Amid the fast pace of the crypto world full of technical terms and code, there is one name that steals attention not because of sensation, but because of consistency: Zaki Manian.
Imagine someone who used to study History and Sociology of Science, then a few years later was involved in building the foundation of cross-chain blockchain technology. Strange? Maybe. That’s just the beginning of Zaki’s unusual story.
After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 2005, Zaki did not immediately plunge into the world of high technology. Instead, he started on an independent path, learning programming and cryptography autodidactically.
In an era when most people were still busy exploring how home computers worked, Zaki was already busy dissecting the logic behind decentralized protocols. He had worked at a biotechnology company and even founded an enterprise blockchain startup called Skuchain in 2014.
However, his steps that really led to the crypto industry began when he was involved in projects such as Ethereum, Zcash, and Bitcoin.
Zaki Manian: From Cosmos to Sommelier, and One Costly Mistake
While Cosmos was gaining ground as a blockchain interoperability ecosystem, Zaki was behind the scenes. He co-founded Iqlusion, a company that provides infrastructure for validating the Cosmos network, while also driving the development of Inter-Blockchain Communication (IBC). But, as with anything in the tech world that always has a thorny side, his decisions on the project have caused quite a stir.
In early 2023, the FBI approached Zaki with sensitive information: two developers who had worked on the Liquid Staking Module (LSM) project under Iqlusion were identified as North Korean agents.
No one expected this, and worse still—this information was not immediately announced to the community. The module was launched anyway. The situation raised major questions about responsibility, transparency, and security risks in the Cosmos ecosystem.
However, instead of disappearing, Zaki continued his work with a new project: Sommelier Protocol. This platform combines the Cosmos SDK with Ethereum to create an automated DeFi trading system.
More or less, Sommelier functions like a ‘second brain’ that helps organize on-chain financial strategies without having to bother clicking here and there. Imagine having a personal assistant to dive into the world of DeFi—well, that’s more or less the goal.
Behind the Tech, a Relentless Voice in Crypto Debates
On the other hand, Zaki’s frank communication style also makes him one of the most talked about figures on social media, especially X.
He often shares technical insights, while occasionally criticizing the dynamics of governance in crypto projects that he considers too “political.” In several podcasts and forums, he also does not hesitate to discuss sensitive topics such as hidden centralization in projects that claim to be decentralized.
Perhaps what makes Zaki interesting is not just his technical intelligence, but the way he maintains his curiosity and courage to take risks. In the rapidly changing and uncertain crypto space, Zaki’s steps are not always smooth. But at least, he keeps going. Sometimes in the spotlight, sometimes with the burden of difficult decisions.