AMA with Phil Zamani, CEO of AERGO Project. 11/20/2018
On the 20th of November 2018, the community of AERGO had an AMA with Phil Zamani, the CEO of the project. The list of the Q&A is below:
1 - Phil, two or three times every week we have amazing AERGO news and announcements. Will be AERGO team make such aggressive and professional marketing all time before mainnet and later?!
Yes - what you see is just the start - go spread the news Aergo is cooooming out very soon!
2 - Hey, Phil! I hope the technology will evolve depending on the state of the market
Nothing to with state of the market - we have the strategy - we have the team - we have customers and partners lined up - we have the resources and we have a great partner in Blocko - our execution has zero dependencies on the market - you need to understand this - Aergo is different and its well backed :-)
3 - Hi, Phil, looks like cryptomarket dead, do you have some opinion if it recovers
No idea - my grandmother probably has a better idea (and sadly she is no longer with us!!)
4 - Phil, please explain what is the reason to make TGE one month before mainnet and swap?
This is not true. We have not decided on any TGE yet.
5 - Hello Phil! What happens if the Blocko and Aergo lose contact and go in different directions? Is it possible? Is there a plan B for such a case?
There is zero chance - as we have signed a multi-year and multi-level partnership that lasts for at least three years!
6 - Block = Argo. The team is the same.
Aergo is the future platform for distributed trust at scale...Blocko is the professional support organization that helps and supports people, developers, business and partners to deploy Aergo based use cases...more partners are being lined up as well.
7 - Hello Phil. How are you feeling on this panic sell? Do you hold any of crypto projects? Are there any projects what you like? And with which ones do you plan to collaborate in the future?
The only one I am investing in is Aergo! I hold NO other crypto assets!!!
8 - Hi Phil how to stable price in future market war, will Aergo stable like blueprint shares like google
We don't know but we are investigating some new ideas with some advanced customers - the whole idea of stable coins is perhaps like saying a stable dollar - there is no such thing (really!)
9 - hey Phil, if there will be any passive income in Aergo like owning supernodes or something like that.
Good question - passive ownership on important aspects of the architecture (like block producers) will not be encouraged - we want active ownership and participation for enterprise-grade level support - all via token staking - more on this soon...
10 - Did the team start to try to list the coin on major CEX?
Hello Adam - we have just started the process of talking to various exchanges :-) The good news is that nearly all major exchanges would like to work with the Aergo project. For example, we are talking with Huobi as we like their model and their exchange/client base. We will not make any formal decision or announcement until we are sure about our plans. Everything we do is aligned with the long-term success of the project - nothing else matters (Ether price, Bitcoin price, who Satoshi Nakamoto is (not me!))...all I can say is watch this space for more news and if you would like to see Aergo listed on any exchange - make your voice heard as it can only help to have an active and positive community behind the project :-)
11 - I think pegged price and the stable price is different sir, stable like Google stock price, pegged like the dollar, as fans we will be very happy if Aergo price always stable like google stock price.
Yes I understand and you have a very good point - that the team is already looking into ;-)
12 - Hello Phil :) According to the "Vote for token listing" page on Huobi Exchange, the ticker symbol of Aergo is "ARG". Is it official?
No decision made yet on our token name - what does the community think it should be????
13 - Thanks for the answer, and thank you for the admins and team for taking care of all the KYC applications. Those real people all got in without a problem. A lot of KYC complaints in the chat looked artificial to me.
Yes - we had a number of bots and bad actors in our channel and want these removed so genuine facts are in the community and ones we and to work with and Reward even more in the future !! Our community should drown out the bad actors by discussing and pushing out real and positive news/facts.
14 - 👏👏 hey, Phil one last question what is your citizenship I am confused about your name😅
I am from “crypto land” not Switzerland!
15 - Hello Phil, thank you and your team for the bounty program! Special thanks for the attention to users who have had errors in KYC. AERGO is very attentive to its community. Thank you for that!❤️🤗
Thank you Ann - you would not believe how hard the small team n London worked over the last weeks to drive the process and deal with all exceptions/issues - Kudos to IP/CM/SL!
16 - Hey Phil! It's an honor to be here. I'd like to know, why was Blocko under the radar from a lot of the others in the West. Your whitepaper baffled me. Do many people know about Aergo and Blocko in Asia? How are you guys approaching PR besides Blogs because I'm sure you'll get more traction if your partners make releases!
Hi Brett - very good point - we are ramping up a global PR/messaging/partnering/ecosystem and developer campaign to reach various target markets...other projects may “appear” to be better marketed but just ask this one question: “where exactly are your paying customers?” And you get more of a truthful picture...
17 - Will the team distribute any token at 2019 AWT?
We will have new RewarDrop programs as part of the 2019 AWT :-)
- Can everyone participate 👌 or only who had events?
We will do both online and offline events - the only restrictions are 1. Doing good work 2. Making sure you can pass the KYC/AML process and 3. Getting involved in the first place!!!
