Empire

In this episode of Empire, Santi is joined by Steven Goldfeder and Raul Jordan to discuss the Prsymatic Labs acquisition and the future of Arbitrum. We cover Arbitrum's approach to state growth, AnyTrust chains, developer usability, ZK tech and more. And trust me, Steven's take on enterprises leveraging crypto is worth staying until the end! - - Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (03:57) Arbitrum Acquires Prysmatic Labs (09:04) Monetizing Open Source & Building For Ethereum (17:29) State Growth, ZK Tech And L2 Innovations (31:14) Are L2s Ready For Prime Time? (35:51) Circle Ad (37:33) Arbitrum AnyTrust Chains (42:40) User & Developer Acquisition (46:31) What Changed After The Merge? (49:31) Reddit Points & Enterprise Interest (1:00:11) L1 Censorship Risk - - Follow Steven: https://twitter.com/sgoldfed Follow Raul: https://twitter.com/rauljordaneth Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ -- Circle’s USDC has quickly become one of the most trusted and widely used stablecoins because of its composability, stability and reserve transparency. As a seamless, trusted digital currency, USDC is a zero-to-one opportunity for the global financial system. Check out their Transparency Hub at http://empirepodcast.link/circle that outlines everything from links to USDC weekly reserve reports, monthly attestations, and blog posts written by their executive team highlighting how and why USDC was built the way it is. - - Resources Offchain Labs website https://offchainlabs.com/ - - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

In this episode of Empire's Weekly Roundup, we discuss Reddit embracing NFTs, Apple's new NFT policy, the future of stablecoins (FedCoin?), Elon's Twitter takeover and more. Tune in for the spiciest stories and takes of the week! - - Timestamps: (00:00) Intro (02:41) Tech Stocks, VR & Elon Twitter Takeover (14:25) Apple’s NFT Announcement, Bullish? (23:17) Reddit Brings NFTs To $3M+ Users (29:33) What Makes Crypto Special (36:57) FTX Stablecoin Rumors & FedCoin Talk (48:14) Solana Virtual Machine Alpha - - Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/G_C_Harp Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ -- Circle’s USDC has quickly become one of the most trusted and widely used stablecoins because of its composability, stability and reserve transparency. As a seamless, trusted digital currency, USDC is a zero-to-one opportunity for the global financial system. Check out their Transparency Hub at http://empirepodcast.link/circle that outlines everything from links to USDC weekly reserve reports, monthly attestations, and blog posts written by their executive team highlighting how and why USDC was built the way it is. - - Resources Vibe Bio Empire Podcast https://spoti.fi/3FnQ2Uk Nudge (book) https://amzn.to/3DbVzuJ Matt Levine's crypto manifesto https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2022-the-crypto-story/ Chris Burniske's tweet on the SVM https://twitter.com/cburniske/status/1585346624574083072 - - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

In this episode of Empire, Santi is joined by Zack Skelly and Aurora Harshner to discuss the challenges and opportunities of the Web3 talent market. How should employees and companies think about token compensation? Is compensation transparency an opportunity or a liability? How can we bring more talent to crypto? And what should you think about when joining a Web3 company? Tune in for these answers and more! - - Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (04:23) Crypto's Talent Pool (13:40) What Positions Are Companies Hiring? (22:05) Hiring Anons, DAOs & The Future of Work (29:06) Circle Ad (30:48) Opportunities & Challenges Of Token Compensation (51:53) Back Channeling and References (58:07) Recruiting Tactics (1:03:36) How Do You Convey Culture? - - Follow Zack: https://twitter.com/zorkary Follow Aurora: https://twitter.com/aharshner Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ -- Circle’s USDC has quickly become one of the most trusted and widely used stablecoins because of its composability, stability and reserve transparency. As a seamless, trusted digital currency, USDC is a zero-to-one opportunity for the global financial system. Check out their Transparency Hub at http://empirepodcast.link/circle that outlines everything from links to USDC weekly reserve reports, monthly attestations, and blog posts written by their executive team highlighting how and why USDC was built the way it is. - - Resources Aurora's website https://www.auroraharshner.com/ Dragonfly's Job Board https://jobs.dragonfly.xyz/jobs Dragonfly's Medium https://medium.com/dragonfly-research - - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

In this episode of Empire's Weekly Roundup, we discuss the highly contentious launch of Aptos, a new L1 blockchain marketing 160K+ TPS. We debate the bull vs bear case for Aptos and ask, "Do we need another L1 blockchain?". We then discuss SBF's new article on crypto regulation, why data availability matters, Binance voting on behalf of users, AI in crypto and more! - - Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (10:55) Aptos L1, Bull vs Bear (17:33) SBF & Crypto Regulation (29:44) Binance Voting on Uniswap With User Tokens (37:51) What Is Celestia And Data Availability? (45:54) AI Is Coming For Crypto - - Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/G_C_Harp Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ -- Circle’s USDC has quickly become one of the most trusted and widely used stablecoins because of its composability, stability and reserve transparency. As a seamless, trusted digital currency, USDC is a zero-to-one opportunity for the global financial system. Check out their Transparency Hub at http://empirepodcast.link/circle that outlines everything from links to USDC weekly reserve reports, monthly attestations, and blog posts written by their executive team highlighting how and why USDC was built the way it is. - - Resources Michelle on Empire https://spoti.fi/3MQDWVz Possible Digital Asset Industry Standards (SBF article) https://www.ftxpolicy.com/posts/possible-digital-asset-industry-standards Dan Smith's tweet thread on Binance & Uniswap https://bit.ly/3Dc8y0C Westie's tweet thread on Eigen Layer https://twitter.com/blockworksres/status/1582379353492496384 The Singularity Is Near (book) https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/83518.The_Singularity_is_Near How To Create A Mind (book) https://bit.ly/3yXEUtm AI Superpowers (book) https://bit.ly/3VDTss1 Storyworthy (book) https://bit.ly/3CIf0Lm - - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

In this episode of Empire, Jason and Santi are joined by Meltem Demirors to discuss the creation and monetization of culture. We explore how culture is already monetized today, just indirectly, and that crypto-based market microstructure will be the catalyst for the fusion of a new culture-meets-capital paradigm. Where is the market shifting today, and what are the biggest opportunities ahead? Trust me, this is a must-listen if you are interested in NFTs, financial markets or the creation of culture. - - Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (01:29) Crypto Is A Market Structure Story (06:09) Everything Is Perception & Speculation (12:38) Arbitraging Culture (21:47) Where's The Utility? Culture Is Utility (30:22) Circle Ad (32:05) Why NFT Communities Don’t Scale (36:31) IP, Mimetic Transmission and Community (42:22) Boomer ETH NFTs & Lower Price Points (45:47) The Biggest Opportunities? (57:49) Culture Is Not Emergent, It’s Manufactured (1:08:34) Read Sci-Fi, Here’s Why - - Follow Meltem: https://twitter.com/Melt_Dem Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ -- Circle’s USDC has quickly become one of the most trusted and widely used stablecoins because of its composability, stability and reserve transparency. As a seamless, trusted digital currency, USDC is a zero-to-one opportunity for the global financial system. Check out their Transparency Hub at http://empirepodcast.link/circle that outlines everything from links to USDC weekly reserve reports, monthly attestations, and blog posts written by their executive team highlighting how and why USDC was built the way it is. - - Resources Reminiscences of a Stock Operator https://amzn.to/3rTNWUw A Survey of NFT Licenses: Facts & Fictions (Galaxy) https://bit.ly/3MqIhid -- Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

In this episode of Empire's Weekly Roundup, Jason and Santi share their thoughts on the state of the market, the endless hacks in crypto and a few of the latest innovations. Santi gives his unique private-market insights, Jason gives a behind-the-scenes look at Blockworks, and the duo discuss the biggest story of the week: the Binance and Mango Markets Exploit. We then discuss the 3 big ZK-rollup announcements (scaling season?), Arbitrum's acquisition, and more! - - Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (02:16) What's Changed At Blockworks During The Bear? (06:53) State of Venture, Macro And Crypto Markets (21:39) Does Everything Need A Token? (26:14) Hacks, Exploits And More Hacks (Binance, Mango) (39:43) Yuga Labs & Regulation By Enforcement (48:08) ZK Tech Is Here (51:56) Arbitrum Acquires Prysmatic Labs (55:36) Coinbase News, Stephane Resigns, PayPal & More - - Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw - - Referenced in the show: Cosmos podcast https://spoti.fi/3S3W9zP GCR's "inside job" tweet https://twitter.com/GCRClassic/status/1579837794675216384 Rebecca & Jake regulation podcast https://spoti.fi/3rSZMOw Scroll's zkEVM podcast https://spoti.fi/3rTXO0w Polygon deep dive by Blockworks Research https://bit.ly/3S3Wti1 Starkware podcast https://spoti.fi/3Vqu88v Influence Empire (book) https://bit.ly/3T9CLTc David Marcus tweet criticizing PayPal https://twitter.com/davidmarcus/status/1578795041719750663 -- Circle’s USDC has quickly become one of the most trusted and widely used stablecoins because of its composability, stability and reserve transparency. As a seamless, trusted digital currency, USDC is a zero-to-one opportunity for the global financial system. Check out their Transparency Hub at circle.com/transparency that outlines everything from links to USDC weekly reserve reports, monthly attestations, and blog posts written by their executive team highlighting how and why USDC was built the way it is. Learn more at: http://empirepodcast.link/circle -- Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

