Beyond Centralization: How Grove Infrastructure is Changing the Blockchain Landscape with Michael O'Rourke

In this episode of The Smart Economy Podcast, host Dylan Grabowski is joined by Michael O'Rourke, Co-Founder & CEO of Pocket Network and CEO of Grove, to discuss how decentralized infrastructures empower both users and companies. He delves into the intricacies of the Grove infrastructure and RPC nodes and the need for decentralized systems to differentiate supply and demand, enabling businesses to operate beyond any single nation-state's jurisdiction. Michael highlights the implications and potential impact of Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks (DePIN) and Grove’s role in the DePIN ecosystem. He also discusses his experiences with Bitcoin and how Ethereum smart contracts influenced his views on scalable, decentralized infrastructure.

In this episode of The Smart Economy Podcast, host Dylan Grabowski is joined by Michael O'Rourke, Co-Founder & CEO of Pocket Network and CEO of Grove. A powerful gateway to the decentralized world, Grove is a blockchain data platform built on top of Pocket Network, providing apps with reliable, performant, and cost-effective access to blockchain data. Backed by 20,000+ independent, globally distributed nodes, Grove enables teams to deliver a multi-chain user experience at scale.

Join them as they:

Discuss how decentralized infrastructures empower users and companies
Delve into the importance of decentralization in combating nation-state attacks on networks
Explain the need for decentralized systems to differentiate supply and demand to enable businesses to build on both sides of the infrastructure
Unpack the intricacies of the Grove infrastructure and RPC nodes
Shine a light on the DePIN revolution and its impact on the future of the industry
Weigh in on Grove and Pocket Network’s role in the DePIN ecosystem
Discuss Michael’s journey into scalable, decentralized infrastructure
And so much more!

Michael O'Rourke is the Co-Founder & CEO of Pocket Network and CEO of Grove, a blockchain data platform built on top of Pocket Network, providing apps with reliable, performant, and cost-effective access to blockchain data. Prior to building Pocket Network, he owned and operated a blockchain development agency, and was on the ground level of Tampa Bay’s largest Bitcoin/Crypto meetup and consultancy, Blockspaces, with a focus on teaching developers Solidity. Michael first got into Bitcoin in 2013, and his interests quickly grew much deeper. In 2016, writing smart contracts and making discoveries in API services for Ethereum gave Michael a unique perspective on what is required to provide a vertically and horizontally scalable infrastructure service in a decentralized manner.

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Previous guests include: Rusty Matveev, Chief Strategy Officer at Calaxy; Andrew Lawrence, CEO and Co-Founder of Censo; Zac Townsend, CEO and Co-Founder of Meanwhile; Jesper Johansen, CEO and Co-Founder of Northstake; Tama Churchouse, COO of Cumberland Labs; Holly Wood of Boson Protocol; Sid Powell of Maple Finance; Chad Barraford of THORChain; and many others.

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