Latest news with #Move
Business Insider
20 hours ago
- Business
- Business Insider
Meet Christian Thompson, the security expert betting big on Africa's Web3 builders
As blockchain adoption accelerates globally, new networks are under pressure to deliver on old promises: security, scalability, user experience, and meaningful real-world utility. In emerging markets like Africa, these demands are even more acute, where innovators and investors alike are looking for technology that can drive inclusion, power local economies, and connect them to the global digital ecosystem. Sui, a next-generation Layer 1 blockchain, is one of the networks aiming to fill that gap. Launched to enable what it calls mass adoption, Sui claims to make blockchain as easy to use as the web itself, while solving the security and scalability challenges that have long dogged the industry. At the center of this effort is Christian Thompson, Managing Director of the Sui Foundation. A veteran with experience spanning software entrepreneurship, law enforcement, and a high-profile stint leading blockchain security at Meta's Libra/Diem project, Thompson brings a cross-disciplinary view to what blockchain needs next. In this exclusive interview with Business Insider Africa, Thompson explains Sui's philosophy, its technical differentiators, its approach to security and user experience, and its ambitious bet on supporting developer communities across Africa. 'Throughout my career, I've always had a deep interest in how technology can be used to empower individuals while maintaining trust,' Thompson begins, reflecting on his path to Web3. 'At Meta, I led blockchain security for the Libra/Diem initiative, which opened my eyes to both the possibilities and the limitations of existing blockchain infrastructure. That experience, combined with my earlier work founding software companies and in law enforcement, shaped my belief that decentralization is a design philosophy for trust. That journey ultimately led me to the Sui Foundation, helping build infrastructure that enables real utility and mainstream adoption in a secure, scalable way.' Sui's pitch to developers and businesses is bold: to be the blockchain designed specifically for mainstream adoption. Rather than focusing narrowly on financial applications or crypto-native users, Sui's vision is to become a global coordination layer for digital assets of all kinds. 'Sui is the only blockchain built for mass adoption. It serves as the global coordination layer for intelligent assets, helping individuals and businesses securely create, own, and transact digital assets without intermediaries,' Thompson explains. 'Sui's architecture, which is based on the Move programming language, enables fast, scalable, and intuitive digital experiences. Sui is designed to deliver the performance and simplicity needed to power real-world applications, from identity to gaming and everything in between.' Competition among Layer 1 blockchains is intense, with projects racing to address known bottlenecks like high fees, slow transactions, and poor developer experience. For Thompson, Sui's differentiator is clear: its approach to security and scalability begins at the protocol level. 'Security at Sui starts at the protocol level,' he says. 'The Move language was designed to eliminate common vulnerabilities by defining digital assets as objects with clearly defined rules. This object-centric model is easier to audit and harder to exploit than traditional smart contract architectures. In addition to this unique approach, we invest heavily in formal verification and modern cryptography to enhance security.' Security alone, however, isn't enough to unlock mass adoption. Thompson points out that blockchain's notoriously bad user experience has been one of its biggest obstacles. Sui's design explicitly aims to overcome that, making blockchain interactions feel as seamless as using a modern web app. 'Accessibility is central to the Sui ecosystem,' Thompson says. 'Sui is built to make crypto feel like the Web experience most people are already used to. It is seamless, safe, and intuitive, with a variety of features created to ensure accessibility. zkLogin, for example, allows users to access blockchain apps with familiar logins like Google or Facebook, no seed phrases, and no browser extensions. Meanwhile, Sui Passkeys bring passwordless security via biometrics, and sponsored transactions mean users don't even need to hold crypto to get started.' For developers evaluating blockchain platforms, Thompson says Sui's scalability and developer experience are designed to remove many of the industry's traditional headaches. 'Sui is faster, more scalable, and more developer-friendly, thanks to the Move programming language and horizontal scalability,' he notes. 