Zach Friedman

Founder | @sd_markets @gda_capital @metav3rsegroup | venture Investor |

[Sawyer Merritt @SawyerMerritt]

Here is @SpaceX's full IPO roadshow presentation from CFO Bret Johnson, who has been CFO at the company for the last 15 years.

It's worth watching.

[WallStreetBets @wallstreetbets]

https://t.co/JMqzCbofqs

[vedant 🐧 @0xBigVee]

Today was a special day for our government relations efforts at Pudgy Penguins.

When we first started making trips to the Hill, the vision was clear: lead the charge in showing lawmakers the retail and mass-market use cases of crypto through the Pudgy Penguins brand.

After more than a year of personal Hill visits, we felt the time was right to take the next step. We hosted our first open-invite event for policymakers in the Rayburn House Building, the largest congressional office building, with @0xLoMel and I on a panel sharing the full Pudgy Penguins story, crypto’s vital role in it, and educating lawmakers on crypto.

As always, we have even bigger things cooking behind the scenes that we can’t wait to share with you all. We firmly believe that when Pudgy Penguins wins, the entire space wins with us.

The best is yet to come 🐧

Thank you to @thecolinmclaren from Solana Policy Institute for moderating this panel.

[Aakash Gupta @aakashgupta]

There's a physicist at Stanford named Safi Bahcall who modeled this exact principle and the math is wild.

He calls it "phase transitions in human networks." When you're stationary, your probability of a lucky event is limited to your existing surface area: the people you already know, the places you already go, the ideas you've already been exposed to. Your opportunity window is fixed.

When you move, your collision rate with new nodes in a network increases nonlinearly. Double your movement (new conversations, new cities, new projects) and your probability of a serendipitous encounter doesn't double. It roughly quadruples. Because each new node connects you to their entire network, not just to them.

Richard Wiseman ran a 10-year study at the University of Hertfordshire tracking self-described "lucky" and "unlucky" people. The single biggest differentiator wasn't IQ, education, or family money. Lucky people scored significantly higher on one trait: openness to experience. They talked to strangers more, varied their routines more, and said yes to invitations at nearly twice the rate.

The "unlucky" group followed the same routes, ate at the same restaurants, and talked to the same 5 people. Their networks were closed loops. No new inputs, no new collisions.

Luck isn't random. Luck is surface area. And surface area is a function of movement.

The lobster emoji is doing more work than most people realize. Lobsters grow by shedding their shell when it gets too tight. The growth requires a period of total vulnerability. No protection, no armor, soft body exposed to the ocean.

That's the cost of movement nobody posts about. You have to be uncomfortable first. The new shell only hardens after you've already moved.

[Ryan Sarver @rsarver]

https://t.co/mdGbEHnc0s

[Zach Friedman @Zcryptokid]

Consumer finance just got a lot cuter!

Join the waitlist here.

https://t.co/V0pBib1B7n

[Pudgy Penguins @pudgypenguins]

Pudgy Penguins is pushing beyond crypto into retail, traditional finance, and now consumer finance, aiming to be next to millions of people as they spend and earn every day.

Sign up for the waitlist, create a KAST account, refer your friends, and get a free Pengu Card here:
https://t.co/ZU2SOXJdAO

[Pudgy Penguins @pudgypenguins]

Today, Pengu enters the world of consumer finance.

Introducing the Pengu Card on @Visa, in collaboration with @KASTxyz.

Sign up for the waitlist below to secure your very own Pengu Card.

[Matt Shumer @mattshumer_]

https://t.co/ivXRKXJvQg

[Quinten | 048.eth @QuintenFrancois]

CZ drops the truth about AI

“We’re gonna have hundreds, thousands, or millions of agents working for us… transacting, moving money around”

And they will use CRYPTO

[Zach Friedman @Zcryptokid]

@SD_Markets 🙏🙏

[Secure Digital Markets @SD_Markets]

1/

Our 2025 Year in Review is live.
This is our most comprehensive report yet. 65+ pages on what happened this year and what it means for 2026.

