A look at the major players in the crypto industry and their ties to Trump
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump took office in January pledging to 'make America the crypto capital of the world.' He has since harnessed wide swaths of the federal government to bolster the industry — all while raking in huge sums of money for his family's business .
By some estimates , crypto ventures now account for nearly 40% of the Trump Organization's $2.9 billion net worth. But the Republican president's championing of the industry has been just as big a boon for many of the industry's top names.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
31 minutes ago
- Forbes
Nike's Breaking4: Faith Kipyegon And The Global Branding Moonshot
Athlete, Faith Kipyegon, running the 1500m race at the Athlos NYC track meet at Randalls Island in ... More New York, US, on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. Alexis Ohanian aims to shake up women's track with Athlos, an event combining music, racing and bigger prize money. Photographer: Bryan Banducci/Bloomberg Nike's Breaking4 isn't just a race. It's a branding moonshot that's rewriting the playbook for women's sport. On June 26th in Paris, middle-distance legend Faith Kipyegon will attempt to become the first woman in history to run a sub-four-minute mile. While the world watches the clock, Nike is staging something parallel in ambition, different in form: a global campaign that fuses performance science, emotional storytelling, and cultural reframing into a single, high-stakes brand moment. Faith Kipyegon is accomplishing what was once thought impossible. By breaking records and redefining the limits of human performance, she is not just competing; she is transforming the narrative of what women can achieve in sports. Her journey is a testament to resilience, vision, and the relentless pursuit of excellence. This isn't corporate posturing. Nike's Breaking4 and Faith Kipyegon's quest aren't just aligned—they are reflections of the same belief: that boldness, when shared, can shift culture. One brand, one athlete, betting on the impossible together. With echoes of its ground-shifting Breaking2 marathon project, Nike's Breaking4 is building not only toward a finish line - but toward a shift in perception, visibility, and belief around women's athletic potential. Here's how the Swoosh is turning one athlete's quest into a multi-platform experience designed to inspire the world. What Is a Branding Moonshot? A branding moonshot is when a company invests in an audacious, high-risk campaign designed to redefine cultural narratives, not just market share. It's less about immediate ROI and more about reshaping what a brand stands for - and what's possible in its category. In the case of Breaking4, Nike isn't simply promoting a race; it's engineering a historic first, amplifying a human story, and challenging generational assumptions about gender and athletic limits. It's not marketing for margin - it's marketing for meaning. As Gillian Oakenfull highlights in her Forbes article, 'Winning With Women's Sports: Executing The KickGlass Marketing Playbook', brands that lead with purpose and authenticity in the women's sports market are not just driving cultural change but also achieving significant brand growth. Her assertion that 'being a force for good and driving brand growth are one and the same' underscores the strategic alignment of Nike's Breaking4 campaign with a broader cultural and commercial shift. Innovation as Experience Design At the heart of this effort is a campaign built on Nike's deepest brand truth: relentless innovation. That commitment is perhaps most evident in the technology Nike has developed around Kipyegon, who currently holds the women's mile world record at 4:07.64. For her Breaking4 bid, Nike has designed a 'Speed Kit' from the ground up. Kipyegon will wear a pair of Victory Elite FK spikes - featherlight at 85 grams and equipped with Zoom Air pods that return up to 90% of energy with each stride. Anchored by a razor-thin carbon plate and titanium pins, the shoe is tuned to her exact biomechanics. But the real revolution lies above the ankle. Nike's Fly Suit - a one-piece aerodynamic race suit - features textured bumps called Aeronodes that manipulate airflow to reduce drag, much like the dimples on a golf ball. Strategically ventilated and sculpted for compression in the right places, it's designed to help Kipyegon conserve energy at 15 mph over four punishing laps. And perhaps the most radical innovation of all? The FlyWeb Bra - a 3D-printed, seamless piece of racewear designed specifically for Kipyegon. Printed from thermoplastic polyurethane and mapped to her anatomy using computational design, it delivers support without bulk and breathability like nothing else on the market. It's not built for a season - it's built for a single mile. As Tim Newcomb reports in Forbes, Nike's innovation team worked directly with Kipyegon to prototype gear tailored to her biomechanics and race-day conditions—right down