'This enables developers to build apps that scale with demand, without facing performance trade-offs. Developers can directly access and compose assets without needing smart contract intermediaries, leading to faster development, lower costs, and better user experiences.' Thompson is also no stranger to the world of regulation. Having worked closely with global regulators while at Meta, he has a sober view of the need for clear frameworks, even as the industry resists heavy-handed oversight. 'We're at an inflexion point in crypto regulation, with policymakers globally realizing that existing legacy frameworks don't fit digital assets, and a growing emphasis on purpose-built regulations,' he says. 'Sui is committed to working within these frameworks to ensure long-term success while preserving the decentralized ethos.' Beyond technology and policy, the Sui Foundation is betting on developer communities as the engine of blockchain's real-world impact. In particular, Thompson points to Sui's investments in local hubs that can support developers in emerging markets where blockchain is seen not just as a speculative asset, but as infrastructure for solving real problems. 'Developers and entrepreneurs are the backbone of blockchain adoption and we firmly believe that some of the most innovative blockchain solutions will come from local communities solving local challenges with global relevance,' he says. 'Sui provides a full stack of support to developers and builders across the world, through grant programs and technical mentorship to in-person opportunities for learning and connection. A recent example is SuiHub Lagos, a space dedicated to supporting the next generation of West African builders. It offers workshops, technical office hours, funding access, and hands-on support from international mentors. Sui launched this hub following months of community engagement in the area, including hackathons and educational outreach.' This emphasis on local empowerment shapes Sui's broader philosophy of community building. 'A thriving ecosystem begins with empowerment,' Thompson says. 'Sui works with communities around the world to offer them tools and resources to address local challenges with a global outlook. Investing in tailored, localized hubs like those in Lagos and Athens leads to real ownership and opportunities to lead. These spaces foster collaboration, mentorship, and global connectivity, linking builders to the broader Sui network. Sui's object-centric architecture and governance model are designed to support transparent, inclusive decision-making, ensuring that as the network scales, the community scales with it.' Africa, in particular, is a region where Thompson sees enormous promise for blockchain technology. 'Africa is a continent of extraordinary innovation and ambition, particularly in tech-forward regions like Nigeria,' he says. 'SuiHub Lagos is a permanent, community-led space that connects local developers to the global Sui ecosystem. This hub serves as a physical anchor for West Africa's vibrant builder community, offering hands-on engineering support, international mentorship, funding opportunities, and educational programming. We've seen firsthand how local talent is already using Sui to address critical issues, and we're committed to deepening that impact, including through a $1.3 million developer training donation from Mysten Labs co-founder and original Sui contributor, Adeniyi Abiodun. We believe that Africa will be a significant force in the future of blockchain, and SuiHub Lagos is just the beginning.' Looking ahead, Thompson is bullish about Sui's role in the next phase of the internet's future, which he believes will be powered by blockchain infrastructure that's invisible to the end user, but fundamental to how we coordinate, trade, and build online. 'Sui is building for the internet's next chapter,' he says. 'In the coming years, Sui will become the backbone of a new class of mainstream digital applications, where billions of people interact with onchain assets as naturally as they use the internet today. From decentralized identity to AI-driven systems, everything will run on a network that's fast, reliable, and invisible to the end user. To get there, we're doubling down on composability, developer experience, and global ecosystem growth. We want builders to stand on the shoulders of existing projects and extend them even further. That's why we've built tools like Move Registry and launched SuiHubs around the world to localize support, grow talent pipelines, and create a truly global developer network. We also see Sui as a core enabler of digital coordination, helping people and institutions collaborate on a massive scale without intermediaries. Whether that's tokenizing real-world assets, supporting stablecoin payments, or powering decentralized data for AI, Sui's architecture is designed to scale with demand while preserving security and trust.'
