Mark Cuban is a billionaire, Shark Tank judge, crypto investor and Billionaire Entrepreneur. locked hornsMicky Watkins from World Mobile was interviewed this week on the utility of Cardano projects.
Cuban is a critic of Cardano in the past. He recently used Twitter to share his concerns about Cardano-based projects for Africa.
Cardano activists took to Twitter following the posting. The community voiced their perspective on the blockchain’s ability to deliver real-world services. Cuban said he was happy to help. It is notCardano apps have been adopted widely and demand to pay in $ADA.
We quickly discussed the Cardano-based World Mobile Token, (WMT), that powers the World Mobile Network as an example for real-world utility. World Mobile is a shared economy, which allows everyone to have a piece of the network that has been built by people. This also provides income opportunities for people connecting around the globe.
Cuban quickly came back, stating the World Mobile network and token needed “a real”successful business model, and asked if it has ever begun to make revenue from its users.
Micky Watkins from World Mobile, CEO, stepped in to the fray and replied with: tweet citing the company’s average revenue per unit (ARPU) in Tanzania of $3 per month.
A passionate and open debate
This Tweet off a long and passionate debate between Watkins and Cuban, with Cuban grilling Watkins about World Mobile’s business model and Watkins responding with data-led arguments around utility, adoption, and scaling.
Cuban at first was skeptical. But, the conversation soon turned around technicalWith Cuban asking WatkinsLearn more about World Mobile, the types of mesh protocols they use, as well as customer bandwidth.
Watkins and Cuban also disagreed over the feedback of end users. Watkins stated:
“I don’t see you retweeting anything from actual end users. Which is why I’m so cynical about this and all the cardano Africa project posts. They don’t come from end users. Every great product lets the users do the talking for them.”
Watkins responded to this by linking back to a number of testimonials videosFrom users who are connected to the World Mobile Network in Zanzibar.
The shift in attitude
Watkins was able to get a few points from Cuban during the lively discussion. He praised both the objectives of the project as well as the idea to lower capital expenditures by allowing users build the infrastructure.
After a lengthy discussion about the operation of the network nodes, Watkins ended the Twitter debate by signing off with a friendly open invitationPlease contact me for more details.
Cuban’s debate with Watkins served to show that regardless of the scepticism surrounding the Cardano, all that matters are the solutions blockchain has to offer. The value of World Mobile and WMT lies in real-world utility and a sound business model that holds up under fire from the “shark” himself. Maybe this project is what makes Cardano fall in love again with Cuban.
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