In this episode of Empire, Jason is joined by Michelle Bailhe Fradin, Partner at Sequoia for a wide ranging discussion on venture capital in crypto. Michelle shares her thoughts on the fat protocol thesis, how infrastructure development is necessary for application growth, changing business models during a bear market and what the biggest opportunities for growth are in this environment. To hear all of this and more, you'll have to tune in! -- Follow Michelle: https://twitter.com/michellebailhe Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ -- Circle’s USDC has quickly become one of the most trusted and widely used stablecoins because of its composability, stability and reserve transparency. As a seamless, trusted digital currency, USDC is a zero-to-one opportunity for the global financial system. Check out their Transparency Hub at circle.com/transparency that outlines everything from links to USDC weekly reserve reports, monthly attestations, and blog posts written by their executive team highlighting how and why USDC was built the way it is. -- Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (01:05) Ask Not Wen Moon–Ask Why Moon (04:34) The Fat Protocol Thesis (12:58) The Myth of The Infrastructure Phase (16:57) Where Is Sequoia Seeing Opportunity In Crypto? (18:53) The State of Crypto VC Funding (23:10) Circle Ad (24:52) What Metrics Do VC's Track In Crypto? (33:29) How Business Models Change In A Bear Market (36:12) Rethinking Crypto Business Models (38:19) How Active Is Sequoia In Governance? (39:52) Michelle's Thesis On DAOs (48:02) How The VC Landscape Is Changing (53:33) Opportunities Outside of Crypto - - Referenced In The Show: Ask Not Wen Moon–Ask Why Moon: https://www.sequoiacap.com/article/ask-not-wen-moon-ask-why-moon/ Fat Protocols https://www.usv.com/writing/2016/08/fat-protocols/ The Myth of The Infrastructure Phase: https://www.usv.com/writing/2018/10/the-myth-of-the-infrastructure-phase/ -- Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

In this episode of Empire's Weekly Roundup, we discuss one area of the market many aren’t paying attention to, private order flow (POF). As well as POF, Sushiswap announced a new head chef, MakerDAO plans to invest $500M in US treasurys and many VCs are looking to gaming for the next big opportunity in crypto? To hear all this and more, you’ll have to tune in! -- Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (01:30) Sushiswap Brings In A New Head Chef (15:38) Uniswap & The App-Chain Thesis (28:15) Private Order Flow Is The New MEV (40:30) The Biggest Winners In MEV (43:00) Gaming: Crypto’s Biggest Opportunity (1:02:30) MakerDAO To Invest $500M in US Treasurys & Corporate Bonds -- Follow Vance Follow Michael Follow Jason Follow Bell Curve -- Referenced In The Show: SushiSwap ‘Head Chef’ Election Settled by GoldenTree, Cumberland https://blockworks.co/sushiswap-election-settled-by-goldentree-cumberland/ - Core, from Ava Labs, is more than just a wallet. It’s a free, non-custodial browser extension that gives Avalanche users a more seamless and secure Web3 experience. Download Core today at https://www.core.app/ - - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mike, Jason, Michael, Vance and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

In this episode of Empire, Jason and Santi are joined by Eli Ben-Sasson and Uri Kolodny to discuss Starkware and the ZK-rollup future. This episode is an absolute masterclass on scaling Ethereum using zero-knowledge proofs and a fractal architecture. We discuss the limits of L1 scaling, ZK vs Optimistic rollups, native L2 programming languages, Layer 3 applications and much more! - - Timestamps: (00:00) Intro (00:32) The Limits of L1 Scaling (05:30) Optimistic vs ZK Rollups (14:40) Why ZK Rollups Lag Optimistic Rollups in TVL (19:10) Advantages of the Cairo Programming Language (26:57) L1 Apps Building for an L2 World (30:01) Circle Ad (31:43) dYdX’s Move From Starkware to Cosmos (37:15) MEV, Bitcoin and Cairo 1.0 Adoption (46:23) Layer 3 Scaling (57:38) What Comes Next - - Follow Eli: https://twitter.com/EliBenSasson Follow Uri: https://twitter.com/ukolodny Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw - - Resources Vitalik's post on fractal scaling https://vitalik.ca/general/2022/09/17/layer_3.html Starkware https://starkware.co/ -- Circle’s USDC has quickly become one of the most trusted and widely used stablecoins because of its composability, stability and reserve transparency. As a seamless, trusted digital currency, USDC is a zero-to-one opportunity for the global financial system. Check out their Transparency Hub at circle.com/transparency that outlines everything from links to USDC weekly reserve reports, monthly attestations, and blog posts written by their executive team highlighting how and why USDC was built the way it is. - - Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

In this episode of Empire's Weekly Roundup, the Blockworks Research team takes over the pod! We start with a debate on the implications of ATOM 2.0 and USDC launching on Cosmos. Is ATOM no longer a meme coin? Does everything revolve around MEV? What opportunities does native USDC unlock for the Cosmos ecosystem? We then discuss the feasibility of reversible on-chain transactions, the next NFT catalyst and how Polygon is a relentless business development machine. Tune in for all of this and more! And don't worry, Jason and Santi will be back next week. - - Timestamps: (00:00 Introduction (01:15) ATOM 2.0 & USDC Cosmos Announcement (20:09) GMX MEV Opportunity Explained (23:33) Politicians Continue to Fight Crypto (26:37) Centre & USDC Dominance (29:45) Reversible Transactions (38:41) The Next NFT Catalyst (42:22) Polygon’s Business Development (47:39) Blockworks Research - - Follow Matt: https://twitter.com/MattFiebach Follow Dan: https://twitter.com/smyyguy Follow Sam: https://twitter.com/swmartin19 Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/G_C_Harp Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw - - Referenced in the show: Youssef Amrani's tweet on ATOM 2.0 https://bit.ly/3RwU1Re Polka tweet on GMX MEV Opportunity https://bit.ly/3LRO2VR Blockworks Research Twitter https://twitter.com/blockworksres Blockworks Research Newsletter https://blockworks.co/newsletter/daily-debrief-by-blockworks-research/ -- Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

In this episode of Empire, Jason and Santi are joined by Cooper Turley, aka Coopahtroopa, for a master class on music NFTs. We all listen to music every day, yet monetization for 99% of artists is abysmal. Coop explains how artists can leverage Web3 to maximize revenue, fan engagement and creativity. We explore how music NFTs work, why they have value, which artists should participate and how Web3 will revolutionize the music industry. Cooper is an absolute expert, you won't want to miss it! - - Timestamps: (00:00) Intro (02:00) Coop Records & Intro to Music NFTs (06:50) The Evolution of Music Monetization (11:30) How to Value Music NFTs (14:41) Artists as CEOs & the Music NFT Market (22:59) Circle Ad (24:41) Should Every Artist Create Music NFTs? (28:57) Do Music NFTs Need Utility? (37:40) One-of-Ones vs Collections (41:35) AI-Generated Music & Virtual Artists (47:05) Monetization, Fan Data and the Innovator's Dilemma (53:16) Incubating Artists, Creator Equity Tokens & Community (1:00:01) Tokenized Media & Rapid Fire Questions - - Follow Cooper: https://twitter.com/Cooopahtroopa Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw - - Resources Relics by Monstercat https://relics.xyz/ Hume https://www.wearehume.com/ Coop's Substack https://thisweekinmusicnfts.substack.com/ Coop Records https://www.cooprecords.xyz/ -- Circle’s USDC has quickly become one of the most trusted and widely used stablecoins because of its composability, stability and reserve transparency. As a seamless, trusted digital currency, USDC is a zero-to-one opportunity for the global financial system. Check out their Transparency Hub at circle.com/transparency that outlines everything from links to USDC weekly reserve reports, monthly attestations, and blog posts written by their executive team highlighting how and why USDC was built the way it is. - - Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

In this episode of Empire's Weekly Roundup, Jason is joined by 0xpibblez and Westie from Blockworks Research to discuss this week's biggest stories. We start with the $160M Wintermute hack, Nasdaq's new custody offering and why pibblez is staying away from algo stablecoin governance tokens. We then discuss Arbitrum's white hat hacker, why the Cosmos ecosystem might start seeing more exploits, how DAOs should codify their cap tables and more! - - Timestamps (00:00) Introduction (00:38) Who The F*ck is Buying ETH Right Now? (01:46) Wintermute $160M Vanity Address Hack (14:36) Nasdaq's Crypto Custody Announcement (17:31) New Draft Stablecoin Bill (25:44) Avalanche Ad (27:12) Arbitrum Vulnerability Exposed (34:44) Rari Fuse Hack Payment - - Follow Pibblez: https://twitter.com/0xpibblez Follow Westie: https://twitter.com/WestieCapital Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw - - Referenced in the show: Arbitrum white hat hacker (Riptide) blog https://medium.com/@0xriptide/hackers-in-arbitrums-inbox-ca23272641a2 Riptide's tweet asking if Arbitrum would have been insolvent https://twitter.com/0xriptide/status/1572269938580115456 -- Core, from Ava Labs, is more than just a wallet. It’s a free, non-custodial browser extension that gives Avalanche users a more seamless and secure Web3 experience. Download Core today at https://www.core.app/ -- Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

In this episode of Empire, Jason and Santi are joined by Zaki Manian and Jack Zampolin to explore the past, present and future of the Cosmos ecosystem and tech stack. What are the advantages of application-specific chains? How will IBC and Interchain security shape the future of cross-chain interactions? What is ATOM 2.0? We discuss these questions and more in this Cosmos deep dive. - - Follow Zaki: https://twitter.com/zmanian Follow Jack: https://twitter.com/jackzampolin Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw -- Timecodes: (00:00) Introduction (01:21) History of Cosmos & Tendermint (18:18) App-Chain Thesis (30:47) DyDx's Move to Cosmos (40:57) Circle Ad (42:39) Cosmos & ATOM Value Accrual (50:29) ATOM 2.0 Alpha (52:33) Asynchronous Composability, Flash Loans and New Innovations (1:05:44) Expanding Cosmos, MEV and IBC Ethereum (1:16:52) Pros and Cons of the Cosmos Developer Collective -- Circle’s USDC has quickly become one of the most trusted and widely used stablecoins because of its composability, stability and reserve transparency. As a seamless, trusted digital currency, USDC is a zero-to-one opportunity for the global financial system. Check out their Transparency Hub at circle.com/transparency that outlines everything from links to USDC weekly reserve reports, monthly attestations, and blog posts written by their executive team highlighting how and why USDC was built the way it is. - - Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

