Hey there, PoI readers! 💫

It's your favorite crypto connoisseur, Mochi, back with another serving of tantalizing tech and web3 news. Today we're diving into some seriously juicy stories: the SEC playing hot potato with Venezuela's alleged Bitcoin billions, Vitalik's quest to make Ethereum immortal, the CFTC assembling its own crypto dream team, and Zuckerberg's plan to power Meta's AI empire with enough electricity to light up half the planet. From regulatory shake-ups to infrastructure overhauls, we've got a lot to unpack. So, buckle up and get ready for a wild ride through the wonderland of digital assets!

INTEL BRIEF

🟧 SEC Chair Paul Atkins says the US government's response to Venezuela's alleged $60 billion Bitcoin stash is still up in the air, but it's definitely not his problem to solve.

🟧 Vitalik Buterin says Ethereum needs to become so solid that it could run for 100 years even if devs ghosted the project tomorrow—like a hammer that never needs maintenance.

🟧 The CFTC just launched a shiny new innovation committee stacked with crypto heavyweights like Tyler Winklevoss to help regulators actually understand the tech they're supposed to be regulating.

🟧 Mark Zuckerberg just announced Meta Compute, a massive AI infrastructure initiative that'll guzzle tens of gigawatts of power this decade—because apparently, AI runs on electricity like your phone runs on procrastination.

The SEC Has No Idea What to Do About Venezuela's Alleged Bitcoin Billions

Venezuela supposedly has $60 billion in Bitcoin just sitting around (casual flex, right?), and everyone's wondering if Uncle Sam is gonna swoop in and hit the "yoink" button. SEC Chair Paul Atkins basically shrugged and said, "That's not my department, bro" when asked about the potential crypto seizure during a Monday chat with Fox Business.

The alleged 600,000 BTC stash came into the spotlight after US forces captured then-President Nicolás Maduro last week on President Trump's orders, whisking him off to New York to face criminal charges. Plot twist: blockchain analysts can't actually verify if this Bitcoin mountain even exists. It's like someone claiming they have a pet dragon—cool story, but where's the proof?

Here's what we DO know: Maduro's regime wasn't exactly crypto-shy. Back in 2018, they launched an oil-backed digital currency (the Petro, remember that flop?), so they've dabbled in the blockchain space before. But $60 billion worth of Bitcoin? That's a LOT of digital gold, and so far, the receipts are MIA.

Atkins made it crystal clear he's staying in his lane: "I leave that to others in the administration to deal with." Translation? This isn't the SEC's circus, and Paul's not trying to be the ringmaster. Meanwhile, the US Senate Banking Committee is gearing up to discuss the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act (CLARITY) this Thursday, which could reshape crypto regulation entirely—assuming it doesn't get buried under midterm election chaos or another government shutdown.

Venezuela allegedly holds $60 billion in Bitcoin, but blockchain analysts haven't confirmed it exists

SEC Chair Paul Atkins says seizing the crypto isn't his call—that's for other government agencies to figure out

The CLARITY Act markup is scheduled for Thursday, though concerns about stablecoin provisions and DeFi regulations could cause delays

Ethereum Needs to Become So Good That Developers Can Just Walk Away For

Vitalik Buterin just dropped some philosophical fire on Monday, basically asking: "What if we all just... left?" No, he's not rage-quitting—he's challenging Ethereum to pass what he calls the "walkaway test." The idea? Ethereum should be so robust that even if every developer packed up and disappeared tomorrow, the network would still be chugging along like nothing happened.

"We must get to a place where Ethereum's value proposition does not strictly depend on any features that are not in the protocol already," Vitalik wrote on X. He wants Ethereum to be like a hammer—you buy it once, and it just works forever. No subscription fees, no "sorry, we're shutting down" emails. Just pure, unadulterated functionality.

But hold up—Ethereum isn't quite there yet. Vitalik laid out seven key areas that need work before the network can truly claim "set it and forget it" status. First up: quantum resistance. Because nothing says "future-proof" like being ready for computers that don't even exist yet (well, not in any meaningful way). Then there's scalable architecture with fancy tech like Zero-Knowledge Ethereum Virtual Machines (ZK-EVM) and Peer Data Availability Sampling (PeerDAS), which would let Ethereum handle thousands of transactions per second without breaking a sweat.

Vitalik also wants a better block-building model that resists centralization and censorship, plus a rock-solid gas schedule free of security holes. His goal? "Being able to say 'Ethereum's protocol, as it stands today, is cryptographically safe for a hundred years.'" No pressure, right?

And if that wasn't enough homework, Vitalik also argued that Ethereum needs better decentralized stablecoins—ones backed by a diversified basket of assets instead of just the US dollar. Because why put all your eggs in one fiat basket?

Vitalik Buterin wants Ethereum to pass the "walkaway test"—functioning perfectly even if devs stop working on it

Seven key improvements needed: quantum resistance, scalable architecture (ZK-EVM, PeerDAS), decentralized block-building, and more

Goal: Make Ethereum cryptographically safe for 100 years and reduce dependence on active development

The CFTC Just Hired Tyler Winklevoss and Crypto's Biggest Names to Fix Regulation

The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) just hit the refresh button on how it deals with cutting-edge tech. On Monday, CFTC Chair Mike Selig announced the formation of the Innovation Advisory Committee—basically replacing the old, dusty Technology Advisory Committee with something that actually gets it.

