Zoom Call Scams, Humans vs Tech & a Billion-Dollar Distraction🦾👀

A crypto VC loses everything in a fake Zoom call, 16B passwords leak online, and Circle quietly makes a Wall Street move. This week, it’s not just tech under fire, it’s trust.

Rangashree Rangaraja

Jun 25, 2025

OG(m) OG(m) frenssss🫡

What’s been up, y’all?

VC gets Zoom-rugged, 16B passwords leak, Circle eyes Wall Street, MetaMask enters the DEX wars, and crypto remembers.

It’s always been about humans, not just tech.💸

Tap in, dig deep, stay reckless!

📢 OG Shots:

Quick bites of OG news to get your week going.

Crypto VC partner loses ‘life savings’ during fake Zoom call
Circle’s USDC to become eligible collateral for US futures trading
TikTok denies TRUMP memecoin buys in reply to congressman’s accusations
OKX brings DEX aggregator to MetaMask with Consensys partnership

Sandeep “All‑In” Nailwal Steers the Ship🔥

Yo, legend Sandeep Nailwal just hit the CEO jackpot at Polygon Foundation, dissolving the old board and taking full control to slash bureaucracy and speed up decision‑making, something he felt was dragging with delays like “two weeks turning into two months” . He’s channeling that “zero‑to‑one” startup energy. No red tape, just bold moves and sharp execution. And yes, he still rocks his “servitude mentality” (humble origins ftw), but he acknowledges this new era demands tough calls over crowd‑pleasing. 🤙

Sandeep after cutting two-month delays down to startup hours 🏃

One big shift: zkEVM, once hyped as the Ethereum‑equivalent Layer‑2, is being sunset by 2026 after locking only ~$2.75M from a peak of ~$35M and bleeding fees. Nailwal’s pivot is real, Polygon’s doubling down on its core: real‑world assets (RWAs), stablecoin rails via the PoS chain (with over $1B TVL), and the AggLayer framework targeting an “internet of blockchains”. The plan ain’t just talk either: testnets are already pushing past 1k TPS, with devnets hitting over 5k TPS, and aggressive Gigagas roadmap aiming for 100k+ TPS over the coming years🚀

This is more than a leadership shake‑up, it’s a signal that crypto’s shifting from research hype to pragmatic revenue and utility. Polygon’s now aligning with global trends: tokenized RWAs (BlackRock + Senate backing), stablecoin rails, NFT use‑cases that matter, not just memes. The market’s watching: some fans applaud the “wartime CEO” approach, others are side-eyeing the zkEVM cost. But with a healthy treasury and no urgent fundraising needed, Nailwal’s rolling with full throttle to prove by year‑end that single‑handed leadership delivers real‑world impact. ✊

Startup Spotlight 🔦

On this week’s startup spotlight, we present to you:

Net3 is a third‑generation decentralized, privacy‑focused communication network built on a public blockchain. It features end‑to‑end encryption, a Beacon Network that lets users measure latency, bandwidth, and stability, and incentivizes them to contribute physical nodes in a DePIN‑style infrastructure. Net3’s roadmap spans four evolving phases, from Beacon testing to a privacy telecom layer and ultimately a satellite‑based global privacy network.

Crypto Market Analysis For The Week 📊

Yo, fam! Last week, crypto was a wild mix of hype and shock. We kicked off with Bitcoin chilling in the $105–107 K zone, dipping into consolidation after smashing past key resistance, while ETH rallied above $2.6 K on heavy inflows and bullish vibes. Total market cap hovered around $3.3 T, and altcoins soaked up capital during Bitcoin’s chill mode. But geo‑risk hit hard: U.S. strikes on Iran nukes on June 22 triggered a risk‑off wave. BTC slid below $100 K, then bounced back above $102 K on support, while ETH dropped nearly 10% into the $2.2 K range. Meanwhile, stablecoins stole the spotlight: Senate passed the GENIUS Act on June 18, pushing their market cap to a record $252 B. So yeah, bro, wild week of dips, flips, and big‑time regulation flex, all in just seven days.

Funding Frenzy💰

Startups that have successfully secured funding recently. Check ‘em out!

Stackup co-founded by ex‑SpaceX mission manager John Rising, just raised $4.2 million in seed funding led by 1kx with support from Y Combinator and Digital Currency Group to build a business‑grade crypto treasury platform. It leverages Ethereum's account abstraction to give companies centralized controls like spending limits, bulk approvals, and bank on‑ramps, while keeping true self‑custody
TAC a purpose-built EVM-compatible blockchain designed to bring DeFi into Telegram’s massive ecosystem (currently 1B+ users), has secured $11.5 million in combined seed and strategic funding of $5 million from a round led by Hack VC, aimed at funding its upcoming mainnet launch.
BitVault just locked in a $2 million pre‑seed raise led by GSR, Gemini, Auros, and Keyrock to bring institutional-grade Bitcoin-backed stablecoins into DeFi. They’re building bvUSD, an over-collateralized stablecoin powered by bitcoin derivatives, and sbvUSD, a yield-bearing version fueled by GSR’s delta-neutral, arbitrage strategies

