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In this episode of The Edge of Show, host Richard Carthon engages with Dan Dimitriu, Managing Consultant at Dedicon, for an illuminating discussion on Web3 and AI’s groundbreaking impact on organizational innovation. Recorded late at night in Dubai, Dan shares insights on distributed autonomy, the role of AI in decision-making, and how countries like UAE and KSA are setting global benchmarks for integrating Web3 into their ecosystems. As a cellist turned tech consultant, Dan’s unique perspective bridges the gap between creativity and technology. Tune in for strategies that are reshaping industries and inspiring the next wave of digital transformation.
Key Topics Covered:
- Distributed Autonomy and AI: How AI and Web3 are decentralizing decision-making in organizations, enabling agility and innovation.
- UAE & KSA’s Web3 Leadership: Insights into UAE’s regulatory frameworks and KSA’s investments in blockchain to drive global influence.
- Practical Applications: Real-world examples of how AI bots and blockchain streamline business operations and foster innovation.
- Bridging Traditional and Emerging Technologies: Strategies for integrating legacy industries with digital ecosystems, with examples from the UAE’s DMCC Crypto Center.
- Global Lessons in Web3: How the UAE and KSA’s proactive strategies serve as blueprints for other nations.
Episode Highlights:
- Dan Dimitriu on Distributed Autonomy: “Imagine organizations where decision-making isn’t bottlenecked by executives but distributed across teams with AI and blockchain.” — Dan Dimitriu
- Revolutionizing Meetings with AI: “AI bots with Web3 security freed executives 4+ hours weekly by handling routine decisions.” — Dan Dimitriu
- UAE’s Web3 Strategy: “The UAE isn’t just regulating Web3; it’s integrating it into national development strategies.” — Dan Dimitriu
- On Taking Risks: “Time passes. Go for wild things, experiment, and learn from the journey.” — Dan Dimitriu
People and Resources Mentioned:
About Our Guest:Dan Dimitriu is a visionary Managing Consultant at Dedicon, specializing in accelerating digital transformation for governments and Fortune 500 companies. Based in Abu Dhabi, Dan leverages emerging technologies like Web3 and the metaverse to reshape industries. A Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, he has extensive expertise in blockchain, fintech, and digital banking, making him a sought-after strategist across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Dan’s background as a professional cellist adds a creative dimension to his consulting approach, merging art and technology seamlessly.
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Transcription:
Dan Dimitriu: Hello and good afternoon. This is Dan Dimitriou from DTECon. We are guiding organizations through the digital frontier with innovative technologies like Web3 and AI and the metaverse. You are tuned into the Edge of NFT where we're making waves in the world of innovation. Keep listening.Richard Carthon: Hey, Web3 Curious listeners, stay tuned for today's episode to learn how distributed autonomy and AR reshaping organizational structures in the digital age, and how the rise of KSA and UAE at Web3 powerhouses and their impact on global tech landscapes. And finally, why you should consider not bringing preconceived notions about someone into future conversations. All of this and more at the edge of Datacom. Cue the intro.Intro: Welcome to The Edge of Show, your gateway to the Web3 revolution. We explore the cutting edge of blockchain, cryptocurrency, NFTs, ordinals, DeFi, gaming and entertainment, plus how AI is reshaping our digital future. Join us as we bring you visionaries and disruptors pushing boundaries in this digital renaissance. This show is for the dreamers, disruptors, and doers that are pumped about where innovation meets culture. This is where the future begins.Richard Carthon: Today's sponsored episode features Dan Dimitri, a visionary managing consultant at Datacon in Abu Dhabi, where he guides governments and Fortune 500 companies on accelerating their objectives through emerging technologies like Web3 and the metaverse. As a Forbes 30 under 30 honoree, Dan's expertise spans blockchain, digital banking, and fintech, making him a sought after strategist across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Dedicon is a leading management and technology consultancy and is at the forefront of digital innovation, helping organizations navigate the complex landscape of emerging technologies. Through Dan's role, the company continues to shape the future of industries by implementing blockchain, fostering startup ecosystems, and developing strategies that bridge the gap between traditional business models and the digital frontier. Dan, it's great to see you again, my friend.Dan Dimitriu: Hello, Richard, and good afternoon for you. Happy to be on this podcast. I am here in Dubai. It's 1 a.m., but I'm very happy to be here and discuss a couple of, I hope, interesting things for your listeners.Richard Carthon: You definitely will, and we appreciate you staying up late for us. And, you know, one of the first things that is super interesting, I love music and you come from a family of musicians as a cellist. How has your musical background influenced your approach to technology and consulting?Dan Dimitriu: That's a very interesting question and I can say that my musical background definitely has shaped the way I approach consultants. Picture this, I was a very young cellist, I was playing cello for stage performances, I was going to competitions. I won a lot of competitions and I had to spend, you know, it was almost like training for the Olympics. I had to spend anywhere between 8 to 12 hours every single day practicing. It was not just, you know, playing notes on a page. You had to immerse yourself in the intricacies of each, let's say, compositions or piece, you know, strive for perfection, basically with each bow, stroke of the bow that you had to do. The practice was... very repetitive, mentally exhausting at times, very rare occasion, because even very short breaks would mean you would forget your neuromuscle memory, that you build painstakingly over time. But this rigorous discipline wasn't just about mastering the instrument itself. You also had comprehensive education outside, musical