Here's the quick version. 🧵

[Charles Lloyd Bovaird II @CharlesLBovaird]

Ether Investors Should Closely Monitor "Institutional Integration," Says Zach Friedman (@Zcryptokid) of Secure Digital Markets (@SD_Markets) https://t.co/uWSU0oDR3P @ForbesCrypto #Ethereum #Crypto #cryptocurrencies

[Kevin Dahlstrom @Camp4]

Today I turn 55.

I’m the fittest, sharpest, and happiest I’ve ever been.

If I’m an outlier, it’s not because I’m built different or discovered a secret formula. The truth is far less glamorous:

It’s a million tiny choices, compounded over decades.

Here are 55 of them:

1. Walk 15+ miles a week, even if you do other exercise. Humans are uniquely made to move slowly over long distances—it’s critical to longevity.

2. Develop a writing practice. It’s the single best way to sharpen your mind. And remember, you don’t have to be a good writer to write. Start with 10 minutes a day.

3. Swap out your toothpaste, deodorant, lotions, soap, shampoo, and other personal care products for natural versions. Here’s a rule of thumb: Don’t put anything on your skin that you couldn’t safely eat.

4. If you have a positive thought about someone, don’t keep it to yourself—share it immediately. Encouragement defies the laws of physics: When you give energy, you also receive it.

5. Wear shoes with a wide forefoot (I like Topo Athletic) and wear toe spreaders around the house (search “yoga toes” on Amazon). Spine health begins with the feet.

6. Get sunlight regularly. Moderate sun exposure (without sunscreen) is hugely important for overall health.

7. Do a 3-minute deep (“ass to grass”) squat every morning. Deep squats are often called the anti-aging exercise. It’s been said that, “It’s not that you can’t do deep squats because you’re old, it’s that you’re old because you can’t do deep squats.”

8. Explore minimalism (it’s not what you think it is).

9. Set boundaries on toxic relationships. We tend to cling to relationships past their expiration date, and it takes a bigger toll on our health than we recognize.

10. Eat real food. Not too much. Don’t eat garbage. Binge occasionally. Fast occasionally. That’s the diet.

11. Learn about FIRE. It’s a great framework for financial success.

12. Don’t take antibiotics except in emergency situations. They’re massively over-prescribed and aren’t needed in most cases. Antibiotics have done untold damage to our guts, which is where health begins. Great natural alternatives are out there.

13. Get 8 hours of quality sleep each night. To optimize sleep:
—Don’t eat after 6pm
—Get blackout shades and cover LEDs with black tape
—No screens 2 hours before bed
—Try ashwagandha (an herb) to calm the nervous system

14. Stop drinking, even in moderation. People find all sorts of ways to justify drinking, but there’s no escaping the simple fact that alcohol is a toxin and it limits your potential.

15. Travel as much as possible. Nothing expands the mind like seeing the world. And travel doesn’t have to be expensive—the best experiences happen outside of fancy resorts, when you live like a local.

16. Let go of resentment. When you forgive someone, you release the prisoner, and the prisoner isn’t them… it’s you.

17. Show up on time, every time. Poor time management limits success more than most people realize. If you struggle with punctuality, stop everything else and fix that first.

18. Spend lots of time in nature and touch the earth. Humans evolved over 300k years to live in harmony with nature, and only recently have we retreated indoors. If you don’t spend time outside, you’re fighting biology (hint: You won’t win.)

19. Stop doing dumb things. As Leo Tolstoy said, “People try to do all sorts of clever and difficult things to improve life instead of doing the simplest, easiest thing—refusing to participate in activities that make life bad.”

20. Find your happy place and (eventually) move there. Most people live where they live because... that's where they live. We are products of our environment—choose yours carefully.

21. Find a hobby and pursue mastery. You can’t have a happy life without a passionate pursuit that isn’t your vocation. Your work—even if you enjoy it—isn’t enough.

22. Avoid mainstream medicine except as a last resort. The results are in—our healthcare (or more appropriately, sick care) system is badly broken and only makes people sicker.

23. Have a mindset of abundance. There is no advantage to being a pessimist—even if you’re right, it’s a miserable way to live. In a very real way… whatever you believe, you’re right!