In this episode of Empire's Weekly Roundup, Jason and Santi discuss the most anticipated event in crypto's history: the merge. It finally happened. How does the successful transition to PoS change ETH's narrative? Where will the market's attention shift next? How important is the ESG-friendly narrative? We also explore the Cosmos & multichain thesis, liquid staking derivative yields, the Doodle raise controversy and more! -- (00:00) Introduction (00:20) Happy Merge Day (12:06) Liquid Staking Derivatives (19:12) Cosmos & the Multichain Thesis (31:08) Core Ad (32:36) New Coinbase Politics Feature & DAS (38:12) Doodles Raise Controversy & NFT speculation (49:18) Figma Acquired by Adobe, Do Kwon & Book Recs - - Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw - - Referenced in the show: Travis Kling, Empire podcast https://spoti.fi/3qFbgV9 Fred Wilson's blog on Ethereum flows https://avc.com/2022/08/the-merge/ LSDs are up only tweet https://twitter.com/mhonkasalo/status/1570060055789146114 Brian Armstrong's tweet on Coinbase's new politician feature https://twitter.com/brian_armstrong/status/1570133078022160384 Fixed Rate Lending Unlock, Bell Curve podcast https://spoti.fi/3Dugefd Building Market Microstructure for NFTs https://bit.ly/3Sp54Nd -- Core, from Ava Labs, is more than just a wallet. It’s a free, non-custodial browser extension that gives Avalanche users a more seamless and secure Web3 experience. Download Core today at https://www.core.app/ -- Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

In this episode of Empire, Jason is joined by Bill Barhydt, founder of Abra, to discuss the 80-year debt cycle, Bill's crypto thesis and the future of Web3 banking. We start with macro, Q4 predictions and the "big Fed pause". We then discuss Bill's BTC and ETH investment thesis and the concept of a Web3 bank. Tune in to the end, where Bill announces a new product that could shape the future of financial services. - - (00:00) Introduction (01:32) The 80-Year Debt Cycle & the Big Fed Pause (15:35) ETH vs Bitcoin Investment Thesis (26:10) Circle Ad (27:33) Abra's Outperformance in the Bear Market (30:02) Ingredients for the Bank of the Future (41:56) Announcing Abra Bank, the Bank of Web3 - - Follow Bill: https://twitter.com/billbarhydt Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw - - Resources Abra https://www.abra.com/ The Blocksize War book https://amzn.to/3xf0IQw -- Circle’s USDC has quickly become one of the most trusted and widely used stablecoins because of its composability, stability and reserve transparency. As a seamless, trusted dollar digital currency, USDC is a zero-to-one opportunity for the global financial system. Check out their Transparency Hub at circle.com/transparency that outlines everything from links to USDC weekly reserve reports, monthly attestations, and blog posts written by their executive team highlighting how and why USDC was built the way it is. -- Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

In this episode of Empire's Weekly Roundup, Jason and Santi discuss the upcoming Ethereum merge and how to maximize your profit opportunity (warning: this is not financial advice). We also explore Coinbase's $1.6B Maker DAO proposal, Binance's BUSD announcement, value accrual frameworks, and more! - - (00:00) Intro (02:23) A Web3 CRM (04:48) How to Prep for the ETH merge (19:30) MakerDAO Proposal To Send $1.6B USDC to Coinbase Prime (27:24) Avalanche Ad (28:50) Coinbase Deal (36:16) Coinbase Backs Tornado Lawsuit Against the Treasury Department (40:45) Binance BUSD Announcement (46:02) Where Will Value Accrue In Crypto? (53:15) Chaos Labs, Mysten Labs & Fund Raises (59:20) Podcast & Book Recommendations - - Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw - - Referenced in the show: Tomasz Tunguz articles https://tomtunguz.com/ Robert Leshner's tweet thread on the merge https://twitter.com/rleshner/status/1559727104903757826 Katie Haun - Tornado Cash: What web3 Needs to Know https://bit.ly/3x9w4b8 Doug Colkitt blockspace fee tweet thread https://twitter.com/0xdoug/status/1566491825942237184 Bell Curve podcast https://spoti.fi/3DbPpwm Take Notes podcast https://spoti.fi/3Qow1yY Matthew Ball's new Metaverse book https://www.matthewball.vc/metaversebook -- Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

In this episode of Empire, Jason and Mike are joined by Kain Warwick, founder of Synthetix. This is one of my favorite episodes where we discuss why protocol fees are the next meta, the value of liquidity mining and token incentives, Synthetix's roadmap, protocol-specific stablecoins and much more! - - (00:00) Introduction (02:06) Protocol Revenue KPIs (10:40) Do open-source protocols have moats? (19:55) Airdrops, liquidity mining and attempts to grow TVL (28:00) Framing the cost of liquidity mining: cash vs equity (31:43) B2B permissoned composability and Protocol M&A (37:56) Token supply caps & path dependency (49:35) Should protocols retain or distribute fees (52:10) Payment for order flow (54:36) Synthetix’s End Game (1:00:16) Why DAOs will outcompete traditional organizations (1:04:38) Synthetix v3, Regulation and Liquidity-as-a-Service (1:12:46) Why Synthetix is removing inflation (1:16:04) Protocol-specific stablecoins & MakerDAO’s USDC reliance - - Follow Kain: https://twitter.com/kaiynne Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Mike: https://twitter.com/MikeIppolito_ Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw - - Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

In this episode of Empire's Weekly Roundup, Jason and Santi discuss MakerDAO's end game. Maker is often called the backbone of DeFi and will have to choose if the protocol embraces regulation or maximizes decentralization. We explore Rune's recent proposal, Maker's two options and why we are bullish. We also discuss Michael Saylor's tax evasion lawsuit, the release of Arbitrum Nitro, the governance timelock debate and a new Aave proposal. -- (00:00) Introduction (02:36) Michael Saylor accused of tax fraud (08:30) Maker DAO’s End Game & Crypto’s Potential Compromise (21:06) Core Ad (22:33) Crypto's Potential Compromise Cont. (29:01) Compound Bug and the Governance Timelock Debate (35:58) Arbitrum Nitro Launch (41:23) Aave ETH Lending Proposal & Merge Craziness (44:30) DeFi Will Lead the Way In the Next Bull - - Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw - - Referenced in the show: Rune's post on "free float" DAI https://bit.ly/3RskrDL Jason's tweet announcing he's now a MakerDAO delegate https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz/status/1564310872423645184 Sam Martin's tweet on Arbitrum vs Optimism usage https://twitter.com/swmartin19/status/1565339068069584901 -- Core, from Ava Labs, is more than just a wallet. It’s a free, non-custodial browser extension that gives Avalanche users a more seamless and secure Web3 experience. Download Core today at https://www.core.app/ -- Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ -- Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Blockworks just released a new podcast called Bell Curve! We're dropping the pilot episode here as we think you might want to add this podcast to the lineup. Season one of Bell Curve revolves around our DeFi credit boom thesis. Simply put, CeFi's implosion will create a DeFi credit boom that will bring new users and fixed-rate lending markets to DeFi. What products will be created? Who will be the users of these products? Where will capital flow first? These are a few of the questions we'll explore as we put our thesis to the test. Join Jason and Mike in this season one pilot episode, where we provide context for our thesis and explain what you should expect in the upcoming episodes. If you consider yourself a curious degen, builder or investor: this show is for you. - - Follow Mike: https://twitter.com/MikeIppolito_ Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Bell Curve: https://twitter.com/thebellcurvepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3R1D1D9 Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3pQTfmD Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3cpKZXH - - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Bell Curve is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mike, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

In this episode of Empire, Jason and Santi are joined by Rebecca Rettig and Jake Chervinsky to discuss the state of crypto regulation. We explore what Tornado Cash sanctions mean for crypto, how to define decentralization, if tokens will be considered securities, Ethereum censorship, what to expect from future regulation and more! - - (00:00) Introduction (01:18) Tornado Cash Sanctions (16:09) Defining Decentralization (26:17) What Has Been Most Damaging to Crypto? (31:03) Do Regulators Understand the Nuances of Crypto? (37:35) What Regulations Should Be Prioritized Today? (39:27) A Focus on User Protection (46:17) Getting Congress on Our Side (59:45) The SEC's Attack on Crypto (Coinbase) (1:01:02) Uniswap Fee Switch Implications (1:08:17) ETH Validators & OFAC Compliance (1:19:27) Permissionless vs Permissioned DeFi - - Follow Rebecca: https://twitter.com/RebeccaRettig1 Follow Jake: https://twitter.com/jchervinsky Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw - - Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

In this episode of Empire's Weekly Roundup, Jason and Santi discuss how DAOs should fund protocol development, why liquidity providers aren't considered creditors, the future of staking derivatives, app vs protocol value capture and much more! - - Timestamps (00:00) Aave’s Retroactive Funding, Protocol Development and Web3 Consultants (17:52) Coinbase Announces a New Staking Derivative (25:55) The Fei Protocol Shutdown and Liquidity Providers as Creditors Debate (32:28) Avalanche Ad (33:56) The Fei Protocol Shutdown and Liquidity Providers as Creditors Debate cont. (39:24) Fat Protocol vs Application Thesis (52:27) Crypto Needs Regulatory Clarity and Fixed Rate Lending - - Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw - - Referenced in the show: Byron's Blockworks Newsletter https://blockworks.co/newsletter/daily/?id=28814320 ETH Staking Distribution Charts https://dune.com/sixdegree/ethereum-the-merge Westie Tweet on the Fat Application Thesis https://twitter.com/WestieCapital/status/1562079476837765120 -- Core, from Ava Labs, is more than just a wallet. It’s a free, non-custodial browser extension that gives Avalanche users a more seamless and secure Web3 experience. Download Core today at https://www.core.app/ -- Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ -- Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

