Unchained

Jeff Dorman, the chief investment officer at Arca, comes on the show to give a macro perspective on the crypto environment. In this episode, he discusses: how economic data and real-world events have affected digital assets how Jeff classifies the different types of assets within crypto what market forces have pushed ETH to new all-time highs above $4k whether EIP 1559 will have the same effect on ether price as the Bitcoin halving has on BTC price what is happening with Dogecoin and other meme-coins why the market’s reaction to Tesla’s halt of BTC vehicle purchases was healthy whether environmental concerns surrounding Bitcoin will have long-term consequences on crypto as an asset class   Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unchainedcardearnfeb2021    Tezos: https://tezos.com/discover?utm_source=laura-shin&utm_medium=podcast-sponsorship-unconfirmed&utm_campaign=tezos-campaign&utm_content=hero    NEAR: https://near.org    Episode Links   Jeff Dorman Twitter  https://twitter.com/jdorman81 Arca https://www.ar.ca/ Blog post titled “How Economic Data Affects Digital Assets” https://www.ar.ca/blog/crypto-market-recap-05-10-21  Blog post titled “The Four Types of Digital Assets” https://www.ar.ca/blog/crypto-market-recap-06-29-20    Miscellaneous Links Dogecoin SNL clip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5RCfQyTDFI SHIB token + dog meme-coins https://decrypt.co/70587/shiba-inu-shib-what-why-price-dogecoin https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/104676/vitalik-buterin-donates-more-than-60m-to-charity-after-selling-meme-tokens-including-shiba-inu  https://twitter.com/lawmaster/status/1392533724814876680/photo/1  Nic Carter on Bitcoin mining https://www.coindesk.com/the-last-word-on-bitcoins-energy-consumption Tesla’s announcement on halting BTC vehicle purchases https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1392602041025843203   Link to the Crypto News Recap: https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-an-elon-tweet-sent-bitcoin-below-50k/  

In this discussion I moderated for Paxos, Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev and Paxos CEO Charles Cascarilla discuss GameStop, the broken traditional financial infrastructure, and how blockchain technology may change the future of settlements. Show highlights:   why Robinhood stopped trading on GameStop and AMC stock earlier this year what both Charles and Vlad think the feasibility of T+0 settlements versus Citadel’s and the DTCC’s aim of T+1 settlements  how the GameStop scenario would have been different in a T+0 environment  what it would look like if certain markets used T+0 settlements while others still settled on T+1 why Robinhood decided to add crypto back in early 2018 how Robinhood’s crypto operations work on the back end why Robinhood does not allow users to move crypto off-platform whether securities trading or crypto will be a larger portion of both Paxos’ and Robinhood’s business model what Paxos and Robinhood have planned for the near future   Thank you to our sponsors! E&Y: https://ey.com/globalblockchainsummit  Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unchainedcardearnfeb2   Kyber Network: Dmm.exchange     Episode Links:   People:   Charles Cascarilla   Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlescascarilla/  Coindesk Profile https://www.coindesk.com/charles-cascarilla-most-influential-2020  Previous interview with Laura https://unchainedpodcast.com/chad-cascarilla-on-paxoss-partnership-with-paypal/  Blog post on the GameStop saga  https://www.paxos.com/what-lehman-brothers-gamestop-and-the-next-financial-crisis-have-in-common/    Vlad Tenev   Twitter https://twitter.com/vladtenev  CNN Article https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/01/investing/robinhood-gamestop-vlad-tenev/index.html  Tweet Thread on T+2 https://twitter.com/vladtenev/status/1356687248746455041    Companies: Paxos Twitter https://twitter.com/PaxosGlobal   Paxos Settlement Service https://www.paxos.com/securities/ https://www.reuters.com/article/us-crypto-currencies-paxos/paxos-to-launch-settlement-of-u-s-listed-equities-after-secs-no-action-letter-idUSKBN1X727M   Wall Street Journal write-up https://www.wsj.com/articles/blockchain-makes-inroads-into-the-stock-markets-1-trillion-plumbing-system-11573131600    Robinhood   Twitter https://twitter.com/RobinhoodApp Robinhood Crypto https://robinhood.com/us/en/about/crypto/ Public offering https://blog.robinhood.com/news/2021/3/23/robinhood-markets-inc-confidentially-submits-draft-registration-statement    Miscellaneous Links   Citadel on settlements https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/95326/citadel-robinhood-shorter-settlements-congress DTCC on settlements https://www.dtcc.com/news/2021/february/24/dtcc-proposes-approach-to-shortening-us-settlement-cycle-to-t1-within-two-years    Other:   Caitlin Long Unchained episode: https://unchainedpodcast.com/caitlin-long-why-avanti-will-be-a-new-kind-of-crypto-bank/   

Reshma Patel, a Democratic candidate for New York City’s Comptroller position, talks about her “future proof” plan for the city, which centers on investing in cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology. In this episode, she discusses: what duties the New York City Controller performs how Reshma thinks crypto and blockchain tech can help New York City, which she calls her “future proof” plan how a city comptroller would go about investing 1%-3% of the city’s pension funds into crypto what type of crypto investment vehicles would be appropriate for the city to invest in  why Reshma became interested in crypto in the first place  what sort of real-world issues blockchain technology could solve in NYC, particularly in its procurement system whether Reshma envisions an NYC blockchain solution for its procurement system being on a private or public blockchain  how the Comptroller could influence the state of New York to make the BitLicense more accessible for entrepreneurs  why NYC must compete in the blockchain/crypto space with Miami and Wyoming  how crypto could help NYC recover post-COVID  what comes next for Reshma’s campaign and why she is not allowed to receive crypto donations    Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unchainedcardearnfeb2021  Tezos: https://tezos.com/discover?utm_source=laura-shin&utm_medium=podcast-sponsorship-unconfirmed&utm_campaign=tezos-campaign&utm_content=hero  NEAR: https://near.org    Episode Links   Reshma Patel Twitter: https://twitter.com/reshmapatelnyc?lang=en  Blockchain campaign: https://www.reshma2021.com/blockchain  CoinDesk profile: https://www.coindesk.com/city-comptroller-candidate-says-blockchain-is-in-new-yorks-future  The Block article: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/102122/candidate-nyc-comptroller-crypto-blockchain Miscellaneous Links BitLicense https://ciphertrace.com/new-york-bitlicense/ https://www.coindesk.com/bitlicense-timeline  Duties of NYC Comptroller https://comptroller.nyc.gov/about/duties-of-the-comptroller/  Link to the Crypto News Recap: https://unchainedpodcast.com/doge-up-13000-ytd/