Here's the glow-up: instead of regulators scratching their heads over blockchain and AI in a vacuum, they're bringing in the big guns from the crypto world to help shape regulations that don't suck. We're talking Tyler Winklevoss (Gemini CEO), Kris Marszalek (Crypto.com CEO), Shayne Coplan (Polymarket CEO), Tarek Mansour (Kalshi CEO), and Arjun Sethi (Kraken co-CEO). It's like assembling the regulatory Avengers, but with more blockchain and fewer capes.

Selig emphasized that the committee will help the CFTC understand the "commercial, economic, and practical considerations" of emerging tech so they can create "clear rules of the road for the Golden Age of American Financial Markets." Translation? Let's make rules that don't accidentally kill innovation while still keeping things legit.

The CFTC isn't just focused on crypto, though. AI and cloud computing are also on the radar since they're transforming how financial markets operate—think 24/7/365 trading, faster transactions, and smarter risk management. Traditional finance bigwigs like Intercontinental Exchange CEO Jeff Sprecher, Cboe's Craig Donohue, and Nasdaq's Adena Friedman are also joining the party, ensuring both old-school and new-school finance get a seat at the table.

And if you think you've got something to contribute? The CFTC is accepting applications for additional committee members until January 31, so shoot your shot! Meanwhile, a16z chimed in last Friday with a warning: if America doesn't win the tech race, it's game over—economically, militarily, and culturally. No pressure, right?

CFTC launches Innovation Advisory Committee to guide regulation of blockchain, AI, and emerging tech

Top crypto CEOs like Tyler Winklevoss, Kris Marszalek, and Shayne Coplan will advise the CFTC on practical regulations

Applications for additional committee spots are open until Jan. 31, while a16z warns that tech leadership is critical to US dominance

Meta Is About to Consume Enough Electricity to Power Several Small Nations for AI

Mark Zuckerberg isn't messing around when it comes to AI. On Monday, the Meta CEO dropped the news that the company is launching Meta Compute—a shiny new initiative focused on beefing up AI infrastructure like it's training for the Olympics. And by "beefing up," we mean preparing to consume enough electricity to power a small country (or several).

Zuck laid it out plainly: Meta plans to build out tens of gigawatts of energy capacity this decade, with aspirations to hit hundreds of gigawatts or more down the line. For context, a gigawatt is a billion watts of power—the kind of juice it takes to run DeLorean time machines or, you know, train massive AI models. With America's AI-driven electrical consumption potentially spiking from 5 GW to 50 GW in the next decade, Meta's basically preparing to become an energy-guzzling beast.

"How we engineer, invest, and partner to build this infrastructure will become a strategic advantage," Zuckerberg said on Threads. Translation? Whoever builds the biggest, baddest AI backbone wins.

To lead this charge, Zuck tapped three key executives. First up: Santosh Janardhan, Meta's head of global infrastructure since 2009, who'll handle the technical heavy lifting—think datacenter fleets, software stacks, and silicon programs. Then there's Daniel Gross, who literally just joined Meta last year after co-founding Safe Superintelligence with former OpenAI chief scientist Ilya Sutskever. Gross will tackle long-term capacity strategy and supplier partnerships (aka figuring out where all those gigawatts are coming from).

Finally, Dina Powell McCormick—a former government official who recently joined as Meta's president and vice chairman—will schmooze with governments to help "build, deploy, invest in, and finance" Meta's infrastructure. Because when you're building an AI empire, you need friends in high places.

This move isn't surprising. Meta's CFO Susan Li already teased massive capital expenditure projections last year, saying AI infrastructure would be a "core advantage." And Meta's not alone in this race—Microsoft is partnering with AI infrastructure providers left and right, while Google's Alphabet scooped up datacenter firm Intersect in December. It's an all-out arms race, except instead of nukes, it's... datacenters?

Meta launches Meta Compute, an initiative to massively expand AI infrastructure with tens of gigawatts of power this decade

Three execs leading the charge: Santosh Janardhan (global infrastructure), Daniel Gross (capacity strategy), and Dina Powell McCormick (government relations)

Tech giants like Microsoft and Google are also racing to build AI-ready cloud infrastructure as energy demands skyrocket

And that's a wrap, my lovely PoI readers! 🎯 I hope this edition left you feeling informed, entertained, and maybe even a little bit richer (in knowledge, of course). Whether it's phantom Bitcoin hoards, century-proof blockchains, regulatory innovation committees, or gigawatt-gobbling AI farms, the crypto and tech world never stops serving up the drama. Remember to stay curious, stay informed, and keep spreading the love. Until next time, this is Mochi, signing off with a virtual high-five!

P.S. Don't forget to share your thoughts, questions, and favorite crypto puns with us. very voice matters in the PoI community! 📣❤️ Share the newsletter

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