A case for Web3 chat apps with Push Protocol’s Harsh Rajat

Episode 39 of Hashing It Out features an interview with Harsh Rajat, founder and project lead of Push Protocol, who talks about the Ethereum ecosystem and the future of on-chain chat apps. In the episode, Rajat explains why Web3 messaging apps will lead the next wave of crypto adoption and the need for Web3 communities to pivot from Web2 tools and become fully on-chain. 

Rajat articulates that his innovations in the cryptocurrency industry were inspired by his background working on mobile applications. He explains that he compared Web2 and Web3 apps and realized that the decentralized applications ecosystem needed things like notifications. This was an important requirement, considering that notifications are such an important part of user retention for Web2 applications.

Rajat believes the Ethereum ecosystem is where innovation happens in the blockchain space. According to him, the availability of mentorship and support from the community creates a conducive environment for development. He points out that things like face-to-face access to Vitalik Buterin, the founder of Ethereum, make a difference for people building on the blockchain. Based on the culture that Rajat describes, he argues that he does not fancy the narrative of “Ethereum-killers” since it is impossible to kill what has been established.

On recent developments in the Ethereum ecosystem, Rajat says that having multiple layer-2 networks is a good thing. However, a few layer 2s will die out, others will pivot, and some will get attached to other layer 2s in the long term.

Another development that Rajat is more familiar with is the surge in chat applications built on Ethereum. He explains that the demand is tied to Web3 user experiences and argues that as the space continues developing, users are looking for Web3 solutions to power their communities and forums.

“Web3 relies on communication before it can even rely on features.”

The rest of the episode discusses wallets as Web3 identities, the use cases of token-gated group chats and the future of the Ethereum ecosystem.

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Listen to the latest episode of Hashing It Out with Rajat on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or TuneIn. You can also explore Cointelegraph’s full roster of informative podcasts on the Cointelegraph Podcasts page.

This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal or investment advice. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.