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Protesters gather at Santa Ana federal building: 'This is the healthiest thing to do'
In Santa Ana, about 120 protesters gathered outside a federal building near City Hall on Monday afternoon. Multiple raids had been conducted across Santa Ana that morning, including at Home Depots and restaurants and in industrial areas of the city. 'I feel enraged,' said Councilmember Jessie Lopez, standing with the crowd. 'If [U.S. Atty.] Bill Essayli cares about criminals, he should start at the White house.' Essayli last week sent a letter to Santa Ana, warning the sanctuary city about its proposal to pass a resolution that would require the Santa Ana Police Department to inform residents whenever they received a courtesy call from Immigration and Customs Enforcement alerting them about upcoming raids. Bethany Anderson was with a group of friends from Fullerton, where they had been receiving calls Monday. They were standing in front of a driveway that led to a small gated garage where unmarked white vans had been driving in and out all day. Read more: Bass enacts curfew for downtown L.A. to stem chaotic protests 'I knew they would bring people here' to the federal building, said Anderson, who is accredited by the Department of Justice as a legal representative. 'This is not a jail, so we have no idea about the quality of conditions inside, so that's very worrisome. Suddenly, she saw movement in the driveway and grabbed the bullhorn hanging from her shoulder. 'We see you!' Anderson shouted as protesters screamed, 'Shame!' and rushed to see what was going on. 'We see you, private security guards! You don't have to do this!' The Orange County Rapid Response Network posted addresses and photos of locations where ICE had conducted raids in Fountain Valley. The group's co-director, Casey Conway, said he was happy to see so many people show up in Santa Ana. 'But this isn't just today. This has been every day for three weeks. We're super overwhelmed right now.' The crowd held pro-immigrant and anti-Trump signs and waved Mexican flags. Someone passed around bottled waters and masks as a young woman chanted on a bullhorn, 'Move ICE, get out the way!' to artist Ludacris' song 'Move.' Federal police stood by the building's entrance, where some took photos of the crowd. When they went back inside, the crowd started chanting, '¡Quiere llorar!' — 'He wants to cry,' a common insult among Mexican soccer and rock fans. Alicia Rojas looked on from the edge of a sidewalk. The Colombian native had her amnesty application denied in the federal building as a child. 'This is all triggering,' said the 48-year-old artist. Now a U.S. citizen, Rojas grew up in Mission Viejo during the era of Prop. 187 and remembered all the racism against people like her at the time. Seeing so many young people out to protest made her 'hopeful, but I'm also worried. I've seen how the response has been to these peaceful protests. This administration has no capacity to be American.' She looked on. 'I feel rage inside, but this is the healthiest thing to do. More than anything. I'm here to look after the kids.' As the vans came in and out throughout the afternoon, activists at first blocked them but later backed down when federal agents shot pepper balls into the ground. Among those hit was Conway, who rushed to the side to have their reddened eyes washed out with water. Read more: L.A. City Council members spar with police chief over immigration protests 'I need someone to be on deescalation,' Conway gasped. The task fell to Tui Dashark. Dressed in neon green Doc Martens, an olive hat and a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles T-shirt, he led the crowd through chants including 'No firman nada' (Don't sign anything). 'Please stop throwing water bottles,' Dashark said at one point. 'They're just water bottles to us. But to them, it's assault with a deadly weapon.' The crowd calmed down. 'I'm proud of you guys for not escalating,' Dashark said. 'You're the f— real ones.' He turned to the gate driveway, where federal agents had quietly returned. 'You're so cool man,' Dashark said in a sarcastic voice as the crowd laughed. ' I wonder, what kind of person is up thinking, 'I want to lock up kids as a career?' As the day continued, the situation eventually evolved into the old children's game of Red Rover: Protesters would get too close and throw water bottles, federal agents would shoot pepper balls and eventually escalate to flash-bang grenades and tear gas. After a couple of hours, the crowd moved a couple of hundred feet to the east to Sasscer Park, named after a Santa Ana police officer killed in the 1960s by a member of the Black Panther Party. Local activists call it Black Panther Park. By 5 p.m., the protesters numbered at least 500. T-shirts emblazoned with logos of beloved Santa Ana Chicano institutions colored the scene: Suavecito. Gunthers. Funk Freaks. Santa Ana High. El Centro Cultural de México. People took turns on bullhorns to urge calm and to unite. But then another protester saw federal agents gathering at the federal building again. 'We gotta make them work overtime!' a young woman proclaimed on a bullhorn. 