Arie’s Answers

This is our first installment in what we’ve dubbed, Arie’s Answers. Who is Arie? — how do you not know this already? We kid. But, Arie is the person steering this ship at XYO, so to speak, and so we decided to start a series of asking Arie random questions. Sometimes they will be very in-depth about our company, Web3, blockchain tech, decentralization, or other topics in the industry — and maybe we’ll just ask him to poke his head out the window and check the weather. Anyhow, welcome to our first installment of Arie’s Answers. Enjoy.

About Arie Trouw

In case you don’t know anything about Arie, here’s a brief bio.

Arie is, the world’s first blockchain geospatial oracle network backed with cryptography. Arie is an accomplished serial entrepreneur with a rich history of technological breakthroughs and business successes involving multiple 8-figure exit events. Arie founded XY Labs in 2012 and is a strong believer in decentralization and the creation of the integrated owner/user model.

He currently serves as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors at XY Labs, Inc.

Prior to starting XY Labs, Arie was CEO and Chairman of Pike Holdings. He received his Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the New York Institute of Technology.

Question One

Arie, why are you interested in blockchain technology enough to form a company around it?

The Answer

Blockchain is a new tool, and it opens up a world of new possibilities. Innovation seems uncapped with potential because every new development in blockchain seems to unlock a new business idea or opportunity.

Personally, I think the most important thing is cryptographic technology. It’s not just digital money or decentralization that matters anymore — cryptographic technology is a completely novel way to secure and structure data.

My favorite part of cryptographic tech is trustlessness. Unfortunately, it’s often conflated with insecurity or lack of trust, but instead, it’s the lack of the need of trust. This is key to solving big issues that rely on trust between parties, especially when lack of trust significantly slows down progress. As someone who believes strongly in the idea that data and the way we interact with data will fully influence our future, I’m excited to see how cryptography will be further adopted and developed.

Question Two

XY Labs is fully remote now. Do you see the future with a more decentralized workforce catching on permanently? What do you think the pros and cons are?

The Answer

Yes, working remote is the way of the future. Obviously, there are some challenges with it, but for the most part, it’s helped our company reduce commute costs and increase work productivity. It has a few downsides, like lack of socialization, brainstorming sessions are harder to re-create electronically, and personal things going on at home can more easily get in the way of work. But for me, it’s been a great time!

Question Three

Star Wars or Star Trek? Why?

The Answer

To me, it’s a bit like comparing apples and oranges. Star Wars is more fantastical, and Star Trek is rooted more in true sci-fi. My personal preference is Star Trek, because I enjoy shows that speculate about what the future could be. Some were spot-on and others, like the classic “Beam me up Scotty!” are still off in the distant future. The universal translator is close to what we call Google Translate. Personal Access Display Devices essentially are our touch screens or tablets we use every day. Tricorders are our smartphones. Star Trek also helped give us one of my other favorite films, Galaxy Quest.

-Arie Trouw, CEO of XY Labs

Join us next time to find out more about Arie and what Arie thinks.

-The XY Labs Team