This week, we have:

• Real World Assets On-Chain at DevNTell

• Game hackathon

Just a reminder about D_D Cloud, Developer DAO's cloud platform providing reliable RPC services for builders and developers.

Getting started is straightforward. Visit cloud.developerdao.com and sign up if you haven’t already. An activation code will be sent to your email, which you’ll use to activate your account.

After activation, log in to your account and create an API key. Once your API key is set up, you can immediately begin making RPC calls and integrating D_D Cloud into your applications.

If you haven’t tried it yet, now is a great time to explore D_D Cloud and start building with ease.

This week on DevNtell, our guest is Olivier Dang, Chief Operations Officer at KAIO. KAIO is a protocol purpose-built for RWAs that enables the distribution of alternative assets using blockchain technology.

​Viewers of this DevNTell will learn about how KAIO is bringing RWA's on-chain and how you can get started using it today!

Register to get notified when the show starts.

Partner with Reddit & GameMaker to build addictive daily games right on the platform using Devvit Web (React, Phaser, three.js, or engines like GameMaker/Unity/Godot).

Create puzzles, idlers, brain teasers & more that spark comments, shares & community vibes. Think recurring challenges like r/hotandcold or r/syllacrostic, but make it your own!

$40K in prizes:

• Best Daily Game: $15K

• Best Use of GameMaker: $5K (+ licenses)

• Best Mobile Gameplay: $3K

• Best User Contributions: $3K

Runs Jan 15 – Feb 12, 2026. Deadline Feb 12 @ 6 pm PST 

Open to devs worldwide (legal age+), beginner-friendly. Build polished, Reddit-y experiences that drive discussion.

Register here if interested.

Last week, we hosted two fantastic episodes of DevNTell. We kicked things off with Manny Narang and Jamie Morris, co-founders of Blend. They introduced us to Blend’s global savings account, which intelligently adapts to your local currency, yield preferences, and market exposure.

Our second guest was Pierre Tillement, Head of Marketing at Pyth Network. Pierre walked us through how Pyth delivers real-time market data to dApps across over 100 blockchains, providing 380+ low-latency price feeds across crypto, equities, FX, and commodities.

Catch up on the action:

• Listen to the Blend episode on  Spotify | Apple Podcast

• Collect: Mint and own the Blend episodes on Pods.

• Listen to the Pyth episode on  Spotify | Apple Podcast

Collect: Mint and own the Pyth episodes on Pods.

Disclaimer: Please do your due diligence about a role posted here.

• Web3 Rust Developer — EVM Systems & Trading Infrastructure

• Web3 Head of Product and UX; Fedi, Inc

• DevOps Engineer - 100% Remote @ Tether

Incredibly, Ethereum is now 10 years old!  All great things require time to mature, and, amazingly, it took a decade for an RPC option like D_D Cloud to emerge.

We're putting the final touches on the first-ever hybrid cloud built for web3, and it’s almost showtime. Want front-row seats when the doors open?

Join the waitlist & be the first to know.

Founders: Scale Your Web3 or AI Product Faster.

D_D Ventures partners with bold builders to reshape the future of decentralized tech and AI. We help early-stage teams like yours:

• Build smarter with Web3 and AI infrastructure expertise.

• Grow globally with proven strategies to amplify your reach.

👉 Got vision? Let's talk.

Contact us today to elevate your product to category leadership.

Delegate your ARIO tokens to our Arweave gateway, as we will share 10% of the rewards with you.

You can delegate your ARIO tokens here.

If you don't have ARIO tokens yet, visit the ar.io website to learn how to obtain them.

• Agent Psychosis: Are We Going Insane? posted by crypdough.eth

• D_D member hazae41 needs your support for the Brume Foundation on @juiceboxETH. Donate ETH to receive fresh $BRUME at market price and help them stay independent.

• A short snippet on running @clawdbot on DigitalOcean by @dabit3. 

• A video by @dabit3 on How to Build an Effective Long-Running Agent Loop in 7 minutes.

• A video on Understanding DeFi - Borrow/Lending by the Katana Team.

• An Article

The Trove ICO Collapse: A Web3 Cautionary Tale

The Gist: Trove raised $11.5M in a chaotic public ICO that quickly turned into a masterclass in project mismanagement. After raising nearly 5x their target, the team pivoted from Hyperliquid to Solana, allegedly sold $10M worth of $HYPE, and watched their token price crater 95% within hours of launch. With undisclosed paid promos surfacing and millions in "building funds" remaining unaccounted for, users have been left without refunds or answers.

AI Coding Agents Reality Check

"The most correct take on AI coding agents I have seen. You may not like it, but this is the truth."  Harsh roast of overhyped AI tools in Web3/dev space, resonating with builders frustrated by hype vs. reality

MoonPay: Spreading Wealth (Unless You Have a Tea Habit)

MoonPay is feeling generous and giving away $500 in free crypto to one lucky follower! It’s the easiest $500 you’ll ever make, provided you aren't currently within earshot of Big Ben.