theory, composition, history, maybe other arts, so that you could explain the emotional narratives of a piece, because this is what makes the differences between good and bad players. Technique, everybody can have, but expressing these narratives and going very deep into this philosophical angle was very important. And then when I transitioned into consultancy at some point, I realized that the skills that I basically honed as a musician were very, very transferable. This was very interesting. So the dedication to perfect these pieces of music. somehow mirrored the commitments to develop business strategies, be there for the client and so on. The analytical thinking, you needed to interpret different complex pieces, translated very well into how would you dissect a certain strategy to solve intricate business problems. And just as a symphony, or when you play with the orchestra as a lead instrument, as a soloist, And just as it requires each instrument and you to be in sync with the whole piece flawlessly, Consultancy also demands that every component is also linked to each other. So I learned this way of basic. And there is also maybe an interesting fact for the listeners. There are a lot of studies that say that, you know, if as a young person, you know, you receive musical training, it helps you develop certain areas in the brain that, you know, are associated with memory and tension and executive function is very important. And of course, this most likely benefited from this. But yeah, I would advise, if you have children, let them play music. I also have children, and I let them play music. And I can see the difference, especially if you compare to peers in the same age group.Richard Carthon: Right. No, that's awesome. I would have never guessed you were putting in those kind of hours. 12 hours a day is definite dedication. They say you need about 10,000 hours to become an expert in anything. And clearly, you've put in those hours towards that, but not onlyOutro: as you said, having the technical component, but the emotional piece too, gives you a lot of perspective that you can then bring into the consulting business. Also, having to work in symphonies, having to be a small piece of a much larger piece, you know, how all that flows together to a lot of synergies into the consultancy world. You know, taking that background and then Bring that into now what you're doing here in Web3 and AI. How is that reshaping of the concept of organizational hierarchy and the companies that you work with by using some of those skills?Dan Dimitriu: So Web3, again, very interesting question. And I've seen a lot. I work for governments, big corporates all over the world in almost all geographies. And I think there are many views on how AI and so on will affect this organization hierarchies. But I think, in my opinion, this Web3 together with AI, or AI together with Web3, look at it as you want, will shape it by introducing unprecedented levels of autonomy and delegation of authority at very low levels. And I think that, you know, it will flip the current models of his head, you know, and how, you know, the hair hits the ground. Traditionally, companies, they have operated, you know, in this top-down approach. And this technology will basically help flip this model on its head. So to make it more concrete, so imagine you have an organization where decision making isn't bottlenecked by certain executives, but instead is distributed across different levels and different teams are empowered with AI and blockchain. to take their own decisions very fast. This will create companies that are more agile, reduces micromanagement, and allows for almost real-time instant responses to market changes. I know we talk a lot about agility and so on and so forth, but what we have today is very far from being agile. If banks or any other retailers have to bring new business models to the market, it takes anywhere from six to nine months at best, if you are lucky. So this will solve this issue because in most of the cases, these long lead times to make something new are bottlenecked by decision. Studies also show that. I think this combination of AI with Web3 will lead to flat organizational structures, I mean real flat organizational structures, where information flows faster and more freely. And it encourages a culture of innovation, because then everybody can contribute their ideas and drive change without waiting for these bottlenecks that are artificial bottlenecks. I can also give you a high-level example here on a small pilot project that I work with a government-owned company. And we introduced some AI bots that borrowed the digital likeness of executives to handle routine, low-level meetings. And sync for approvals, for straightforward operations, or mundane tasks or mundane decisions. And everything was obviously secured by the Web3 layer to make sure that the information is secure, that if you give a certain decision, this is actually meant, and so on and so forth. And instead of an executive spending hours in this meeting, these AI agents with predefined conditions, take authoritative decisions based on certain parameters. And these AI bots basically will attend these meetings, make these low-level decisions based on their programming, and provide, at the end of the day or during the day, a very concise summary about what happened. Because most of us know that. And I'm not saying something cheeky. Most of the meetings, you can resume to a two, three-line email in most of the cases. What was the result? Each executive saved more than four hours a week. Again, this was just a pilot. And they could redirect this to more strategic initiatives, more creative tasks, more critical thinking tasks, making decisions. And some of them even took this time to sleep or rest, which is amazing. With the more rest, you can do actually more. And this is a very practical application of AI on Web3 that not only streamlined operations but also showcased in a way how to handle these routine task efficiencies and freeing humans to what they do best. Because in my opinion, especially now when we have this AI that people are seeing will replace, humans should innovate and lead.Richard Carthon: By freeing up the time, it does add for more innovation and for leadership to be able to do more. One of the challenges that a lot of organizations face, especially in remote culture, is a ton