WYRD

Viraj Ala is a 21-year old, San Francisco-based content creator. He creates vox-pop, street interview-driven content that democratizes Silicon Valley by bringing conversations with top founders, investors, and creators to aspiring entrepreneurs and professionals.Shout out to Viraj for allowing me to share such a vulnerable story, Matt Lo for being the goat editor, and Succinct for sponsoring this show!Timestamps:0:44 Being a content creator is harder than being a founder7:19 How to be patient for results and not go insane11:18 Realizing he was a bum at 1613:43 Passion + Shame = Greatness20:22 Transferring to Berkeley22:33 Big Tech, Consulting, & White House24:45 Leaving Berkeley to pursue content31:50 How to make the most exceptional content35:40 Letting go of people from your past40:51 When hard work produces no result44:20 How Viraj gets opportunities to interview billionaires48:10 Shame and passion in pursuing your pathViraj's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/viraj.ala/WYRD Show: https://www.wyrd.show/Sponsor: https://www.succinct.xyz/

Ppl Pleasr, aka Emily Yang, is a multidisciplinary artist and founder of Shibuya, a crowdfunding platform for bold, independent filmmakers. Her anime, White Rabbit, became the first crypto project to win an Emmy.0:27 The World is a Giant Ponzi5:52 The Ultimate Humiliation: Unemployment9:28 Opportunity that skyrocketed her12:31 Can Anyone be Special? 16:42 Emily's Evolution of Self-Esteem19:45 The Same White Rabbit Before and After an Emmy26:29 Euphoria of Creating 28:24 Tying Your Worth to the External World29:15 What does it mean to follow your heart?33:16 Storytelling in an AI futurePpl Pleasr's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pplpleasr/WYRD Show: https://www.wyrd.show/Sponsor: https://www.succinct.xyz/

Iyan Moon Yang reveals the reality of modeling, engineering success, and struggles of chasing your dreams as a 20 year old. 0:53 Starting college after her weird gap year2:45 Working at Sperm Racing as a girl?!6:54 How she walked for Dior at 178:18 Engineering outlier success11:46 Evolution of mindset and ego14:48 You need to detach from what other's think of you18:19 Struggles of living an unconventional life23:50 Joining the herd, rejecting the herd, being outside the herd28:43 Money problems in chasing your dream31:12 Emotional scars from 4 months of not booking a single modeling job33:51 Why 2025 was the hardest year of her life36:13 We have so much time to figure it outShout out to Iyan for allowing me to share such a vulnerable story, Matt Loh for being the goat editor, and Succinct for sponsoring this show!Iyan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iyanmoonyang/WYRD Show: https://www.wyrd.show/Sponsor: https://www.succinct.xyz/

Shane Fan graduated high school at 15, UC Berkeley at 18, is the founder & CEO of a stealth startup building onchain products, and is a creator with 7 million+ followers and 3 billion+ views. And he’s 23 years old : DTimestamps:1:25 25M views in 24 hours4:44 How he gained viral-sense6:54 Posting 30-50 videos everyday11:37 Instagram Success13:54 Juggling social media & companies15:06 Being bullied after immigrating to America18:11 Graduating Berkeley at 1823:28 Uncertainty in college29:04 How Lucy Guo changed his life32:02 Sperm Racing?….34:19 Do you regret the founder path?Shout out to Shane for allowing me to share such a vulnerable story, Matt Loh for being the goat editor, and Succinct for sponsoring this show!Shane Fan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shanefanx/WYRD Show: https://www.wyrd.show/Sponsor: https://www.succinct.xyz/

a WYRD interview with Jayden Clark on being at the center of niche San Francisco technology culture1:58 Jester-maxxing5:54 Running a boutique media consulting firm13:12 Gym as his bridge to tech18:13 MOTS podcast, art or business?23:44 Personality as Edge28:32 Musician to B2B SaaS Founder to Podcaster46:38 Ragebait54:23 SF bubble1:12:57 How can one have a worthwhile existence in SF?Follow Jayden: https://x.com/creatine_cycleMore about WYRD: https://www.wyrd.show/Thank you to my sponsors:Succinct: Pioneering zero-knowledge proofs to revolutionize blockchain scalability (https://www.succinct.xyz/)Kalshi: The go-to platform for trading real-world events with real money (https://kalshi.com/)