The US Treasury's sanctions on Tornado Cash could go down as one of the most significant events in crypto's history. The implications and nuances are vast, so we've decided to do something a little different for today's episode. On August 12th, Jill Gunter and Michael Mosier from Espresso Systems hosted a Twitter Space on Tornado's sanctions, financial privacy and regulation. We've teamed up with Jill and Michael to share this epic conversation with a wider audience. This is a massive episode, almost 3 hours, but it's full of profound insights and has an all-star lineup of speakers. I highly recommend listening if you want to learn more about the recent sanctions and where regulation is heading! Shoutout to @f1v3am and @nedbgq, who provided a recording of the conversation and made this episode possible. -- Follow Jill: https://twitter.com/jillrgunter Follow Michael: https://twitter.com/M_Mosier_ Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod -- Resources Link to the original Twitter Space https://twitter.com/jillrgunter/status/1558150917387534336

In this episode of Empire, Jason is joined by two of MakerDAO's top contributors, monetsupply and Sam MacPherson, to discuss the future of MakerDAO and the DAI stablecoin. Highlights include: -- Is USDC an existential risk to MakerDAO? -- Why is Maker financing off-chain assets? -- How can DAI scale to become the de facto money of DeFi? Tune in to find out! -- (00:00) Introduction (00:18) How Big Of a Threat Are US Sanctions? (05:34) The Importance of Maker's PSM (11:30) What Is the Ideal Basket of Collateral for DAI? (18:05) Embracing Real World Asset Lending (25:20) Tokenizing Assets & the Huntington Valley Loan (28:16) Increasing Maker's Surplus Buffer (34:16) The D3M and Specialized Lending Partners (42:01) CeFi Contagion and Liquidation (44:38) Vertical Integration Across the DeFi Stack (52:02) Maker's Evolving Governance (59:57) Are A DAO's Inefficiency Tradeoffs Worth It? (1:05:04) Maker's Long-Term Vision - - Follow monetsupply: https://twitter.com/MonetSupply Follow Sam: https://twitter.com/hexonaut Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw - - Resources MakerDAO https://makerdao.com/en/ -- Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ -- Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

In this episode of Empire's Weekly Roundup, Jason is joined by two of Blockworks' top research analysts, Dan Smith and Sam Martin, to discuss this week’s biggest stories. Highlights include: -- Is Sudoswap a zero to one moment for NFTs? -- Is Ethereum's censorship resistance compromised? -- Will anyone use ETH PoW post-merge? Tune in to find out! - - Timecodes: (00:00) Introduction (00:32) Ethereum's censorship risk, 3 potential outcomes (11:40) Will the ETH PoW chain have value? (15:42) FlashBots is open sourcing their relayer software (19:19) Crypto's reliance on centralized cloud providers (21:24) Avalanche Ad (22:52) Sudoswap, a zero to one moment for NFTs? (33:17) OpenSea vs Sudo (35:48) Should NFTs have creator royalty fees? (39:12) Canto, a weird crypto experiment (NFA) (47:26) Canada enforces new crypto regulation - - Follow Dan: https://twitter.com/smyyguy Follow Sam: https://twitter.com/swmartin19 Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw - - Referenced in the show: Blockworks Research https://www.blockworksresearch.com/ Ape Board (migrated to Nansen Portfolio) https://portfolio.nansen.ai/ -- Core, from Ava Labs, is more than just a wallet. It’s a free, non-custodial browser extension that gives Avalanche users a more seamless and secure Web3 experience. Download Core today at https://www.core.app/ -- Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ -- Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

In this episode of Empire, Jason and Santi are joined by Jake Brukhman, the founder and CEO of CoinFund, to explore the concept of crypto as a public good. We discuss: -- How crypto is a public good, and why that's important -- How public goods can monetize and accrue value -- How crypto will democratize public goods funding Tune in for these answers and more! - - Timestamps (00:00) Introduction (02:23) Defining Crypto's Value Proposition (07:17) Private vs Public vs Common Goods (13:59) Can Public Goods Accrue Value? (28:41) The Tragedy Of The Commons (32:35) What Crypto Skeptics Get Wrong (38:32) Why Users Will Want Decentralized Networks (41:50) A New Business Model To Fund Public Goods (50:03) Rapid Fire Questions - - Follow Jake: https://twitter.com/jbrukh Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw -- The Network State by Balaji https://thenetworkstate.com/ -- Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ -- Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

In this episode of Empire's Weekly Roundup, Jason and Santi discuss the US Treasury's sanctions on Tornado Cash, Circle freezing USDC transfers, the future of KYC DeFi and more. Show Highlights: -- How do privacy protocols work? -- Does this ban mean crypto isn't decentralized? -- How did Circle freeze the transfer of USDC tokens? -- Should DeFi protocols be worried? - - Timestamps (00:00) Introduction (07:28) Tornado Cash Sanctioned By The US Treasury (14:44) How Mixers And Privacy Tokens Work (21:06) Github, Infura, AWS And Crypto’s Centralization Vectors (23:00) Core Ad (24:30) USDC Blacklist And Implications For DeFi (38:05) What Happens If All DeFi Is KYC’d (41:54) How Does The Ban Affect Other Privacy Protocols (43:40) Curve Hack, Coinbase Earnings (53:55) Uniswap Protocol Fee And Foundation Approved (58:46) ETH PoW Chain, Hot Or Not? (01:03:03) Reddit Embraces Web3 - - Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw -- Referenced in the show: Eric Peters episode https://tinyurl.com/ydfhu6fd SWIFT & OFAC episode https://tinyurl.com/yc2jhfsn - - Core, from Ava Labs, is more than just a wallet. It’s a free, non-custodial browser extension that gives Avalanche users a more seamless and secure Web3 experience. Download Core today at https://www.core.app/ -- Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ -- Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

In this episode of Empire, Jason and Santiago are joined by two crypto market experts, Jonah Van Bourg & Genia Mikhalchenko, to discuss the anatomy of a trade. An asset's price is derived from supply and demand, but who provides this liquidity, how are trades executed and what parties are involved? Tune in to find out & check out the highlights below! - The role of market makers - Why liquidity is the lifeblood of trading - How liquidity providers performed in the recent market crash - Why trade size matters and the risks of front running - The 3 most important things when evaluating an exchange - Understanding counterparty risks - How much leverage is left in the system - Consolidation is coming - Will legacy financial institutions compete with crypto-native service providers - - Follow Genia: https://twitter.com/Genia_xx Follow Jonah: https://twitter.com/jvb_xyz Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw -- Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Resources Cumberland website https://cumberland.io/ BitMEX website https://www.bitmex.com/ -- (00:00) Introduction (01:36) How Market Makers Work (08:42) Operating An Exchange In a Bear Market (11:10) The Risk of Front Running (15:47) Understanding Counterparty Risk (18:50) Balancing Retail & Institutional Liquidity (25:50) How Much Leverage Is Left In the System? (32:40) The Relationship Between DeFi and Centralized Services (37:43) Biggest Opportunities, On and Off Chain (40:40) Consolidation Is Coming (43:06) Are Legacy Financial Institutions A Threat to Crypto Service Providers? (46:32) Rapid Fire Questions -- Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

In this episode of Empire's Weekly Roundup, Jason and Santi discuss the current market, angel investing, and the week's biggest news. Highlights include: - Santi's learnings from angel investing - Why this market is a great setup for investors - Santi explains why he's over-indexed on ETH - Over $195M stolen between the Slope and Nomad hack - Details on the newly launched Synapse chain - Should protocols vertically integrate or leverage composability - Magic Eden vs OpenSea - Coinbase & Blackrock partnership - Tiffany launched a new IRL NFT project - - Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw - - Referenced in the show: Twitter accounts to follow https://twitter.com/adamscochran https://twitter.com/tayvano_ https://twitter.com/samczsun https://twitter.com/0xfoobar Raj tweet on the need for Solana Mobile https://twitter.com/rajgokal/status/1554889457928613889 Blockworks Research report on Synapse https://www.blockworksresearch.com/research/synapse/ Empire episode on Layer Zero https://sptfy.com/KWqY - - Core, from Ava Labs, is more than just a wallet. It’s a free, non-custodial browser extension that gives Avalanche users a more seamless and secure Web3 experience. Download Core today at https://www.core.app/ -- Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ -- (00:00) Introduction (02:31) Market Update & Why Santi Is "Feeling Hot" (05:45) Santi's Angel Investment Strategy (17:03) Why Santi Is Over Indexed on ETH (25:53) Solana (aka Slope) Hack (35:31) Core Ad (37:00) Nomad Hacked for $190M (40:18) NFTs, the Building Blocks of a Web3 CRM (46:16) Synapse Launches Their Own Chain (54:04) Protocol Vertical Integration vs Compatibility (59:50) Magic Eden & Marketplace Businesses (1:03:18) Michael Saylor, Coinbase/Blackrock Partnership and Other Headlines (1:05:43) Coinbase Finds Momentum (01:12:38) Tiffany Is Launching 250 Punk Pendants -- Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Attend DAS, crypto and macro’s favorite institutional conference: http://digitalassetsummit.co/ Use code EMPIRE250 to get $250 off tickets (Only available this week!) -- In this episode of Empire, Jason and Mike are joined by Dan Matuszewski (CMS Holdings) & Avi Felman (GoldenTree). If you don't know these two names, don't forget them - two of the best traders and sources of alpha in crypto. This episode is one of my favorites yet; check out the highlights below: - Is macro crypto's master - This will lead to crypto's divergence with Macro - How will ETH perform with the merge - What are the new, hidden narratives - The tradeoff between CeFi and DeFi - Is DeFi ready to take off - Retail open-term lending is dead - Regulators have two options - Why VCs are in trouble - - Follow Dan: https://twitter.com/cmsholdings Follow Avi: https://twitter.com/AviFelman Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Mike: https://twitter.com/MikeIppolito_ Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw -- (00:00) Introduction (01:08) The intersection of macro & crypto (12:47) How Will ETH's Price React to the Merge? (17:50) New Narratives & Market Leverage (25:28) A Catalyst for DeFi (29:10) What's About to Happen in CeFi? (31:37) Your DeFi Project Isn't Sexy (35:45) Can DeFi Tokens Accure Value? (41:23) Why You Should Avoid Low Float Tokens (44:27) VCs Are In Trouble (49:20) Avi and Dan Run Wild (51:06) Wrapping Things Up -- Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

