Can you tell us about the beginning of your career in social media?
I was still a university student when I realized that social media would have a significant impact on marketing, so I decided to start educating myself and managing the first social advertising campaigns for some Italian politicians and companies.
How has the blockchain course been received by students at the University Guglielmo Marconi, which is the only one in Italy to offer it? What career opportunities does it open up?
Today it is not the only one, but years ago it was the first course in an Italian university, the first year was difficult, there were few enrollees but over time it has grown tremendously, today many people enroll at Marconi just to attend that course, so the idea was successful. Students who enroll know that it is the gateway to increasingly in-demand and well-paid jobs in the world such as Blockchain Manager or Blockchain programmer.
Do you believe that traditional universities are quickly adapting to current realities and the needs of students?
Unfortunately no, traditional universities struggle to accept and accommodate change. The blockchain has been around for 14 years, but only now are universities timidly offering courses in the field. Too late, too slow. The future is faster.
Did your experience as a university professor inspire the creation of The Blockchain Management School?
Yes, I decided to start my own private training academy with Romolo De Stefano because universities were too slow and closed to change. Today, many students prefer to spend more money to be trained privately in an excellent school like the Blockchain Management School rather than waiting for their universities to catch up.
As the founder and CEO of You&Web, a well-known Italian integrated communication company specializing in viral strategies, can you tell us about the most successful campaign you have conducted?
In 10 years of activity, we had a lot of fun, we conducted online political campaigns for current ministers, managed the image of some of the most watched TV programs in Italy by Mediaset and Rai, handled public figures with millions of followers, and launched international films at the cinema. However, the most significant experience so far has been the creation of Italy’s most viral social community. IL SOCIO ACI, with almost 5 million active users.
In a few years, you have built a group of 10 companies. Can you tell us in which sectors you have invested?
Today, I control a holding with more than 10 companies, the common thread is always innovation, but the areas of interest range from marketing to entertainment, passing through fintech, food, clothing, startups, sports, music, and much more…
Do any of your employees include students who have taken your courses?
Yes, most of my collaborators and employees are my former students who trained with me. That way, I’m sure they know how to do my job.
Tell us about your leadership style and how you handle conflicts among employees?
I am a different kind of leader, I have a friendship relationship with many of my employees, the office is my first home, not my second, my first. So I eat with them, constantly joke, laugh, and make sure they have fun. The moment someone stops having fun at work, then I have failed.
Can you share about your biggest failure and biggest success so far?
Many years ago, I tried to launch a political party. Despite the huge and unexpected result I achieved, I was cheated and robbed by some of the partners with whom I had decided to undertake that adventure. From then on, I decided never to contribute to my country’s politics again. I believe it is a failure for me, but above all a failure for politics and for the country. One of the biggest successes, besides working for the Minister of Economic Development, was being able to work as a consultant for AS ROMA, my greatest passion since childhood, passed on from my father.
Can you explain your involvement as a member of the government task force of experts selected by the Ministry of Economic Development to develop the national blockchain strategy? What are the specific goals?
I was selected along with other brilliant experts to outline the national strategy on blockchain and try to explain to our government and citizens the challenges we face for the future. The future will tell us if we succeeded or not.
As an expert, what are your predictions for the future of Bitcoin, including any data you can provide?
We’ve reached a point of no return. Year after year, new generations increasingly prefer to use Bitcoin and the blockchain technology in general. Our media is constantly talking about NFTs, metaverse, smart contracts, tokens, cryptocurrencies. They’re all applications of the same technology. I believe it’s easy for everyone to understand which direction the future is heading. In my opinion, the decisive year will be 2025.
“In 2025, we will reach mass adoption, and Bitcoin will be considered a standard like we consider the Internet today”
How will blockchain and AI change our lives? Do you think many professions will disappear soon? Which new ones will emerge? What are your thoughts on AI, such as ChatGPT and video, music, copy, and law tools?
As has been happening for millennia, everything changes. More than 60% of the jobs we know today will change. It doesn’t mean they will disappear, but that they will adapt and change based on AI, Blockchain, etc.
“If we understand it, we evolve. If we don’t, we become extinct”
In your latest book, “The richest man in the world. An investigation to discover who is Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin”, you took on the role of an investigator to uncover the true identity of the founder of Bitcoin. Can you reveal anything about your findings from your investigations?
My latest book is a real crypto-thriller. I’m obsessed with Satoshi Nakamoto and have been searching for him for years. In this book, I believe I have found him. I will name names and there will be an incredible plot twist. They are also writing a movie based on my book, so it clearly means I found what I was looking for…
Which startup would you invest in blindfolded?
Startups dealing with genetics and DNA or with nutrition and both mental and physical well-being. Then asteroid mining, culture and arts which will play a key role in a future of robots and automation.
One last question, but not least: what is Gian Luca Comandini human and entrepreneurial vision?
We should have our feet on the ground but our heads in the clouds. We should trust mathematics and technology more so that we have much more free time to dedicate to humans. We are forgetting to teach our children to be human. Ethics, morality, solidarity, altruism are no longer attitudes that we pass down, so we will become extinct.
“Blockchain and artificial intelligence are here to remind us that the only job that no one will ever do better than us is to educate future generations, but we are short of time to do so”