of meetings, especially internal ops. And what you'll find on some of these meetings is that you don't need everyone on the call to get the amount of information you need to move forward and keep things going. And so it's interesting, the example that you brought up, we've been implementing a tool that kind of does similar where we get some of the synopsis of what happened, and it's actually helped our productivity as well. So like, it's a really great use case that you brought up. But one of the things I want to dive into a little bit more is that like, you know, through your experiences, you've come in and helped to automate and make companies more efficient. But like, what are some of the biggest challenges that you see companies facing when they're implementing a distributed autonomy system?Dan Dimitriu: Excellent question. Yeah. So implementing this kind of technologies is both, I would even call it exhilarating, it's amazing, you work at the frontier of human knowledge, but it's also very complex. You are more or less at the forefront of a technological renaissance, and at the same time, while being at this border, you're also navigating some sort of a labyrinth human and technical challenges. This human element is very interesting. As a general consultant, you can make lists of challenges. There are a lot of things that can go wrong, but I think most of them basically boil down to to two main challenges. I want to talk a little bit about them. Think of them like first order principles. So because of these two items, you have all other challenges that come after. So first of all, if you want to build the system like in the question that we discussed before, you need, companies need to foster or have an understanding of how delegation actually works in a technical sense. So delegation of authority is a well-established concept in most traditional organizations. However, when it comes to delegating tasks to an AI or a piece of code, especially when Web3 or blockchain is included, and you need to include that for the security, documentation of the security and so on, And it introduces a paradigm shift that is not easily grasped by most people. So it's very hard to understand AI. It's very hard to understand WebC. Put them together, and nobody understands. And employees, managers, clients, and so on also struggle with questions like, OK, what does it truly mean to delegate to an AI? What does it truly mean to delegate to a smart contract? How do we ensure this autonomous system, they align with what we want to do, organizational goal, ethical standards, and so on and so forth? So all these questions. And at a very basic level, in the Web3 ecosystem, if you look at it, smart contracts, I know it sounds smart, but it's just executable code, you know, that executes auction automatically to something called Oracle. So they look if certain things in real life happen, and then, you know, they have some if this, then that type of logic. And then they execute if certain things happen without the need of any human intervention. And this usually requires a very deep understanding of how code-based delegation works. And there is a curve in understanding and appreciating how this technology actually can enhance efficiency, transparency, if they're properly programmed and governed by this code. So this is why we need AI and websites, to make sure they both work together. And maybe you have also heard there was this challenge a couple of days back on the internet, where people would send money to an AI, and if they could convince the AI to give them the money, then they would win the whole money pot. And people tried to give it, and somebody hacked it. So see, this is just the AI part. So the AI part, you can still somehow, but if you have this Web3 component, then obviously it becomes more secure, more complex, and it will block certain tasks, because this is why you have the Web3 system there. With the Web system, I assume this wouldn't have actually happened. Maybe this might be an interesting topic for discussion. And to address this, in the first place, we need to, you know, our clients, how we make them understand was first, you know, we mapped out the delegation process in their company. By the way, most of the companies, although they have it mapped, most of the time they don't really understand fully end-to-end. We defined very clear parameters and conditions under which the AI and blockchain systems operate. And we ensured and tried to explain that the technology actually operates with the intended boundaries and aligns with the organizational objectives. Because translating something into code, it's actually very easy once you explain it. The second point is trust in the technology. People don't trust the technology. There is often skepticism rooted in misconceptions, especially around the blockchain part. So AI, OK. They give you these examples like I just gave you sometimes. But when people talk here about WebC, about blockchain, oh, they get on fire. They say, oh, it's vulnerable to hacking. It's scammy. It's cryptocurrencies. You know all these things. You have been in the domain.Outro: Yeah.Dan Dimitriu: It spends long enough. Yeah, so it is crucial to understand that these incidents are not due to flaws in the technology itself, because the technology works as intended, but stem from vulnerabilities in third party application, for security praxis, or social engineering attacks, 100% of the time. Blockchain by design offers robust security features, such as immutability, decentralization, and so on and so forth, to counteract all these possible, let's say, in a sense, technical hacks. And to overcome this skepticism, We developed, I developed like a mantra, you know, seeing is believing, where basically we go and show people how things work. For example, take the example that we just discussed, you know, you take it as a use case, you get interview people, deploy it quickly with the company and show, okay, actually it works, yeah. In another way we, in another small project, you know, we showed people very quickly what does it mean to have a transparent supply chain, yeah, there was a company and it was very interesting, they discovered that much of the fresh produce that they would guarantee 24 hours after they actually discovered it was much older than 24 hours. It couldn't be guaranteed. Or in another way, we