On today’s Talking Tokens episode, Jacquelyn sat down with Jack O’Holleran, co-founder of SKALE Network and CEO of SKALE Labs. Jack shares why MEV is a hidden tax on users, how FAIR — SKALE’s new Layer- 1 — aims to eliminate it at the consensus level, and how crypto infrastructure must evolve for an AI-driven future.

They discuss the difference between SKALE and FAIR, why stablecoins and AI will become deeply intertwined, and how the dual-token model will reward SKALE holders as FAIR goes live. Jack also shares his vision for category-defining products and why the blockchain industry needs to move past hype and toward fundamentals.

TIMESTAMPS

(0:00) - Crypto’s future is stablecoin-native & MEV-free

(1:02) - Jack’s journey: enterprise software to SKALE Labs

(4:47) - Why SKALE scaled to 100M+ txs/mo

(6:01) - What devs want: FAIR as L1 for DeFi & AI

(7:16) - Why MEV is crypto’s invisible tax

(9:01) - Encrypted mempools, front-running & Byte protocol

(10:49) - How AI + stablecoins combine to enable real programmable money

(13:11) - Why TradFi bans MEV, and crypto shouldn’t tolerate it

(14:24) - The “spin” behind MEV as ‘real economic value’

(15:58) - MEV-resistance as default — not opt-in

(17:06) - Why stablecoins may rival AI in impact

(21:00) - Will AI payments break traditional banking rails?

(24:00) - Infra vs apps: where AI funding should go

(26:00) - FAIR launch: already live in testnet

(27:00) - The developer traction and feedback

(29:00) - SKALE x FAIR: how the dual-token model works

(31:00) - Why SKALE supply will deflate as FAIR grows

(33:00) - Timing, launch strategy & market sentiment

(35:00) - Jack’s take on crypto hype vs utility

(36:00) - Final advice: always dig under the hood

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Note: This podcast is for informational purposes only and any views shared by anyone on the show are opinions, not financial advice. The host or guests may have a direct or indirect financial interest in content mentioned in this episode.

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