Crypto sits at the intersection of two male-dominated industries: tech and finance. I was asked to moderate a panel for the Amber Group with four leading women in crypto to discuss the role of gender in the crypto industry and what can be done to bring more women into the space. Panelists include Mia Deng, partner at Dragonfly Capital; Amy Zhang, vice president of sales at Fireblocks; Alexis Gauba, cofounder at Opyn; and Annabelle Huang, partner at Amber Group. Show highlights: how each panelist got into crypto, what it is they do, and which company they work for why women have been somewhat reluctant to speak on crypto gender disparity in public what the main obstacles to bringing about better gender diversity in crypto whether the crypto space is harder to break into than traditional finance for women how gender issues in the U.S. are different than in Asia why more women have begun trading cryptocurrencies and how to increase that interest which crypto explanations are most effective for female friends why there are so few female crypto co-founders good hiring practices for bringing more women into the space advice for women trying to break into crypto    Thank you to our sponsors! E&Y: https://ey.com/globalblockchainsummit  Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unchainedcardearnfeb2  Kyber Network: Dmm.exchange    Episode Links   Panelists Mia Deng Crypto career cofounder at TR Lab ---- NFT Platform (2021) partner at Dragonfly Capital - https://medium.com/dragonfly-research  Head of biz Development + Venture partner @ Amber Group - https://www.ambergroup.io/about  Social link https://twitter.com/miagegedeng?lang=en   Amy Zhang Crypto career vice president of sales at Fireblocks - https://www.fireblocks.com/  head of sales/investor relations at Diginex - https://www.diginex.com/  Social link https://www.linkedin.com/in/amyzwzhang/?originalSubdomain=hk    Alexis Gauba Crypto career cofounder at Opyn - https://www.opyn.co/#/  cofounder at she256 - https://she256.org/  Social link https://twitter.com/AlexisGauba   Annabelle Huang Crypto career partner at Amber Group  - https://www.ambergroup.io/about  founding member at KeeperDAO - https://twitter.com/Keeper_DAO  risk lead at AirSwap - https://www.airswap.io/  Social Link https://twitter.com/_annabellehuang?lang=en

Dan Finlay, co-founder of MetaMask, talks about the meteoric growth of monthly active users of the crypto wallet, which has quintupled in the past seven months. In this episode, he discusses: which crypto use case drove MetaMask’s active user base to grow 5x in under a year what types of scaling solutions are drawing users to MetaMask how MetaMask works what kind of customers are using MetaMask  how MetaMask has grown without targeted marketing  whether the type of crypto usage in developing nations differed from developed nations which feature MetaMask released in 2020 that is bringing in revenue what pivotal moments in crypto over the past six years have brought new users to MetaMask why scalability and security are the most important challenges facing MetaMask in the short term  how MetaMask is trying to make online wallets more secure  how much volume users have traded via MetaMask's new swap feature  what new features are coming up for MetaMask wallets    Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unchainedcardearnfeb2021  InterPop: https://hellointerpop.io/?utm_source=Unchained&utm_medium=episode-sponsorship&utm_campaign=interpop-launch&utm_content=interpop  NEAR: https://near.org    Episode Links MetaMask Dan Finlay: https://twitter.com/danfinlay MetaMask: https://metamask.io/ $5 Million Monthly Active Users: https://consensys.net/blog/metamask/metamask-surpasses-5-million-monthly-active-users/ MetaMask in Emerging Markets: https://twitter.com/MetaMask/status/1387114770923466755 Filecoin in MetaMask: https://medium.com/metamask/developer-preview-metamask-snap-for-filecoin-c28b01dfdcb    Miscellaneous Robbie Ferguson on Unchained: https://unchainedpodcast.com/this-layer-2-solution-processed-more-nft-trades-in-24-hours-than-ethereum-did-in-1-week/ Marguerite deCourcelle on Unchained: https://unchainedpodcast.com/all-the-ways-crypto-can-make-gaming-more-fun/ Charles Cascarilla + Vlad Tenev conversation: https://t.co/2AG0y5j36B?amp=1   Link to the Crypto News Recap: https://unchainedpodcast.com/a-bitcoin-standard/  

Devin Finzer, co-founder and CEO of NFT marketplace OpenSea, talks all things non-fungible. Check out the whole show to hear Devin answer the following questions:   First Half: Breaking Down NFTs Why did he become so interested in NFTs ?  What is an NFT? Why have NFTs become so popular recently?  Who is creating NFTs? Who is purchasing NFTs?  Are we in an NFT bubble?  How is the NFT ecosystem going to evolve over the next few years?  What are people purchasing when they buy an NFT?    Second Half: OpenSea Q+A What is OpenSea?  How will OpenSea maintain its competitive advantage in the open-source blockchain ecosystem?  How does OpenSea make money?  Are artists making money on OpenSea?  How is OpenSea planning on integrating with layer 2 solutions on Ethereum and other blockchains?  How do royalties work on OpenSea? Why are they hard to enforce?  What can be done about content being minted on OpenSea without an artist’s permission?  What issues in the NFT world still need to be resolved?  How is OpenSea handling the environmental concerns surrounding NFTs?  What’s next for OpenSea?    Thank you to our sponsors! E&Y: https://ey.com/globalblockchainsummit Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unchainedcardearnfeb2  Kyber Network: Dmm.exchange   Episode Links   Basic Links Devin’s Twitter https://twitter.com/dfinzer?lang=en  OpenSea https://opensea.io/    Devin Finzer Content Podcast appearances https://www.owltail.com/people/YzIoa-devin-finzer/appearances  The NFT Bible https://opensea.io/blog/guides/non-fungible-tokens/ Blockchain gaming (2018) https://www.coindesk.com/the-emerging-trends-in-the-blockchain-gaming-world    OpenSea Profiles Fortune https://fortune.com/2021/03/18/nft-art-crypto-marketplace-opensea-amazon/ CoinDesk 50 for 2020 (#47) https://www.coindesk.com/the-coindesk-50  Recent announcements scaling solution w/ Immutable X (Mar 31) https://www.coindesk.com/nft-opensea-immutable-layer-2-protocol-ethereum  https://decrypt.co/65828/immutable-x-ethereum-nft-gods-unchained  A16z investment (Mar 18th) https://a16z.com/2021/03/18/investing-in-opensea/  updating terms of service (Mar 13) https://twitter.com/opensea/status/1370895902068637697  taking down the hacker NFT (Mar 9) https://www.coindesk.com/hacker-selling-cybersecurity-exploit-nft unlockable content (early March) https://twitter.com/opensea/status/1366780226416631817  Tezos collab (Feb 10) https://twitter.com/opensea/status/1359519631275352064  creating NFTs for free (Dec 29) https://opensea.io/blog/announcements/introducing-the-collection-manager/  https://twitter.com/xanderatallah/status/1358848443356221445  recent usage: https://duneanalytics.com/rchen8/opensea 2018 investing round https://www.coindesk.com/ebay-cryptokitties-raises-2-million-star-vcs  https://opensea.io/blog/announcements/opensea-raises-2-million/  Other Terms of service talk https://www.reddit.com/r/opensea/comments/m12uh4/do_i_keep_the_rights_to_any_nft_i_sell_on_opensea/ Stats https://www.forbes.com/sites/youngjoseph/2021/03/29/nft-market-rages-on-nfts-market-cap-grow-1785-in-2021-as-demand-explodes/?sh=2974862a7fdc  https://duneanalytics.com/rchen8/opensea

