Zaki Manian Continues to Expand Boundaries from Cosmos to DeFi

Zaki Manian shifted from exploring the history of science to establishing himself as a prominent developer within the Cosmos blockchain ecosystem. His assertive views on governance and decentralization frequently ignite discussions within the crypto community. In the rapidly evolving world of cryptocurrency, which is often dominated by technical jargon and code, one individual stands out not for sensationalism, but for his steadfastness: Zaki Manian. Picture an individual who initially focused on the History and Sociology of Science, only to find themselves years later working on the development of cross-chain blockchain technology. Peculiar, isn’t it? Possibly. This is merely the start of Zaki’s intriguing narrative. Following his graduation from the University of Pennsylvania in 2005, Zaki didn’t jump right into the high-tech industry. Rather than following a conventional route, he embarked on a self-directed journey, teaching himself programming and cryptography. While the majority of people were preoccupied with understanding home computers, Zaki was already delving into the principles of decentralized protocols. He previously worked at a biotech firm and established a blockchain startup named Skuchain in 2014. However, his significant involvement in the cryptocurrency sector occurred through his participation in projects like Ethereum, Zcash, and Bitcoin. This is the story of Zaki Manian: from his journey with Cosmos to becoming a sommelier, and the one expensive misstep he made. As Cosmos emerged as a prominent blockchain interoperability platform, Zaki played a significant but understated role behind the scenes. He was one of the co-founders of Iqlusion, a firm that offers infrastructure for the validation of the Cosmos network and plays a key role in advancing Inter-Blockchain Communication (IBC). However, like many situations in the tech industry that can be complicated, Zaki’s choices regarding the project have generated significant controversy. In early 2023, the FBI contacted Zaki to share crucial details: two developers involved in the Liquid Staking Module (LSM) project at Iqlusion were linked to North Korean operatives. This revelation shocked many, and even more troubling was the fact that it was not promptly communicated to the community.