introduced like an AI chatbot, you know, with Web3, again, as a test. to free up resources and then they could say, oh, we actually have more time and this makes sense. So, in a nutshell, if somebody listens to this podcast and is interested in how to actually solve this issue, obviously you have to do education and awareness, transparent communication, meaning you explain literally how everything works. Gradual implementation is very important because if you come with too many things, too many cool stuff because you are excited to know that people should do, they cannot transform. So you need to piecemeal it basically for everybody. collaborative approach, which means, you know, taking also the ideas and putting them in science where they are good or bad, you know, they'll figure it out by themselves, but they will have this feeling, okay, I contributed to something and I see how it works and this engages them, you know, in the learning journey. Obviously, robust security measures, yeah. So these four or five things, if you look at those, you can manage these two challenges, the biggest two challenges. If you manage these two challenges, the rest is very easy to be done, technical challenges and so on, once you manage these two things. Because people will be willing to put in the effort to actually move towards the common and now probably shared goal. And in essence, I believe, and this is also what I tell most of the people, and it's a little bit hard to believe, you know, not in that situation, that some of the biggest challenges, they are not technical, they are deeply human, and breaching this gap between innovative technology and people who are using, and by fostering a thorough understanding in this case of delegation, how AI works and so on, and building trust, transparency, demonstration of value, you can navigate all these challenges, I think, more successfully.Richard Carthon: Yeah, I think so as well. So just to kind of distill a lot of that, the first steps that you were kind of taking were to educate and inform around some of the reasons why people don't necessarily are shy away from from web three. And a lot of people think it has to do with security, but it actually has to do with a lot of other facets before you can even get to that point. But another area that I want to spend more time on, which has been really cool to me is just to see this emergence of wanting these companies wanting to be more involved in web three and that convergence of really starting to dial in on bringing these elements into their businesses out in the UAE. So I want to just talk about that a little bit more since you are, you know, based out there and doing a lot of stuff in the region. How do you see KSA and UAE's focus on Web3 impacting global influence beyond just the tech sector?Dan Dimitriu: So again, this is a very interesting question. I will try very, very briefly to answer because it's actually a very big topic. So if you look at the KSA, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and UAE, United Arab Emirates, they leverage Web3 technologies, in my opinion, not only to advance technology itself, so this is a part of it, but also to somehow underscore or refine their positions on a global stage, especially when you combine it with AI. Both of the countries, they want to take some of the leadership, both in AI and in Web3. Just starting briefly with the UAE, they've taken a pioneering role, you know, by establishing the first regulatory authority for Web3 DLT blockchain latency called Zvara, Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority. And in my opinion, let's say the secret sauce here is that it's just not merely a bureaucratic move, besides being the first one in the world, is also in strategic integration of Web3 into the nation's vision of becoming a digital powerhouse. What's interesting here is that they aligned the regulatory framework with the nation's strategic goals, more or less, to ensure that these technological advancements in Web3 go hand in hand with economic and social development. This is amazing. So, and based on the information that I have now, this is also first in the world, yeah? I don't know when you saw a ministry or any regulatory authority telling you, oh, this is how you contribute to the nation's vision. Most of the time, especially regulatory authorities, they are there to tax, yeah? For example, Europe or the US, yeah? You are afraid of them. Another thing that they have in the UAE, and I think it's very, very interesting, they have a thing of UAE, if you look from Web3 perspective, somehow, to some extent, like a Web3 sandbox. You know, they have a restriction in Rasselheimer where, for example, you want to open a business in Web3, but you don't know whether it's regulated or not. And we know, you do something with cryptocurrency and so on, you need to fall under certain regulation. They basically tell you, oh, come here, stay in this sandbox a couple of months, and we'll decide, do we need to create regulation, do we need to alter regulation, or we just decide you fall under the regulation, or we just decide, okay, it doesn't work. I mean, this is amazing, yeah? You can start attracting people, investments, and create traction all over the world just by this very simple thing. And they did this not only with Web3, but also in other areas. This is why they are so, so, so successful. So again, it's an amazing model. Imagine I'm coming from Europe, wanting to do a cryptocurrency business in Europe. Oh my God, you need to think about so many things. Yeah, you cannot open it. If you open it, you are somewhere in a gray zone. Then they come and shut you down because there is no reason. And so you can see all this drama online, you know, something happening and unfolding. because you just don't know, and then it takes the mean years to regulate, and when they finally regulate, they regulate to a very conservative, to protect the users too much, to protect the users too, too, too much. So similarly, the KSA is also making significant strides to integrate WebStream through the development plans in the CNO, the investment in Animoca Brands, the Outreach Conference in Riyadh, which is a landmark event, And, you know, investments in blockchain and infrastructure at the same time and AI are fostering, in my opinion, international partnerships, investments, key components of