Robbie Ferguson, co-founder and president of Immutable, talks about how Immutable is transforming the NFT industry through its layer 2 solution, Immutable X, which just launched April 8. In this episode, he discusses:  what sort of problems Immutable is solving by creating a layer 2 solution (1:21) why scalability is especially an issue for NFTs in gaming (1:59) how Immutable X, built with partner Starkware, addresses the problems with scaling NFTs (3:28) how Immutable is scaling Ethereum and the definition of a layer 2 solution (5:46) the Immutable business model and how the company makes money (6:40) how validity proofs like ZK-rollups differ from fraud proofs like Optimistic rollups (7:52) how Gods Unchained has performed since the April 8th launch of Immutable X (8:27) why building on Ethereum is so important to Immutable (10:54) why Immutable is obsessed with bringing liquidity to NFTs (14:54) what sort of partners Immutable is looking to attract and how Immutable X is different from a traditional marketplace (18:00) why Immutable decided to purchase carbon credits to offset the gas the protocol consumes on Ethereum (21:33) what we might see from Gods Unchained, Immutable X, and NFT gaming in general by the end of this  year (23:32 ) weekly news recap (26:22)   Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unchainedcardearnfeb2021  InterPop: https://hellointerpop.io/?utm_source=Unchained&utm_medium=episode-sponsorship&utm_campaign=interpop-launch&utm_content=interpop  NEAR: https://near.org    Episode Links   Robbie Ferguson https://www.linkedin.com/in/robbieferguson/?originalSubdomain=au   Immutable Twitter:  https://twitter.com/Immutable?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor  Website for Immutable X https://market.x.immutable.com/assets/0xacb3c6a43d15b907e8433077b6d38ae40936fe2c  Layer 2 https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/101092/ethereum-startup-immutable-aims-to-cut-nft-costs-with-new-layer-2-scaling-protocol https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/100084/opensea-nft-layer-2-immutable-x https://twitter.com/Immutable/status/1385263903450484741  Gods Unchained https://www.coindesk.com/james-ferguson-on-decentralized-gamings-next-moves https://decrypt.co/65828/immutable-x-ethereum-nft-gods-unchained Previous Unconfirmed interview: https://unchainedpodcast.com/how-the-hong-kong-protests-gave-a-boost-to-gods-unchained/   Miscellaneous Links Hearthstone link https://decrypt.co/48379/gods-unchained-review-and-beginners-guide  Carbon Credits https://twitter.com/immutable/status/1377099577178779659?lang=en  StarkWare relationship https://medium.com/starkware/starkware-immutable-8896aabab4e5 StarkWare’s recent Unchained appearance https://unchainedpodcast.com/can-dydx-become-a-decentralized-bitmex-how-it-is-scaling-with-starkware/    Link to the Crypto News Recap: https://unchainedpodcast.com/2600-eth/  

In a fun change of pace, I was interviewed by the On Deck Podcaster Fellowship about the origins of Unchained pod, how my background as a journalist prepared me for podcasting, and tips for aspiring creators. Episode highlights: why I believe the Unchained podcast has been successful and how my penchant for asking tough questions came about (1:48) how my background in journalism prepared me for hosting a podcast (6:35) how I choose guests for the show and how they feel about being asked difficult questions (9:10) why I feel my background in traditional media is so important (15:46) whether my podcast helped me land a book deal (20:35) the Unchained podcast origin story (26:37) how I’ve brought my sense of journalistic integrity and ethics to podcasting (33:56) the top tips for choosing a good podcast title (41:58) advice for aspiring podcasters on sifting through BS answers and warming up shy guests (48:19) who I look up to in the podcast space (53:25) what future creators and podcasters from underrepresented backgrounds can learn from my experience breaking into the world of finance and technology (57:33)   Thank you to our sponsors: E&Y: https://ey.com/globalblockchainsummit Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unchainedcardearnfeb2  Kyber Network: Dmm.exchange   Episode Links On Deck: https://www.beondeck.com/    Laura Shin: https://twitter.com/laurashin    Unchained Podcast: https://twitter.com/Unchained_pod

Gil Luria, director of research at D.A. Davidson, talks about Coinbase’s performance on its first day as a public company. In this episode, Gil discusses: the significance of Coinbase going public (1:05) why doing a direct listing was a risky move (1:31) why he revised his price target for COIN from $440 to $650 (3:17) how investing in COIN as a “pure play” crypto company compares to buying stock in companies like MicroStrategy and Square (5:06) why some people are disrupting Coinbase’s actual market cap (7:11) whether Coinbase can smooth out revenue over the long term and not be so correlated to the crypto markets themselves(10:45) what sort of statistics Gil is looking for in valuing Coinbase (13:08) why Gil thinks Coinbase can meet its goal of growing non-transaction revenue from 4% to 50% in five to ten years (15:32) how Coinbase could navigate the compression of fees that will occur as competition increases among exchanges (17:33) whether Coinbase’s stance as an apolitical company could affect the stock price in an era in which companies are getting involved in issues like voting rights (19:45) whether the Bitcoin price and COIN stock price will always be highly correlated (21:18) which other crypto companies are good candidates for going public as well (22:35) weekly news recap (24:03)   Thank you to our sponsors! Download the Crypto.com app and get $25 with the code “Laura”:  https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unchainedcardearnfeb2021    Check out InterPop, a superteam redefining the future of NFTs and fandom! https://hellointerpop.io/?utm_source=Unchained&utm_medium=episode-sponsorship&utm_campaign=interpop-launch&utm_content=interpop    Episode links:   Gil Luria Twitter profile: https://twitter.com/gilluria   Introducing Crypto’s Amazon Moment (written by Gil): https://unchainedpodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/DA-Davidson-Coinbase-Initiation-20210302.pdf  2013 Quote from Gil on Bitcoin: https://www.streetinsider.com/Analyst+Comments/Bitcoin+Could+Be+Worth+10-100x+Current+Price+-+Analyst/8936836.html Previous Unchained Appearance: https://unchainedpodcast.com/is-coinbase-stock-a-good-buy-this-analyst-says-yes/    Related Content Ellie Frost Blog: https://frostbyte.substack.com/p/coinbase-earnings-some-less-obvious  https://frostbyte.substack.com/p/coinbase-earnings-will-blow-you-away Tweet Thread on Market Cap Discrepancy w/ Comment From Jeff Dorman https://twitter.com/laurashin/status/1382746574577668111 https://twitter.com/jdorman81/status/1382749674105237507 Forbes Coverage of Coinbase Direct Listing: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathanponciano/2021/04/14/coinbase-skyrockets-in-nasdaq-listing-landing-105-billion-valuation-on-first-day-of-trading/?sh=3afb44928dc1  https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffkauflin/2021/04/14/coinbases-ipo-creates-a-multibillion-dollar-windfall-for-founders-now-it-faces-five-big-threats/?sh=13405d8e61ff  Brian Armstrong CNBC Interview on Transaction Fees: https://twitter.com/SquawkCNBC/status/1382279472599162880?s=20

