“ICO is a real democratization of investment,” - Mike Butcher (TechCrunch)
TechCrunch chief editor Mike Butcher visited Kiev at the invitation of Smile-Expo. Taking this opportunity, we talked with him about his favorite gadgets, interest in the ICO, and what kind of robot he would like to have at home.
Interviewer: Denis Stolyarov (DS)
Respondent: Mike Butcher (MB)
DS: You have already visited Ukraine in 2013. What are your impressions?
MB: Yes, that's right, a lot of time has passed, and much has changed in you. I came with a talk at a technology conference. I remember that I was walking then with my friends on Khreshchatyk and we came to Independence Square, where we saw a small peaceful demonstration. We still thought: "Okay, okay, the usual demonstration, nothing like that." After the walk, we returned to the conference, and the next day I flew back to London. And only some time later I learned that this “peaceful demonstration”, as we then thought, changed a lot in your country. It really impressed me.
DS: Name three gadgets without which you will not leave the house.
MB: This is my iPhone 7 Plus (unfortunately, I haven’t yet purchased an iPhone X). Next are my house keys with an electronic keyring and my EarPods to listen to music.
JS: Three of your favorite science fiction films?
MB: Well, of course, this is “Star Wars”, “Blade Runner” and, probably, “Firefly”. The other day I watched “Cowboys vs. Aliens” - a mediocre film, but I liked the concept.
DS: The last application for your phone that you like?
Mb:The problem is that I have too many of them. Well, let's see. For example, I really like our app from TechCrunch. In it you can mix tracks, make music - it's cool. Face Stealer is still good. Too many of them. I think the most useful applications are those that allow us to monitor our health and finances.
JS: What interested you in the ICO? You are a true expert in this field.
MB: No, I do not consider myself an expert, believe me, there are people far smarter than me. But TechCrunch is primarily a technology magazine, and we are trying to talk about all the interesting startups. How did any startup start before? With the search for investors. Then came the crowdfunding. And now cryptocurrency is becoming more popular.. And here you need to ask yourself: how will the money be collected in the near future? Entrepreneurs will decide whether to collect their cryptocurrency or look for real money. Or do these two ways come together? Imagine: you can first collect real money, and then - cryptocurrency, you can do the opposite, and you can have both at the same time. Variations can be a huge amount, and I think this is a real democratization of investment.
Silicon Valley does not have to be in Silicon Valley - thanks to today's technology, it can be anywhere. You can live in Kiev, Lviv or Odessa, develop your startup. You're not in Silicon Valley, right? In order to create a startup and raise money for it, you do not need to be in the most technologically advanced place on Earth. You can be anywhere: Africa, Europe, Asia. And this is just awesome.
JS: You are incredibly popular, they want to see you at many conferences around the world. Why did you become the speaker of the Blockchain & Bitcoin Conference in Kiev ?
Mb:I heard about your cryptocurrency conference and blockchain, she really interested me. It's great that cryptocurrencies are beginning to appear and develop in Ukraine and Eastern Europe; It seems to me that Ukraine will soon enter the top 5 European countries for the development of cryptocurrency, and this is very cool. In addition, I really want to look at Ukrainian startups, some of them are very promising. Therefore, it is worth talking to their developers live.
JS: What about creating your own mining farm?
MB: Well, it seems to me, it is already late. To create your mining farm now, you have to live in China. In general, this business is, of course, not bad, but, I think, a bit is not mine.
DS: And the last question. Robotics are now developing very quickly. What kind of robot do you dream?
Mb:I would like to have such a robot on which to fly. To quickly move around the city and keep up everywhere. I do not want to get home robot helpers, I do not like them. Well, the most useful development, I think machines with autopilot, if they can also be considered robots. In general, I consider the use of robots in transportation and movement around the city a very promising direction.
Interviewer: Denis Stolyarov (DS)
Respondent: Mike Butcher (MB)
DS: You have already visited Ukraine in 2013. What are your impressions?
MB: Yes, that's right, a lot of time has passed, and much has changed in you. I came with a talk at a technology conference. I remember that I was walking then with my friends on Khreshchatyk and we came to Independence Square, where we saw a small peaceful demonstration. We still thought: "Okay, okay, the usual demonstration, nothing like that." After the walk, we returned to the conference, and the next day I flew back to London. And only some time later I learned that this “peaceful demonstration”, as we then thought, changed a lot in your country. It really impressed me.
DS: Name three gadgets without which you will not leave the house.
MB: This is my iPhone 7 Plus (unfortunately, I haven’t yet purchased an iPhone X). Next are my house keys with an electronic keyring and my EarPods to listen to music.
JS: Three of your favorite science fiction films?
MB: Well, of course, this is “Star Wars”, “Blade Runner” and, probably, “Firefly”. The other day I watched “Cowboys vs. Aliens” - a mediocre film, but I liked the concept.
DS: The last application for your phone that you like?
Mb:The problem is that I have too many of them. Well, let's see. For example, I really like our app from TechCrunch. In it you can mix tracks, make music - it's cool. Face Stealer is still good. Too many of them. I think the most useful applications are those that allow us to monitor our health and finances.
JS: What interested you in the ICO? You are a true expert in this field.
MB: No, I do not consider myself an expert, believe me, there are people far smarter than me. But TechCrunch is primarily a technology magazine, and we are trying to talk about all the interesting startups. How did any startup start before? With the search for investors. Then came the crowdfunding. And now cryptocurrency is becoming more popular.. And here you need to ask yourself: how will the money be collected in the near future? Entrepreneurs will decide whether to collect their cryptocurrency or look for real money. Or do these two ways come together? Imagine: you can first collect real money, and then - cryptocurrency, you can do the opposite, and you can have both at the same time. Variations can be a huge amount, and I think this is a real democratization of investment.
Silicon Valley does not have to be in Silicon Valley - thanks to today's technology, it can be anywhere. You can live in Kiev, Lviv or Odessa, develop your startup. You're not in Silicon Valley, right? In order to create a startup and raise money for it, you do not need to be in the most technologically advanced place on Earth. You can be anywhere: Africa, Europe, Asia. And this is just awesome.
JS: You are incredibly popular, they want to see you at many conferences around the world. Why did you become the speaker of the Blockchain & Bitcoin Conference in Kiev ?
Mb:I heard about your cryptocurrency conference and blockchain, she really interested me. It's great that cryptocurrencies are beginning to appear and develop in Ukraine and Eastern Europe; It seems to me that Ukraine will soon enter the top 5 European countries for the development of cryptocurrency, and this is very cool. In addition, I really want to look at Ukrainian startups, some of them are very promising. Therefore, it is worth talking to their developers live.
JS: What about creating your own mining farm?
MB: Well, it seems to me, it is already late. To create your mining farm now, you have to live in China. In general, this business is, of course, not bad, but, I think, a bit is not mine.
DS: And the last question. Robotics are now developing very quickly. What kind of robot do you dream?
Mb:I would like to have such a robot on which to fly. To quickly move around the city and keep up everywhere. I do not want to get home robot helpers, I do not like them. Well, the most useful development, I think machines with autopilot, if they can also be considered robots. In general, I consider the use of robots in transportation and movement around the city a very promising direction.