somehow their strategy to enhance global influence in this technical area. And if they manage to establish themselves as leaders in those digital technical areas, you can say that these initiatives basically extend far beyond the tech sector, in my opinion. If you are a leader here, you are attracting foreign investment, you are diversifying your economy, and basically indirectly increasing your soft power at an international stage. And I think there are three critical lessons that nations, especially in Europe, because Europe tends to over-regulate these things, they can learn. And I think the first one would be that technological policies should be interwoven with the national development strategies to ensure there is cohesion and you understand where you want to progress towards. Countries should set up proactive and clear regulatory frameworks that actually encourage and do not strive for innovation. I see the UAE with their sandbox. And last but not least, they should offer the tools and the framework for a thriving environment where businesses can safely test and implement new technologies. This is how, basically, you build an ecosystem. This is an ecosystem frame, more or less. And I think if you look at the KSA and UAE, and you read about it, they have a blueprint on how to do that and possibly amplify your global influence beyond your borders.Richard Carthon: I love it all. A year ago, I went to Abu Dhabi Finance Week and had a great experience, first time in the UAE, but seeing how the The ability to go and speak with government entities around, hey, this is what my business is. Here's what I'm trying to do. How can I go about this? And be able to talk to the decision makers, like, hey, how is this work? Doing all that was so powerful. And then, you know, through what we did in KSA at Outreach Riyadh, being able to talk to all the different government entities there that are very open and wanting people to come and innovate and be part of that. It's really cool to see firsthand, but you know, you're at the forefront of it and you get to see it all the time. So, you know, I guess like what are some of the unique challenges that you're seeing the country's face in becoming more of a Web3 powerhouse? And then, you know, with you being at the forefront of like both, you know, Fortune 500 companies and working with government entities, you know, what is Dedicon's approach to like working between the two?Dan Dimitriu: So I'll start first with the challenge. Again, I would say there are many challenges people viewed from different things. But in my opinion, the biggest challenge that I feel or I see, it's how to face this gap that is created between traditional industries and emerging technologies. And a very good example of that, you can find it in the UAE with DMCC Dubai, I think with the Commodity Center. So this is a free zone in Dubai, and they have also an accelerator. And they are focused around global commodities like gold and precious metals. And somehow they managed to integrate these commodities into this new Web3 flow. And how do they do that? For example, they let companies tokenize the gold that is there and is backed by the government, by the MCC. and they can create gold back assets, and they can tokenize it, they can do whatever they want within this framework. And you basically you take, you know, an old industry and catapulted, you know, in the in the future, through these dApps, financial products that you can build derivatives and, you know, God knows what, you know, so you can go very crazy. But you also have the advantage that If you control this in the right way, you can actually fine tune your regulation based on what companies are doing now. So it's another, let's say, hidden benefit that you have in this case. They also open the DMCC Crypto Center. And this regulates somehow how these things can be exchanged, what they can do there. And they also have a lot of partnerships and collaboration with blockchain platforms, other firms, and partners to create this Web3 opportunity. And last but not least, of course, you know what I said. You have this advantage that you can constantly improve and fight your regulatory support, and not only the regulatory support, but also the infrastructure. And what is the impact on the Web3 ecosystem and on traditional things? So this is a very good way to basically bridge the gap between these two industries. People are dealing with commodities, and people dealing with Web3 are two worlds that couldn't be further apart. So to some extent, it creates trust and stability, especially if you have an entity bridging this thing in the middle. Because you have somehow gold back, digital assets. People see that it works. It's something that they understand. And you convert some people from non-believers, basically, to believers. On the other side, it encourages more users and investors to participate in these products. Hence, they participate in Web3. And without knowing, oh, you actually are part of Web3. I think it also acts as what you would call an innovation catalyst, because you tokenize all these commodities. And by tokenizing them, you have a lot of new opportunities for financial products, services, DeFi, and so on and so forth, which you can blast to a wider audience. And then last but not least, I think the merger between old and traditional is if you do it right, and if you moderate it right, It can create this ecosystem of growth that we talked about before, where you can attract talent, investment, and this is actually how you foster basically a culture of innovation. and based out of this innovation and see how people interact and so on, again, this is the thing that helps you actually fine-tune your regulation. And with this, if you do something like that, this is a very interesting and a new model I saw. I didn't see it anywhere else to this extent. Basically, you are addressing three, four challenges in one go. So you bridge the traditional and digital economies, as we explained with all these products, and so on and so forth. You ensure that the people that you bring in automatically are compliant with certain regulation, because otherwise they cannot build these products and be in compliance and do their businesses. And also you are driving marketplace adoption. So looking at these three things, this is what it actually means to bridge the gap between