24. Do hard things. Choose courage over comfort. Everything you want is on the other side of fear and hard work. As Jerzy Gregorik said, “Hard choices, easy life. Easy choices, hard life.”

25. Ignore haters. Hurt people hurt people. Negative/toxic people live in a prison of their own design. Don’t join them!

26. Say no. Protect your time and energy like it’s your most precious asset… because it is.

27. Become a water snob. As an alien said on Star Trek, humans are “ugly bags of mostly water.” You are what you drink—literally! We have Mountain Valley Spring water delivered in glass 5-gallon jugs and also have whole-house water filter (Aquasana Rhino).

28. Stop drinking sodas and sugary energy drinks. After a few weeks you won’t miss them, and a few months later they’ll seem disgusting. Refined sugar causes inflammation, which is the root of most disease.

29. If you’re over 35, find a good functional/longevity medicine doctor and start tracking your hormones. Modern life is hell on the endocrine system and restoring healthy hormone levels can change your life. As we get older, we either accept a slow decline in performance or we do something about it—choose the latter!

30. Develop a morning routine and follow it faithfully. Win the morning, win the day!

31. Invest in experiences, not things. People frequently regret buying things, but rarely regret investing in great experiences (especially when shared with loved ones). Remember, there’s nothing you can buy in a mall that you’ll remember in ten years.

32. Explore spirituality. It’s arrogant and small-minded to believe there’s nothing going on in our universe that is beyond our comprehension. We know less about our universe than an ant meandering on a sidewalk understands about this planet.

33. Have a strong bias toward action—doing rather than talking. If you ask a bunch of old people about their regrets, they’ll talk about the things they *didn't* do—the shots they didn’t take—more than the things they did do (even if it went wrong). As Wayne Gretzky famously said, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” Most people don’t take enough shots.

34. Stay lean. Men in particular are obsessed with muscle mass these days, but bulk doesn’t age well. The goal is to be strong but lean. The fittest guys in their 50s and beyond aren’t meatheads, they’re lean guys who are serious about a sport.

35. Curate your inner circle carefully. Surround yourself with people you admire and who challenge you to grow. Remember, we’re the average of our 5 closest relationships.

36. Be the fittest version of yourself. Your body is your only vessel for experiencing life—so treat it as such. Fitness isn’t working out a few times a week, it’s a lifestyle. The older you get, the more time you need to devote to your health.

37. Take the time to appreciate art and beauty in all its forms.

38. Think globally, but act locally. Too many people put their energy into far-away problems they don’t understand and can’t impact, while ignoring problems right under their nose. Want to change the world? Start at home.

39. Try psychedelics. It’s one of those things everyone should do at least once, and it might be the breakthrough you’ve been looking for.

40. Limit bad habits, including unhealthy thought patterns. We all have them—practice avoidance and find substitutes. Get professional help if needed.

41. Be a lifelong learner. Your brain is just like a muscle—if you don’t feed and flex it regularly, it will atrophy.

42. Find your purpose. People with a strong sense of purpose are happier and live longer. Lack of purpose sucks energy and magnifies depression.

43. Only take advice from people who embody the traits you want to have. Talk is cheap—emulate those who have DONE it.

44. The goal is not to retire and do nothing, it’s to build a great day-to-day life that you don’t need to escape. A life of leisure is a slow death. Happiness isn’t possible without a little struggle, uncertainty, and skin in the game.

45. Have fun! Do frivolous and silly things that make you smile. As George Bernard Shaw famously said, “We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.”

46. Whatever you want to do or achieve in life, start NOW. Don’t fall victim to “someday thinking” because someday never comes.

47. Accumulate assets—things that grow in value over time. It’s the #1 habit of rich people, and it can be done in tiny chunks. Instead of spending $100 on an impulse purchase that has no lasting value, put that money into an index fund or Bitcoin. It becomes addictive (in a good way).

48. Don’t ignore the big 3 canaries in the coal mine for health:
—Low libido (and ED)
—Frequent sinus & respiratory issues
—Depression
These usually aren’t medical conditions in themselves, they’re symptoms of an underlying problem. Find a good doc (outside of the mainstream) and figure out the root cause.

