228: The Future of Decentralized Infra—Michael O’Rourke on Pocket Network & Grove

Web3 with Sam Kamani

In this episode of Web3 with Sam Kamani, I sit down with Michael O’Rourke from Pocket Network & Grove to discuss the future of decentralized infrastructure in Web3.

Key topics we cover:

🔹 What is Pocket Network & why does Web3 need decentralized infra?

🔹 How AI, blockchain & data infrastructure are merging

🔹 The role of Grove in scaling decentralized infra

🔹 Why the internet is shrinking & how Web3 can counteract it

🔹 Pocket Network’s 2024 roadmap—Shannon upgrade & permissionless demand

If you care about Web3 infra, AI, or decentralized data, this episode is a must-listen!

Key Timestamps

[00:00:00] Introduction: Sam introduces Michael O’Rourke from Pocket Network & Grove, discussing Web3 infra & decentralization.

[00:01:00] Michael’s Journey into Crypto & Web3

• Started in Bitcoin (2013) & got hooked by the decentralization vision

• How growing up in the Dominican Republic shaped his perspective on financial systems

• Why video games & digital assets made crypto an obvious next step

[00:04:00] What Problem Does Pocket Network Solve?

• Decentralized RPC & API access for Web3 apps

• Why Web3 infra should NOT be centralized

• The hidden reliance of most dApps on centralized services

[00:07:00] Grove vs. Pocket Network—What’s the Difference?

• Pocket Network = Decentralized infra protocol

• Grove = One of the key gateways running on Pocket Network

• Why they rebranded to avoid confusion

[00:09:00] Why Web3 Projects Register Foundations & What It Means

• Foundations help separate development from governance

• Why Pocket Network uses a direct democracy (1 person, 1 vote, not token-weighted)

• How Cayman Islands laws allow DAOs to control foundations

[00:12:00] What’s Coming Next—Pocket Network’s 2024 Roadmap

• Shannon Upgrade—Launching in Q2

• Enabling true permissionless demand for decentralized data

• Why open data sources are critical for Web3 & AI

[00:14:00] Why the Internet Is Shrinking & How Web3 Can Fix It

• Countries are creating “walled gardens” for the internet

• US, EU, and China are siloing online services

• Web3 infra can keep data open & accessible

[00:18:00] The Future of AI & Web3 Infra

• Why AI models need decentralized infra to scale

• Pocket Network now supports open-source LLMs

• The battle between open-source vs. closed AI models (DeepSeek, OpenAI, Mistral, etc.)

[00:23:00] The Biggest Challenge in Scaling Web3 Infra

• Moving beyond blockchain RPCs to support AI, storage, social, etc.

• Why AI data needs decentralized infra just as much as blockchains

• How Pocket Network is accelerating adoption

[00:26:00] Michael’s Bold Take—Web3 Still Needs More Infra

• Why infra innovation hasn’t caught up with blockchain growth

• Why ephemeral cloud services & decentralized compute will be the next big thing

[00:27:00] Final Thoughts—Michael’s Advice for Web3 Founders

• Ignore the hype cycles & just keep building

• Focus on solving real problems, not just narratives

Connect

https://pocket.network/

https://linktr.ee/pocketnetwork

https://x.com/POKTnetwork

https://www.linkedin.com/company/build-with-grove/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/morourke89/

https://x.com/buildwithgrove

https://x.com/o_rourke
Disclaimer

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