Interview with Kickstarter COO: An attempt to answer blockchain questions

[Tun Kai Poh]

Kickstarter COO Sean Leow talks with a reporter from The Beat about Kickstarter's controversial blockchain strategy, which is alarming many creators, including game creators.

The reporter asks some pretty technical questions about the efficiency and reversibility concerns around blockchain. And the COO attempts to answer! For instance:

THE BEAT: Could you give a little bit more details on that? Right now, blockchain is remarkably slow – it can take up to four hours to complete a single transaction on the Etherium network (which powers NFTs). Meanwhile, we have open-source systems like OAuth authentication, which is used between countless services. We have systems like Swagger that make it easy to build on APIs that transfer data between systems. Given that, if the goal is interoperability and data transfer, why not use something that already exists and is extensively used? Or, to put it another way, what is the killer feature of blockchain that could not be achieved through existing technology?

LEOW: I’ll admit that I’m not the technical expert on this. And there’s a lot to explore here. But we think that, based on some of the more technical investigations into this that the data can be structured and moved more efficiently on blockchain.

Kickstarter exec on blockchain backlash: "We've learned a hell of a lot."

Kickstarter COO Sean Leow talks about why they are looking at moving to the blockchain, and addresses creator backlash.

www.comicsbeat.com

 

[éxypnos]

Kickstarter COO Sean Leow talks with a reporter from The Beat about Kickstarter's controversial blockchain strategy, which is alarming many creators, including game creators.

The reporter asks some pretty technical questions about the efficiency and reversibility concerns around blockchain. And the COO attempts to answer! For instance:

Kickstarter exec on blockchain backlash: "We've learned a hell of a lot."

Kickstarter COO Sean Leow talks about why they are looking at moving to the blockchain, and addresses creator backlash.

www.comicsbeat.com

Umm, no. blockchain isn't designed for speed. It was designed for anonymity. There is no reason (well, no logical reason) for KS to use blockchain.

 

[Tun Kai Poh]

Umm, no. blockchain isn't designed for speed. It was designed for anonymity. There is no reason (well, no logical reason) for KS to use blockchain.

Surely you're not suggesting the COO is uninformed about the efficiency of a technology his company is about to dive headlong into

 

[Smackpixi]

Two takeaways, he identifies two challenges for Kickstarter at the start, doesn’t say how blockchain addresses either. Also, COO is “not the technical expert on this”. Gonna choose to pivot the entire functionality of your platform to a thing, might spend some time becoming that.

Blockchain so often seems like a solution in search of a problem.

 

[Umbran]

Also, COO is “not the technical expert on this”. Gonna choose to pivot the entire functionality of your platform to a thing, might spend some time becoming that.

In a company the size of Kickstarter, they darned well ought to have a CTO to be the technical expert on anything. I mean "Technical" is in the job description of "Chief Technical Officer", right?

Now, why they didn't have the CTO answering technical questions, I couldn't say.

 

[Smackpixi]

In a company the size of Kickstarter, they darned well ought to have a CTO to be the technical expert on anything. I mean "Technical" is in the job description of "Chief Technical Officer", right?

Now, why they didn't have the CTO answering technical questions, I couldn't say.

They’re smaller than you think. Less than 100 EEs. Near as I can tell, only have former CTOs.

 

[Umbran]

They’re smaller than you think. Less than 100 EEs. Near as I can tell, only have former CTOs.

The size isn't about the number of employees, but about the volume (and money) the platform handles.

I've worked in places with fewer than 40 FTE, that had a CTO, because, get this - for a company that exists due to its technology, technology is important, and someone ought to be shepherding that stuff.

 

[éxypnos]

Blockchain so often seems like a solution in search of a problem.

I know! I had 3 clients in the last year, all IT Security start ups, trying to figure out how to work "blockchain" into their offerings. Unbelievable.

 

[Ulfgeir]

Hmm, one thought that started bubbling in my brain, if it is implemented, is that this might cause a GDPR-nightmare if user-data is spread on the blockchain.

 

[éxypnos]

Hmm, one thought that started bubbling in my brain, if it is implemented, is that this might cause a GDPR-nightmare if user-data is spread on the blockchain.

Best defence for that is to not put your P.I. where you don't want it viewed by others. Or at least only where absolutely requied for critical life functions like where you bank. Any place can be hacked regardless of Gov regs so they won't prevent your info from spreading.