18 - Really we need leaders like you who don't care about prices of assets and only focus on tech, recently most of ICOs team always care about price, this is not a healthy habit in cryotospace, at last adoption will be the real game changer.
Thanks Vijay - its called “experience”!
19 - It was mentioned earlier that the program was completed, is it worth expecting a similar program from the project in the near future?))🤔
No - there will be better programs in the future :-)
20 - What sets Aergo/Blocko aside from other enterprise chains, say, Hyperledger?
Customer deployments -all we do is blockchain (we don’t sell AI/Watson...you don’t have to buy an IBM z-series if you work with Aergo!)
- Open source right! I noticed you will be going to be working on smart oracles. will there be any partnerships involved, say, LINK or you'll be doing this in-house?
We are always looking to move faster and smarter - we don’t suffer from NIH (not invented here) syndrome - we are talking to some partners but need more - a major focus in 2019 for the team.
21 - There is a voting going on Huobi for Aergo listing. Is that an official one
Yes - if you want to vote or can help people/ organizations who can vote/share your view on the value of Aergo to educate those who are not yet aware of what we are - what we are doing - and what we may become!
22 - Hey Phil, thanks for the AMA! Will the current Coinstack users be "transferred" to the Aergo network?
Yes - the plan is to extend existing customers who deployed private chains to the new hybrid Public+Private platform - we have a number of existing clients who are eager to do this asap.
23 - “Last but not least - some information about our TGE (token generation event), how and when RewarDrop winners will receive their reward in Aergo Tokens and some insight into our future exchange listing plans”
Update on the above?
Q1 - TGE will be decided once we have finalized our exchange listing plans. I can reveal that we will (likely) list on the Chinese/International exchange(s) first and then shortly afterward we will list on Korean exchange(s).
Q2 - We also are looking at plans to release a large portion of the RewarDrop Tokens early to our winners - will share more when finalized.
24 - Thx for AMA, are you looking for possibilities to list at Korean exchanges also?
Yes we are making great progress here as well - many exchanges looooove Aergo (and Blocko of course!)
25 - I recently saw Sequoia capital invested in AERGO, how does investment from silicon valley giant help you guys? Would you be actively leveraging their incubation service that they provided in past for YouTube, Whatsapp, and many others?
Hi Calypso - very good question. Without a doubt, we have many great investors (I like FBG, Neo, JRR, Jlab, GBIC, Rockaway Capital etc...) and Sequoia stands out so its one of the most successful and forward-looking venture capital firms in the world. Also, note this was through Sequoia Capital China as we are placing a special emphasis on China and SouthEast Asia. Sequoia has been a true please to work with - professional - helpful and most importantly honest. We have many things in the works (but can't reveal these yet ;-) )
- Thanks for the detailed reply, Phil! It is great to see you guys actively coordinating with Sequoia. Would they be acting as Block Producers? Do you plan to onboard any major enterprises like Samsung etc to run your blocks?
Sequoia - no. But yes, we are talking to some very large hosting/system integrator and telecoms operators as we see them playing a very important role in our platform ecosystem.
26 - Hi Phil, Is the testnet in the schedule for EOY 2018?
Yes - and more ;-) watch out for more technical news soon!!!
27 - @phil will you ever do another Live AMA anytime soon?
This is live (I am not a BOT!) - but I will do live video AMAs soon (if the community thinks they’d be worth it...)
28 - I have voted in Huobi...I am an ambassador for Aergo and do write for Huobi. Pls, ask your Telegram and Twitter admins to ask people to vote.
Thank you, Eva. We appreciate both your advice and support! AERGO Community: leased follow Eva’s advice and spread the word (please!!)
29 - My application reject. As I understood it, didn’t like the selfie. Can I send something?
No comment...sometimes you simply have to hold your breath and move on.....
30 - What's your take on the Market and would you say it's got an impact on Aergo itself Phil? It's clear that people are driven by the price and I believe that what we've got is more than that. It's just garbage to pop onto Reddit sometimes, but it's the truth. With that being said, how would you guys frame your token to have sufficient utility and movement to accrue public interest (if the price is a wedge in interest).
Hi Bert again. Very good points. True demand only comes from 1. Fans 2. Developers. 3. early adopters of the platform 4. Investors who “get it” and 5. Partners who want “in”. we plan to do a lot more online and offline activities next year but also would welcome input from people like you on what you think we should do. This is why I am reaching out to all ambassadors to get their insight and help (very soon!)
Q2 - We are talking to nearly EVERY major exchange ;-)
31 - Phil, have a question regarding your developer ecosystem. Currently, I see lack of good developers in Blockchain space. How is AERGO helping onboard more devs? Do you have a global strategy in place?
Yes - this is perhaps one of our most important and strategic tasks - we are onboarding some of the best developers in the world - how do I know this for a fact - they worked with me at firms like Cygnus (gnu), Red Hat (Linux), Novell (SuSe enterprise Linux), VMware (Pivotal opens source cloud and Deutsche Telekom where they build one of the most complex, advanced and sophisticated OpenStack/Linux based hybrid clouds for business. we need more - pls spread the word or apply!