In this episode of Empire's Weekly Roundup, Jason and Santi are joined by Brett Winton, the Director of Research at ARK invest. We discuss the heated Uniswap fee controversy, token business models, DAO governance and the securitization of everything. We also discuss ARK's unique investment strategy and crypto thesis. This is one special roundup. Highlights include: - How to play the current macro market - The securitization of everything - Coinbase's opportunity - Potential business models for Uniswap - Will DeFi fees go to zero - The secret to diversification - Brett's #1 consideration when hiring - - Follow Brett: https://twitter.com/wintonARK Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw - - Attend DAS, crypto and macro’s favorite institutional conference: http://digitalassetsummit.co/ - Use code EMPIRE250 to get $250 off tickets (Only available this week!) - - Referenced in the show: ARK Invest https://ark-invest.com/ ARK's Bitcoin Monthly Research https://ark-invest.com/lp-bitcoin-monthly/ Howard Mark's Letter on being Unconventional https://www.oaktreecapital.com/insights/memo/i-beg-to-differ Lido Treasury Sale Proposal https://research.lido.fi/t/treasury-diversification-2-part-2/2657 - - Core, from Ava Labs, is more than just a wallet. It’s a free, non-custodial browser extension that gives Avalanche users a more seamless and secure Web3 experience. Download Core today at https://www.core.app/ -- Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ -- (00:00) Introduction (01:47) Where Are Interest Rates Headed? (08:38) An Inevitable Movie Towards Financial Transparency (12:00) Three Revolutions Catalyzed by Bitcoin (27:52) Ava Labs Core (29:20) Coinbase and the Securitization of Everything (41:48) Uniswap fee switch and token business models (53:16) DAO governance and capital allocation (59:12) How ARK assesses new investments (1:06:01) Has inflation peaked, BTC as the reserve asset and more (1:10:58) Why curiosity is Brett's #1 hiring criteria (1:17:08) What ARK believes that many others don't (yet) -- Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

In this episode of Empire, Jason and Santi are joined by Erik Voorhees, the founder of Shapeshift and OG of the crypto industry (joining in 2011). Erik believes crypto can change the world, and this episode explores his thesis on Bitcoin's future, on-chain maximalism, DAO structures and crypto's path to adoption. Highlights include: - What is the best form of money - Bitcoin's tail emission risk - How DeFi will outperform CeFi - Will all financial transactions be on-chain? - The likely path to adoption - Why DAO failures are a sign of innovation - Thoughts on regulation - The future of centralized exchanges - Why Thorchain is a gamechanger - - Follow Erik: https://twitter.com/ErikVoorhees Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw - - ParaSwap: If you want to make a swap at the best price across the DeFi market, check out http://paraswap.io/empire ParaSwap’s state-of-the-art algorithm beats the market price across all major DEXs and brings you the most optimized swaps with the best prices and lowest slippage. Disclaimer: 0 fees are limited to 3 weeks or first 500k. - - Attend DAS, crypto and macro’s favorite institutional conference: http://digitalassetsummit.co/ Use code EMPIRE250 to get $250 off tickets (Only available this week!) -- Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ -- (00:00) Introduction (01:32) Moving Beyond Bitcoin (03:50) Bitcoin Is The Best Form of Money (05:34) Bitcoin's Declining Block Subsidy (11:13) Woke Culture vs Bitcoin Maximalism (12:50) The Bifurcation of CeFi and DeFi (16:18) Limits to DeFi's Growth (22:50) Why Users Will Want To Use DeFi (26:50) A Short and Long Term Vision of the World (28:48) Paraswap Ad (29:56) The Path to Adoption (35:38) Is The Worst Behind Us? (37:22) Erik's Current Focus (38:38) DAO Structures and Experimentation (46:08) A DAOs Most Important Use Case (49:30) Iterative Regulation (55:54) Centralized Exchanges (57:05) Thorchain's Use Case (58:48) Advice To New People In the Space -- Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

In this episode of Empire, Jason and Santi are joined by Yawn Rong, co-founder of STEPN. STEPN is a widely successful Web3 application where users are paid to move (walk, jog or sprint). Yes, that may sound slightly dubious but tell that to the 1.7M+ active users STEPN garnered in only six months after launch. Tune in to find out why STEPN was so successful and how STEPN plans to be the onboarding ecosystem of Web3! Highlights include: - STEPN's pivot to Web2 - How STEPN's two token system works - Why Yawn believes STEPN will avoid Axie's fate - How STEPN will expand across chains via Realms - Why STEPN isn't adopting other exercise types - Mechanics to retain users - STEPN's focus on offline networks - How to prevent users from gaming STEPN - Potential partnerships - Yawn's learnings from building in Web3 - - Follow Yawn: https://twitter.com/yawn_rong Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw - - Core, from Ava Labs, is more than just a wallet. It’s a free, non-custodial browser extension that gives Avalanche users a more seamless and secure Web3 experience. Download Core today at https://www.core.app/ -- Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ -- (00:00) Introduction (03:39) STEPN's Pivot to Embrace Web2 (08:50) STEPN Overview & The Two Token System (13:12) Avoiding Axie Infinity's Fate (15:48) A Response to the Ponzi Accusation (21:59) The Competition (23:59) Expanding Chains With Realms (26:26) How To Scale (29:33) CORE (31:02) User Retention In a Bear Market (34:29) How To Prevent People From Gaming The System (41:29) Will STEPN support other exercise types (43:52) Strategy to be the billboard of Web3 (45:39) Building offline networks (47:58) Onboarding Users (50:44) User Behaviour (55:27) Partnering With Insurance Companies (57:09) Learnings From Building In Web3 (1:01:05) Holding Conviction During a Bear -- Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

In this episode of Empire, Jason is joined by Matthew Ball. Matthew is a strategist, technologist, investor, and metaverse expert. This episode is a masterclass on the future of the Metaverse, interoperability and the tech industry. What defines the Metaverse? Who will build it? And will crypto be a key ingredient? Tune in to find out! Highlights include: - Defining the Metaverse - What marks its arrival - Why centralization forces will always exist - How interoperability will work - Why metadata is the tricky part of interoperability - Open vs closed protocols - Crypto's unique value prop - 5 ways companies react to technology shifts - Predicting how the world looks in 5 to 10 years - Who will build the Metaverse PS Matthew's new book The Metaverse and How it Will Revolution Everything is launching July 19th. This book is guaranteed to be the go-to guide for the Metaverse. - - Follow Matthew: https://twitter.com/ballmatthew Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw - - Referenced in the show: Matthew's website https://www.matthewball.vc/ Pre-order Matthew's new book https://www.matthewball.vc/metaversebook McKinsey on investments in the Metaverse https://www.thestreet.com/crypto/news/metaverse-mckinsey-2030 - - ParaSwap: If you want to make a swap at the best price across the DeFi market, check out http://paraswap.io/empire ParaSwap’s state-of-the-art algorithm beats the market price across all major DEXs and brings you the most optimized swaps with the best prices and lowest slippage. Disclaimer: 0 fees are limited to 3 weeks or first 500k. - - Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ -- (00:00) Introduction (02:21) Defining the Metaverse (06:46) What Will Mark The Arrival of the Metaverse (13:01) Open Protocols Create Consumer Choice (22:06) Paraswap Ad (23:14) The Idealism of interoperability (35:36) Who Will Control the Metaverse (39:55) Crypto's Unique Advantage (44:48) How Will The World Look In 5-10 Years (48:55) Who Will Build the Metaverse (52:31) Matthew's New Book -- Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

In this episode of Empire, Jason is joined by two experts in the Bitcoin mining industry, Cassie Clifton (Galaxy Digital) and Kevin Zhang (Foundry). Since the start of the bear market in November 2021, we've seen prices crash and contagion run through DeFi. But it wasn't until May 2022 that rumors started to spread of pain in the Bitcoin mining industry. Profit margins are collapsing, debt obligations are coming due, and miners are fighting to stay solvent. Tune in for a complete breakdown of the state of bitcoin mining! Highlights include: - Miner economics - Understanding the ASICs market - How debt-fueled insane growth - What China's ban meant for the industry - Why Miners hodl their Bitcoin - What led to today's pain - Consolidation and M&A - Bitcoin Mining pools - What to expect next - - Follow Cassie: https://twitter.com/bitcoincass Follow Kevin: https://twitter.com/SinoCrypto Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw -- Core, from Ava Labs, is more than just a wallet. It’s a free, non-custodial browser extension that gives Avalanche users a more seamless and secure Web3 experience. Download Core today at https://www.core.app/ - - Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ -- (00:00) Introduction (01:45) Starting in March 2020 (07:10) The inputs to miner profitability (10:42) How miners procure ASICs (17:34) Miners prefer to HODL (21:58) How miners reacted to macro volatility (24:26) Avalanche Core Ad (25:54) Second Order Effects of the China ban (36:30) The State of Bitcoin Miners Today (45:40) Are manufactures in trouble? (47:08) Will miners flood the market with BTC? (48:25) The end of ASIC backed loans? (51:30) Consolidation and M&A (54:30) Will Miners form an OPEC like committee? (57:03) Renewable energy (59:36) Changes in the energy market (1:03:54) Bitcoin mining pools (1:08:10) When will we hit rock bottom? -- Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