My WYRD conversation with Dris Elamri.Dris is 18 and CEO at Instinct (60k+ creators). He previously blew up Cluely, grew a YouTube channel to 200K subs in 9 months, made $50K/mo dropshipping, and got kicked out of high school for hacking water fountains.We talk about fears of the permanent underclass, ethics of ragebait, why action beats everything, and the pursuit of building something timeless. Enjoy!0:49 Kicked out of HS, no money, no friends2:37 $50K/month dropshipping fake AirPod Maxes 4:42 How a cold DM to Roy Lee changed everything6:44 Why society is raising a generation of losers7:57 Moving to SF at 17 for Cluely16:57 Internal moments at Cluely that never went public19:08 Everyone unambitious will be in the permanent slave underclass23:37 Methods will save humanity, UGC creators making $10K+/month25:24 How AI will change ad tech and marketing33:37 How Methods support 60K+ creators35:29 Why you should never do business with people you don't trust39:23 The ethics of ragebait (and whether it's worth it)44:45 Why Dris wants to make something as timeless as a cupFollow Dris: https://x.com/elamriMore about WYRD: https://www.wyrd.show/Thank you to my sponsors:Succinct: Pioneering zero-knowledge proofs to revolutionize blockchain scalability (https://www.succinct.xyz/)Kalshi: The go-to platform for trading real-world events with real money (https://kalshi.com/)

My first WYRD interview with Skyler Chan, Founder of GRU Space. 00:28 - Why Skyler’s Building the First Lunar Hotel4:53 - Death at 166:43 - Learning at Berkeley & Tesla8:42 - YOLO: Help Make Humans Interplanetary 11:59 - Hiring when everyone wants to work in AI16:30 - Execute 18:43 - If we succeed, billions of humans will experience the beauty of lifeFollow Skyler: https://x.com/skyler_chan_More about WYRD: https://www.wyrd.show/Thank you to my sponsors:Succinct: Pioneering zero-knowledge proofs to revolutionize blockchain scalability (https://www.succinct.xyz/)Kalshi: The go-to platform for trading real-world events with real money (https://kalshi.com/)

My interview with Jay Fujiwara, social media creator with 12 million followers teaching English. He is the funder of BigBean, an app for learning English.Follow Jay on Instagram:   / jayfujiwara  Follow WYRD: wyrd.showTimestamps:0:00 How Jay Got Started in Social Media5:18 Dropping Out of UCL9:03 Sneaker Reselling to Going All-In on Social Media12:51 3 Steps to Explode Your Social Accounts17:15 How to Deal With Videos That Flop18:47 How to Build a Viral Instinct28:40 You Need to Copy What Works35:06 Lifestyle of JayThank you to my sponsors:Succinct: Pioneering zero-knowledge proofs to revolutionize blockchain scalability (https://www.succinct.xyz/)Kalshi: The go-to platform for trading real-world events with real money (https://kalshi.com/)

Met Tommy while he was Berkeley Blockchain's President. Had so much fun hearing his wildest memecoin stories :)Timestamps:00:42 The WNBA Dildo Kid02:14 Tommy’s Trading Journey05:43 Most Painful Trading Loss10:10 Life as a Crypto VC15:41 Future Predictions in Crypto18:24 Why Kalshi’s Marketing is Genius21:35 Berkeley to New York Post-Grad Life29:09 The Evolution of Podcasting33:08 Curating Your Personal BrandFollow Tommy: https://x.com/thatdegenvcFollow Countersignal Podcast: https://link.me/srachaThank you to my partners:Succinct: Pioneering zero-knowledge proofs to revolutionize blockchain scalability (https://www.succinct.xyz/)Kalshi: The go-to platform for trading real-world events with real money (https://kalshi.com/)