For the first time in its history, Coinbase’s Layer 2 network, Base, has overtaken both Ethereum and BNB Smart Chain in weekly decentralized exchange (DEX) volume. Data from late January 2026 shows Base’s seven-day volume climbing to $16.5 billion, edging out BNB Chain’s $15.6 billion and Ethereum’s $13.0 billion. This milestone was fueled primarily by heavy activity on Uniswap and Aerodrome, which together facilitate over 85% of the network's trading. While Solana remains the overall market leader with over $26 billion in weekly volume, Base’s ascent signals a significant shift in where retail liquidity is congregating within the Ethereum ecosystem.

Farcaster Acquisition Sparks "Theft" Allegations

Farcaster founder Dan Romero has dispelled rumors of the platform’s closure following its acquisition by Neynar. In a rare move, Romero’s Merkle Manufactory will return $180 million in Series A funding to investors like a16z and Paradigm. Romero defended the acquisition as a strategic shift toward a developer-focused model, aiming to revitalize the protocol’s potential after five years of development.

The deal sparked fierce backlash, with some critics labeling it a "$150 million theft" designed to benefit founders at the expense of progress. However, industry supporters and Coinbase executives praised the team for returning capital instead of exhausting it. While the social media debate remains heated, Farcaster continues to operate under Neynar’s leadership with a new focus on infrastructure and developer tools.

Vitalik Backs Decentralized Social Media as Mask Network Takes Over Lens

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has pledged to focus his social media presence on decentralized platforms in 2026, urging the community to move beyond the "global info warzone" of centralized apps. As Lens Protocol transitions its leadership to Mask Network, Buterin argued that decentralization should prioritize better communication and competition over "speculative coins" and hype. He currently uses the Firefly client to manage his activity across Lens, Farcaster, and Bluesky.

The leadership handoff marks a strategic shift for Lens, moving from protocol development to building polished, consumer-friendly applications under Mask Network’s guidance. While Lens Labs moves into an advisory role, Mask Network will focus on creating intuitive social experiences that can compete with mainstream platforms. This shift, combined with Buterin’s endorsement, signals a new industry phase where user experience is finally taking precedence over technical complexity.

This week, we have:

• Real World Assets On-Chain at DevNTell

• Game hackathon

Just a reminder about D_D Cloud, Developer DAO's cloud platform providing reliable RPC services for builders and developers.

Getting started is straightforward. Visit cloud.developerdao.com and sign up if you haven’t already. An activation code will be sent to your email, which you’ll use to activate your account.

After activation, log in to your account and create an API key. Once your API key is set up, you can immediately begin making RPC calls and integrating D_D Cloud into your applications.

If you haven’t tried it yet, now is a great time to explore D_D Cloud and start building with ease.

This week on DevNtell, our guest is Olivier Dang, Chief Operations Officer at KAIO. KAIO is a protocol purpose-built for RWAs that enables the distribution of alternative assets using blockchain technology.

​Viewers of this DevNTell will learn about how KAIO is bringing RWA's on-chain and how you can get started using it today!

Register to get notified when the show starts.

Partner with Reddit & GameMaker to build addictive daily games right on the platform using Devvit Web (React, Phaser, three.js, or engines like GameMaker/Unity/Godot).

Create puzzles, idlers, brain teasers & more that spark comments, shares & community vibes. Think recurring challenges like r/hotandcold or r/syllacrostic, but make it your own!

$40K in prizes:

• Best Daily Game: $15K

• Best Use of GameMaker: $5K (+ licenses)

• Best Mobile Gameplay: $3K

• Best User Contributions: $3K

Runs Jan 15 – Feb 12, 2026. Deadline Feb 12 @ 6 pm PST 

Open to devs worldwide (legal age+), beginner-friendly. Build polished, Reddit-y experiences that drive discussion.

Register here if interested.

Last week, we hosted two fantastic episodes of DevNTell. We kicked things off with Manny Narang and Jamie Morris, co-founders of Blend. They introduced us to Blend’s global savings account, which intelligently adapts to your local currency, yield preferences, and market exposure.

Our second guest was Pierre Tillement, Head of Marketing at Pyth Network. Pierre walked us through how Pyth delivers real-time market data to dApps across over 100 blockchains, providing 380+ low-latency price feeds across crypto, equities, FX, and commodities.

Catch up on the action:

• Listen to the Blend episode on  Spotify | Apple Podcast

• Collect: Mint and own the Blend episodes on Pods.

• Listen to the Pyth episode on  Spotify | Apple Podcast

Collect: Mint and own the Pyth episodes on Pods.