In an interview I moderated at Real Vision’s “Crypto Gathering,” Peter L Brandt, veteran trader and publisher of the Factor Report, and Willy Woo, prominent on-chain Bitcoin analyst and author of the “The Bitcoin Forecast,” a market intelligence newsletter, discuss Bitcoin charts, trading, and how Bitcoin is evolving as an asset. They cover: why Peter believes that, with Bitcoin, we are watching history in the making and what a “parabolic advance” has to do with that belief (2:02) the differences in trading Bitcoin, which trades 24/7/365, in comparison to a normal asset -- like a stock or commodity (6:36 ) Willy’s price target for the top of this bull run (8:37) why Willy thinks there is a Bitcoin supply shock (12:12) the reason Peter does not think Bitcoin is a bubble (15:09) why Willy believes we are witnessing the birth of a new monetary system (17:23) the state of Bitcoin adoption and how fast adoption will grow (21:24) Peter’s crypto journey and why he measures wealth in Bitcoin instead of dollars (27:02 ) why Peter thinks we are prisoners of war to the fiat system and how Bitcoin fixes this (31:33) what sort of volatility both Peter and Willy expect going forward from Bitcoin (33:43) how Peter feels about the laser eyes trend on Crypto Twitter (39:35) tips for aspiring chartists and traders (41:33)   Thank you to our sponsors! Download the Crypto.com app and get $25 with the code “Laura”: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unchainedcardearnfeb2  Indexed Finance: https://indexed.finance/  Kyber Network: Dmm.exchange   Episode Links   Willy Woo Twitter: https://twitter.com/woonomic Website: http://charts.woobull.com/  Content Unchained podcast appearances https://unchainedpodcast.com/willy-woo-on-why-its-an-extremely-great-time-to-buy-bitcoin/ https://unchainedpodcast.com/willy-woo-how-bitcoin-reaches-up-to-300000-by-end-of-year/ Tweets https://twitter.com/woonomic/status/1347127159538688002?s=20 https://twitter.com/woonomic/status/1345221723751206912?s=20  https://twitter.com/woonomic/status/1346827893322616833  https://twitter.com/woonomic/status/1356310219215699968  https://twitter.com/woonomic/status/1379804421823942656  Peter L. Brandt Twitter https://twitter.com/PeterLBrandt Website: https://www.peterlbrandt.com/about-us/  Content Book https://www.amazon.com/Trading-Commodity-Futures-Classical-Patterns/ Tweets BTC https://twitter.com/PeterLBrandt/status/1372380949695053824 https://twitter.com/PeterLBrandt/status/1374816381837799424 https://twitter.com/PeterLBrandt/status/1368593967059767297  Crypto https://twitter.com/PeterLBrandt/status/1366810037084020736  USD https://twitter.com/PeterLBrandt/status/1368903818201600009 https://twitter.com/PeterLBrandt/status/1368383829098913795

Larry Cermak, director of research at The Block, discusses the upcoming Coinbase direct listing in light of the exchange’s recently released Q1 revenue hitting an impressive $1.8 billion. In this episode, Larry talks about: significant takeaways from Coinbase’s Q1 results (1:04) how Coinbase was able to increase its non-transaction revenue in Q1 and why he thinks the exchange gets away with charging higher fees than its competitors (4:14) why retail consumers are investing in crypto at such a high clip (8:36) how Coinbase compares to its competition -- and why competition will drive transaction fees down (11:23) whether it matters that Coinbase has so little Bitcoin on its balance sheet (14:52) what he still wants to know about Coinbase after its S-1 filing and Q1 results 15:36) products and services that Coinbase should acquire to round out its crypto offering (17:10) his expectations for Coinbase’s stock performance (17:50) why investors may not be interested in NFTs (19:37) how the crypto markets will perform in 2021 and how that might affect the COIN price (20:43) Crypto New Recap (22:40)    Thank you to our sponsors! Download the Crypto.com app and get $25 with the code “Laura”:  https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unchainedcardearnfeb2021   Check out InterPop, a superteam redefining the future of NFTs and fandom! https://hellointerpop.io/?utm_source=Unchained&utm_medium=episode-sponsorship&utm_campaign=interpop-launch&utm_content=interpop   Episode links:   Larry Cermak https://twitter.com/lawmaster   Coinbase Q1 Results Coinbase Details https://investor.coinbase.com/news/news-details/2021/Coinbase-Announces-First-Quarter-2021-Estimated-Results-and-Full-Year-2021-Outlook/default.aspx  Larry Cermak Analysis https://twitter.com/lawmaster/status/1379527265021743110  The Block https://www.theblockcrypto.com/genesis/100749/final-notes-ahead-of-the-coinbase-direct-listing?utm_source=research&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2021-04-08 John Street Capital https://twitter.com/JohnStCapital/status/1379526362692788227   Direct Listing Information https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/01/coinbase-direct-listing-set-for-april-14-after-sec-approval.html https://www.coindesk.com/coinbase-sec-form-s-1   Related Podcasts Gil Luria https://unchainedpodcast.com/is-coinbase-stock-a-good-buy-this-analyst-says-yes/ Jeff Roberts https://unchainedpodcast.com/coinbases-s-1-the-number-that-may-make-the-exchange-nervous/   Link to the Crypto News Recap: https://unchainedpodcast.com/happy-birthday-satoshi1/