what I said before that is a challenge. with our traditional industry and this new industry very, very nice and beautifully.Richard Carthon: Yeah, I think those are all really good practical steps on, you know, what can be done to start getting a lot of these companies and government entities ready to take on and fully embrace Web3 in a way that can get everyone moving in the right direction together. Again, I know this is a focus for you, and I think something that could be just interesting to hear your take on. Obviously, you do a lot of work with governments and Fortune 500 companies, but if you could implement like one emerging technology globally overnight, that would help amplify both of those subsets, right? The government and Fortune 500 companies, what would it be and why?Dan Dimitriu: This is a very good question. Maybe I wouldn't implement one. I would do a combination. So if I had this power, it would be like a fusion between access to clean renewable energy and deployment of quantum computing, hands down. So imagine that every corner of the world is powered by sustainable energy and it removes one of the biggest barriers that we currently have with development innovators, innovation all over the world. So now overlay this, let's say clean unlimited energy with quantum computing, a leap in computational power that can take us very far into the future, so can solve very complex problems in seconds that would take a normal or conventional AI or very smart computer to take millennia. So combining these two things I think will catapult humanity into a new era of possibility. and we could unlock breakthroughs in fields like medicine, by rapidly modelling these very complex proteins to cure diseases, or optimise global logistics to reduce energy waste, and so on and so forth. So you see how these two things will catapult into the next era of possibility. We don't even know what lies beyond this frontier. So always working in the frontier makes it even more exciting to push that frontier forward. And by democratizing access to limitless energy and computing power, we can level the playing field, I think, for innovation worldwide. We can work together as a unity, as a globe. And it's not just about technological advancement. It's also about actually unleashing the full human potential at the global scale. And this can spark and could lead to solutions for challenges that we don't even imagine, you know, space travel and so on and so forth. So this, again, this is a dream that I have. I know it's very far from being realistic, but if I could do that and I would have a magical one and do it, this is what I would do.Richard Carthon: Yeah, no, I like it. It, it would help serve and help the world in a lot of ways, but it also make things highly efficient. And like you said, as we move to more highly efficient models, it gives people back more time. So like, do we need to work five day work weeks? Or can we go down to four or three because we really optimize everything and give people a little bit more holiday and have higher quality of life and so many other components of it. So I think it's a really cool thought exercise. And Dan, I think you've shared a lot of really awesome thoughts with us today, but I'm excited to learn a little bit more about you. So we're actually getting ready to break into our next segment, which is the Edge Quick Hitters.Ad: Let's take a pause to shout out one of our favorite partners. VR, AR, quantum computing, and more, Zuber Lawler offers expert guidance in capital raising, IP transactions, M&A, litigation, and compliance. Visit zuberlawler.com. That's Z-U-B-E-R-L-A-W-L-E-R.com for cutting edge legal solutions.Richard Carthon: Edgequip hitters are a fun and quick way to get to know you a little better. There are 10 questions, and we're looking for just a short, single, or few word response. But feel free to expand if you get the urge. Are you ready? Sure. Yeah. All right. What is the first thing you remember purchasing in your life?Dan Dimitriu: Um, it was, it's called the Ruben. It's called the Eugenia. It's a very communist type of biscuit. You know, my parents gave me money and I was trembling while giving them money because I wasn't sure I was four or six years old, four or five years old at a, at a mountain resort. Um, and it tasted awfully, I actually wanted to buy something else, but I didn't have the courage because I thought the worker might know that my parents gave me the money to buy exactly that thing.Richard Carthon: That's awesome. You remember it so vividly. Yeah.Dan Dimitriu: Yeah.Richard Carthon: That's so cool. So what about on the flip side of that? Right. What is the first thing you remember selling?Dan Dimitriu: I, unfortunately, am not somebody that sells. I build emotional attachment to actually many things. The first thing that I actually sold was my furniture when I was moving for university. It was a very big thing where I had my underwear and then I regretted it because we moved in another space where I actually had space to keep that big thing. And yes, I had to buy a new one.Richard Carthon: Yeah, I, uh, when I was in uni, I ended up, uh, before I had it left, I sold a bunch of my stuff too. So completely understand that it's a great time. Um, what is the most recent thing you've purchased?Dan Dimitriu: Most recently, oh, Black Friday. So I bought so many things, but one of the coolest things, you know, I bought this Black Friday is my first air purifier. I'm very proud of that. Yes. I actually had it work today, so it basically counts as the last purchase. It massively improves, you know, your energy and everything. Actually, the air I didn't even realize in my apartment is actually much worse than I thought. Of course, you live in the desert, you have always AC on, and so God knows what is there. And since putting it, I feel awake. So now I feel awake. It's almost, I don't know, 2 o'clock here, 2 a.m. in the morning. I think this helped quite a lot.Richard Carthon: Oh, it does, for sure. I didn't believe in its power. So my wife got us a really nice one for our room, and sleep's improved, getting sick way less. It's crazy how well it works. There you go.Dan Dimitriu: I also had this cuff that you heard, and after I put this hair purifier on, it dropped by 90%. So, would recommend it.Richard Carthon: Yeah, it's definitely a good purchase. What's one of the most