We Are Metallicus | Paulo Donati
Q: How did you discover blockchain technology and what caught your interest?
A: I first heard about Bitcoin, Ethereum and Litecoin in December 2016 while in my last months at college. In the spring of 2017, I jumped in 100% to crypto and learned as much as I could. What initially caught my interest was the excitement of trading and speculation. I spent my first months out of college trying to trade cryptocurrency, but as I was trading and learning how to use cryptocurrencies and taking self-custody of funds, I realized that I wanted to dive deeper into understanding the technology behind it all. I got my first full-time job working for a crypto exchange in January 2018 and never looked back!
Q: What’s your favorite way to unwind after a busy day?
A: I like to spend time with my wife and children. I try to spend as much time as possible outside and in the sunshine (when the weather permits it!). On the weekends, I play sports like baseball and basketball. In my free time at night, when the kids are sleeping, I like to read, write, code, and explore new AI tools.
Q: Why did you join Metallicus and what do you love about working here?
A: I joined Metallicus almost 4 years ago now, and I was actually one of the first people to sign up for Metal Pay in September 2018 (over a year prior to joining the company). In addition to being an avid user of Metal Pay, I joined the company because of the vision that Marshall had for the company, and I wanted to be a part of building out and executing on that vision.
Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
A: I would like to go to Antarctica because there are a lot of myths about this place and I’d like to confirm for myself how things really are over there.
Q: Can you describe a typical day in your role at Metallicus?
A typical day goes like this: (1) Several meetings, usually at least 2–3 to start out the day, (2) Work on any high priority items, (3) Possibly another meeting or two, (4) Execute on my daily operational tasks, and (5) Close out the day by proactively working on additional high priority items or just prepping things for the following day.
A: What is a book, movie, or TV show that has made a significant impact on your life?
“Zero to One” by Peter Thiel is a book that really helped me understand that humans have a hard time proactively assessing the potential effects of exponential growth. It introduced me to the concept of zero-sum games, and the reason behind why there are winner-take-all markets. It helped me understand that diversifying and rebalancing a portfolio isn’t always the best thing to do. An asset that outperforms is likely doing so for good reason, and it may eventually consume the entirety of that market (or most of it).
Q: Can you share an exciting project you’re currently working on at Metallicus?
A: I think that Metal Blockchain is a really exciting project that the company is working on. I haven’t had much contribution to it yet, but looking forward to see how our team can help!