Mark Cuban -- billionaire investor, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, and Shark Tank “shark” -- shares his thoughts on the Ethereum vs. BTC debate, issues with DeFi, and how NFTs could change content distribution. Tune in to hear Mark talk about... why ETH is a better store of value than BTC (1:08) why bitcoin as an inflation hedge is a bananas narrative 6:29) his opinion on EIP-1159 and the idea of proof of stake mining (9:06) why minting an NFT was a crypto-lightbulb moment for him (11:36) how his background in technology prepared him to invest in crypto (13:55) the main problem with the DeFi user experience and his advice for new DeFi users (16:34) what might happen to the centralized banking system if DeFi becomes the norm (20:46) how putting private data on a blockchain could work (25:53) why CBDC’s make “perfect sense” (32:11) how he evaluates decentralized business models and governance structures (41:13) his NFT investment thesis (47:09) who he believes will be the NFT winners in the long term (52:09) why Mavs tickets are a perfect example for how NFTs may be used in the future (54:55) industries that are ripe for NFT disruption (59:45) the many use cases for NFTs (1:01:48) why he is advising against minting social tokens (1:04:15)   Thank you to our sponsors!  Download the Crypto.com app and get $25 with the code “Laura”: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unchainedcardearnfeb2    Indexed Finance: https://indexed.finance/    Kyber Network: Dmm.exchange   Episode Links   Mark Cuban Personal website: https://markcubancompanies.com/marks-bio/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/mcuban    NFT Investment Lazy.com https://lazy.com/  https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/98974/mark-cuban-digital-art-gallery-nft Mintable https://cryptoslate.com/mark-cuban-invests-undisclosed-sum-in-nft-platform-mintable/ Esprezzo https://blog.esprezzo.io/esprezzo-raises-round-to-bring-no-code-automation-to-crypto-investors-nft-creators-collectors-defi-users OpenSea https://techcrunch.com/2021/03/18/nft-marketplace-opensea-raises-23-million-from-a16z/  SuperRare https://www.coindesk.com/cuban-chamath-back-nft-marketplace-superrares-9m-series-a Other https://markcubancompanies.com/blockchain/   Other Links Defiant Podcast (“ETH Has An Advantage Over Bitcoin”)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdGseBuuq_I Why DeFi is the Future | Mark Cuban on the Bankless Podcast https://shows.banklesshq.com/p/-why-defi-is-the-future-mark-cuban Mark Cuban: The Billionaire Crypto Degen on the Delphi Podcast https://www.delphidigital.io/reports/mark-cuban-the-billionaire-crypto-degen/ NFTs as ticketing disruptor https://cryptoslate.com/forget-overvalued-artwork-mark-cuban-sees-nft-ticketing-as-the-mass-market-disruptor/ Bananas video (2:16-3:49) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWBlN9o6Azc  CoinDesk interview https://www.coindesk.com/mark-cuban-bitcoin-nfts-blockchain-dallas-mavericks

Dave Jevans, CEO of Cipher Trace, talks about what the new draft guidance from the FATF (Financial Action Task Force) means for DeFi, NFTs, and crypto in general. In this show, he breaks down: the six main areas the draft guidance covers, including the expansion of KYC regulatory standards into DeFi (1:07) how a dex like Uniswap would operate under the proposed draft guidance, and which types of companies or services providers would have to take identifying customer information (3:54) why DeFi applications might start requiring customers to create an account to use their platforms (7:03) how the crypto community has reacted to the FATF draft guidance (8:59) whether NFTs are affected by the proposed draft guidance (11:01) who the FATF recommendations apply to (13:54) how to reach out to FATF to comment on the draft guidance (15:32) the nuances of the travel rule and how DeFi developers may now be forced to include KYC mechanisms in their applications (17:29) how the crypto community would likely want to tweak the guidance to align the philosophy of DeFi (21:27) Crypto News Recap (23:42)    Thank you to our sponsors! Download the Crypto.com app and get $25 with the code “Laura”:  https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unchainedcardearnfeb2021   Check out InterPop, a superteam redefining the future of NFTs and fandom! https://hellointerpop.io/?utm_source=Unchained&utm_medium=episode-sponsorship&utm_campaign=interpop-launch&utm_content=interpop   Episode Links   Dave Jevans Twitter: https://twitter.com/davejevans Cipher Trace: https://ciphertrace.com/ Previous Unchained episode:  https://unchainedpodcast.com/why-the-travel-rule-is-one-of-the-most-significant-regulations-in-crypto/ FATF Website: https://www.fatf-gafi.org/ Updated FATF draft guidance: http://www.fatf-gafi.org/media/fatf/documents/recommendations/March%202021%20-%20VA%20Guidance%20update%20-%20Sixth%20draft%20-%20Public%20consultation.pdf Analysis of draft guidance: CoinDesk: https://www.coindesk.com/fatfs-new-guidance Decrypt: https://decrypt.co/62600/fatf-money-laundering-rules-defi-nfts Coin Center: https://www.coincenter.org/a-quick-analysis-of-fatfs-2021-draft-cryptocurrency-guidance/ Cipher Trace: https://ciphertrace.com/analysis-proposed-fatf-guidance-for-virtual-assets-and-vasps/  Miscellaneous Links Travel Rule: https://www.coindesk.com/is-the-travel-rule-good-or-bad-for-crypto-both FinCEN: https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/fincen-looks-to-rein-in-cryptocurrency-6821323/    Link to the Crypto News Recap: https://unchainedpodcast.com/michael-jordans-nft-investment/