32 - The Token tank was really cool, I feel that data dash or Ivan would go crazy if they really knew!!
Coming...
33 - What is this Aergo ambassador programme?
It’s a program for people who truly want to help Aergo to succeed and in return they 1. Do creative work 2. Get rewarded well and 3. Gain access and insight into our future plans - its kind of like “stalking” in our future - if you interested - pls apply (but you already have some serious competition!)
34 - The community makes a lot of effort. and you and the team too. we get some good "cosmos" that a lot of project cant obtain. What will be the next step for the Ambassador and how the community can help you more, the team.?
I will be in touch with all ambassadors very soon.
35 - Hi @Phil, do you think BTC is actually overvalued even right now, and what other token or coin should take over from BTC as the benchmark for the crypto market? Aergo?
Pls invest in...a Crystal ball!
36 - Is Aergo / blocko partnered with any clients in the US /? will the main hub be in Korea or so
We will work with advanced clients anywhere in the world - our target markets next year are defined.
37 - I've been compiling a lot of notes on Aergo's and this was at the top of my list, something a little technical. Is AERGOSQL Turing Complete or Turing incomplete? I'm asking because In the whitepaper it says AERGO is EVM compatible so would assume it is Turing Complete, if so, do you think this is a safe option for enterprise environment granted previous incidents with Etheruem smart contracts?
Yes its is built for enterprise use. Did you know that one of our advisors works at Bletchley Park for many years - it was the home of Alan Turing and where he used the Colossus (worlds first programmable computer) to decipher the Enigma machine in WWII - we have true experts in Aergo - that’s what’s make a BIG difference!
38 - Will there be a TGE or only rewardrop was the option??
Rewardrop payout will be in Aergo tokens - the number will be = AWARD/token Price at time of reward issuance (very soon!)
39 - Can we expect mainnet in q1 2k19?
We are still on plan for mainnet (and more) in late 1Q/early2Q 2019.
40 - Any new members added in ur team??
Yes...more developers
41 - Hi, how do you think, will the Sequoia and CZ conflict affect listing on Binance?
Don’t believe everything you read in the press (comment from Mr. Trump!)
42 - You mentioned that Aergo's closest competitor is IBM? Do you think Aergo can compete with Amazon or IBM in future especially with Amazon in serverless cloud computing?
Pls do a google search on “Linux competitors in 1999” - nobody believed Red Hat could compete with IBM, HP, Sun, Dell, MSFT - now do a google search on “Red Hat and IBM” - the answer is $34B USD - we did it at Red Hat - we think we can do it at Aergo :-)
43 - Is there any lockup for Rewardrop winner's tokens? (should be not)
You are answering your own question - the decision not yet made.
44 - Phil good day to you. What are your thoughts about BAKKT 12.12?
I don’t speculate...I build tech..teams and businesses.
45 - Where are we in SQL-based smart contracts platform with performance in tps terms now?
Serverless computing really means allowing DAPP developers to Beaumont the best / smartest / scalable /secure applications without worrying about how the “back end” tech is configured and deployed - today the latter is a nightmare and makes s/w developer very ineffective - your an think of it like an “internet” to win your cool apps on - and that scales and is super fast and super secure!
46 - What is lockin period of tokens for team and advisors?
Varies from some tokes are released on TGE and others vest over three years (yes years, not months!)
47 - I see some otc deals of private sale tokens on otc groups ain't u gonna do something for that as they seem to sell for cheap.
It’s like selling Google shares before they listed years ago...go figure...make your own judgments
48 - where do u hope to see Aergo in 5years timeframe???😊
Different galaxy!
Phil:
How can we make our community even stronger as - despite the many negative KYC/AML comments (before this AMA) - I am really happy and respectful of this - our AERGO Community (that I actually call internally our AERGO FRIENDS) - its is great to see you all engaged and please do spread the word, share your excellent work and stay focused as you may be surprised soon!
49 - You're right on how scary the back-end is, more-so on publicly deployed blockchains ie. Ethereum. Brilliant project but these communities always face a degree of conflict coming from different opinions. I saw a mention on the block producers, will they be specific partners you currently have? Further, will Aergo possibly ever come to a position where tensions arise from block producers and the likeliness of a fork. Though I suppose a well-established framework is crucial in setting in stone what's possible. ETH did have its cockup since Gox!
Very good question - forks are always possible with open source (sometimes needed - eg. Linux forked and what popped out is a little/smaller program called Android!)...we have one of the best open source developers on the team and believe we can build and share our work via a tire open source model and avoid forks in the future...anyone else saying this needs to share how and show their open source credentials!
50 - Expand the number of ambassadors, taking into account regions/countries where there are no ambassadors yet
Yes - great idea (already planned ;-) )
Phil:
We are always on the look for quality people - what matters is not so much experience - its drive - passion and motivation.