In this episode of Talking Tokens, Jacquelyn Melinek sits down with Torab Torabi, CEO of Move Industries, the team behind Move Network, a new blockchain ecosystem built on the Move language.
Torab opens up about the challenges of rebuilding after Movement Labs’ internal fallout, how the company restructured, and why the new chapter is focused on transparency, community, and global accessibility. He shares insights into how Move Industries handled its market-maker incident, is working on regaining developer trust, and how it retained over 90% of its team through the transition.
The discussion also explores how Move Network aims to serve the “unbanked” through mobile-first design, why RWAs and TVL metrics often miss the point, and how the company’s developer-first philosophy and new “Move University” initiative are preparing the next generation of builders.
This episode is sponsored by Forgd. Thousands of Web3 projects leverage Forgd’s free tools to design smarter tokenomics, engage market makers on fair terms, plan listings strategically, and monitor liquidity after launch. Start using the Forgd platform for free, or sign up for white-glove advisory services, at Forgd.com
Timestamps(00:00) - Intro
(01:02) - From Movement Labs to Move Industries: What really happened
(02:18) - The market maker fallout and how the team responded
(03:25) - Binance investigation, buybacks & rebuilding community trust
(04:50) - The emotional toll & decision to stay through the crisis
(06:15) - Team resilience: 90% retention through uncertainty
(07:50) - Advice from investors and industry peers during turmoil
(09:30) - Lessons learned on transparency and rebuilding credibility
(10:46) - Why the team sees “Move Industries” as a true fresh start
(12:04) - The People’s Chain: banking the unbanked through mobile access
(14:26) - Torab’s personal story: from the Bay Area to blockchain
(17:10) - Designing real-world crypto use cases for underserved regions
(19:02) - Why crypto needs its “Apple Pay moment”
(20:36) - Overcoming UX barriers and gas fee limitations
(22:22) - Targeting 100M users through better mobile design
(25:01) - Building for younger, financially native generations
(27:04) - How Move Network is positioning as a sovereign Layer-1
(28:25) - Challenges of Move language adoption and developer shortage
(30:03) - Launching Move University to train new developers
(32:07) - Why RWAs are overhyped and what metrics actually matter
(34:12) - Vanity metrics, TVL inflation & measuring real onchain activity
(36:09) - The velocity of money as a better health indicator for chains
(38:22) - Developer-first initiatives and global activation hubs
(40:20) - Move Alliance and financial alignment within the ecosystem
(42:10) - Defining success for Move Industries’ next era
(44:00) - Building “crypto that doesn’t feel like crypto”
(46:02) - Final advice: resilience, relationships, and long-term thinking
Essentials
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