Podcast Summary

Overview

Episode Title: Building the Forever Web: Decentralized Data Storage with Founder Philip Mataras | Ep 1035
Podcast: The Digital Executive (Coruzant Technologies)
Date: March 27, 2025
Guest: Philip Mataras, Founder & CEO of Rio

This episode dives into the vision and technology behind the Rio Network, a decentralized cloud service platform built atop Arweave’s permaweb. Host Brian (Coruzant Technologies) and guest Philip Mataras discuss the evolution of permanent, decentralized data storage, Rio’s innovations, and the broader mission to build a more resilient “forever web.”

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Philip’s Founder Journey (01:21–04:58)

• From Enterprise IT to Decentralization
  Philip traces his path from enterprise IT and solution architecture to discovering blockchain, falling “down the rabbit hole” with Ethereum (01:52), and embracing the promise of an unstoppable, censorship-resistant web.
• Discovering Arweave
  Philip was captivated by Arweave’s “pay once, store forever” model—distinct from subscription-based storage.
  Quote:
  “It was Ethereum specifically that caught my eye, this concept of like a world computer… In early 2018 I had discovered Arweave, which is a blockchain built for storing data permanently. And it had this concept of pay one store forever. And that's really what got me hooked.” (02:08)
• Creating RDrive
  In 2020, amidst the pandemic, he left his job to develop RDrive:
  "A very simple, easy to use Dropbox like app, but stored your data permanently on Arweave, whether public or private... my mom could use it, which is very different than my career." (03:10)
• Scaling from App to Platform
  After the NFT boom of 2021, Philip and his team recognized the need for decentralized entry and access points, expanding their scope to create the Rio network as a full suite of developer-focused cloud services.
• Recent Milestone
  "We just launched our mainnet a few weeks ago… It’s been quite the journey over the last four years going from our drive to Rio." (04:38)

How Rio Leverages Arweave (05:31–08:58)

• Technological Architecture
  Arweave serves as an uncensorable, permanent “hard drive,” with all Rio data transactions ultimately settling on the Arweave blockchain.
• Services Layer
  • Friendly access via a custom name system (like a decentralized DNS for files, sites, or apps).
  • Permanent mapping of names and access points ensures resilience and openness.
  • Registry of gateways and network protocols are also immutably stored.
• Advantages for Users
  • One-time payment for permanent storage.
  • Immutable, timestamped, and tamper-resistant data.
  • “Credible exit”—apps or teams can disappear, but user data and the applications remain available. Quote:
    "You get this concept of like a credible exit from any given application... The ArDrive application is hosted on the Rio network. As long as Rio and Arweave are around, the ArDrive app will continue to be served." (07:35)
• Anti-censorship & Platform Independence
  Decentralization means no single company or authority can censor or revoke user access. Quote:
  "You can't get deplatformed or censored...decentralized networks in general offer those kinds of assurances to their users." (08:36)

The RNO Token: Utility and Incentives (09:33–11:58)

• Token Functions
  • Utility token: used for purchasing services (like domain-name registration) and for staking by network participants.
  • Name-system payments go directly to a protocol pool, which then pays gateway operators, ensuring decentralized and fair incentives. Quote:
    "You buy a name, it doesn't go to a DAO or, or company, it goes to a protocol which then directly pays the people servicing the name." (10:17)
• Gateway Staking
  • Gateways must stake RIO tokens to participate, which increases their chance to earn rewards for uptime and service delivery.
  • "Delegated staking" allows token holders to let others operate nodes on their behalf and share in the rewards.
• Sustainable Ecosystem
  • Current focus is on the name service, with incentives for other services to be added in the future.

Strategic Priorities & The Future of the Forever Web (12:26–16:05)

• Reducing Trust, Enhancing Security
  • Aim to minimize user reliance on any single gateway with innovations like the Wayfinder protocol, which dynamically connects users to the best-performing, trustworthy gateway. Quote:
    "We want to reduce the need to have to trust any particular gateway...This protocol routes you to the most performant gateway and does other verification of what's being served." (13:28)
• Protection from Web Compromises
  • The combination of immutable storage and protocols verifying data authenticity can protect against “poisoned” or hacked apps—a real and recent risk in Web3.
• Encouraging Ecosystem Growth
  • Next steps include outreach to developers to build on the name system and deploy new applications on Rio’s platform.
• Long-Term Vision: The Permanent, Tamper-Proof Web
  • Empowering free speech, preserving history, and combating the loss or destruction of data—whether accidental or deliberate. Quote:
    "To create basically an Internet that doesn't forget—a permanent web that is immutable, that has every piece of content timestamped and tamper proof...AI could leverage it to learn whether it's leveraging the data that's been uploaded or... any of the other inferences related to AI." (14:26)
  • Preserving data as a public good, ensuring that society’s collective memory is protected against loss. Quote:
    "Things are getting deleted, whether on purpose or by accident. And you know, we're losing history, we're losing part of our society." (15:20)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Pay one, store forever…that’s really what got me hooked.” – Philip Mataras (02:16)
• "You get this concept of like a credible exit from any given application...users are not locked into any given platform that's built on our network." – Philip (07:35)
• "You buy a name...it goes to a protocol which then directly pays the people servicing the name." – Philip (10:17)
• "We want to reduce the need to have to trust any particular gateway...You shouldn't have to know which one to connect to." – Philip (13:25)
• "To create basically an Internet that doesn't forget—a permanent web that is immutable, that has every piece of content timestamped and tamper proof..." – Philip (14:26)
• "We're losing history, we're losing part of our society." – Philip (15:20)

Timeline of Important Segments

• 01:21 – 04:58: Philip’s backstory, founding of RDrive, vision shift to Rio
• 05:31 – 08:58: Technical deep dive into Arweave and Rio’s architecture, user advantages
• 09:33 – 11:58: RNO token utility, staking, and ecosystem incentives
• 12:26 – 16:05: Future vision—decentralized trust, developer ecosystem, and the “forever web”

Conclusion

This episode presents a compelling look at how decentralized, permissionless protocols like Rio and Arweave could redefine data storage, ownership, and web permanence. Philip Mataras shares both the technical underpinnings and the broader philosophical mission: to build an Internet that never forgets—a “forever web” grounded in open, tamper-proof, and user-empowering technologies.