Olta Andoni, fintech and IP Attorney at Zlatkin Wong and adjunct professor at Chicago Kent College of Law, Tonya Evans, visiting Full Professor of Law at Penn State Dickinson Law School and host of the podcast Tech Intersect, and Stuart Levi, co-head of the Intellectual Property and Technology practice at Skadden Arps and coordinator of the firm's Blockchain and Digital Asset practice, break down the legal issues surrounding NFTs. In this episode, they discuss: how the law looks at non-fungible tokens (1:25) why owning an NFT is different from owning the rights to the underlying asset making up the NFT (3:12) problems that blockchain solves for creators  (5:09) how corporations (aka content intermediaries) are handling NFTs (6:53) what rights the purchase of an NFT gives a buyer (11:51) derivative artwork, the fair use copyright law, moral rights, and how U.S. law views NFTs (15:53) how to determine the jurisdiction of an NFT (25:00) what type of legal recourse is available to artists whose art has been stolen and redistributed as an NFT (32:37) the differences in the terms of services between NFT marketplaces  (36:26) why the first sale doctrine may not apply to digital assets (43:16) what a buyer is getting when purchasing a blockchain license (46:12) how NFT creators should protect their work (51:43) whether a fractionalized NFT is a security (55:25) how NFTs will change the business of content creation (58:44)   Thank you to our sponsors!  Download the Crypto.com app and get $25 with the code “Laura”: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unchainedcardearnfeb2    Indexed Finance: https://indexed.finance/    Episode Links   People Tonya Evans Twitter: https://twitter.com/IPProfEvans Penn State Dickinson Law: https://dickinsonlaw.psu.edu/tonya-m-evans  Relevant content: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tech-intersect-59-ping-prof-2-non-fungible-tokens-nfts/id1493143898?i=1000512485580 https://clarivate.com/darts-ip/blog/copyright-blockchain/  https://clarivate.com/darts-ip/blog/intro-to-ip-and-blockchain/  Olta Andoni Twitter: https://twitter.com/AndoniOlta?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor Zlatkin Wong: https://zlatkinwong.com/en/  Relevant content: https://www.coindesk.com/stop-tokenizing-art-you-dont-own  Stuart Levi LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stuartlevi/ Skadden: https://www.skadden.com/  Relevant content:  https://www.mondaq.com/unitedstates/fin-tech/799182/emerging-discovery-issues-in-blockchain-litigation    Legal Links Fair Use Doctrine: https://pitt.libguides.com/copyright/fairuse#:~:text=The%20doctrine%20of%20Fair%20Use,teaching%2C%20scholarship%2C%20and%20research. First Sale Doctrine: https://www.justice.gov/archives/jm/criminal-resource-manual-1854-copyright-infringement-first-sale-doctrine#:~:text=The%20first%20sale%20doctrine%2C%20codified,interests%20of%20the%20copyright%20owner Moral Rights: https://www.copyright.gov/policy/moralrights/ Digital Millennium Copyright Act https://www.copyright.gov/legislation/dmca.pdf  Visual Artists Rights Act http://www.law.harvard.edu/faculty/martin/art_law/esworthy.htm    Miscellaneous Links Banksy https://www.cbsnews.com/news/banksy-nft-injective-destroy-art-digital-token/ Fractionalized NFTs https://markets.businessinsider.com/currencies/news/sec-crypto-mom-hester-peirce-selling-nft-fragments-illegal-2021-3-1030250153 Dapper Labs License https://medium.com/dapperlabs/nft-license-2-0-why-a-nft-can-do-what-mickey-mouse-never-could-27673d5f29aa  TechnoLlama Blog https://www.technollama.co.uk/can-copyright-teach-us-anything-about-nfts

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez talks about how Miami plans to be the crypto capital of the world. In this show, he discusses: what Miami is doing to become the crypto capital of the world (1:40) why he feels so strongly about bringing crypto to Miami (3:09) the relationship between cryptocurrencies and government (4:08) why he believes that, in the future, governments will transaction in crypto, not fiat currency (5:26) his feelings about the FTX sponsorship proposal and how he convinced city officials to move past crypto’s tumultuous past (6:51) whether city of Miami employees have expressed interest in being paid in bitcoin (10:06) what needs to happen for Miami to be able to hold BTC in its treasury (11:25) how Mayor Suarez balances his interest in Bitcoin against his interest in mitigating the effects of climate change on Miami (14:24) Crypto News Recap (18:00)   Thank you to our sponsors!  Download the Crypto.com app and get $25 with the code “Laura”:  https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unchainedcardearnfeb2021   Check out InterPop, a superteam redefining the future of NTFs and fandom! https://hellointerpop.io/?utm_source=Unchained&utm_medium=episode-sponsorship&utm_campaign=interpop-launch&utm_content=interpop   Episode Links:   Francis Suarez - Mayor of Miami Twitter: https://twitter.com/FrancisSuarez    Miami and Crypto  Overview New York Times: https://www.nytimes3xbfgragh.onion/2021/03/23/business/dealbook/miami-suarez-crypto.html  CNBC interview: https://www.cnbc.com/video/2021/02/17/miami-mayor-francis-suarez-on-push-to-accept-bitcoin-attract-big-tech.html  Forbes Coverage: https://www.forbes.com/sites/rogerhuang/2021/02/01/miamis-mayor-leads-the-charge-to-bring-bitcoin-to-americas-largest-cities/?sh=5bbbbf68c6c9 https://www.forbes.com/sites/leeorshimron/2021/02/07/miami-mayor-francis-suarez-talks-bitcoin--building-a-tech-innovation-hub/?sh=1d1c40691a53  FTX Naming Rights Press Release: https://www.miamidade.gov/releases/2021-03-23-mayor-arena-agreement.asp  The Block: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/99134/report-ftx-miami-heat-stadium-vote  Bitcoin paying employees in BTC + investing treasury in BTC: https://twitter.com/francissuarez/status/1360069847971954690?lang=en   Link to the Crypto News Recap: https://unchainedpodcast.com/tesla-is-a-hodler/  

Ric Edelman, founder of Edelman Financial Engines, and Matthew Kolesky, president at Arbor Capital, discuss the state of Bitcoin adoption amongst financial advisors, who control $5 trillion in investor wealth. In this episode, they talk about: their background and why they got into crypto (1:25) how most RIAs (registered investment advisors) view digital assets and the hassle of buying crypto on a client’s behalf (8:59) what percentage of financial advisors have already invested in bitcoin and how many more will come into the space by next year (18:20) how RIADAC -- the RIA Digital Assets Council -- is educating financial advisors about crypto (21:59) their favorite methods to explain Bitcoin and other digital assets (25:22) the different ways financial advisors are getting bitcoin/crypto exposure for their clients (35:32) why RIAs use investment vehicles to purchase Bitcoin rather than spot-buying the actual asset (39:58) why GBTC is trading at a deficit to the bitcoin price and their thoughts on a bitcoin ETF (44:40) the percent allocation to crypto they feel comfortable with for their clients (54:26) how they rebalance crypto holdings, whether they use yield-bearing crypto products yet, and projections for 2021 (57:35)   Thank you to our sponsors!  Download the Crypto.com app and get $25 with the code “Laura”: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unchainedcardearnfeb2    Indexed Finance: https://indexed.finance/    Episode links: Ric Edelman Twitter: https://twitter.com/ricedelman?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor RIADAC: https://riadac.com/   Matt Kolesky Twitter: https://twitter.com/mkolesky  Arbor Capital: https://www.acminc.com/ + https://digital.arbor.capital/    Helpful Links: Bitwise ETF Trends + Survey of Financial Advisors https://static.bitwiseinvestments.com/Research/Bitwise-2021-Benchmark-Survey-Financial-Advisor-Attitudes-Toward-Cryptoassets.pdf Fidelity’s Bitcoin Investment Thesis https://www.fidelitydigitalassets.com/bin-public/060_www_fidelity_com/documents/FDAS/bitcoin-alternative-investment.pdf  RIADAC’s 12 Predictions for 2021 https://www.thinkadvisor.com/2021/01/07/ric-edelman-12-predictions-for-bitcoin-other-cryptos-in-2021/ RIADAC 1% Allocation strategy https://riadac.com/digital-assets-are-now-mainstream/its-still-early-with-tremendous-upside-potential/ Arbor Capital’s “True Digital Asset SMA” https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/arbor-digital-and-blockchange-partner-on-digital-asset-sma-for-registered-investment-advisors-301219459.html  Grayscale BTC Premium Flips Negative https://www.coindesk.com/grayscale-negative-premium-bitcoin Blockchange https://blockchange.ai/

