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ntomaino

792 karma · joined February 9, 2012

[ my public key: https://keybase.io/nnt; my proof: https://keybase.io/nnt/sigs/wMulj0nEL399AmnuIfO1bYfRgj2VrNKbY-YySbf9tCE ]
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ntomaino··on Cryptoeconomics 101
Yes. Financial incentives are the lowest common denominator that we have as people. Cryptocurrencies align people with this lowest common denominator.
ntomaino··on Stablecoins: A Holy Grail in Digital Currency
There is not one trusted oracle. The oracles are determined by the MKR holders, and MKR holders can easily replace oracles if they act badly. MKR ownership is decentralized, hence I don't think it's accurate to say there's one trusted oracle.
ntomaino··on Stablecoins: A Holy Grail in Digital Currency
There is not a trusted oracle
ntomaino··on Stablecoins: A Holy Grail in Digital Currency
I agree with you on volatility playing an important role in bootstrapping the network in the early days of digital currencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum.

I think stablecoins will play out differently though and are an important component of attracting new users. I believe decentralized applications will be built that bring mainstream users in, and these users will want a stable store of value to use these applications.

ntomaino··on Understanding Blockstream, the most important and misunderstood company in Bitcoin
Every successful open-source project needs a company committed to fostering the open-source community and helping it grow.

Blockstream is that company in Bitcoin.

ntomaino··on Coinbase Developer Spotlight: Julia, a Telegram Bot for Bitcoin
We were aware. We actually didn't build the app though, this app was built by a third-party using our API :)
ntomaino··on Bitcoin Trends in the First Half of 2015
Bitcoin couldn't have prevented the OPM attack, but these types of attacks will continue to highlight the flawed way that institutions store data online.

I suggest reading this post: http://blog.onename.com/americans-hacked-opm/

TLDR; The blockchain offers a more secure database that allows institutions to stop storing massive amounts of user data on centralized servers.

ntomaino··on State of the NYDFS BitLicense: An Update
The NYDFS could be pretty stifling to financial services innovation in the state of New York.
ntomaino··on A Rare Look Inside Coinbase, One of Bitcoin's Fastest Growing Companies
To each his own. In my mind, spending another 60K to "figure out what I want to do" was the riskier decision than joining a company I believe in. IMO "forging strong personal relationships that could last for decades" does not require you to go to an Ivy League school. Really just requires an internet conection these days.
ntomaino··on Introducing the Coinbase Tip Button
nice!
ntomaino··on Introducing the Coinbase Tip Button
good stuff joe! looking forward to seeing the tip button on your site :)
ntomaino··on Introducing the Coinbase Tip Button
Thanks for the feedback! Yes an API is definitely on the roadmap.

The difference with bitcoin enabled micropayments and every other attempt at micropayments in the history of the internet is that Bitcoin is an open, interoperable network. Flattr, Beenz, Flooz, TipJoy, and others that have come before have been closed loop networks where there was significant friction and fees associated with getting onto and off of the network. When on the network, these has also only been one behavior possible-- tipping.

Bitcoin is an open, interoperable network where any amount of money can be sent frictionlessly anywhere on the internet. Perfect for micropayments, we think!

ntomaino··on It Is Not OK to Hate Me
Hating VCs is the cool thing to do these days. Its always valuable to see the other perspective.
ntomaino··on Ask HN: Differene between Tumblr and Wordpress?
Wordpress allows embedded audio (from Soundcloud, Spotify, etc) in a text post, while Tumblr does not.
ntomaino··on Litecoin - Bitcoin
Fellow Litecoiners:

I'm launching a campaign for Litecoin tees at Teespring. The goal is set on 50 shirts. If we reach that goal, the shirt will be printed and will be sent to you. If the goal isn't reached, you don't have to pay anything.

https://teespring.com/litecoin

ntomaino··on Salary at Venture-Backed Companies
Nope. Not sure how one might prove something like that. I'm citing it based on experience. Again, not saying that this is always the case, just that it is a counter intuitive phenomenon to be aware of.
ntomaino··on Salary at Venture-Backed Companies
check the bottom, italicized portion of the piece. notes that the piece only focuses on one portion of compensation.
ntomaino··on Salary at Venture-Backed Companies
Paying management less than they deserve would not encourage them to stay hungry. But paying them more than they deserve based on market dynamics could possibly cause them to lose motivation. This is definitely not a rule that occurs 100% of the time, but my point is its something to be aware of, and salaries need to be more transparent so better-educated salary decisions can be made (for all participants of the tech ecosystem).
ntomaino··on Salary at Venture-Backed Companies
Very interesting russell. let me know if you can dig up the write up on that!
ntomaino··on Salary at Venture-Backed Companies
great feedback, thanks. admittedly, my data alone does not do much. Just wanted to spark some discussion on the topic, and I thought I should eat my own dog food.
ntomaino··on Salary at Venture-Backed Companies
Definitely true for sales folks at B2B companies- total comp can sometimes eclipse CEO when adding commission. My piece is focused on salary, not commission, cash bonus, and equity. Surely, a more complete picture of total comp is more valuable, but the scope of the piece was just focused on salary.
ntomaino··on Salary at Venture-Backed Companies
im not smart enough to come up with a solution, that's what the HN community is for. The purpose of the piece was to shine light on a problem (lack of transparency in salaries at VC backed companies)
ntomaino··on Salary at Venture-Backed Companies
Yes, I am talking about growth stage, so these are companies with at least 3 rounds of financing that have in most cases raised $10+mm
ntomaino··on Salary at Venture-Backed Companies
Thanks for the feedback rayiner.

My statement that paying people excessively can make them less hungry is something that has been observed through experience. I'm not saying that this is always the case, just that it happens and is something to be aware of.

Sure, salary is a matter of supply and demand- which is why I'm advocating for more transparency so that all market participants can make decisions with more complete information of the market. But I'm saying that supply and demand SHOULD be dictated by value added.

I'm not necessarily saying that every company should pay within this range. Just that this is something to be aware of, and if there is significant deviation from these numbers, more thought should be put into the decision making process.

ntomaino··on Salary at Venture-Backed Companies
Would love to hear the HN community's views on this taboo topic!
ntomaino··on The Ivy League Was Another Planet
The problem lies in the information gap that exists between rural communities and wealthy communities. The wealthy communities have people that have gone to top colleges providing information and knowledge to young kids, and rural communities don't, plain and simple.

Technology has the opportunity to change this, and although it hasn't drastically altered the information gap yet as it relates to college counseling, it is starting to. ConnectEDU is the most interesting technology company working on this problem that I'm aware of right now, but I'd love to hear about others as well.

ntomaino··on Justin Timberlake Made a Fortune Giving His Album Away
Favorite song on the album?
ntomaino··on The Y Combinator Startup Index
Interesting to see Scribd has such a high Alexa and FB mau rank. Scribd is not as hyped as the rest of the top 10 imo. Anyone know if they are profitable?
ntomaino··on Wefunder (YC W13): Invest in Startups
How were unaccredited investors able to invest in Wefunder even though it is not legal yet?