In this week’s issue:

• Touch Grass: Dollar Dollar Bills, Y’all (wtf is a stablecoin)

• Hodl Me Tender: 🔥 Web3, Crypto + AI Jobs of the Week

Hodl Me Tender: 🔥 Web3 + AI Jobs of the Week

Looking for your next move in (or into) web3, crypto, or AI? Here are some fire openings for this week, all remote:

• Hazeflow is looking for a Research Analyst

• Mara needs a Social Media Intern for the summer

• Chainlink Labs is looking for someone to be their Community Manager

• Runware needs an AI Community Manager to join their team

• Blockovate is on the lookout for an Influencer Manager (crypto - also you should ask for more than they’re offering)

• Orca wants to find a Social Media Manager—is it you?

• OKX needs a Social Media Director

• Kraken is looking for a Senior Motion Designer

• Want to be Head of Security for the Monad Foundation? Get it.

• Polygon has an opening for a Defi BD Specialist

Want to see your company's job listed here? Reply to this email and lmk.

If you kinda want to explore blockchain without dealing with the market's mood swings, stablecoins might be your jam. Here's my journey through the beige-but-necessary landscape of stablecoin city:

wtf is a stablecoin?

Stablecoins are basically the khaki pants of crypto—utterly predictable, rarely exciting, but damn if they don't serve a purpose. They're cryptocurrencies whose value is pegged to something stable like the US dollar, gold, or grandma’s unwavering disappointment in your life choices.

While Bitcoin and Ethereum are off galavanting, stablecoins are basically sitting in the corner maintaining their chill at (roughly) $1 per token. They're designed to be boring, and in the chaotic world of crypto, boring can be beautiful.

Types of stablecoins (of course there are types)

There are three main flavors of stablecoins, and honestly, they sound like dating app personalities:

1. The Traditionalist (Fiat-Collateralized): These are backed by actual reserve assets like dollars or gold sitting in a vault somewhere. USDC and USDT (Tether) are the popular kids here. They're like that person who says they're "drama-free" in their dating profile and might actually mean it.

2. The Complicated One (Crypto-Collateralized): These are backed by other cryptocurrencies and use overcollateralization to handle volatility. DAI—from MakerDAO—is the poster child here. It's like dating someone who says "it's complicated" but actually has a surprisingly stable system for managing their chaos.

note: I had to look up overcollateralization—basically it’s just putting up more stuff as collateral than the amount you're borrowing. Like when you borrow $100 from your buddy but leave your $300 watch with them as security. This makes lenders feel warm and fuzzy because if you ghost them, they can sell your stuff and still come out ahead. They're not taking a real risk because they've got something worth more than what they gave you. It's basically their insurance policy against you being flaky.

3. The Algorithm Bro (Non-Collateralized or Algostables): These use algorithms and smart contracts to maintain their peg by automatically adjusting supply. If this sounds sketchy, that's because it kinda is. Remember Terra/Luna? That algorithmic stablecoin experiment didn't quite stick the landing. Proceed with extreme caution.

omg there’s so much to learn. 😅

Why bother with stablecoins?

Because crypto is a rollercoaster, and sometimes you want to get off without actually cashing out to fiat. From what I’ve learned, stablecoins let you:

• Park your money during market volatility (which in crypto is... always)

• Transfer value across borders without dealing with traditional banks

• Access DeFi protocols without exposure to price swings

• Buy stuff without wondering if your payment will be worth 2x or 0.5x tomorrow

My first date with stablecoins

1. Choosing which one (decision paralysis central)

   I decided to go with USDC because it's regulated, transparent about its reserves, and hasn't had any major scandals (looking at you, Tether). Plus, it's widely accepted across platforms, which means I don't have to deal with obscure exchanges that might steal my identity.

2. Getting some coins (surprisingly straightforward)

   I went to Circle's website (the company behind USDC) expecting some complex process, but was instead redirected to various exchanges. I already had a Coinbase account, so I went there.

The process was annoyingly normal:

• Deposit USD (unless you already have your bank account connected)

• Click "Buy USDC"

• Wait maybe 3 seconds

• That’s it

• But wait! That’s actually not it. Simply by holding USDC, you earn 4.10% APY, which is way more than what you get out of a regular old bank account. Sick.

No elaborate wallets. No seed phrases to memorize. No sacrificial rituals. Just... normal financial stuff. I was almost disappointed.

3. Using them (the whole point, apparently)

   This is where stablecoins actually shine. I didn’t today, but hypothetically I could take my fresh USDC tokens and:

• Send some to a friend who helped me with a project (cross-border payment in seconds with basically no fees)

• Add some to a DeFi lending platform to earn more APY (um, revolutionary)

• Hold some as a crypto "emergency fund" for when Bitcoin inevitably does its thing

The whole experience was actually just like using digital dollars, only without the banks getting up in my personal business or slowing things to a “your transfer will land in 9 business days” crawl.

Note: the more I learn about and use DeFi, the slower, more outdated CeFi (centralized finance and traditional banking) feels every time I have to use it. Like seriously, I have to wait that long to receive money in my account for work I did last month? 🙅‍♀️

The receipts don’t lie

Stablecoins just dropped the ultimate flex—moving $27.6 trillion last year according to CEX.io, casually outperforming Visa and Mastercard combined. That's not just big, that's make the financial establishment sweat big.

What's even wilder? Most of this isn't coming from people like me sending $50 to friends. Roughly 70% of this volume comes from tireless trading bots and DeFi protocols working overtime. Now Mastercard wants in on the action, building on-ramps for everyday stablecoin payments. Nothing says validation like having your competition slide into your DMs.

Stablecoin pro-tips for beginners (it me)

• Stick with the major players (USDC, USDT if you must) until you know what you're doing

• Always verify the contract address when transferring (sending to the wrong address = byeee, money)

• Keep an eye on regulatory news (governments are eyeing stablecoins like hawks)

• Don't chase high yields with sketchy stablecoins (if it sounds too good to be true...)

PS: Subscribe now if you want in on this arithmetic. Miss the last issue? It’s right here. Also literally none of this is financial advice. I’m sharing what I learn through Babe, and perhaps you’re learning from what I’m learning too. Hopefully, maybe, who knows, ily.