to the 3D-printed titanium pins in her spikes and the energy return of the Zoom Air unit. This is branding not as advertising, but as experience design. Every piece of gear reinforces Nike's identity as a performance-first innovator, engineered for athletes on the edge of what's possible. Mythologizing the Athlete: Storytelling With Stakes Great brands don't just market - they mythologize. And Nike, through its two-part docuseries on Prime Video, is doing just that. Titled Breaking4: Faith Kipyegon vs. the 4-Minute Mile, the series chronicles not just Kipyegon's training, but her humanity: a mother, a champion, a dreamer chasing something once deemed out of reach. The campaign elevates what could have been a single live-stream into a global narrative arc. Part one builds anticipation, while part two, to be released post-race, ensures emotional connection regardless of the outcome. It's smart marketing - but it's also sincere storytelling. Orchestrating Belief on Social Media In an era of oversaturation, Nike's social strategy for Breaking4 is a masterclass in digital minimalism and emotional precision. On Instagram, the brand has prioritized cinematic short-form clips that center Kipyegon's voice, not slogans - giving fans intimate glimpses of her training, her family, and her dream. On X (formerly Twitter), Nike has leaned into threaded storytelling, breaking down everything from the biomechanics of pacing to the cultural significance of the mile barrier. Meanwhile, across TikTok and YouTube Shorts, the focus is on micro-moments of awe - Kipyegon floating in the Fly Suit, slow-motion spikes crushing the track - designed for shares, not sales. Hashtags like #Breaking4, #FaithInFaith, and the echo of Kipchoge's mantra #NoHumanIsLimited have fostered a digital groundswell. Rather than blast every platform with the same message, Nike has tailored each channel to amplify a different emotional note, turning social media into an orchestral score for belief. YouTube as the Global Stage While Prime Video hosts the docuseries, YouTube is Nike's open-access arena - the platform where the brand is livestreaming the race and releasing cinematic trailers, athlete features, and behind-the-scenes content. The official Breaking4 Live stream is already scheduled on Nike's YouTube channel, positioning the platform as the digital stadium for a global audience. It's a smart move: YouTube offers reach, shareability, and real-time engagement - all critical for turning a one-hour race into a worldwide moment of belief. Science as a Supporting Character What may be the most innovative - and understated - component of Breaking4 is Nike's investment in mindset as a performance variable. The company is leveraging cutting-edge biometric data, performance psychology, and even digital twin modeling to help Kipyegon visualize success and condition her physiology to deliver it. Using heart rate variability, lactate thresholds, and predictive simulations, Nike's Applied Performance Innovation team has mapped a detailed strategy for race day. Rotating pacers, pacing lights on the track, optimal weather windows - nothing is left to chance. It's performance art informed by performance science. And it's also branding at its most human. By treating the athlete not as a billboard but as a collaborator, Nike transforms the role of sponsorship into one of empowerment. The brand isn't just behind Kipyegon - it's beside her. Marketing as Mythology: Redefining the Finish Line Nike has long operated at the intersection of sport and society, and with Breaking4, it is once again pushing the boundaries of what achievement looks like - and who gets to define it. For decades, the sub-four-minute mile has been a milestone reserved for men, with Roger Bannister's 1954 breakthrough often serving as shorthand for transcending limits. By staging Kipyegon's attempt with as much fanfare, science, and spectacle as Kipchoge's Breaking2, Nike sends a clear message: women's excellence is just as worthy of mythology. This kind of parity in marketing investment - from product to production to promotion - is still rare in sport. That Nike has committed to such an effort sets a new benchmark not only for athletics, but for how brands contribute to shaping public perception and possibility. The Business of Belief Whether or not Kipyegon breaks four minutes, Nike's campaign is already a success. It owns the conversation, deepens brand affinity, and reinforces its core positioning: daring to dream bigger, run faster, and break what was thought unbreakable. This is branding as belief architecture. Not just betting on the impossible - but building the infrastructure that makes it plausible. In a world where hype fades fast and meaning endures, Nike's Breaking4 reminds us that the most powerful stories are the ones that dare to redefine the limits. Faith Kipyegon isn't the only one making a moonshot. Nike is right there with her through Breaking4 - not chasing speed, but meaning. Together, they're not just racing the clock. They're rewriting it.
