Otto Uys

Web Developer

CSGO: visionZ

[Roland Schoeman @Rolandschoeman]

What squirrel really means,

“Dear Fellow South African,

As we mark 30 years since the adoption of our Constitution, we can indeed reflect on the political culture that has been built in South Africa.

A culture where corruption has become normalized.
A culture where cadres loot while millions live without dignity.
A culture where rolling blackouts, collapsing infrastructure, violent crime, unemployment, and institutional decay are treated as acceptable collateral.

We can reflect on Phala Phala.
On millions of undeclared dollars hidden in couches.
On theft concealed instead of transparently reported.
On endless explanations that insult the intelligence of ordinary South Africans.

We can reflect on a government where politicians enrich themselves while citizens barricade their homes, avoid walking at night, and watch roads, rail, policing, healthcare, and municipalities collapse around them.

We can reflect on the farce of being told we live in a “robust democracy” while corruption inquiries come and go with little accountability and almost no meaningful consequences for the politically connected.

We can reflect on a political culture where:
• the connected get richer,
• the poor get poorer,
• criminals operate freely,
• race is weaponized for political survival,
• and accountability remains selective.

South Africans are not angry because they hate democracy.
They are angry because they were promised one thing and delivered another.

The Constitution was supposed to protect the people from the state.
Instead, many feel abandoned by the very institutions meant to serve them.

The greatest threat to South Africa is no longer apartheid.
It is corruption, incompetence, lawlessness, and the systematic erosion of trust under ANC governance.

That is the real legacy many South Africans are living with today.”

Well done squirrel @CyrilRamaphosa

[Otto Uys @otto_uys]

@CapitecBankSA Please note the "Track" feature on the mobile app is broken when viewing your saving account. It shows the same results on every category.

[Brian Armstrong @brian_armstrong]

This is an email I sent earlier today to all employees at Coinbase:

Team,

Today I’ve made the difficult decision to reduce the size of Coinbase by ~14%. I want to walk you through why we're doing this now, what it means for those affected, and how this positions us for the future.

Why now
Two forces are converging at the same time. We need to be front footed to respond to both.

First, the market. Coinbase is well-capitalized, has diversified revenue streams, and is well-positioned to weather any storm. Crypto is also on the verge of the next wave of adoption, with stablecoins, prediction markets, tokenization, and more taking off. However, our business is still volatile from quarter to quarter. While we've managed through that cyclicality many times before and come out stronger on the other side, we’re currently in a down market and need to adjust our cost structure now so that we emerge from this period leaner, faster, and more efficient for our next phase of growth.

Second, AI is changing how we work. Over the past year, I’ve watched engineers use AI to ship in days what used to take a team weeks. Non-technical teams are now shipping production code and many of our workflows are being automated. The pace of what's possible with a small, focused team has changed dramatically, and it's accelerating every day.

All of this has led us to an inflection point, not just for Coinbase, but for every company. The biggest risk now is not taking action. We are adjusting early and deliberately to rebuild Coinbase to be lean, fast, and AI-native. We need to return to the speed and focus of our startup founding, with AI at our core.

What this means
To get there, we are not just reducing headcount and cutting costs, we’re fundamentally changing how we operate: rebuilding Coinbase as an intelligence, with humans around the edge aligning it. What does this mean in practice?

- Fewer layers, faster decisions: We are flattening our org structure to 5 layers max below CEO/COO. Layers slow things down and create coordination tax. The future is small, high context teams that can move quickly. Leaders will own much more, with as many as 15+ direct reports. Fewer layers also means a leaner cost structure that is built to perform through all market cycles.

- No pure managers: Every leader at Coinbase must also be a strong and active individual contributor. Managers should be like player-coaches, getting their hands dirty alongside their teams.

- AI-native pods: We’ll be concentrating around AI-native talent who can manage fleets of agents to drive outsized impact. We’ll also be experimenting with reduced pod sizes, including “one person teams” with engineers, designers, and product managers all in one role.

In short: AI is bringing a profound shift in how companies operate, and we’re reshaping Coinbase to lead in this new era. This is a new way of working, and we need to leverage AI across every facet of our jobs.

To those who are affected
I know there are real people behind these decisions — talented colleagues who have poured themselves into this company and our mission. To those of you who will be leaving: thank you. You’ve helped build Coinbase into what it is today, and I am sincerely grateful for everything you've done.

All impacted team members will receive an email to their personal account in the next hour with more information, and an invitation to meet with an HRBP and a senior leader in your organization. Coinbase system access has been removed today. I know this feels sudden and harsh, but it is the only responsible choice given our duty to protect customer information.

To those affected, we will be providing a comprehensive package to support you through this transition. US employees will receive a minimum of 16 weeks base pay (plus 2 weeks per year worked), their next equity vest, and 6 months of COBRA. Employees on a work visa will get extra transition support. Those outside of the US will receive similar support, based on local factors and subject to any consultation requirements.

Coinbase prides itself on talent density. Our employees are among the most talented people in the world, and I have no doubt that your skills and experience will be highly sought after as you pursue your next chapters.