The interview you’ve been waiting for…@theweb3jess , the founder of Blockus.0:00 Intro: The Founder Who Broke Crypto Twitter 0:18 Jess Origin Story 2:36 Being a Female Founder in Web3 4:10 What Is Level 1 Autism? 6:10 Jess’ Thoughts on Being Viral 8:33 How You Make People Take You Seriously 10:39 Sexual Harassment and Workplace Misogyny 14:51 Does Jess Hate Men? 16:38 Dating Accomplished Men Is a Competition 18:26 Jess’ Vision for Blockus 20:39 Jess’ Mission of Seamless Web3 Gaming 23:59 How Jess’ Fame Impact Blockus 26:12 Was Jess Trying to Ragebait? 29:14 Is Jess Actually Suing People? 31:22 Jess’ Thoughts on Being Viral Pt 2 33:21 Jess’ Non-Negotiable Standards for Men in 2026 35:37 Apology to Lesbian Twitter 37:16 Why Jess Wants a Guy Who Eats Meat 40:46 To All the Haters on TwitterFollow Jess: https://x.com/theweb3jessFollow Countersignal Podcast: https://link.me/srachaThank you to my partners:Succinct: Pioneering zero-knowledge proofs to revolutionize blockchain scalability (https://www.succinct.xyz/)Kalshi: The go-to platform for trading real-world events with real money (https://kalshi.com/)

Thank you Arine for sharing your story ... one of the most incredible stories I've ever heard.Timestamps:1:49 Why Arine’s Parents Became Jehovah’s Witnesses4:38 Inside Life as a Jehovah's Witness: No Worldly Desires10:07 Bethel, the Governing Body, and Disfellowship17:00 Why Arine Decided To leave18:50 How Wrestling Saved Her Life23:11 Entering Foster Care at 1629:00 Life in Shambles During College Apps31:43 How Arine got into UCLA44:37 The Complicated Love-Hate Relationship with Her Parents48:00 Accidentally Becoming a TikTok Influencer55:15 The Reality of Being an Influencer in College (Hate & Anxiety)1:09:36 Jealous Bitches1:11:43 People Pleaser & Overthinker1:15:34 Switching Majors 4 Times: Figuring Out What She Wanted1:24:36 You Can Get So Many Doors Open From a Platform1:35:51 What Content Brands Pay BIG $$ For1:37:17 $12,000 for a 90 second video1:50:22 Future"Follow Arine: beacons.ai/arinekimFollow Countersignal Podcast: https://link.me/srachaThank you to my partners:Succinct: Pioneering zero-knowledge proofs to revolutionize blockchain scalability (https://www.succinct.xyz/)Kalshi: The go-to platform for trading real-world events with real money (https://kalshi.com/)

My friend Gajesh has the craziest life story ever. Just read the timestamps:00:00 - Turning 1802:31 - Spending Ages 7–12 Coding Every Day08:31 - Mahabharata, RadhaKrishna & Realizing There’s More Than Money (Moha)12:35 - Growing Youtube Channel to 1M Views & 15k Subs in 3 Months14:10 - Detach From Money & Status15:27 - How Gajesh Got Into Crypto at 1218:31 - Building a DeFi App With $7M TVL at 1320:17 - Why He Didn’t Get Corrupted by Money22:42 - How Gajesh Moved to the Bahamas with FTX at 14 (pt 1)25:44 - “Dropping Out” in Middle School26:52 - Becoming a Micro-Celebrity in India28:11 - Handling Hate, Trolls & Jealousy as a 13-Year-Old33:36 - How Gajesh Moved to the Bahamas with FTX at 14 (pt 2)37:13 - Daily Life in the FTX Penthouse (Wake, Code, 2 A.M. Sleep)38:09 - FTX’s Wild Portfolio: 7% of Robinhood, 10% of Anthropic40:36 - Why Gajesh Stayed in Crypto After FTX & Chose EigenCloud42:54 - Building Humanity’s Coordination Engine & Trust Marketplace51:02 - Leaving ~$5M of Equity, Not in Crypto Just for Money54:02 - Does Gajesh Regret Not Doing AI Early?54:56 - Bearish on College Dropouts??01:00:52 - Epistemic Humility01:16:02 - You Get Creativity Is Through Freedom, Reflections on India01:18:03 - What Life Success Means, Who Inspires Gajesh, Life Paths to EmulateFollow Gajesh: https://x.com/gajeshFollow Countersignal Podcast: https://link.me/srachaThank you to my partners:Succinct: Pioneering zero-knowledge proofs to revolutionize blockchain scalability (https://www.succinct.xyz/)Kalshi: The go-to platform for trading real-world events with real money (https://kalshi.com/)