MetaKovan, the pseudonymous buyer of Beeple’s Everydays NFT and founder of MetaPurse, talks about his recent $69 million purchase. In this episode, he discusses: why he bought Everydays: The First 5000 Days for $69 million (1:57) Beeple’s 13-year “proof of effort” process of creating art and why Beeple has the potential to become a generational artist (4:38) why he believes NFTs are “10x” better than physical art (9:40) his vision of the metaverse (13:57) the reasons for hiding his identity behind the Metakovan avatar (17:09) how he made his fortune in crypto and why he felt comfortable spending $69 million on something that might be a fad (19:12) why he started Metapurse and how its native B20 token works (24:31) crypto news recap (28:57)   Thank you to our sponsor! Download the Crypto.com app and get $25 with the code “Laura”: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unchainedcardearnfeb2    Episode Links   MetaKovan: https://twitter.com/metakovan?lang=en   Metapurse:  https://metapurse.fund/   Everydays: The First 5000 Days Purchase: https://www.coindesk.com/metakovan-buyer-of-record-setting-beeple-nft-explains-why-he-spent-69-3m https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/12/arts/beeple-nft-buyer-ether.html https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/12/buyer-of-69-million-beeple-nft-is-a-crypto-investo-metakovan.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/03/17/nft-beeple-metakovan-christies/ https://slate.com/technology/2021/03/metakovan-beeple-christies-auction-nfts.html    B20 Tokens: https://www.playtoearn.online/2021/01/13/metapurse-to-share-ownership-beeple-collection/ https://www.benzinga.com/markets/cryptocurrency/21/03/20195109/69m-beeple-nft-artwork-may-have-been-used-to-pump-b-20-token-price-by-6200-reports-suggest   Link to the Crypto News Recap: https://unchainedpodcast.com/3-publicly-traded-crypto-exchanges/  

Jamie Burke, CEO of Outlier Ventures, and Mason Nystrom, a research analyst at Messari, discuss the NFT craze that has enveloped the crypto world over the past few weeks. In this episode, they talk about: their backgrounds, and how they became involved in crypto (1:19) the major catalysts -- specifically Beeple and NBA Top Shot -- that have brought NFTs into the mainstream (5:29) why NFTs are a “megatrend” and not just another ICO-like bubble (13:35) how to explain non-fungible tokens to normies (18:06) what someone is actually purchasing when they buy an NFT (24:46) the reasons behind NBA Top Shot's success and why it is so difficult to withdraw money from its platform (36:27) the best way to scale NFTs and why Ethereum, despite severe storage limitations, will most likely remain the most popular blockchain on which to mint NFTs (41:44) why the gaming, fashion, and music industries will be disrupted by NFTs (49:37) when the current subscription-based business model for content creators will transition to the ownership economy (55:10) the differences between the marketplaces and platforms that make up the NFT economy (57:06) whether NFT valuations will go to zero and the challenges of appraising digital art (1:03:39) their predictions for the market capitalization of NFTs by the end of 2021 (1:15:23)   Thank you to our sponsors!  Download the Crypto.com app and get $25 with the code “Laura”: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unchainedcardearnfeb2021    Square: https://square.com/go/unchained    Episode Links:    Jamie Burke Twitter: https://twitter.com/jamie247  Outlier Ventures: https://twitter.com/OVioHQ  Content: the open metaverse: https://outlierventures.io/research/the-open-metaverse-os/  100xARt: https://art.art/blog/jamie-burke-and-100xart-a-true-story-of-the-rising-art-order  podcast: https://outlierventures.io/podcasts/    Mason Nystrom Twitter:  https://twitter.com/masonnystrom  Messari: https://messari.io/  Content: NFTs as an investment strategy: https://twitter.com/masonnystrom/status/1310942572429312010  evolution of content: https://twitter.com/masonnystrom/status/1361692703025729536  psychology of crypto art collecting: https://twitter.com/masonnystrom/status/1365028848509870080  the current state of NFTs: https://twitter.com/masonnystrom/status/1363283887691038720    NFT Sales Mentioned Beeple: https://www.cnn.com/style/article/beeple-first-nft-artwork-at-auction-sale-buyer-intl-scli/index.html  Previous Unconfirmed interview with Beeple: https://unchainedpodcast.com/beeple-on-how-and-why-he-raked-in-3-5-million/ Taco Bell: https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/8/22319868/taco-bell-nfts-gif-tacos-sell  3LAU: https://edm.com/gear-tech/3lau-record-breaking-nft-sale  Jack Dorsey Tweet: https://v.cent.co/tweet/20  Kings of Leon album: https://www.maxim.com/entertainment/kings-of-leon-releases-album-in-nft  NBA Top Shot: https://www.actionnetwork.com/news/nba-top-shot-blockchain-nba-highlight-marketplace    NFT Guides New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/22/business/nft-nba-top-shot-crypto.html?utm_source=morning_brew  DappRadar: https://dappradar.com/blog/what-are-non-fungible-tokens-nfts  Andrew Steinwold: https://andrewsteinwold.substack.com/p/-quick-overview-of-the-nft-ecosystem  Decrypt: https://decrypt.co/resources/non-fungible-tokens-nfts-explained-guide-learn-blockchain CoinDesk: https://www.coindesk.com/nfts-became-art-everything-nft    Miscellaneous Links:  Chris Dixon blog: https://a16z.com/2021/02/27/nfts-and-a-thousand-true-fans/  NFT market cap: https://nonfungible.com/market/history  Outlier Ventures decentralized accelerator program: https://outlierventures.io/base-camp/  Top NFT marketplaces (DappRadar): https://decrypt.co/resources/non-fungible-tokens-nfts-explained-guide-learn-blockchain  Jesse Walden’s “Ownership Economy”: https://variant.mirror.xyz/T8kdtZRIgy_srXB5B06L8vBqFHYlEBcv6ae2zR6Y_eo  Flow blockchain: https://www.onflow.org/primer