Crypto's fundamental revolution is about humans, not technology.🧠

Crypto's real flex ain’t just tech or moon missions, it’s about people, bro. Badi Sudhakaran digs into how traditional finance often strips folks of their dignity and agency, especially when inflation eats away at savings. Then crypto swoops in, offering not just speculative gains but financial education and inclusion, a legit redemption arc for those left behind. Knowledge becomes the MVP: it sparks core questions like “why does money even hold value?” and “how does inflation wreck lives?” 📚

When someone in a rural village learns what inflation is and how to beat it with crypto

But hold on, crypto can easily flop if it stays in the nerd zone. When platforms prioritize shiny tech and hype over real support and community, people get left behind creating new exclusion zones with clunky UX and jargon. The article argues for a human-first approach, where systems are built around real-world understanding, community-led education, and low-barrier engagement. That’s the secret sauce for giving grandma in rural India or a hustling entrepreneur in Johannesburg real power, not tokens for the sake of tokens😎

Ultimately, crypto’s future hinges on embedding empathy and accessibility into its DNA. It’s not enough to serve speed or yield; the whole point is connection, bringing people together, building trust, and empowering them to ask smart questions and make informed choices. If we nail this, we’re not just building wallets or DAOs, we’re forging dignity, knowledge, and unity in communities worldwide. That’s crypto done right. ✨

People to know 👥

With every promising project comes a promising leader! The person to know for this week is:

Balaji Srinivasan is a prominent figure in the crypto industry known for his visionary thinking and deep technical expertise. He was the former CTO of Coinbase and General Partner at a16z, where he helped shape major investments in the Web3 space. Balaji is widely respected for advocating decentralization, sovereign individualism, and the intersection of technology and society. As the author of The Network State, he argues that digital communities can evolve into full-fledged political entities.

16 Billion passwords just got leaked, massive security flash 🚨

Researchers from Cybernews uncovered a jaw-dropping compilation of 30 data dumps totaling around 16 billion login credentials, that’s legit record-breaking spanning Apple, Google, Facebook, Telegram, GitHub, government services, and more. These weren’t recycled files, they’re fresh dumps from infostealer malware that quietly snatched passwords, session tokens, cookies, and metadata from devices around early 2025. A data bro’s worst nightmare. 😱

This leak isn’t just about social feeds, it’s a direct threat to crypto accounts. With email-based custodial wallets or password-protected seed-phrase backups, account takeovers and phishing are now on steroids. Cybercrime sees a goldmine: fresh credentials with tokens can bypass 2FA. Yeah, even Google is screaming at users to change passwords ASAP and switch to passkeys or strong MFA methods🎯

🛡️Smart moves to survive this digital storm:

Change every password now.
Use a password manager to generate unique strong passwords.
Enable MFA everywhere preferably passkeys or hardware keys over SMS.
Scan devices for malware and run antivirus to catch infostealers

Stay locked down, my fellow hodlers. This breach is your cue to level up security before the hackers slide into your DMs…or wallets.🔥

NFT Drops ☔️

Here are some NFTs to look out for this week:

Disintegration by alperaym is an upcoming ETH-based art drop launching June 2025, via Transient Labs. It features a 2‑hour reserve auction and a special “Bidders’ Edition” with 0.01 ETH mints reserved for the top three bidders.
The Dropzone is an upcoming Base-chain open-edition gaming NFT mint running June 2025 via Magic Eden. Minting grants entry into a “Dropzone”, a tech-rich playground stacked with loot, airdrops, perks, and community-driven experiences. If your audience digs onchain game perks and access-driven drops, The Dropzone is worth a quick heads-up.
FU51ON Avatar is a limited 2D PFP-style NFT collection dropping on Polygon via OpenSea. Featuring minimalist, alien-themed avatars highlighted by bold green #00FF00 accents, the collection blends extraterrestrial vibes with stylized artistry. If you're covering emergent avatar communities with distinct visual identity, this one’s worth noting.

Tech Talk Episode of the Week 🎙️

Want to know which podcast episode is trending for the week? We gotcha!

Thinking Crypto: Anthony Scaramucci Talks Crypto, Stablecoins, Circle IPO, & Trump!
Altcoin Daily: CRYPTO IS DUMPING DUE TO THIS... What Comes Next?

Events🗓️

Check out some ‘must attend’ events happening in the ecosystem!

IRL

Permissionless is happening from 24 June - 26 June, 2025 at New York, USA
ETH CC is happening from 30 June - 03 July, 2025 at Cannes, France
IVS Crypto is happening from 02 July - 04 July, 2025 at Kyoto, Japan
RAISE Summit 2025 is happening from 08 July - 09 July, 2025 at Paris, France
Mallorca Blockchain Days 2025 is happening from 10 July - 13 July, 2025 at Mallorca, Spain
Hacking Paris is happening on 11 July, 2025 at Paris, France
TOKENIZE:LDN is happening from 15 July - 16 July, 2025 at London, United Kingdom
Web3 Summit 2025 is happening from 16 July - 18 July, 2025 at Berlin, Germany
GM Vietnam is happening from 17 July - 18 July, 2025 at Hanoi, Vietnam

Stay in touch with us on Twitter @OGclubDAO and join our Telegram channel for the most recent developments. We value your input, so please contact us at community@ogclubdao.com. ✅