Stan is one of the people in the world who has the most insane travel lore ever. He's been to 73 countries, is building a travel app called Soar, and is in Iraq rn?....Timestamps:0:00 Chopped Chinese0:07 Becoming DJI’s first international employee at 177:09 Xinjiang & the Uyghurs10:55 Will China Overtake the U.S. Economy? @kalshi market13:11 Russia, US, and China presence in Norway15:02 Oldest Sand Dunes + Largest Waterfall on Earth16:18 Crossing Israel to Egypt under Military Escort (ISIS presence) 17:20 How to Afford Traveling 19:35 Building in consumer travel 22:24 Do founders need to 996 in the basement to win?24:46 Pretend like you’re okay when nothing is okayFollow Stan: https://x.com/stannostudioFollow Countersignal Podcast: https://link.me/srachaThank you to my partners:Succinct: Pioneering zero-knowledge proofs to revolutionize blockchain scalability (https://www.succinct.xyz/)Kalshi: The go-to platform for trading real-world events with real money (https://kalshi.com/)

This episode is chopped. And super fucking funny. Thank you to my friends Magnus, Viraj, and Maxx!Timestamps:0:00 Magnus is... Black ?!??0:07 Why we haven't slept in 24 hours1:14 I ate fried chicken at the strip club1:25 $100 DNA test and $500 bet2:51 Why Kalshi is better3:31 Give a schizophrenic drug addict a burrito, get $18k of Apple productsFollow Viraj:   / viraj.ala  Follow Magnus:   / magnus.aka  Follow Maxx: https://x.com/maxxyung11Follow Countersignal Podcast: https://link.me/srachaThank you to my partners:Succinct: Pioneering zero-knowledge proofs to revolutionize blockchain scalability (https://www.succinct.xyz/)Kalshi: The go-to platform for trading real-world events with real money (https://kalshi.com/)

My homie Connor Chung is a model, influencer, 2nd year CS student at UCLA, and an explorer of many side quests. We talk about what to do with our lives lmao. Timestamps:0:00 Intro1:07 Make your eyes bigger (modeling)4:41 CS Job Market for College Students13:37 Social media is the best place to build social capital as a 19-20 year old20:49 The Gen Z Eye23:26 FOMOing college27:34 What are we doing with our lives34:42 Finding joy in being aimless37:25 Christianity and productivity are not opposites39:12 Hinge 💀40:55 Is loving yourself Christian42:50 I love SF (I HATE SF)47:30 Are we peaking in college?Follow Connor:   / connorjchung  Follow Countersignal Podcast: https://link.me/srachaThank you to my partners:Succinct: Pioneering zero-knowledge proofs to revolutionize blockchain scalability (https://www.succinct.xyz/)Kalshi: The go-to platform for trading real-world events with real money (https://kalshi.com/)

This was the craziest episode I’ve ever filmed. Literally just crashed out the whole episode, so fun. Thank you Meow!Timestamps:0:00 Intro0:46 Welcome to the Schizo Podcast1:28 What makes you think you’re doing something with your life?4:31 What makes you think you’re not fake?5:30 Society makes you feel like you’re not doing anything7:05 Being at the bottom of the valley and climbing to the top of the mountain11:38 Tech Roast Show 17:50 Your feelings are valid and invalid (+ gaslighted by Meow)20:15 Solve the fucking problem24:26 Everything you're going through is the price you pay for what you do26:47 Jupiter Exchange never followed the traditional path36:00 How can you still have fun38:28 The higher level you go the higher pain you feel 40:37 How do you know what you want42:24 No one knows what they’re doing48:58 Meditating49:49 Just remember you are a piece of shitFollow Meow:Twitter: https://x.com/weremeowFollow Countersignal:Twitter: https://x.com/countersignalpdTiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@srachasauceeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/srachasauceeSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3R1CazIaPwa6Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/countersignal-podcast/id1832753373Thank you to my partners:Succinct: https://www.succinct.xyz/ - Pioneering zero-knowledge proofs to revolutionize blockchain scalability.Kalshi: (https://kalshi.com/) - The go-to platform for trading real-world events with real money.

