‘Memes are the gateway to crypto and blockchain’: SHIB developer Kusama ‘Memes are the gateway to crypto and blockchain’: SHIB developer Kusama
Kusama and Dhairya are planning to hand over the reins of the project to the community by the end of the year.
3 min read
Updated: Jul. 13, 2024 at 7:32 pm UTC
Cover art/illustration via CryptoSlate. Image includes combined content which may include AI-generated content.
The pseudonymous lead developers of memecoin Shiba Inu (SHIB), Shytoshi Kusama and Kaal Dhairya, gave their first-ever interview to the Arabian Business. In the interview published on Friday, Kusama and Dhairya disclosed previously unknown facts about their past lives.
For instance, Kusama, who speaks six languages, used to be an Uber driver in Los Angeles, apart from having “done a lot of things,” including “working in music, photography, and as a barista.” On the other hand, Dhairya, who is regarded as a tech genius, used to be a part-time food delivery courier in New York.
The beginning of Kusama and Dhairya’s working relationship
Kusama’s entry into the world of technology began after an encounter with a rich individual while he was an Uber driver. He explained:
“…one day this super rich guy got in the back. I said: ‘What do you do?’ He said: ‘If you want what I have, get into tech. So I did.”
He began by trading crypto as a hobby through two cycles over seven years. He invested $4,000 and gained a “decent win with a token.” Afterward, he joined the Shiba Inu chatroom, which had only 6,000 members at the time, and invested $3,000 in the meme token.
During the same time, he came across the first blog by SHIB’s pseudonymous creator Ryoshi, which talked about decentralization. After meeting Ryoshi in a chatroom, Kusama proceeded to pitch Ryoshi an idea that was immediately approved.
However, Kusama realized he needed support, which he found in Dhairya, having also met him through the chatroom. He asked Dhairya to quit his job and offered him a year’s salary. Kusama said:
“He [Dhairya] trusted me that this could be big, and in crypto, you need at least one person you can trust, otherwise everyone around you is like sand or wind. They switch all the time to someone they think will make them more money.”
And Kusama trusted Dhairya to get the job done.
Recounting his side of the story, Dhairya said:
“I had a very good understanding of the [SHIB] vision because I was looking into different companies and how companies like Airbnb were growing. When he showed me the vision, I thought yes, I get it…I didn’t hesitate to join him.”
Goal: World’s first trillion-dollar decentralized entity
Ryoshi created SHIB in August 2020 with a specific plan to create five tokens and multiple pieces of technology. This includes SHIB, BONE, LEASH, TREAT (yet to be launched), and a stablecoin called SHI along with multiple technologies such as Shiba Swap. Calling Ryoshi the “Dogecoin killer,” Kusama explained that:
“His [Ryoshi’s] goal was if someone could actually build all these things, then we could overtake Doge.”
Going forward, the developer duo has an ambitious plan for the meme coin. Kusama said that the goal is to be the “world’s first trillion-dollar decentralized entity,” adding:
“Right now less than 5 percent of the world is on crypto – not only do we see it exploding, but we see memes being the gateway to crypto and blockchain, and Shiba Inu being the brand that will lead the world from Web2 to Web3.”
A franchise with ethos
According to Kusama, Ryoshi created SHIB as an experiment. Ryoshi did not want people to pay for influencers or market listings. Rather, he wanted SHIB holders and developers to do the marketing themselves, “do something cool,” Kusama said.
Ryoshi believed that this kind of cooperation could easily enable them to “build the world’s biggest decentralized community,” Kusama added. And the community is still driven by the same spirit.
Dhairya said that SHIB is like a “franchise with ethos.” He explained:
“People build their own things with it, and our job is to give them the ability to amplify their message. And to make sure we take some of that market share and bring it back to the foundation, to the community.”
He went on to add that to be part of the SHIB movement, people have to pass through a checklist to ensure they are part of the same ethos. He further expounded that:
“If tomorrow you want to do Shiba Coffee and you satisfy our checklist, and you are part of the framework we are creating, and you can take market share from Starbucks and push it back to the community, then the whole community is behind you.”
SHIB to see a change of leadership by year-end
Despite SHIB currently being the 13th largest crypto, Kusama and Dhairya have no plans of renouncing their anonymity. Moreover, Kusama and Dhairya are planning to hand over the reins of the project to the community by the end of this year. Kusama said:
“…right now we are leads, by the end of [the] year there will be committees of people who will lead certain things.”
Therefore, the anonymous developers do not see a point in disclosing their identities. Besides, they prefer their anonymity, which they find invaluable. Kusama said:
“The fact that we can sit here in this coffee shop, no security outside, nobody recognizes me, that’s actually worth more than any amount of money.”
Author 
Monika Ghosh
In 2020, Monika immersed herself in crypto, maintaining skepticism yet firmly believing blockchain could address key issues like financial disparity and transparency. A book-lover, she's also a passionate food enthusiast.
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Shiba Inu (SHIB) is a decentralized meme token that aims to be the Ethereum-based counterpart to Dogecoin’s Srypt-based mining algorithm. According to SHIBA INU, the reasoning behind the creation of SHIBA is that Shibas constantly forget where they bury their treasure.