poor usually end up doing the opposite. 

Ethical people don’t need to advertise that they’re ethical – they just are. Trustworthy people don’t think about being trustworthy because they don’t know the concept of betrayal. The most innovative companies don’t need to talk about it – they let the results speak for themselves. Political parties help the poor and save the planet by doing the right things – not by talking about them.

When someone is unusually vocal about something – watch out.

Tomorrow I’ll be flying to Munich for three meetings. I’ll be meeting a partner of me, the seller of a very exciting business, and a potential business partner.

In theory, all of this could be done through a video call. In reality not so much.

While video calls are great for efficiently working through some relevant points, they are awful for building human relationships.

Video and phone calls often work great for the initial contact. They also work to efficiently discuss through relevant points to get some work done. But to build relationships, video calls simply don’t work.

Shaking hands, sharing a laughter, having a coffee or beer, meeting for dinner, hugging each other after a long time one has not seen each other. This is what life is about and what Zoom cannot offer you.

Over my life, the only lasting and true relationships were built in person. Often a few intense hours spent together with another person will build such a strong relationship that even if you don’t see this person for 5 years, as soon you meet this person again the 5 years passed will feel like 5 days.

It is not so much about the time you simply see someone in person but the quality of time you spend together. For example: I think for business meetings it mostly doesn’t matter whether they are in person or virtual. Why? Because the magic happens before and afterward. While getting a coffee together or while ending the day in a nice Italian restaurant and a wine. You might forget about the business meeting – but the bonding that takes place in the after hours are priceless.

That’s why I think every amount of money spend on meeting relevant and important people in person is worth it a hundredfold.

Not only because it builds deeper relationships, but because it makes life worth living.