In this rollercoaster episode of Beyond the Code, Yitzy Hammer sits down with Samuel Cardillo to uncover the jaw-dropping journey of a self-taught prodigy who went from selling computer viruses at age 9 to co-founding RTFKT, the NFT sneaker company acquired by Nike.

What starts with microphone troubles quickly spirals into a high-speed chronicle of early cybercrime, international arrests, military service in the IDF, intelligence ventures, and creating some of the most iconic digital fashion drops in Web3 history.

Samuel pulls no punches as he walks us through:

• His childhood hacking days and getting arrested at 14 after a televised DDoS stunt;

• The rise and grind of RTFKT, building CloneX with Takashi Murakami, and managing NFT chaos;

• What it really took to land the Nike acquisition—and the stress that came with it;His work in satellite intelligence and geospatial analytics via ShadowBreak;

• The surprising backstory of being married to a UAE princess and his unlikely reserve role in the L.A. Sheriff’s Department;

• Brutally honest political takes on Israel, Gaza, and Middle East diplomacy;

• Why storytelling, utility, and community—not just speculation—must define the next era of NFTs.

A fast-paced, unfiltered episode packed with wild stories, ethical questions, and deep tech reflections.

🔗 Follow Samuel:

• X: @samuelcardillo

• IG: @ledomain

  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuelcardillo/

This week on Beyond the Code, Yitzy sits down with one of the most outspoken minds in crypto law: Gabriel Shapiro. Known for his deep legal chops, unfiltered takes, and pioneering work at the intersection of smart contracts and governance, Gabe takes us through his journey—from tech M&A prodigy to crypto lawyer and decentralization maxi.

We dive into:

• Gabe’s early big law career and how Facebook's acquisition of WhatsApp led him down the crypto rabbit hole;

• The real reason “decentralization” became crypto's favorite legal strategy;Why current DAO structures are flawed—and how MetaLex and the Borg concept aim to fix them;

• A deep look at on-chain legal engineering: how entities, trusts, and smart contracts can blend into a new governance paradigm;

• The emergence of $GOR, a meme coin inspired by Gabe himself;

• The state of crypto regulation in the U.S., Trump’s pivot on Bitcoin, and why Gabe’s bullish on the new market structure bill;

• Big law’s limitations in crypto and the rise of agile, crypto-native legal shops;

• Anonymity in crypto—how to build trust without a legal name;

And yes—we talk politics, Israel, identity, and whiskey.

In this episode of Beyond the Code, Yitzy sits down with Aaron Payas — partner at Hassans International Law Firm in Gibraltar, CFA charterholder, and former international footballer. From the early days of Gibraltar’s DLT licensing regime to holding a Bored Ape and co-leading one of the first fully SEC-approved token offerings, Aaron brings a unique blend of legal precision, mathematical logic, and personal passion to everything he touches.

Together, Yitzy and Aaron explore:

• Aaron’s path from math grad to fund lawyer to crypto specialist;

• The rise (and recalibration) of Gibraltar as a blockchain jurisdiction;

• Behind-the-scenes of INX — the first SEC-registered security token offering;

• Why Aaron went deep into NFTs and still proudly displays his Bored Ape;

• The maturing of the tokenization ecosystem — and why it hasn’t scaled yet;

• Honest takes on MiCA, regulatory arbitrage, and how startups should choose jurisdictions;

• How football, legal practice, and crypto law can all be driven by the same thing: passion.

And yes — Spurs fandom makes a guest appearance too.

Follow Aaron on LinkedIn and X (@AaronPayas) for more.