Disclaimer: Please do your due diligence about a role posted here.

• Web3 Rust Developer — EVM Systems & Trading Infrastructure

• Web3 Head of Product and UX; Fedi, Inc

• DevOps Engineer - 100% Remote @ Tether

Incredibly, Ethereum is now 10 years old!  All great things require time to mature, and, amazingly, it took a decade for an RPC option like D_D Cloud to emerge.

We're putting the final touches on the first-ever hybrid cloud built for web3, and it’s almost showtime. Want front-row seats when the doors open?

Join the waitlist & be the first to know.

Founders: Scale Your Web3 or AI Product Faster.

D_D Ventures partners with bold builders to reshape the future of decentralized tech and AI. We help early-stage teams like yours:

• Build smarter with Web3 and AI infrastructure expertise.

• Grow globally with proven strategies to amplify your reach.

👉 Got vision? Let's talk.

Contact us today to elevate your product to category leadership.

Delegate your ARIO tokens to our Arweave gateway, as we will share 10% of the rewards with you.

You can delegate your ARIO tokens here.

If you don't have ARIO tokens yet, visit the ar.io website to learn how to obtain them.

• Agent Psychosis: Are We Going Insane? posted by crypdough.eth

• D_D member hazae41 needs your support for the Brume Foundation on @juiceboxETH. Donate ETH to receive fresh $BRUME at market price and help them stay independent.

• A short snippet on running @clawdbot on DigitalOcean by @dabit3. 

• A video by @dabit3 on How to Build an Effective Long-Running Agent Loop in 7 minutes.

• A video on Understanding DeFi - Borrow/Lending by the Katana Team.

• An Article

The Trove ICO Collapse: A Web3 Cautionary Tale

The Gist: Trove raised $11.5M in a chaotic public ICO that quickly turned into a masterclass in project mismanagement. After raising nearly 5x their target, the team pivoted from Hyperliquid to Solana, allegedly sold $10M worth of $HYPE, and watched their token price crater 95% within hours of launch. With undisclosed paid promos surfacing and millions in "building funds" remaining unaccounted for, users have been left without refunds or answers.

AI Coding Agents Reality Check

"The most correct take on AI coding agents I have seen. You may not like it, but this is the truth."  Harsh roast of overhyped AI tools in Web3/dev space, resonating with builders frustrated by hype vs. reality

MoonPay: Spreading Wealth (Unless You Have a Tea Habit)

MoonPay is feeling generous and giving away $500 in free crypto to one lucky follower! It’s the easiest $500 you’ll ever make, provided you aren't currently within earshot of Big Ben.

For the first time in its history, Coinbase’s Layer 2 network, Base, has overtaken both Ethereum and BNB Smart Chain in weekly decentralized exchange (DEX) volume. Data from late January 2026 shows Base’s seven-day volume climbing to $16.5 billion, edging out BNB Chain’s $15.6 billion and Ethereum’s $13.0 billion. This milestone was fueled primarily by heavy activity on Uniswap and Aerodrome, which together facilitate over 85% of the network's trading. While Solana remains the overall market leader with over $26 billion in weekly volume, Base’s ascent signals a significant shift in where retail liquidity is congregating within the Ethereum ecosystem.

Farcaster Acquisition Sparks "Theft" Allegations

Farcaster founder Dan Romero has dispelled rumors of the platform’s closure following its acquisition by Neynar. In a rare move, Romero’s Merkle Manufactory will return $180 million in Series A funding to investors like a16z and Paradigm. Romero defended the acquisition as a strategic shift toward a developer-focused model, aiming to revitalize the protocol’s potential after five years of development.

The deal sparked fierce backlash, with some critics labeling it a "$150 million theft" designed to benefit founders at the expense of progress. However, industry supporters and Coinbase executives praised the team for returning capital instead of exhausting it. While the social media debate remains heated, Farcaster continues to operate under Neynar’s leadership with a new focus on infrastructure and developer tools.

Vitalik Backs Decentralized Social Media as Mask Network Takes Over Lens

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has pledged to focus his social media presence on decentralized platforms in 2026, urging the community to move beyond the "global info warzone" of centralized apps. As Lens Protocol transitions its leadership to Mask Network, Buterin argued that decentralization should prioritize better communication and competition over "speculative coins" and hype. He currently uses the Firefly client to manage his activity across Lens, Farcaster, and Bluesky.

The leadership handoff marks a strategic shift for Lens, moving from protocol development to building polished, consumer-friendly applications under Mask Network’s guidance. While Lens Labs moves into an advisory role, Mask Network will focus on creating intuitive social experiences that can compete with mainstream platforms. This shift, combined with Buterin’s endorsement, signals a new industry phase where user experience is finally taking precedence over technical complexity.