Smartz Team. Interview with CTO Smartz Alexey Makeev

We continue to introduce our founders to you. This time we interviewed our CTO Alexey Makeev.

— Alex, you have worked in Mail.Ru Group and 1C. Why did you decide to leave and start working in a startup?

— I enjoy working with the new tech. I am familiar with many programming languages and working with something unknown to many people, like consensus algorithms and crypto protocols was an interesting experience for me. I never had regrets that I left my previous place of work. I feel more comfortable working in a startup company, I have more freedom. The only thing that concerns me is that there are only 24 hours in one day.

— How did you get involved with smart contracts in the first place?

— I was quite amazed when I first saw smart contracts on Ethereum. It’s one of the reasons why developers should get involved with Blockchain technology. Their execution results are equal for each node and their actions are irreversible (if enough confirmations are received within the network and the integrity of consensus is maintained). The state storage is similar to transactional memory. You think a lot while writing few code, which is perfect for a creative developer.

— Which problems did you face during the development of the platform?

— We had no technical difficulties, that’s for sure. The only problem is the lack of people. We have big plans, but our team is still quite small.

— I am an ordinary user and I am uncertain whether I need a smart contract at all. What should I read first to understand that?

— We have a description of each type of smart contract on our website. After reading it you will get a better understanding of what can be done with the help of a certain smart contract. Right now, they work well with digital assets. To communicate with the real world, they will use oracles, which work as a trusted third party.

— What advantages will developers get from publishing their smart contracts at Smartz platform?

— First of all, before Smartz platform appeared, developers had to manually develop a smart contract for each particular client. Now they don’t have to maintain contact with the client at all. They can just profit from selling software. Another advantage is the visual interface of the smart contract. The user can easily visualize the second — backend — part of a contract. The developer can quickly describe it, making it easily understandable for the end user. The Smartz platform provides for that. The developer can focus on the code. The third advantage is only gaining its true potential. Smartz is a hub that connects supply and demand.

— EOS or Ethereum?

— They are quite different, so I can’t really choose one. Each of them has its own advantages for particular tasks. Smartz platform supports both EOS and Ethereum smart contracts, which allows developers to chose any of the systems for more flexibility.

— How do you make decisions about the development of the Smartz platform?

— The main point for us is the practical applicability of smart contracts or components today. Actually, that’s a little bit odd, but we don’t argue that much and most of the times we agree about the direction where we should move our platform.

— We asked Yuri and Sergey this question already, now we want to ask you, what do you think about this. What must be changed for the global acceptance of smart contracts, by both governments and people?

— I think that the technology has to go through all stages of its development, starting with a few followers and believers and going forward. Just 20 years ago the idea of having apps on your phone seemed strange and useless. I think that it is almost the same with smart contracts. I really don’t think that acceptance from governments is that big of a problem. We see that they already started accepting them. What we need is the development of the ecosystem around smart contracts. It shouldn’t be seen as just an instrument for geeks only. Technological development is also a vital factor.

— The last question is personal. What are your interests despite work?

— I truly enjoy traveling. The best thing for me is to rent a car and discover a new country or region. During my last vacation in Spain, I tried trekking and enjoyed it a lot. I am trying to stay fit and do Jeet Kune Do. In winter I do snowboarding, if and when I have free time.

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