Brendan McGill, co-founder of Offsetra and Carbon.fyi, a company focused on reducing carbon emissions, talks about the environmental impact of NFTs. In this episode, Brendan discusses: his career as an environmentalist and how his sites intersect with crypto (1:07) why online art platform ArtStation canceled its plans to create an NFT program (3:21) what the environmental impact of NFTs actually is and why minting and transacting with NFTs has a greater environmental impact than for normal Ethereum transactions (5:21) misconceptions surrounding the environmental impact of NFT minting and why he believes artists should not be blamed for the carbon footprint calculated by Offsetra (6:57) what accounts for the emissions in NFT transactions and why it’s hard to calculate the exact environmental impact of any specific NFT, and why minting NFTs doesn’t necessarily increase emissions (7:32)  why NFTs aren’t really responsible for the bulk of emissions from Ethereum and why Brendan thinks the backlash against NFT creators for the environmental impact is unfair (12:02) how Offsetra and Carbon.fyi attempt to calculate the amount of ‘clean’ energy vs. fossil fuels used in PoW mining and what assumptions they use (13:59) the methods (and blockchains) artists are using to create “clean NFTs” (16:17) Crypto New Recap (16:17)   Thank you to our sponsor!  Download the Crypto.com app and get $25 with the code “Laura”: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unchainedcardearnfeb2021   Episode links: Brendan McGill: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendanmc6/   Offsetra:  website: https://offsetra.com/ Ethereum CO2 footprint calculator: https://carbon.fyi/ carbon.fyi methodology: https://carbon.fyi/learn    Reading Material: guide to ecofriendly NFTs https://github.com/memo/eco-nft fixing NFTs’ carbon pollution problem https://earther.gizmodo.com/how-to-fix-crypto-art-nfts-carbon-pollution-problem-1846440312 Other: statement from ArtStation https://magazine.artstation.com/2021/03/a-statement-from-artstation/ CryptoArt.wtf http://cryptoart.wtf/   Link to the Crypto News Recap: https://unchainedpodcast.com/a-69-million-nft/

Antonio Juliano, founder of the decentralized exchange dYdX, and Eli Ben-Sasson, cofounder of StarkWare, discuss the recent launch of dYdX on Ethereum layer 2 using StarkWare’s scaling technology. In this episode, they cover: what cross-margin perpetual trading is and why dYdX chose StarkWare to be its scaling partner (1:13) ZK rollups and how they contrast with optimistic rollups (8:49) how many transactions per second StarkWare can handle through its layer 2 solution (16:57) lessons learned and critical takeaways from their six months spent working together (20:15) the similarities between Ethereum and StarkNet (26:07) why Antonio believes that scalability is more important than composability (27:30) the benefits of decentralized exchanges and how dYdX fits into the dex marketplace (31:54) why dYdX chose Chainlink as its oracle provider, and how it got oracle prices onto layer 2, which previously had none (38:11) why Cairo, StarkWare’s Turing-complete programming language and platform, can be the “one verifier to rule them all” (42:10) what it was like for StarkWare to compete in the Great Reddit Scaling Bake-Off (45:41) whether or not DeFi could handle a GameStop/Robinhood situation (48:56) fair launch tokens versus VC tokens (54:12) the likelihood of dYdX and StarkWare each creating a token (58:19) upcoming developments and projects for both companies (1:02:14)   Thank you to our sponsors!  Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unchainedcardearnfeb2021  Download the Crypto.com app here: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/laurashinpodcasttesla   Square: https://square.com/go/unchained   Episode Links: Antonio Juliano Twitter: https://twitter.com/AntonioMJuliano  Eli Ben-Sasson Twitter: https://twitter.com/EliBenSasson  dYdX Twitter: https://twitter.com/dydxprotocol Website: https://dydx.exchange/  Exchange: https://alpha.dydx.exchange/trade/BTC-USD  Reading Material Recent funding: https://www.coindesk.com/big-guns-back-10m-investment-in-defis-dydx  2020 in review: https://dydx.exchange/2020.pdf  Decrypt profile: https://decrypt.co/resources/dydx-ethereum-margin-trading-platform-explained-learn  Medium post: https://medium.com/dydxderivatives/introducing-dydx-2d0f0f326fd StarkWare Twitter: https://twitter.com/StarkWareLtd  Website: https://starkware.co/  Reading Material: ZK roll-up explainer: https://medium.com/starkware/on-the-road-to-starknet-a-permissionless-stark-powered-l2-zk-rollup-83be53640880  Understanding Cairo: https://medium.com/starkware/hello-cairo-3cb43b13b209  Funding: https://www.coindesk.com/paradigm-leads-30-million-funding-for-crypto-privacy-startup-starkware dYdX and StarkWare Relationship Original Twitter announcement (2020):  https://twitter.com/dydxprotocol/status/1295791012552597507?s=20  The Block’s original coverage:  https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/75209/dex-dydx-starkware-layer-2  Layer 2 is live announcement:  https://twitter.com/dydxprotocol/status/1364591430447091719  Blog post on why dYdX is moving to Layer 2 (2021):  https://dydx.exchange/blog/alpha  CoinDesk’s coverage:  https://www.coindesk.com/defi-tech-cefi-speed-dydx-touts-new-starkware-integration    Other CoinDesk on Ethereum Layer 1 vs. Ethereum Layer 2: https://www.coindesk.com/value-layer-one-layer-two Roll-ups as throughput solutions: https://www.coindesk.com/ethereum-dapps-rollups-heres-why Vitalik on optimistic rollups vs. ZK-rollups:  https://vitalik.ca/general/2021/01/05/rollup.html Antonio showing how dYdX works: https://twitter.com/AntonioMJuliano/status/1364760651579551744 Optimistic Rollup Dilemma (written by StarkWare) https://medium.com/starkware/the-optimistic-rollup-dilemma-c8fc470ca10c ChainLink Tweet on dYdX + StarkWare relationship: https://twitter.com/chainlink/status/1364726829702148102  The Great Reddit Scaling Bake-Off https://www.reddit.com/r/ethereum/comments/hbjx25/the_great_reddit_scaling_bakeoff/