How we move forward
To the team that is staying, I know this is a difficult day. We’re saying goodbye to colleagues and friends you've been in the trenches with. But here’s what I want you to know as we move forward together:

Over the past 13 years, we have weathered four crypto winters, gone public, and built the most trusted platform in our industry. We’ve made it this far by making hard decisions and by always staying focused on our mission. This time will be no different – nothing has changed about the long term outlook of our company or industry. And most importantly, our mission has never been more important for the world. Increasing economic freedom requires a new financial system, and we’re building it.

The Coinbase that emerges from this will be more capable than ever to achieve our mission.

Brian

[Otto Uys @otto_uys]

@MbalulaFikile We should tie goverment salary increases to real GDP growth. See if we then celebrate this number

[𝒵𝒾𝓀✯ @_Gottalovezik]

So basically, companies pay Youtube to show ads and we pay Youtube to not show ads

[Otto Uys @otto_uys]

@kevinlu625 Orchids

[Otto Uys @otto_uys]

@Kane_K1D @sthabiso_f_zama Did you check if the property listed is still undergoing construction? They clearly state some properties are already built, and current rentals which means you will receive your share. You most probably invested into a yet to be constructed property without realizing..

[Koshiek Karan @iamkoshiek]

Tesla lost $150bn yesterday —the worst damage to its market cap ever

still haven’t seen a single piece covering this from Daily Investor, BusinessTech or MyBroadband

tells you everything you need to know

[Charles H Savage @CharlesHSavage]

Mozambique always provides me with the opportunity for reflection and renewal.

This trips musings....

The Shade We’ll Never Sit In

“A society grows great when old men plant trees, the shade of which they know they will never sit in.”

There’s something in that line that has always stuck with me—an ache, maybe, but also a quiet kind of hope.
Because real change, the kind that echoes, doesn’t happen in fanfare.
It happens in the margins.
It happens when people build things not for applause, but for others.
For futures they’ll never touch.
For dreams that don’t wear their name.

That’s what EasyEquities is for me.
A platform, yes—but more than that, a belief.
A mission. A lifelong purpose.
It’s the idea that ownership can be for everyone.
That wealth can be democratized.
That a kid in a township can own the same shares as a CEO.

Because here’s the truth:
“In the history of the world, no one ever washed a rented car.”
Ownership changes how people care.
It changes how they dream.
It changes how they show up—for themselves, their families, and their futures.
It makes them custodians, not just consumers.

And maybe—just maybe—that belief will keep growing, long after I’m gone.
That’s my only regret.
That I won’t be here a hundred years from now to see the real impact.
To watch a generation thrive in the shade of what we planted.

But maybe that’s the point.

Maybe the work that matters most isn’t meant to be witnessed.
Just done.
By good people.
For other people.
That’s it.
The end.

My dream is that one day, perhaps 100 years from now, somebody asks:
“How is it that South Africans became so wealthy?”
And the answer goes something like this:
“Because EasyEquities made it their mission and purpose to make it so a very long time ago...”

@EasyEquities

[Otto Uys @otto_uys]

@KobeissiLetter The dip keeps dipping 🥴

[Watcher.Guru @WatcherGuru]

JUST IN: 🇨🇳🇺🇸 China warns if "war is what the US wants, be it a tariff war, a trade war or any other type of war, we're ready to fight till the end."

[Otto Uys @otto_uys]

Life hacks
1. Learn a valuable skill, create value and it will flow back
2. Live below your means, save/invest as much as possible
3. Live a frugal life in the short term, to live a nice life long term
4. Grow your network, and build together with other likeminded

[Otto Uys @otto_uys]

South Africa needs a @DOGE

[Otto Uys @otto_uys]

Looking at the Trump/Zelensky/JD clip, it seemed to me that Trump/JD wanted to use Ukraine for their resources, and comfortable ignoring the terrible daily war going on. Should the goal not be to come to an immediate peace resolution without new deals?

[Koshiek Karan @iamkoshiek]

introducing Project ZAR (Zero-waste Admin & Restructuring) 🥷🥷

many of you have excellent solutions to eliminate waste & improve financial performance in South Africa 💰

please list your solutions here 👇
https://t.co/r6AG9VMwYu

we will consolidate & share with Parliament 💼

[David (TalkingCents) @talkcentss]

The South African Budget Speech In a Parallel universe:

Finance ministers announces:

🟠Vat cut to 7%
🟠Corporate taxes slashed to a flat 15%
🟠Income taxes abolished for those earning less than R500k a year.
🟠Flat income tax of 18% above R500k
🟠TFSA annual limit adjusted to R48k
🟠 Interest exemption threshold lifted to R35k
🟠 Property transfer taxes eliminated

[Otto Uys @otto_uys]

@EasyEquities You should really introduce stricter quality control and testing procedures, as basic things which forms the base of the platform is breaking, and not being fixed for over two weeks. It's a bit concerning to be honest.

[Otto Uys @otto_uys]

@tunahorse21 To those who are interested, I would heavily suggest to check out ddev (https://t.co/xgQXvns8II).

Really powerful

[Otto Uys @otto_uys]

@elonmusk Damn

[Otto Uys @otto_uys]

@RiebvJanbeeck Although technically true, if you look at the ratio of % population vs % wealth, its still widely skewed to the white people of South Africa. Most wealthy people are able to preserve and grow wealth much easier, while average earners are really struggling with the cost of living.