recent things you've sold?Dan Dimitriu: Cryptocurrency, you know, you have this somehow bull run, you know, it was XRP, I was betting big on XRP, five years XRP ripper actually betrayed me. Yeah, I was holding high hope and now starting selling little, little, little by little because it goes up.Richard Carthon: Yeah. XRP is having a late surgence at the time of the recording in early December of 2024. So we'll see what ultimately ends up with that. But that makes sense. What would you consider your most prized possession?Dan Dimitriu: the most price position. Look, there are a lot, many things that I consider, you know, at different levels. But the most pricing I would say is, you know, the relationship I set, you know, the relationship I have with my family, the relationship I have with friends. And, you know, what we can do together, what we talked about, what we can talk about and what we can generate, what I can generate, you know, through these genuine connections that I have. and how I can improve them and bring them to the next level. I don't know if this counts as a thing that you have, it's totally material, but I think this is what moves me every single day, this circle and these relationships.Richard Carthon: Yeah, I like the way you said it. Relationships, they really do make a huge difference and bring a lot of power and fulfillment to what you do. So that's a good answer. If you buy anything in the world, digital, physical, service, experience, etc, that is currently for sale, and money is not a problem, what would it be?Dan Dimitriu: I think I wouldn't buy something expensive, but it's something that we also have. I would buy time. I like this concept very much about, you know, learning and having the time to do so. And I know it's very hard sometimes to invest in relationships, learn things and do cool stuff. And when, again, we are working on this age of, you know, this digital renaissance, you know, time is, if I could buy anything, 100% of the time, 100% of the time, yeah? And I have this idea, you know, I don't know if you read Faust by Goethe, a German writer, and there is this guy that wants to know what, how the world, what's in his most fundamental parts. And again, it's a question about time. We need time to go and understand these things and so on and so forth. He makes a bargain with the devil, you know, to get a shortcut into this. Yeah. And then he did some well for him. So I'll not spoil the ending, but a hundred percent, it would be time if money and everything would be no problem. It is time because this can give you all other things that you, that you,Richard Carthon: Yeah, time is a powerful answer. Actually, that's the first I've heard on the show. So that's a good one. And share the sentiment. Definitely get as much as you can. If you could pass on one of your personality traits to the next generation, what would it be?Dan Dimitriu: That's an interesting question. And actually, I try to teach this everybody in my team. Whenever you do or start something, start with zero preconceptions. And I know I'm saying this, it's very easy to do, but it's extremely hard to implement. You meet somebody, you are thinking the way he's dressed, the way his hair is, how he talks, his accent. Then you begin to think, oh, this from there, this means this, this. Because your brain tries to build this shortcut. And actually, it takes a lot of brain power to have no preconception. If there would be anything I could give to the next generation, it would be saying, go. inside without preconceptions about doing anything, and make your own ideas and your own thing. And then let your brain, you know, sentiments, the heart, and so on and so forth, basically go inside. This has helped me tremendously. And change, you cannot understand how powerful this is if you do this consciously every single day. And then at some point, it will become second nature. And it's amazing how much you can learn and see. Things that you usually don't see because of preconception make you blind. and make you lose your hear, your smell, and so on and so forth, just because you have a preconception. This is how powerful your brain is.None: 100%.Richard Carthon: That's another first. I've never heard that one on the show, and I like that a lot. And I think it is something that more people need to do. I know it's definitely something. I'm sure it's something that happens internationally, but definitely out here in the West. that preconceived notions can come into play before you even get to know someone. So I think that is a very great reminder for everyone listening right now. On the flip side, if you could eliminate one of your personality traits for the next generation, what would it be?Dan Dimitriu: not going on an adventure, not wanting to take risks. Because of my raising, being raised in communism and so on, after the fall of communism, when the country was changing in Romania and so on, I'm very cautious. I was raised to be extremely, extremely cautious and I'm very, very cautious. And if I delete and not give, don't be cautious. Go, experiment. And this goes hand in hand with having an open mind. Just go, be open for all the possible experience. Of course, with certain boundaries, you need to have your boundaries. That's an interesting discussion about boundaries and being open. But generally, go for wild things. Experiment. Because as I said before, time passes. And this is what actually makes who you are today, these big leaps, looking back. So go out there, be wild, experiment. come back and go through the drawing board and see if you need to adjust something.Richard Carthon: Yeah, I think that's a great one. Taking a little bit more risk, so appreciate you sharing that. For our next question, what did you do just before joining us on the podcast?Dan Dimitriu: Actually, I slept because it was late here. So I wanted to get in a little bit of sleep. But because of this air machine I told you about, I actually couldn't sleep. I felt very, very fresh. So I came back and I started, you know, researching a couple of ideas. And, you know, if today, you know, they announced some new news or some new things, because, you know, with Web3 and AI here in the region, literally every half a day, you know, there is something new happening. So I researched and looked into that, you know, to make sure I'm up to date.Richard Carthon: Great. And