In this episode of Empire, Jason and Santi are joined by Eric Peters, the founder and CEO of One River Asset Management. Eric, a renowned macro investor, made a splash in the cryptoverse in November 2020 by making a $600M BTC purchase before sagely exiting the market with a $1B+ profit. Eric shares his views on the current macro cycle, investment strategies, the future of DeFi and crypto's inevitability. Highlights include: - The state of macro and why inflation was a choice - End of the 60-40 portfolio - Why this market cycle is over - The catalyst behind Eric's $600M BTC purchase - How to "time" markets - Why current DeFi implementations won't cut it - Crypto's breakout moment - Why Bitcoin is the most interesting trade - When will the Fed reverse course - What Eric would tell his younger self - - Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw - - Referenced in the show: One River Asset Management https://www.oneriveram.com/ - - ParaSwap: If you want to make a swap at the best price across the DeFi market, check out http://paraswap.io/empire ParaSwap’s state-of-the-art algorithm beats the market price across all major DEXs and brings you the most optimized swaps with the best prices and lowest slippage. Disclaimer: 0 fees are limited to 3 weeks or first 500k. - - Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ -- (00:00) Intro (01:49) The Current Macro Environment (07:06) How Eric Navigates Market Cycles (11:19) Deflationary Cycles & Expensive Ubers (17:04) Inflation is a choice (21:42) The $600M BTC purchase (27:26) How Do You Time the Trade? (33:20) Paraswap Ad (34:26) How to think about asset allocation (39:20) Why Eric's firm doesn't touch DeFi (43:27) Why Crypto is Here to Stay (49:55) DeFi's Zero to One Moment (55:00) How Eric views BTC (1:02:33) When will Bitcoin's price recover? (1:09:08) The 80 Year Debt Cycle (1:16:15) Eric's advice to his younger self -- Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

In this episode of Empire's Weekly Roundup, Jason and Santi discuss this week's biggest stories. Voyager and 3AC file for bankruptcy, Bitcoin miners are becoming forced sellers, MakerDAO is bringing real-world assets to crypto, and so much more. Highlights include: - The shift in narrative from inflation to growth - Why Voyager might see a major lawsuit - Thoughts on the BlockFi acquisition - Where to keep your crypto assets - Santi's two recommended investment strategies - Core Scientific (miner) sells 75% of their Bitcoin - Santi's front-row seat to Maker's "black Thursday." - How MakerDAO is making history with a US bank - A potential catalyst for the next bull market - Aave proposes their own stablecoin - Top things to watch for this week - - Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw - - Referenced in the show: Voyager 2019 article stating deposits are FDIC insured https://www.investvoyager.com/blog/voyager-is-now-fdic-insured/ Adam Cochran on the 3AC liquidation https://twitter.com/adamscochran/status/1543253799929876480 Mika Honkasalo tweet on Uniswap https://twitter.com/mhonkasalo/status/1544677185818075142 Aave Stablecoin Proposal https://governance.aave.com/t/introducing-gho/8730 Westie (Blockworks Research Analyst) tweet on OpenSea users declining https://twitter.com/WestieCapital/status/1545047687178752008 Reddit NFT Marketplace https://tinyurl.com/a3u34n8 - - Core, from Ava Labs, is more than just a wallet. It’s a free, non-custodial browser extension that gives Avalanche users a more seamless and secure Web3 experience. Download Core today at https://www.core.app/ - - Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - 00:00 Introduction 02:30 Santi's Feeling Bullish 07:47 Voyager Bankruptcy Details 13:09 The 3AC Liquidation is a Netflix Drama 19:00 Genesis and Celsius Update 21:20 Where Do You Feel Safe Storing Your Crypto? 24:38 FTX Acquires BlockFi 27:44 How to outperform most crypto funds 31:20 BTC Miner Capitulation Starts Now 35:54 Avalanche Ad 37:22 MakerDAO makes history with Real World Assets 42:56 Aave stablecoin? And Other Big News -- Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

In this episode of Empire, Jason and Santi are joined by Sunny Aggarwal (Osmosis co-founder) and Derek Hsue (Reverie co-founder & "I Pledge Allegiance" co-host) to discuss the future of Osmosis, appchains and protocol governance. Show highlights include: - Learnings from the CeFi fallout - How protocols should re-think token incentives - Thoughts on dYdX moving to Cosmos - Why applications should launch their own chain - One of the biggest shortfalls of rollups - Osmosis as the interchain DEX - Mars protocol on Osmosis - Why Cosmos governance is so active - Experimenting with a DAO's org structure - Osmosis exploit and learnings - The Osmosis roadmap - What Sunny and Derek are looking forward to - - Follow Sunny: https://twitter.com/sunnya97 Follow Derek: https://twitter.com/derek_hsue Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw - - Referenced in the show: "I Pledge Allegiance" podcast co-hosted by Derek https://tinyurl.com/493vrmpp - - ParaSwap: If you want to make a swap at the best price across the DeFi market, check out paraswap.io. ParaSwap’s state-of-the-art algorithm beats the market price across all major DEXs and brings you the most optimized swaps with the best prices and lowest slippage. Visit paraswap.io/beta to learn more about Paraswap's new app. - - Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ -- (00:00) Introduction (00:50) Lessons Learned From CeFi Fallout (03:04) Rethinking Capital Spend (06:17) Osomosis Incentive Structure (08:04) dYdX Moves to Cosmos (10:27) The Downside of Rollups Today (15:38) Why Projects Should Launch Their Own Appchain (18:56) The Cosmos Hub and Shared Security (22:09) Appchains Will Expand Their Scope (26:38) Paraswap Ad (27:48) Applications on Osmosis (31:00) The Fat Application Thesis (33:47) Active Governance in Cosmos (37:54) Governance Is Not the Goal (40:22) What Should DAOs Be Used For? (42:41) DAO Org Structures (47:30) Osmosis Exploit & Learnings (50:35) The Osmosis Exploit & Learnings (1:00:55)The Osmosis Vertical Integration Bet (1:05:40) The Future of DeFi (1:14:40) Web of Trust & zk Applications -- Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

In this episode of Empire's Weekly Roundup, Jason and Santi discuss this week's biggest stories. CeFi continues to implode, funds are facing redemptions and Bitcoin miners are in trouble. What could be the catalyst out of this mess? How has Santi changed his mind about DeFi? Tune in to find out! Highlights include: - Why Santi changed his mind on undercollateralized loans in DeFi - What is happening with CoinFLEX and Roger Ver - 3AC officially defaults - Why users aren't ready to use DeFi - Jason and Santi's bet on the next crypto catalyst - A potential Bitcoin miner death spiral - What is a high watermark - Arthur Hayes' predictions - Are we just reliant on the Fed? - Maker DAO is buying T-Bills - Jason/Santi book recommendations - - Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw - - Referenced in the show: Jill Gunter of Espresso Systems https://twitter.com/jillrgunter Ryan Swanson (Blockworks Research Analyst) https://twitter.com/ryan_swansonx -- BitMEX is back and better than ever. Sign up for BitmEX's new Spot Exchange for a chance to win a piece of $500,000 in BTC (new users). Learn more about them at https://www.bitmex.com/ -- Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ -- (00:00) Introduction (03:01) State of the Market (09:45) Bearish On Undercollaterized Loans (12:15) CoinFLEX, Roger Ver and More Contagion (19:08) Will People Use DeFi? (26:25) A Privacy & Security Bet (29:06) Voyager Issues Default Notice to 3AC (29:58) Bitmex Ad (30:56) BTC Miner Death Spiral (42:26) Funder Redemptions ft. Arthur Hayes (50:25) Closing Crypto Funds & High Watermarks (59:10) MakerDAO Vote to Buy T-Bills (1:04:20) Catalyst For The Next Cycle (1:11:20) Crypto's Progress (1:15:48) New Episodes and Book Recommendations -- Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

In this episode of Empire, Santi is joined by Alok Tayi, scientist and founder of Vibe Bio. Alok started Vibe Bio because the biggest obstacle in treating patients with overlooked diseases isn’t finding potential treatments — it’s funding them. Vibe Bio is leveraging crypto's economic and coordination tools to fund the research and development that the legacy biotech industry ignores. Don't miss this fascinating conversation! We discuss: - Vibe Bio's origin story - How Vibe Bio works - Big pharma's dilemma - Why these diseases don't receive funding today - How to prioritize projects - Crypto's unique advantages - The $VIBE token - How to grow & leverage Vibe's community - Diseases don't care about interest rates - Biggest challenges - - Follow Alok: https://twitter.com/aloktayi Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw - - ParaSwap: If you want to make a swap at the best price across the DeFi market, check out paraswap.io. ParaSwap’s state-of-the-art algorithm beats the market price across all major DEXs and brings you the most optimized swaps with the best prices and lowest slippage. Visit paraswap.io/beta to learn more about Paraswap's new app. - - Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ -- (00:00) Introduction (02:27) Official Vibe Bio Launch (03:50) The Origin Story (06:32) How Funding Works in Biotech (12:15) Vibe Bio's Gameplan (14:50) Community Inspiration (17:48) Big Pharma's Dilemma (19:42) How Has The Community Responded? (22:25) Why Now? (24:58) How To Prioritize (30:42) Paraswap Ad (31:51) Is There An Adverse Selection Problem (36:50) Two Key Milestones (42:17) The Biggest Risks (45:15) The $Vibe token (48:18) Does IP matter? (51:47) Help The Mission -- Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