'They don't make enough money. let's go back!' The crowd rushed back to the federal building. Eventually, Santa Ana police officers arrived to create a line and declare an unlawful assembly. For the next four hours, the scene was akin to a party broken up occasionally by tear gas and less-than-lethal projectiles. Cars cruised on nearby streets blasting Rage against the Machine, sierreño music and the tunes of Panteón Rococó, a socialism-tinged Mexican ska group. Someone used AutoTune to shout profanities against the police, drawing giggles from the overwhelmingly Gen Z crowd. A Latina woman who gave her name only as Flor arrived with her teenage daughter. It was their first protest. Read more: ICE expands immigration raids into California's agricultural heartland 'We live in a MAGA-ass town and saw this on television,' Flor said. 'I grew up just down the street from here. No way can we let this happen here.' Nearby, Giovanni Lopez blew on a loud plastic horn. It was his first protest as well. 'I'm all for them deporting the criminals,' said the Santa Ana resident. He wore a white poncho bearing the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl. 'But that's not what they're doing. My wife is Honduran and she's not a citizen. She's scared to go to her work now even though she's legal. I told her not to be afraid.' The Santa Ana police slowly pushed the protesters out of Sasscer Park. Some, like Brayn Nestor, bore bloody welts from the rubber bullets that had hit them. 'Does someone have a cigarette?' he asked out loud in Spanish. The Mexico City native said he was there to 'support the raza, güey.' He was in obvious pain, but the trademarks arachidonic humor of his native city still bubbled through. 'It's chido [cool] that they hit me,' he proclaimed to anyone who would listen. 'Es perro, güey [it's cool, dog]. So the world knows what jerks those pigs are.' Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Protesters gather at Santa Ana federal building: ‘This is the healthiest thing to do'
In Santa Ana, about 120 protesters gathered outside a federal building near City Hall on Monday afternoon. Multiple raids had been conducted across Santa Ana that morning, including at Home Depots and restaurants and in industrial areas of the city. 'I feel enraged,' said Councilmember Jessie Lopez, standing with the crowd. 'If [U.S. Atty.] Bill Essayli cares about criminals, he should start at the White house.' Essayli last week sent a letter to Santa Ana, warning the sanctuary city about its proposal to pass a resolution that would require the Santa Ana Police Department to inform residents whenever they received a courtesy call from Immigration and Customs Enforcement alerting them about upcoming raids. Bethany Anderson was with a group of friends from Fullerton, where they had been receiving calls Monday. They were standing in front of a driveway that led to a small gated garage where unmarked white vans had been driving in and out all day. 'I knew they would bring people here' to the federal building, said Anderson, who is accredited by the Department of Justice as a legal representative. 'This is not a jail, so we have no idea about the quality of conditions inside, so that's very worrisome. Suddenly, she saw movement in the driveway and grabbed the bullhorn hanging from her shoulder. 'We see you!' Anderson shouted as protesters screamed, 'Shame!' and rushed to see what was going on. 'We see you, private security guards! You don't have to do this!' The Orange County Rapid Response Network posted addresses and photos of locations where ICE had conducted raids in Fountain Valley. The group's co-director, Casey Conway, said he was happy to see so many people show up in Santa Ana. 'But this isn't just today. This has been every day for three weeks. We're super overwhelmed right now.' The crowd held pro-immigrant and anti-Trump signs and waved Mexican flags. Someone passed around bottled waters and masks as a young woman chanted on a bullhorn, 'Move ICE, get out the way!' to artist Ludacris' song 'Move.' Federal police stood by the building's entrance, where some took photos of the crowd. When they went back inside, the crowd started chanting, '¡Quiere llorar!' — 'He wants to cry,' a common insult among Mexican soccer and rock fans. Alicia Rojas looked on from the edge of a sidewalk. The Colombian native had her amnesty application denied in the federal building as a child. 'This is all triggering,' said the 48-year-old artist. Now a U.S. citizen, Rojas grew up in Mission Viejo during the era of Prop. 187 and remembered all the racism against people like her at the time. Seeing so many young people out to protest made her 'hopeful, but I'm also worried. I've seen how the response has been to these peaceful protests. This administration has no capacity to be American.' She looked on. 'I feel rage inside, but this is the healthiest thing to do. More than anything. I'm here to look after the kids.' As the vans came in and out throughout the afternoon, activists at first blocked them but later backed down when federal agents shot pepper balls into the ground. Among those hit was Conway, who rushed to the side to have their reddened eyes washed out with water. 'I need someone to be on deescalation,' Conway gasped. The task fell to Tui Dashark. Dressed in neon green Doc Martens, an olive hat and a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles T-shirt, he led the crowd through chants including 'No firman nada' (Don't sign anything). 