Why is Everyone Launching Tokens? (Trump, Portnoy, Vine) | IE Ep. 64

Why is everyone launching tokens right now? From Trump’s surprise drop to Dave Portnoy’s musings on rugging to Vine’s tokenized rebirth, Episode 64 of Internet Explorers tackles a hype cycle that gets faster every week. Jess Sloss and guest co-host Nicholas explore how platforms like Pump.Fun and Yapster are driving this explosion in token creation and discuss the risks and rewards of tokenizing everything. This episode covers: Trump, Portnoy, and Vine Tokens: What these launches reveal about memecoin culture. Yapster’s Meme Market: A breakdown of the app gamifying token creation. Pump.Fun Mechanics: Why attention is the new currency in tokenized economies. Tokens vs. Equity: How social capital and brand value are reshaping markets. Cheryl at the Crypto Ball: A firsthand look at crypto’s political moment in Washington, D.C. With insights on how tokens are capturing cultural value and sparking new experiments in ownership and identity, this episode dives into the mechanics and meaning behind the latest wave of token launches. Chapters: 00:00 - Why is Everyone Launching Tokens? 06:00 - Trump and Portnoy: Token Speculation 12:00 - Vine Token: The Memetic Economy 18:00 - Yapster and Meme Game Mechanics 24:00 - Tokens vs. Equity: Social Capital’s Role 30:00 - Pump.Fun’s Market Dynamics 36:00 - The Long-Term Play for Tokens 45:00 - Cheryl’s Crypto Ball Highlights 51:00 - Risks of Tokenized Economies 57:00 - Closing Reflections on the Token Boom Internet Explorers is a weekly rundown show where extremely online individuals broadly explore (romanticize, even) new consumer Internet experiences. Join us⁠ live on Twitter/X, Fridays 10am PT / 1pm ET. Seed Club Twitter: https://x.com/seedclubhq Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/internet-explorers/id1756599282 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6iJk3xZoij7pVhlNbTP9qS?si=4cda0ac044dc4c6a Pods.media: https://pods.media/internet-explorers