I'm guessing what you're going to be doing right after is probably going to sleep.Dan Dimitriu: Most likely, I'll go to sleep. So I will finish my Coke because I like to drink Coke. I have here to just keep me a little bit awake, and then I'll go back to sleep. Get you some rest.Richard Carthon: Well, we always like to finish with a nice bonus question. And having being a world class cellist, if you were going to give a performance right now, what song would you perform?Dan Dimitriu: Then why? I would perform the cello concerto written by Dvorak. He wrote one famous cello concerto. And why? Because I loved it very much. When I played that piece, it's a very powerful piece. It requires a big orchestra. You need to project yourself. And every time I played that, I felt like something was coming out of me and it was becoming bigger. And this whole world, that you decompress the world, this is the feeling you have. And this whole world will become like a small house where all the people live together, exchange ideas, and everything is fine. It's an amazing feeling. I don't know how to describe it. It sounds like you're on drugs or anything. You're not, not at all. You just need to project yourself out of your human confines. So this is what... while also working on the edge of technology and of knowledge to just come out of this, I don't know how to say, your body has shackles, I don't know how to say, you need to sleep, you need to eat and so on, and in your endeavour to become better and better and better, like this Faust guy I was talking about previously, you somehow need to come out of this thing. And while playing this piece, I felt how I was just truly coming out and being at peace.Richard Carthon: It's almost like your body is transcending itself and really getting to be its fullest.Dan Dimitriu: Yeah. And this is what gave you power in the interpretation, what made the interpretation so valuable. And this is why when you listen to such people, you feel mesmerized because it transcends this, let's say, this human practice to some extent.Richard Carthon: Yeah, no, that is awesome. Well, definitely appreciate that. And also giving a little bit of homework for all those who've never heard that piece to go check that out. So definitely.Dan Dimitriu: Yeah, it's the solo concert in B minor. Yeah. And it's very powerful. You know, I just listen to it, you know, my skin begins to, my skin begins to actually, you know, you get this chicken skin.Outro: Goosebumps.Dan Dimitriu: Yeah, goosebumps. Exactly. There you go. You get this, how powerful this piece is. And you can also feel how Dvorak actually poured his heart in, you know, you feel like your heart burns when you play that thing or listen to it and actually understand. This is just in a nutshell. You can do a complete analysis and it's very interesting.Richard Carthon: No, that's awesome. You can definitely hear the passion in it. So we appreciate you sharing all that. As we wrap up here, we always like to give a quick moment for our shout out segment. So this is your moment to shout out whomever you want, whether this is people on your team, people in the background, companies you work with, et cetera, just people that don't always get their flowers. This is your chance to give it to them. So who would you like to shout out today?Dan Dimitriu: Um, to first shout out goes to, to my team, you know, that we do amazing team, you know, they know who they are actually. They are too many to name them. out here. And then the next shout out, you know, is the people I'm currently working with, you know, they are amazing people. You probably met them, you know, as part of Outreach, you know, they work for Neon. Nathan Liat, amazing people, amazing guys, visionary. So, yeah, this would be the, you know, the shakers and movers, you know, in this website. I mean, I think here in the Middle East, in the future, I don't think, I'm actually sure, yeah. So this, let's say these two people, you know, these two groups of people, you know, they are amazing and we did a lot of beautiful things. And of course, last but not least, you know, my family, wife and so on, you know, that understand, you know, my crazy love style. in pursuing all this challenging and always trying to push this digital renaissance frontier one step at a time further.Richard Carthon: Absolutely. Well, I'm sure all those groups are going to appreciate that shout out. For everyone who's listening to this and they want to go and learn more about you and Dettacon, where can they go?Dan Dimitriu: They can go on our website or on my LinkedIn. I am very happy to connect with everybody, answer their questions, help with any issues that they want. I'm very open, approachable, and I will definitely take time to listen to you and try to find a solution together. It's very exciting to solve new challenges.Intro: We've reached the outer limit, at the edge of show for today. Thanks for exploring with us. We have room for more adventurers on our starships, so invite your friends and cool strangers to join our journey. If you're among the hundreds of thousands following us on Spotify, iTunes, iHeartRadio, or watching us on Maiko or YouTube, please hit that subscribe button, rate us, and make an awesome comment too. And don't forget to pass this episode along to a friend or two who would benefit from it. Doubling back to again, recommend checking out myco.io, where you can watch The Edge of Show and earn for your time and attention. That's m-y-c-o dot i-o. Don't forget to visit theedgeofshow.com, the as part of their domain name, where you can learn more about collaborating with us, and also subscribe to the Edge of Weekly newsletter for the latest Web3 news, events, and show drops. In addition, connect with us on all major social platforms by searching for The Edge of Show. Join the exciting conversations happening online. Lastly, be sure to tune in next time for more great Web3 and AI content. Until then, keep pushing the boundaries. Thanks again for hanging out with us today. The views and opinions expressed on The Edge of Show reflect solely those views and opinions of the show hosts and its guests. Please make sure to do your own research. Our show is not financial advice. You understand that you are using any and all information on or through this podcast at your own risk. 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