Fast Company
31 minutes ago
- Fast Company
In uncertain times, software buyers need the right balance of flexibility and predictability
In times of economic uncertainty—such as now —it's imperative that software leaders de-risk their pricing and contracts to assuage the fears and spending hesitation that many buyers might have. Specifically, software leaders need to balance predictability and flexibility. WHY BALANCING PREDICTABILITY AND FLEXIBILITY IS CRUCIAL During shaky economic circumstances, some software buyers seek more flexibility in pricing and contracts, whereas others place a greater emphasis on predictability. For instance, the owner of a newly-launched clothing retailer looking for a CMS might want the ability to scale up or down depending on their company's rate of growth. On the flip side, the owner of an established small business in the market for a new CMS might want to lock in steady pricing for the next year or so because they have a good idea of the company's annual growth rate. If the owner of the new clothing retailer is presented with a rigid pricing structure and contract, they'll likely feel they're about to get trapped. If the owner of the established small business isn't given the option to secure a guaranteed price for a given time, they'll likely feel exposed to cost hikes that could threaten their budget. Software teams need to cater to both of these types of customers. If they don't, buyers might delay purchases or walk away altogether to competitors who better meet their needs. Flexibility and predictability are two sides of the same coin for buyers and sellers. Consider analysis by Tropic, a spend management solution provider, that found that software vendors 'are increasingly accepting longer contract terms with the average contract length now 14.2 months, a 6% YoY increase. This is true particularly with enterprise-focused vendors, in exchange for pricing predictability and more favorable commercial terms.' Give a buyer a longer contract with a clearly defined pricing structure as a software executive, and you can have peace of mind that that revenue is coming in. Give a buyer more flexible terms, and you'll have a higher chance of converting them into a customer. Moreover, arguably, greater flexibility translates to software companies being able to retain customers longer (hence, increasing their customer lifetime value metrics). Software leaders can leverage different strategies to de-risk their pricing and contracts. At a foundational level, they should simplify their pricing models to reduce complexity for buyers. Simplicity is paramount. The faster buyers can understand a vendor's pricing model, the better. In tough economic times, people typically have less bandwidth to think through complicated pricing structures—they're trying to figure out how they can keep their jobs, how to increase their companies' chances of survival, how they're going to meet their budgets, and so forth. How can software leaders achieve simplicity in pricing? At the core, by reducing the number of licensing metrics (the basis by which a software company charges), revamping the packaging, and taking another look at SKUs. Generally, one metric and fewer packages and SKUs make pricing models easier to grasp. Moreover, when pricing is easy to understand, buyers are more likely to feel that they are being treated fairly and transparently. As far as contracts and renewal cycles, software leaders can consider offering one to three free months as an incentive. Free months push out renewals further into buyers' budget cycles, creating more predictability. When buyers do renew, they're actually using fewer dollars in that year. Software companies must also carefully evaluate how they're charging for generative AI (GenAI) capabilities. Pricing GenAI capabilities in software is a nuanced topic, but on a high level, software companies should not necessarily charge for them separately. Instead, they should bake those costs into the overall value that their solutions provide. Moreover, software companies should provide customers with more visibility and control over their consumption of highly variable features within their products, such as AI-powered ones. This greater visibility and control also protects software companies from having to absorb unnecessary costs. Software companies should also provide good-faith estimates and commit to making right-sizing adjustments for customers at the end of the year to account for uncertain usage during uncertain times. For example, despite running a beta program, a software company that rolls out GenAI features will likely not have an accurate understanding of consumption rates in year one because it only has, say, 10 customers using it, and it might decide to absorb more of the costs. But as the economy becomes more stable and the pool of customers leveraging GenAI features increases, the company could decide to absorb less, or none, of the costs—while being diligent about communicating that change and the reason for it to customers. Cohort-based strategies can be particularly valuable for right-sizing adjustments. For instance, a software company could offer a cohort consisting of buyers who sign up during an economically uncertain quarter greater flexibility on renewals. However, it could stipulate that a cohort of buyers who become customers during a more stable economic period would have more standard renewal contracts. The key to cohort-based strategies is to be consistent within a given cohort and avoid having multiple cohorts differ significantly. In de-risking their pricing strategies and reaching a balance between flexibility and predictability, software leaders should keep in mind that their pricing strategies must evolve alongside changes in the market, their solutions, customer expectations, and other factors. Software leaders should make a habit of proactively revisiting their pricing—and always aim for more simplicity. Simplicity in pricing is ultimately what protects software companies and buyers in good times and bad.