'Please stop throwing water bottles,' Dashark said at one point. 'They're just water bottles to us. But to them, it's assault with a deadly weapon.' The crowd calmed down. 'I'm proud of you guys for not escalating,' Dashark said. 'You're the f— real ones.' He turned to the gate driveway, where federal agents had quietly returned. 'You're so cool man,' Dashark said in a sarcastic voice as the crowd laughed. ' I wonder, what kind of person is up thinking, 'I want to lock up kids as a career?' As the day continued, the situation eventually evolved into the old children's game of Red Rover: Protesters would get too close and throw water bottles, federal agents would shoot pepper balls and eventually escalate to flash-bang grenades and tear gas. After a couple of hours, the crowd moved a couple of hundred feet to the east to Sasscer Park, named after a Santa Ana police officer killed in the 1960s by a member of the Black Panther Party. Local activists call it Black Panther Park. By 5 p.m., the protesters numbered at least 500. T-shirts emblazoned with logos of beloved Santa Ana Chicano institutions colored the scene: Suavecito. Gunthers. Funk Freaks. Santa Ana High. El Centro Cultural de México. People took turns on bullhorns to urge calm and to unite. But then another protester saw federal agents gathering at the federal building again. 'We gotta make them work overtime!' a young woman proclaimed on a bullhorn. 'They don't make enough money. let's go back!' The crowd rushed back to the federal building. Eventually, Santa Ana police officers arrived to create a line and declare an unlawful assembly. For the next four hours, the scene was akin to a party broken up occasionally by tear gas and less-than-lethal projectiles. Cars cruised on nearby streets blasting Rage against the Machine, sierreño music and the tunes of Panteón Rococó, a socialism-tinged Mexican ska group. Someone used AutoTune to shout profanities against the police, drawing giggles from the overwhelmingly Gen Z crowd. A Latina woman who gave her name only as Flor arrived with her teenage daughter. It was their first protest. 'We live in a MAGA-ass town and saw this on television,' Flor said. 'I grew up just down the street from here. No way can we let this happen here.' Nearby, Giovanni Lopez blew on a loud plastic horn. It was his first protest as well. 'I'm all for them deporting the criminals,' said the Santa Ana resident. He wore a white poncho bearing the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl. 'But that's not what they're doing. My wife is Honduran and she's not a citizen. She's scared to go to her work now even though she's legal. I told her not to be afraid.' The Santa Ana police slowly pushed the protesters out of Sasscer Park. Some, like Brayn Nestor, bore bloody welts from the rubber bullets that had hit them. 'Does someone have a cigarette?' he asked out loud in Spanish. The Mexico City native said he was there to 'support the raza, güey.' He was in obvious pain, but the trademarks arachidonic humor of his native city still bubbled through. 'It's chido [cool] that they hit me,' he proclaimed to anyone who would listen. 'Es perro, güey [it's cool, dog]. So the world knows what jerks those pigs are.'
Yomiuri Shimbun
06-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Japan's Daihatsu Launches New Move for Turnaround
The Yomiuri Shimbun Daihatsu's new Move minivehicle on Thursday, Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Japan's Daihatsu Motor Co. released on Thursday the fully revamped Move minivehicle, the company's first new model since July 2022, hoping to make a turnaround in the market. Daihatsu had suspended new vehicle releases since its testing scandal came to light in April 2023. At the launch event in Tokyo, President Masahiro Inoue apologized again for the scandal. 'We've established a foundation to tackle problems with the Toyota group as a team,' Inoue said, adding that the release of the new Move is 'the first step in our restart.' The seventh-generation Move, which has gone through the first full model change for the popular brand in 11 years, targets senior drivers. It is the first Move model equipped with sliding doors, making it easier to get in and out. Safety features are also enhanced with systems such as brake control to prevent sudden acceleration caused by pressing the wrong pedal. The price starts at ¥1,358,500 . The monthly sales target is 6,000 units.
05-06-2025
- Automotive
Japan's Daihatsu Launches New Move for Turnaround
News from Japan Economy Jun 5, 2025 19:54 (JST) Tokyo, June 5 (Jiji Press)--Japan's Daihatsu Motor Co. released on Thursday the fully revamped Move minivehicle, the company's first new model since July 2022, hoping to make a turnaround in the market. Daihatsu had suspended new vehicle releases since its testing scandal came to light in April 2023. At the launch event in Tokyo, President Masahiro Inoue apologized again for the scandal. "We've established a foundation to tackle problems with the Toyota group as a team," Inoue said, adding that the release of the new Move is "the first step in our restart." The seventh-generation Move, which has gone through the first full model change for the popular brand in 11 years, targets senior drivers. It is the first Move model equipped with sliding doors, making it easier to get in and out. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