Had a super fun time interviewing Justin Waldron, the co-founder of Zynga!!!Timestamps:0:00 – Intro0:35 – Building games on MySpace, AOL Instant Messenger, 5:37 – Dropping out at 19 to Co-found Zynga, Realizing Facebook would be HUGE11:03 – Shipping Farmville, Inventing New Social Games12:28 – Printing hundreds of millions off games14:49 – BEING DELUSIONAL on early trends you spot18:16 – Standoffs with Facebook, Pulling in the elders of Silicon Valley23:59 – Seeing a Billion-User Opportunity Early27:02 – Early Bitcoiners were Gamers29:38 – Value in Crypto34:23 – What is real, what's a grift36:33 – Psychoanalyzing Justin, Can you do nothing and be happy?40:37 – Why are you not corrupted, the real reason why money is important43:40 – Growth Hacking, Social Engineering, Virality47:49 – High Leverage things college students should do50:54 – Why Justin is based in Japan (beating the allegations :)Follow Justin Waldron:Twitter: https://x.com/jtwaldFollow Countersignal:Twitter: https://x.com/countersignalpdTiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@srachasauceeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/srachasauceeSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3R1CazIaPwa6...Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/coun...Thank you to my partners:Succinct: https://www.succinct.xyz/ - Pioneering zero-knowledge proofs to revolutionize blockchain scalability.Kalshi: https://kalshi.com - The go-to platform for trading real-world events with real money.

Interview with Mert, the CEO & co-founder of Helius, the top Solana infrastructure company.Timestamps:00:00 Intro00:50 Getting His First Computer in Turkey02:20 Canada & Dreams of Pro MMA Fighter05:06 Skyrim Changed His Life 😭07:14 Grinding Engineering in Highschool & Queens University12:50 Discovering Crypto & Leaving Coinbase to Start Helius18:26 Turning Friends into Co-Founders22:00 Building For Intrinsic Joy & Ego26:38 “It is now your life mission to make sure these people have nightmares about us.”34:41 Is Life Hard or is it a skill issue37:00 What Mert Is Striving Towards40:10 “I Don’t Believe in Happiness”45:17 Crashout Session 51:31 Advice for Broke Students53:16 Why does ever mf have a podcastFollow Mert & Helius:- Twitter: https://x.com/0xMert- Twitter: https://x.com/heliuslabsFollow Countersignal:- Twitter: https://x.com/countersignalpd- Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@srachasaucee- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/srachasaucee- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3R1CazIaPwa6Jp9SWvj7c9- Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/countersignal-podcast/id1832753373Partners:Succinct: https://succinctlabs.com - Pioneering zero-knowledge proofs to revolutionize blockchain scalability.Kalshi: https://kalshi.com - The go-to platform for trading real-world events with real money.

Jia is one of the most genuine, kind, and hilariously funny people I’ve met, who helps everyone around her. No wonder she has such a loyal authentic audience online. We have a pretty deep and vulnerable conversation, especially on winning emotional battles.Timestamps:0:00 Intro1:34 Wanting more while at MSU2:50 Hackathons as a pipeline6:38 Blowing Up on Social media, Life feels surreal9:17 How to filter through sycophants10:56 Leaving College, Imposter Syndrome13:17 Understanding High Leverage and Calculated Risks17:03 Breakups and the 3 Month Rut18:48 How to defeat depression, pain, and hate23:27 What is @sorcerer ?25:43 Pros and Cons of being an Authentic Influencer31:18 Life Fulfillment, Living Your Dreams33:35 Highs and Lows of an Unconventional Life34:37 Big Tech or Startups?36:01 Making the most of your 20sThis episode is sponsored by Succinct (succinct.xyz) and Kalshi (kalshi.com)Jia’s socials:https://www.instagram.com/jia.seed/https://x.com/jia_seedMy socials:https://www.instagram.com/srachasauce/https://x.com/srachasaucee

Thank you to my wonderful amazing talented friend Ivy for coming on the show :) Such an amazing conversation.Timestamps:0:00 Intro1:36 Ivy Origin 3:19 Falling for the prestige race7:55 Wharton Gap Year & High Agency14:36 Carving out a life path that doesn’t exist15:44 How to have full delusion in yourself 19:43 How to create wealth outside of tech / finance22:04 Naval was right23:03 How do you know what you’re meant to do?27:05 Media = publicly failing over and over until you make it 31:53 How to get back delusion if its shattered38:07 What works and what doesn’t on social media47:06 Saying NO to “golden opportunities”49:01 The universe tests you to see what you will accept51:08 Blowing up on social media with the Medusa Painting54:36 Getting everything she wanted naturally through what she loved55:50 Ivy’s thesis on loveIvy’s Socials: https://www.instagram.com/ivydngg/My Socials: https://x.com/srachasaucee