In this episode of Empire's Weekly Roundup, Jason and Santi discuss CeFi's contagion risk and the fragility in the crypto market. Prices are crashing, and multiple companies appear to be on the verge of bankruptcy. Is SBF saving the industry? What questions should we all be asking right now? Tune in to find out! Highlights include: - What's going on in the markets - Crypto is transparent but not perfect - What is crypto's worst-case scenario - Crypto is transparent but not perfect - Will 3AC survive - Voyager joins the illiquidity party - BlockFi continues to be in pain - SBF & Alameda swoop in - Are low DeFi yields existential - What happened with Solend - Is it okay if applications are centralized - - Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw - - Referenced in the show: Jason's tweet on 3 phases of a bear market https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz/status/1536365738906202112 Episode with Qiao from Alliance DAO https://tinyurl.com/4wrkuakz -- BitMEX is back and better than ever. Sign up for BitmEX's new Spot Exchange for a chance to win a piece of $500,000 in BTC (new users). Learn more about them at https://www.bitmex.com/ -- Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ -- (00:00) Introduction (01:41) Market Update (04:34) Today's Risk Factors (08:37) 3AC Crises Update (13:17) Celsius & sETH Update (13:45) Voyager & Risk Mgmt (17:56) How Bad Are Low Yields For DeFi? (20:16) Bitmex Ad (21:16) The Question You Should Be Asking (27:27) When Markets Go Quiet (29:02) SBF Saves CeFi (35:04) A Daisy Chain of Yields (31:02) Solend & Centralization1 (41:33) Topics For Next Week -- Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

In this episode of Empire, Jason is joined by Josh Rosenthal - a former historian turned serial entrepreneur and crypto VC. Josh's encyclopedic knowledge of history - from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance and beyond - and ability to draw a throughline between historical events, Web3 and our world today is truly fascinating. Josh contends that we are living through the greatest Renaissance in history. How will historians look back on today? Tune in to find out. We discuss: - medieval life - what defines a Renaissance - the advent of a dynamic identity - signs of a reformation - what drives history - layering ownership into communication - the pendulum between aggregation and decentralization - how Web3 brings the missing element to the internet - why we are living through THE greatest Renaissance - how will society be impacted - - Follow Josh: https://twitter.com/JoshuaRosenthal Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw -- Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - ParaSwap: If you want to make a swap at the best price across the DeFi market, check out paraswap.io. ParaSwap’s state-of-the-art algorithm beats the market price across all major DEXs and brings you the most optimized swaps with the best prices and lowest slippage. - - (00:00) Introduction (04:07) Medieval You (10:30) Taking the Red Pill (17:45) Self-Generating Demand (21:16)The New Reformation (27:42) A Recreation of Society (32:15) Crypto Is A Counterweight To Aggregation (37:18) Paraswap Ad (38:26) Choosing Your Identity (41:59) Synthetic Worlds and Chaotic Change (46:51) Distinguishing the Institution From The Ideology (53:37) Zoom Out (56:46) Our Questions Affect the Outcomes (57:51) Have We Lost Our Ingenuity? (1:06:09) Institutions Eventually Give In (1:07:10) Embracing Pluralism (1:11:36) What Will the World Look Like? (1:15:08) Crypto's Impact on the Middle Class (1:21:18) New Jobs and Opportunities -- Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

In this episode of Empire's Weekly Roundup, Jason and Santi reflect on what might have been the most dramatic week in crypto's history. They explore the market contagion, the fallout, and debate if we've hit rock bottom. Santi is back in the studio with perfect timing. How is Santi approaching this volatility, is he buying, and what is his updated investment strategy? Tune in to find out. Highlights include: - How did this all start - The effects of quantitative tightening - Why stETH is causing waves across crypto - A bank run at Celsius - Do CeFi companies need more regulation - Three Arrows Capital insolvency rumors - Santi's #1 takeaway from this week's drama - Tether FUD - The downside of on-chain transparency - Are Santi and Jason buying back in - Santi's updated investment strategy - How to maximize the bear market - - Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw - - Referenced in the show: degentrading Twitter thread on 3AC's liquidity crises https://tinyurl.com/4xer8dzn Jason's tweet on 3 phases of a bear market https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz/status/1536365738906202112 -- BitMEX is back and better than ever. Sign up for BitmEX's new Spot Exchange for a chance to win a piece of $500,000 in BTC (new users). Learn more about them at https://www.bitmex.com/ -- Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ -- (00:00) Introduction (03:26) How Did We Get Here? (07:02) A Sudden and Brutal Bear Market (13:15) Thesis vs Fear Driven (15:14) Balancing Optimism With Rational Valuation (18:42) What Is Happening With sETH? (25:12) Why Celsisus Is In A Liquidity Crunch? (34:52) Should CeFi Companies Be Regulated Like Banks? (39:04) Bitmex Ad (40:05) What's Next For Celsius? (44:04) Three Arrows Capital is treading water (51:12) Margin calls, 3AC and risk mgmt. (55:19) Santi's #1 Takeaway (1:01:36) Contagion (1:07:12) Tether FUD (1:09:47) Negative Consequences of Transparency (1:13:25) Is This Rock Bottom? (1:18:32) Santi's Current Strategy (1:27:52) Patience and Staying In The Game (1:41:00) Blockworks and Building in a Bear -- Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

In this episode of Empire, Jason is joined by Haseeb Qureshi and Tom Schmidt from Dragonfly Capital. Haseeb and Tom are top venture capitalists with unique insights into crypto's current trends, new innovations and market sentiment. If you want expert advice on the market, these are two people you ask. We discuss: - the venture capital landscape - power is shifting to investors - being long crypto while fighting the Fed - supercharged crowdfunding - convertible bonds & debt financing - the changing meta - how projects choose where to build - the end of airdrops - market outlook - - Follow Haseeb: https://twitter.com/hosseeb Follow Tom: https://twitter.com/tomhschmidt Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw - - Referenced in the show: Dragonfly's letter to founders https://tinyurl.com/493vrmpp Tom's tweet on Porter Finance https://twitter.com/tomhschmidt/status/1533779269851176960 - - ParaSwap: If you want to make a swap at the best price across the DeFi market, check out paraswap.io. ParaSwap’s state-of-the-art algorithm beats the market price across all major DEXs and brings you the most optimized swaps with the best prices and lowest slippage. - - (00:00) Introduction (01:33) Today's Narrative (05:25) A venture capitalist perspective (08:17) Rising interest rates and available capital (16:15) The big outstanding problems (21:29) Utilizing debt financing (27:35) The changing meta (31:49) Paraswap Ad (32:58) The layer one wars (36:00) How projects "shop around" protocols (39:10) Where should new projects build? (42:22) The end of airdrops (47:28) How founders should approach growth (51:25) Advice on down rounds (59:32) Public vs Private markets (1:02:47) How long will the bear market last? -- Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

In this episode of Empire's Weekly Roundup, Jason and Mike discuss the current state of crypto. It's officially a bear market, so how are companies and DAOs responding? What are the stories that you need to know? Tune in to find out. Highlights include: Did companies overhire What happens in a down round Why we need to separate investors from traders DAOs look to stables and the need for debt financing The Coinbase vs FTX strategy debate Is the Lummis bill good for crypto Enterprise blockchains are back Optimism loses 20M OP tokens ApeCoin DAO sides with Ethereum - - Follow Mike: https://twitter.com/MikeIppolito_ Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw - - Referenced in the show: BlockFi down round https://tinyurl.com/2tej9jyf Novogratz says 2/3 of crypto funds will fail https://tinyurl.com/yh4x2jsu Lido, FEI and Frax proposals https://research.lido.fi/t/lido-to-prepare-for-the-bear-market/2318/5 https://tribe.fei.money/t/tip-110-simplify-pcv/4323 https://gov.frax.finance/t/fip-77-20m-fxs-buyback-program-using-twamm/1523 SBF on Empire https://tinyurl.com/23wp5uza SBF on Invest Like The Best https://tinyurl.com/2p8wsdfe FTX surpasses Coinbase in BTC & ETH spot trading https://coinmetrics.substack.com/p/state-of-the-network-issue-158?s=r Coinbase job portal https://coda.io/@coinbase-talent/coinbase-talent-hub/ Richard Burton article on how crypto is like building hardware https://tinyurl.com/ytww6ap7 Tim Beiko on Bankless https://tinyurl.com/2vxmcdux -- BitMEX is back and better than ever. Sign up for BitmEX's new Spot Exchange for a chance to win a piece of $500,000 in BTC (new users). Learn more about them at https://www.bitmex.com/ -- Timestamps (00:00) Introduction (02:45) Down Rounds, Layoffs and Hiring Freezes (16:40) An Investor Reckoning? (18:20) Separating Investors vs Traders (20:05) Frothy Private Markets (23:50) DAO Treasuries and Debt Financing (27:53) Questioning Token Buybacks (32:30) Bitmex Ad (33:33) FTX Surpassing Coinbase (40:15) Cynthia Lummis Bill (45:15) Are Tokens Securities? (48:21) Salesforce and Enterprise Blockchains (56:15) Optimism loses $20M OP tokens (59:45) APE DAO votes on Ethereum (1:03:40) When ETH merge -- Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