CNN
31 minutes ago
- CNN
Jury orders man to pay $500K for assaulting police officer who killed himself after Capitol riot
A federal jury on Monday awarded $500,000 to the widow and estate of a police officer who killed himself nine days after he helped defend the US Capitol from a mob of rioters, including a man who scuffled with the officer during the attack. The eight-member jury ordered that man, 69-year-old chiropractor David Walls-Kaufman, to pay $380,000 in punitive damages and $60,000 in compensatory damages to Erin Smith for assaulting her husband, Metropolitan Police Officer Jeffrey Smith, inside the Capitol on January 6, 2021. They awarded an additional $60,000 to compensate Jeffrey Smith's estate for his pain and suffering. The judge presiding over the civil trial dismissed Erin Smith's wrongful-death claim against Walls-Kaufman before jurors began deliberating last week. US District Judge Ana Reyes said no reasonable juror could conclude that Walls-Kaufman's actions were capable of causing a traumatic brain injury leading to Smith's death. Walls-Kaufman, who lived a few blocks from the Capitol, denied assaulting Smith. He says any injuries that the officer suffered on January 6 occurred later in the day, when another rioter threw a pole that struck Smith around his head. On Friday, the jury sided with Erin Smith and held Walls-Kaufman liable for assaulting her 35-year-old husband — an encounter captured on the officer's body camera. 'Erin is grateful to receive some measure of justice,' said David P. Weber, one of her attorneys. Walls-Kaufman said the outcome of the trial is 'absolutely ridiculous.' 'No crime happened. I never struck the officer. I never intended to strike the officer,' he said. 'I'm just stunned.' After the jury left the courtroom, Reyes encouraged the parties to confer and discuss a possible settlement to avoid the time and expense of an appeal and for the sake of 'finality.' 'You guys settle, you can move on with your lives,' the judge said. Walls-Kaufman's attorney, Hughie Hunt, described the jury's award as 'shocking.' 'We're talking about a three-second event,' he told the judge. 'It's not shocking, Mr. Hunt. A lot of things can happen in three seconds,' Reyes replied. Jeffrey Smith was driving to work for the first time after the Capitol riot when he shot and killed himself with his service weapon. His family said he had no history of mental health problems before the January 6 riot. Erin Smith claims Walls-Kaufman struck her husband in the head with his own police baton, giving him a concussion and causing psychological and physical trauma that led to his suicide. The police department medically evaluated Smith and cleared him to return to full duty before he killed himself. In 2022, the District of Columbia Police and Firefighters' Retirement and Relief Board determined that Smith was injured in the line of duty and the injury was the 'sole and direct cause of his death,' according to the lawsuit. Walls-Kaufman served a 60-day prison sentence after pleading guilty to a Capitol riot-related misdemeanor in 2023, but he was pardoned in January. On Donald Trump's first day back in the White House, the president pardoned, commuted prison sentences or ordered the dismissal of cases for all of the nearly 1,600 people charged in the attack. More than 100 law enforcement officers were injured during the riot. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick collapsed and died a day after engaging with the rioters. A medical examiner later determined he suffered a stroke and died of natural causes. Howard Liebengood, a Capitol Police officer who responded to the riot, also died by suicide after the attack. Erin Smith's quest isn't over. She applied for the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial to add her husband's name as a line-of-duty death. Weber said they're hoping for a decision soon.
