Shiba Inu breaches the walls of disbelief. The cryptocurrency world watches, stunned, as the once-mocked meme coin defies every prediction.
Against all odds, Shiba Inu, once a ridiculed meme coin, defies expectations by constructing the world’s most comprehensive Operating System.
Now, Shytoshi Kusama, the driving force behind this improbable rise, reveals the inside story of this monumental ascent.
The conversation with Kusama unfolded not in a sterile studio, but in the borderless expanse of the digital realm. His words, transmitted across continents, carried the weight of a movement on the cusp of transformation.
He began at the beginning, tracing Shiba Inu’s genesis back to a bold declaration. “So you know at the moment where Shib declared itself to be a network state,” Kusama explained, his voice imbued with the quiet confidence of someone who had seen a vision materialize against considerable doubt. “From that point we started developing the technologies necessary for our network state to run.”
He spoke not of fleeting market trends, but of foundational construction. “So our focus was to build something that would allow and have all of the components for our network state to run in in a digital form,” he elaborated. The vocabulary shifted from crypto jargon to the language of nation-building: tools, infrastructure, function.
He enumerated the essential components — DAOs, self-sovereign identity, privacy solutions. “So, obviously, you’re going to need DAOs, you’re going to need identity, self sovereign identity and you’re going to need things like quantum proof privacy or data protection,” Kusama detailed, outlining the technological bedrock.
“And the more we develop multiple technologies, the more we realize that this is not just something for us. It is an operating system for any government, city, business or person to move from Web 2 to Web 3,” he said.
The unspoken question lingered in the digital air: how did a project rooted in decentralization look to the future of the O/S? Kusama addressed this directly, dispelling any hint of ideological rigidity.
“You know, the goal of decentralization is to empower people, empower the people,” he stated, his tone pragmatic and grounded. “And if we can use decentralized technologies to empower centralized systems. That’s a smart thing for us to do.”
He rooted his philosophy on real-world considerations, acknowledging the competitive landscape. “One more thing I’ll add here is you have to know that if we don’t, someone else will, period, right? You can already see.”
He presented a strategic rationale, not a philosophical debate: “And so when you have a powerful technology operating system like we do, it’s wise for you to work with all entities, centralized or decentralized. And so we will continue one of these centralized paths of Shiv. But our system is for everyone, centralized or not.”
The message was clear: Shiba Inu’s vision was expansive, adaptable, and decidedly pragmatic in its pursuit of real-world impact.
The conversation then shifted to the Shiba Inu community itself — the self-proclaimed “Shib Army.” Their fervor is legendary in the crypto world; a decentralized force as potent as any technology.
Kusama acknowledged their vital role. “You know, the Shib Army is my heart and my soul,” he declared, his voice taking on a warmer tone, almost familial. “And I’ve dedicated my life over the last four years to it and a lot of money to making sure that we can complete the operating system and make sure that it can be utilized in a variety of manners.”
He framed their contribution not in technical terms, but in terms of visibility and amplification. “I think that the Army has played a role by ensuring that we are visible,” Kusama stated, emphasizing the power of collective attention in the digital age.
“And that is what I would like for them to continue to do to make a lot of noise on social media so that everyone can see what we have built to ensure that everyone in the world knows that SHIB is much more than a meme but a technological powerhouse.”
He envisioned the Shib Army not just as cheerleaders, but as crucial partners in disseminating the message of Shiba Inu’s evolution.
“And if we can just continue that, I can continue in my role as lead ambassador to find more enterprising and intelligent partners to make sure that “powered by Shib” is seen everywhere,” he concluded.
Looking beyond the immediate impact of the UAE collaboration, the question of legacy arose. What did Kusama hope this partnership would signify in the long arc of Web3 history?
He initially deflected the personal focus. “Oh, what a question,” he chuckled softly, before turning serious. “You know, I really don’t want this to be about me. You know, I’m a human, and what we’re building is bigger than one person.”
He drew an analogy to a tech behemoth. “It’s like when you look at Apple and you see Steve Jobs, Apple doesn’t exist without Steve Jobs. We all understand that. But Apple exists without Steve Jobs. Now it continues on. It still continues to build incredible products and build the Mac as it’s known.”
The comparison underscored his desire for Shiba Inu to transcend individual leadership, to become a self-sustaining force. “And so I hope that Shib is seen in the same light and that the community does not depend on me because if I go, I pass or whatever the case may be, this thing has to continue and keep building and keep moving.”
Yet, legacy wasn’t entirely absent from his thoughts. He envisioned a broader historical narrative.
“And I want the world to know, and future generations to know that this is one of those pivotal and historical moments where the world began to recognize the power of the people if they are able to work together, if they’re able to think outside the box, and at the same time build incredible technology.” He emphasized the community-driven nature of Shiba Inu’s ascent.
“The really amazing thing about this entire thing is that we’ve done it with very limited resources. We don’t have a $100 million budget or a $500 million budget. We did this on a shoestring budget of our own, and that’s the power of the community that you don’t need a zillion VCs or money from the big boys who then control things and sometimes put you in a box where you can’t innovate.”
He concluded with a note of defiant pride, “You can be innovative and you can build incredible technologies just by working together and that’s what we’ve done and that’s one of the things I’m most proud of, most difficult.”
“As the interview neared its close, Kusama offered a succinct and emphatic summation: “This is the most comprehensive operating system in the world, not just some jumble of code, and it’s built for all of you.”
Kusama returned to the underdog narrative that has always defined Shiba Inu’s journey. “And I hope that resonates to the world that Shib was the choice of the number one jurisdiction at a time when no one thought it was possible. No one saw it coming. No one thought that we could do it. And we’ve been fighting this wave of ‘you can’t do it,’ we’ve been the underdog, right? We’ve been the underdog from the beginning and now everyone will see. That we’re actually the top dog.”
He playfully corrected his own metaphor, “and you know, we’re not dogs, we have a wonderful brand. But this is much bigger than a dog at this point. This is about changing the world and we’re excited about having Shiba Inu represent this idea and it does it very well because the dog breed itself is, you know, kind of against the norm and a little bit different and very epic.”
He circled back to the Shiba Inu breed itself, drawing a parallel between the cryptocurrency and its namesake. “And you know, one of the last remaining bloodlines of dogs in Japan. And if you ever go to Japan, you’ll see that it’s everywhere. And that’s exactly inspiring me to make sure that SHIB does that exact same thing. It’s everywhere.”
With that expansive vision declared, the interview concluded, leaving the interviewer with a sense of a project far larger than its meme coin origins, now venturing onto the world stage.