In this episode of Empire, Jason is joined by Qiao Wang and Imran Khan, core contributors at Alliance DAO (the Y Combinator of Web3). Alliance DAO is a Web3 startup accelerator whose portfolio includes 0x, dYdX, Paraswap, Synthetix and top Web3 protocols. Qiao and Imran are former founders who now assist Web3's top entrepreneurs in building, launching and growing their products. As a result, the duo has a front-row seat to the latest trends and innovations in crypto. This episode is for you if you want to know what it takes to build a top Web3 product. We discuss: - how to think about tokenomics - why product should come before community - what tech stack developers are building on - why Qiao recommends launching your product on Avalanche - how to scale a team in Web3 - the top 3 things founders should think about - why you shouldn't start a DAO, and much more! -- Follow Qiao: https://twitter.com/QwQiao Follow Imran: https://twitter.com/Imrankhan Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw - - Referenced in the show: Empire's previous episode with Qiao & Imran https://tinyurl.com/bznjm8ub Alliance DAO https://alliance.xyz/ Qiao's "Common Pitfalls for Web3 Founders" post https://twitter.com/QwQiao/status/1503365524272689156 Imran's tweet thread on "leveraged CAC" https://twitter.com/lmrankhan/status/1501247894325768194 Imran's tweet on a Robinhood acquisition https://twitter.com/lmrankhan/status/1527353717741490178 Imran's tweet on DAO treasuries growing to $11B https://twitter.com/lmrankhan/status/1517551697148747777 The Obol staking protocol https://obol.tech/ - - ParaSwap: If you want to make a swap at the best price across the DeFi market, check out paraswap.io. ParaSwap’s state-of-the-art algorithm beats the market price across all major DEXs and brings you the most optimized swaps with the best prices and lowest slippage. - - (00:00) Introduction (01:37) State of The Market (06:37) Is This Crypto's Last Cycle? (11:24) The Best Time To Launch A Product (12:49) Leveraged Customer Acquisition Cost (16:09) Don't Start Your Company As A DAO (18:02) Paraswap Ad (19:09) Why Do We Even Need DAOs? (21:26) Building Community Around A Project (24:47) Scaling a Team In Web3 (26:55) The Use Case for Creator DAOs (30:22) How Do Builders Choose Which Platform to Build On? (35:42) Will Talent Flock to Ethereum L2s? (38:49) Web3 Unit Economics (42:38) Top 3 Things Founders Should Focus On (45:04) How to Think About Community (48:43) Is Coinbase undervalued? (49:59) Will Robinhood Be Acquired in 2022? (51:25) Coinbase vs FTX (51:56) Where is the NFT Market Headed? (55:08) Lido's Future Dominance -- Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

In this episode of Empire's Weekly Roundup, Jason is joined by Byron Gilliam - a markets strategist and author of the Blockworks newsletter. Often called the Matt Levine of Web3, Byron brings his traditional finance experience to crypto with a mix of wisdom and wit. Jason and Byron cover this week's biggest stories and explore crypto's outlook as an investable asset class. Episode highlights include: Why Byron frames crypto as commodities, not equities How private markets are losing their advantage Why crypto may be amazing for users, but a bad investment How OpenSea's insider trading news will affect other Web3 companies What happened with Optimism's airdrop Can L2s find a sustainable revenue model How BTC mining could fuel growth in renewable energy Byron questions if MEV is crypto's only use case Why UST's collapse was not crypto's Lehman moment and much more! - - Follow Byron: https://twitter.com/bgilliam1982 Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw - - Referenced in the show: Byron's Newsletter https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ 0xHamZ tweet on $100B required market inflows https://twitter.com/0xHamz/status/1530222542413234176 Arthur Hayes article https://entrepreneurshandbook.co/shut-it-down-15d230b28089 - - BitMEX is back and better than ever. Sign up for BitmEX's new Spot Exchange for a chance to win a piece of $500,000 in BTC (new users). Learn more about them at https://www.bitmex.com/ -- (00:00) Introduction (01:26) Byron's Evolving View on Crypto (05:50) Lack of moats and risk taking founders (11:28) Byron's investment outlook (13:30) The private market arbitrage (16:25) OpenSea insider trading (23:49) Optimism's Airdrop (27:18) Bitmex Ad (33:08) Public goods & Layer 2 tokens (36:28) Oil companies working with BTC miners (38:51) Is everything just MEV? (42:39) Crypto's structural selling (46:31) No profits, just circular pricing (48:13) Trust in Tether -- Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

In this episode of Empire, Jason is joined by Charles Cascarilla, co-founder of Paxos, to discuss the state of the market. How did we get here, and what should we expect next? Show highlights include: How the everything bubble started in 1995 What tradeoff the Fed has to make How low interest rates perpetuated the greatest lie The 3 likely scenarios going forward How Paxos plans to bring $700T of assets on chain Why stablecoins aren't actually stable What Richard is looking forward to next - - Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw -- ParaSwap: If you want to make a swap at the best price across the DeFi market, check out paraswap.io. ParaSwap’s state-of-the-art algorithm beats the market price across all major DEXs and brings you the most optimized swaps with the best prices and lowest slippage. - - Referenced in the show: Paxos Website https://paxos.com/ Charles on "Invest Like the Best" (2019) https://tinyurl.com/32x95pfb Charles on "Invest Like the Best" (2020) https://tinyurl.com/2p92aszt -- (00:00) Introduction (01:12) The Macros Mess (08:17) The Everything Bubble (10:27) How To Invest In This Environment (13:06) What is Bitcoin's Narrative? (18:34) BTC and Crypto's Outlook In A Macro Bear Market (24:18) Short Or Long-Term Pain? (28:05) Paraswap Ad (29:13) Almost All Stablecoins Aren't Stable (35:54) Paxos Aims To Bring All Assets On Chain (38:28) Privacy Is A Requirement For Adoption (40:17) Crypto's Unlock (43:32) What Projects Emerge From The Bear? (45:35) The Most Exciting Thing in Web3 Today -- Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

In this episode of Empire's Weekly Roundup, Jason and Santiago discuss how to navigate the current bear market. Things aren't looking pretty, but this isn't the team's first rodeo. The duo explores what to expect, how to stay in the game and where opportunities might emerge. Highlights include: where will crypto's total market cap bottom? are Jason and Santi buyers at these prices? why are funds ignoring liquid markets? how founders should approach the bear thoughts on a16z's new $4.5B fund will Coinbase be acquired? and much more - - Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw - - Referenced in the show: Chris Dixon Permissionless Keynote https://youtu.be/Znkpa64J7qA Santi's Coinbase Acquisition Tweet https://twitter.com/santiagoroel/status/1525941336070922242 Bill Gurley's "All In" Panel https://youtu.be/lcyec3pvAEY - - BitMEX is back and better than ever. Sign up for BitmEX's new Spot Exchange for a chance to win a piece of $500,000 in BTC (new users). Learn more about them at https://www.bitmex.com/ -- (00:00) Introduction (01:11) Crypto Marketing (04:04) Why Santi Missed Permissionless (05:45) Advice For This Bear Market (17:32) A 16z Raises 4.5B (22:04) How Founders Can Embrace The Bear (26:34) ETH And Assessing Value Today (29:13) Overleveraged (33:05) How Capital Calls Work (34:55) Will Funds Leave The Space? (37:00) Bitmex Ad (38:02) When Do You Buy? (45:10) Stay In The Game? (47:16) Coinbase Acquisition Thesis (53:07) Three Leading Indicators (54:07) Smaller Funds Underwater (57:35) Liquid Assets Have Been Ignored (1:00:27) Investing Isn't Easy

In today’s episode of Empire, Jason and Santi are joined by the founders of Scroll - Sandy Peng, Ye Zhang and Haichen Shen - to discuss how ZK tech will scale Ethereum. Scroll is a general-purpose zkEVM rollup that combines Ethereum’s security with drastically reduced fees and low latency. We start the conversation with a deep dive into zero-knowledge tech, the power of validity proofs and the different L2 scaling techniques. The team then explains Scroll's advantage, the difficulty of building a general-purpose L2 and why Scroll’s “EVM equivalence” is a massive breakthrough for Ethereum developers. Scroll has been flying under the radar, but they won’t be for long. Don’t miss this conversation on the most sci-fi tech in crypto. - - Follow Scroll: https://twitter.com/Scroll_ZKP Follow Sandy: https://twitter.com/SandyPeng1 Follow Ye: https://twitter.com/yezhang1998 Follow Haichen: https://twitter.com/shenhaichen Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Subscribe To Our YouTube Channel: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw -- ParaSwap: If you want to make a swap at the best price across the DeFi market, check out paraswap.io. ParaSwap’s state-of-the-art algorithm beats the market price across all major DEXs and brings you the most optimized swaps with the best prices and lowest slippage. -- Referenced in the show: Layer-2 for beginners https://gourmetcrypto.substack.com/p/layer-2-for-beginners?s=r Optimistic vs ZK Rollups https://blog.matter-labs.io/optimistic-vs-zk-rollup-deep-dive-ea141e71e075 -- (00:00) Intro (05:00) Scroll, a zkEVM Rollup (05:26) Why Is zk Tech Interesting? (07:58) Optimistic vs ZK rollups (10:26) The Evolution of ZK Tech (13:27) zkSync and Starkware (20:26) Where Is Scroll Today? (22:09) The Scroll Team (24:16) Moats In An Open-Source Industry (26:42) General-Purpose vs App-Specific Rollup (28:44) Paraswap Ad (29:44) Creating The Best Developer Experience (32:12) Working With The Ethereum Foundation (36:02) What Scroll Will Enable for Web3 (41:22) China and Web3 (46:17) Building and Investing (47:19) What's Next For Scroll? -- Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

On today's episode of Empire, Jason and Mike are joined by Richard Craib, founder of Numerai, to discuss why Richard sold all his ETH. Richard is a prolific investor and has been part of the Ethereum ecosystem since the 2014 ICO. That’s why it was such a big deal when he announced he sold his ETH and that he no longer sees crypto as a good investment. Does crypto have a product outside of speculation? Is crypto’s growth just a result of the Fed? Is crypto more about regulatory arbitrage than the tech? These questions and more are explored in this fascinating conversation (debate!) where Richard holds nothing back. - - Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Mike: https://twitter.com/MikeIppolito_ Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Follow Richard: https://twitter.com/richardcraib Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw - - Referenced in the show: Richard's video announcing why he sold his ETH https://twitter.com/richardcraib/status/1523513981347848192?s=20&t=qwlN5rWxe5-KWyJOEr4B6Q -- (00:00) Intro (01:52) Why Richard Sold All of His ETH (09:00) The Fed "Created" UST (12:14) Macro Trouble (15:53) A Market Neutral Strategy (19:38) Is Crypto's Only Product Speculation? (32:58) An Overreaction to a Flawed System (36:26) A Massive Misallocation of Capital (40:25) It's Mostly Just Regulatory Arbitrage (43:00) Why People Join The Crypto Industry (47:33) Is There A Real Use Case? (52:28) What Richard First Liked About Crypto