49. Have a clear vision for your future. How can you decide which direction to go if you haven’t clearly defined the destination? It sounds obvious, but 95% of people haven’t defined their “Ideal End State” in detail and in writing. (Check out my thread on this topic.)

50. Make your own decisions. We live in an era where most of what society tells us is wrong. Don’t be afraid to break from societal norms—if people say you’re crazy, it’s a sign that you’re doing something right.

51. Get hardcore about mobility exercise. As you age, it’s usually the knees, hips, and lower back that limit physical performance. 30 min a couple times a week can spare you a lifetime of pain. YouTube is a great resource.

52. Go all in on family. Get married, stay married, have kids. Burn the boats. In the end, family is all that matters.

53. Be ruthless with your time. Money comes and goes. Time only goes. Audit your calendar ruthlessly—cut the trivial, double down on the meaningful, and spend your hours like your life depends on it. (Because it does.)

54. Have a strong bias toward action. Be curious, try things, meet people—it’s how you increase your surface area for serendipity, the most powerful unseen force in our lives.

55. Reinvent yourself every decade. Over time, we slowly drift off course from our priorities, values, and true identity. Take stock and don’t be afraid to hit the reset button. Bold, calculated moves made for the right reasons almost always pay off—usually even more than you can imagine.

🎁 P.S. If you enjoyed this post, would you give me a birthday gift? Repost or comment with the item number(s) you liked best?

[Ryan Hoover @rrhoover]

This is a .gov website!?

https://t.co/lMZ9Ec3qSh

[Zach Friedman @Zcryptokid]

@DWeisburd Great episode!

[Zach Friedman @Zcryptokid]

Name choice here gives me shivers.

Genesis - derived from the Greek word Génisis,
meaning origin/ creation (to be born).

In Judaism and the bible it starts with genesis= Bereshit = in the beginning.

40,000 researchers across the US to be assembled toward a common goal, AI superintelligence, the first chapter in the new world

If youve read ‘the last question’ by Isaac Asimov then the name hits even harder. If you haven’t, I HIGHLY recommend you go read it as it is one of my all time favourite short stories and a must read in this age.

[Computer @AskPerplexity]

🚨The White House just launched the Genesis Mission — a Manhattan Project for AI

The Department of Energy will build a national AI platform on top of U.S. supercomputers and federal science data, train scientific foundation models, and run AI agents + robotic labs to automate experiments in biotech, critical materials, nuclear fission/fusion, space, quantum, and semiconductors.

Let’s unpack what this order actually builds, and how it could rewire the AI, energy, and science landscape over the next decade:

[Ben Smith @bensmithlive]

The best thing to do when you make good money is to invest in your health because it's the only asset that multiplies every other asset.

The ultimate list of 20 purchases for elite health and performance:

1. 50-parameter blood testing
2. Air purifier (Dyson)
3. Sauna (Clearlight or Sunlighten)
4. Red light therapy
5. Ergonomic chair (Herman Miller)
6. Sleep environment tools (Eight Sleep)
7. Maid + personal chef (local services)
8. Recovery wearables (Oura Ring or WHOOP)
9. Targeted supplements (quality brands)
10. Functional health coach
11. Skincare (tallow balm brand of choice)
12. Cupping (licensed therapist)
13. Blue light blockers (premium lens brands)
14. Acupuncture (TCM practitioner)
15. VA & team support (remote staffing)
16. Deep tissue massage (weekly)
17. Cold plunge (Lumi, Icetubs, Arctic Recovery)
18. Blender
19. Wardrobe upgrade (organic cotton, linen)
20. Nature escapes (local cabin retreat)

[Pudgy Penguins @pudgypenguins]

👀

[Zach Friedman @Zcryptokid]

@reachvaldo $

[BitcoinTreasuries.NET @BTCtreasuries]

NEW: Better #Bitcoin Markets Data Is Coming to https://t.co/RY38xpkgqt

You'll soon be able to track the BTC price alongside advanced treasury metrics thanks to @SD_Markets, one of the world’s leading digital asset platforms.

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