Solana founder Anatoly Yakovenko drops bombshells at Breakpoint 2024, revealing plans for a revolutionary new crypto phone and sharing his vision for Solana's future as a global state machine operating at the speed of light.

Summary

In a fireside chat at Breakpoint 2024, Solana founder Anatoly Yakovenko shared insights on the blockchain's future, upcoming mobile devices, and his vision for a global state machine. Yakovenko discussed the motivations behind Solana Mobile's new crypto phone, addressing criticisms of the previous model and outlining improvements in the upcoming device.

The conversation touched on Solana's technical advancements, including the Firedancer implementation achieving one million transactions per second (TPS) on a globally distributed network. Yakovenko emphasized the importance of building a global state machine operating at the speed of light, explaining its potential impact on finance and commerce.

Yakovenko also addressed misconceptions about Solana, discussed the challenges of blockchain development, and shared his thoughts on the ecosystem's growth. He encouraged founders to build and experiment, highlighting the global opportunities created by crypto and blockchain technology.

Key Points:

New Solana Mobile Device

Yakovenko announced a new, more affordable crypto phone from Solana Mobile. Priced at $500, down from the previous model's $1,000 tag, the device aims to be more accessible to a broader audience. The new phone boasts improved specifications, including a better screen and lighter design. Software improvements focus on enhancing the user experience, particularly in areas like transaction signing, which is being developed to rival the ease of use of Apple Pay.

The motivation behind Solana's mobile endeavors stems from Yakovenko's background in mobile technology and his desire to disrupt the current mobile ecosystem dominated by Apple and Google. He views the high fees charged by these platforms (30% for Apple and 20% for Google) as a significant opportunity for disruption, especially when compared to the much lower fees in traditional payment processing.

Firedancer and Technical Advancements

Yakovenko highlighted the achievements of the Firedancer team, who have developed a second implementation of the Solana protocol. This implementation has demonstrated the ability to process one million transactions per second on a network of 100 globally distributed nodes. This advancement is significant not just for its performance but also for the added security it brings to the network.

The presence of multiple implementations reduces the risk of catastrophic bugs affecting the entire network. Yakovenko revealed that Firedancer is now running on mainnet, with over 33% of the network either running Firedancer or both clients, marking a significant milestone in the protocol's development and security.

Vision for a Global State Machine

Yakovenko articulated his vision for Solana as a global state machine operating at the speed of light. He explained that this concept is particularly relevant in finance and trading, where delays and information asymmetry can lead to inefficiencies and higher costs for users. By creating a fast, atomic, and permissionless global system, Solana aims to reduce these inefficiencies and provide better pricing for users.

This vision is seen as disruptive as the advent of Linux in the 1990s, with the potential to create a more efficient and accessible financial system built on open-source software and commodity hardware. Yakovenko believes that this approach will ultimately win customers through better pricing and increased efficiency.

Ecosystem Growth and Founder Advice

Yakovenko shared his thoughts on the growth of the Solana ecosystem and offered advice to founders. He emphasized the importance of building and experimenting, encouraging developers to work on "weird stuff" and not fear failure. Yakovenko highlighted the global nature of opportunities in crypto and blockchain, noting that founders no longer need to be in traditional tech hubs like Silicon Valley to succeed.

He likened the founder's journey to that of a shark, always needing to move forward and try new things. Yakovenko stressed the value of the learning process in building products and understanding users, advising founders to focus on action rather than worry about potential failure.

Facts + Figures

• Solana Mobile is launching a new crypto phone priced at $500, significantly cheaper than the previous $1,000 model
• The new phone features improved specs, including a better screen and lighter design
• Solana Mobile has sold around 140,000 units of their previous phone model
• The Firedancer team achieved one million TPS on a network of 100 globally distributed nodes
• Over 33% of the Solana network is now running Firedancer or both Firedancer and the original client
• Apple and Google charge 30% and 20% fees respectively on their app stores, compared to Visa's 10 basis points on transaction volume
• Yakovenko spent most of his career at Qualcomm, working on early mobile platforms
• The Solana ecosystem aims to disrupt traditional finance by creating a global state machine operating at the speed of light

Top quotes

1. "Mobile is one of those things that is, I think, the epitome of that personal computer of the '80s-led dream of having a tricorder in Star Trek. It is the most important device."

2. "When you build a product as a startup founder, you have to take shortcuts. You have to build it as fast as you can to provide a thesis. And you're kind of painting an impressionist painting."

3. "The thesis that developers can give up content and get people to switch devices or switch platforms, we might have gotten right."

4. "I'm very, very hard problem to disrupt these big companies. So how are you going to do it?"

5. "To me, it's a sign that like I think we are living in a really, really blessed timeline where people can spend their money and time on playing games while we can build all this technology to improve commerce and make sure we live in a world of abundance."

6. "In my view, it is as disruptive as Linux was in the '90s where you had these proprietary commercial operating systems that were very expensive to build."

7. "The scariest thing in these systems is that they're built by people. And people write bugs. And sometimes, you know, those bugs can be catastrophic."

8. "Just go build stuff. The worst thing you can do is nothing."

Questions Answered

What improvements does the new Solana Mobile phone offer?

The new Solana Mobile phone offers several key improvements over its predecessor. Priced at $500, it's significantly more affordable than the previous $1,000 model. The device features better specifications, including an improved screen and a lighter design. Additionally, the software has been refined, with a focus on enhancing the user experience, particularly in areas like transaction signing, which is being developed to match the ease of use of Apple Pay.

Why is Anatoly Yakovenko focused on mobile technology for Solana?

Anatoly Yakovenko is focused on mobile technology for Solana due to his background in the mobile industry and his belief in the disruptive potential of crypto in this space. He sees the high fees charged by Apple and Google (30% and 20% respectively) as a significant opportunity for disruption. Yakovenko believes that by creating a crypto-native mobile platform, Solana can offer a more open and cost-effective alternative to the current mobile ecosystem, potentially revolutionizing how people interact with digital assets and decentralized applications.

What is the significance of the Firedancer implementation for Solana?

The Firedancer implementation is significant for Solana in several ways. First, it demonstrates the network's ability to process one million transactions per second on a globally distributed network of 100 nodes, showcasing Solana's potential for high performance. More importantly, Firedancer serves as a second implementation of the Solana protocol, which greatly enhances the network's security and resilience. By having multiple implementations, the risk of a single catastrophic bug affecting the entire network is significantly reduced, making Solana more robust and reliable.

What is Anatoly Yakovenko's vision for Solana as a global state machine?

Anatoly Yakovenko envisions Solana as a global state machine operating at the speed of light. This concept aims to create a fast, atomic, and permissionless global system that can significantly reduce inefficiencies in finance and trading. By minimizing delays and information asymmetry, this system could provide better pricing and lower costs for users. Yakovenko sees this as potentially disruptive as Linux was in the 1990s, capable of creating a more efficient and accessible financial system built on open-source software and commodity hardware.

What advice does Anatoly Yakovenko offer to founders in the Solana ecosystem?

Anatoly Yakovenko advises founders in the Solana ecosystem to focus on building and experimenting without fear of failure. He encourages developers to work on innovative projects, even if they seem unconventional. Yakovenko emphasizes the global nature of opportunities in crypto and blockchain, noting that success is no longer tied to traditional tech hubs. He likens the founder's journey to that of a shark, always needing to move forward and try new things. The key, according to Yakovenko, is to focus on action and learn through the process of building products and understanding users.

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