Unchained

The crew discusses whether prediction markets enable “Bloomberg terminal espionage,,” wonder how to regulate markets that could be on anything, dive into why the OCC is saying no to stablecoin yield and more. The SEC has submitted guidance on how securities laws apply to crypto to the White House. DEX in the City hosts Jessi Brooks, Katherine Kirkpatrick Bos and TuongVy Le dig into what the proposal could mean for the crypto industry and whether it could be enough to provide developers regulatory clarity as anticipated market structure legislation stalls. Why is the agency submitting guidance to the White House? Plus, KK explains why current regulatory efforts could lead crypto to resort to more “come at me bro” legal tactics and Jessi covers why the industry may regret the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Chevron deference. Beyond the SEC's recent crypto regulatory move, the crew discusses the arrest of the son of a government contractor alleged to have stolen the U.S.’s bitcoin, what the DOJ's planned retrial of unresolved charges against Roman Storm suggests and why banks are up in arms over Kraken's “skinny” Fed master account. They also discuss why the crypto industry should tighten up security as Iranian groups target U.S. banking services and tech infrastructure. Hosts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Jessi Brooks⁠⁠⁠⁠, General Counsel at Ribbit Capital ⁠⁠⁠Katherine Kirkpatrick Bos⁠⁠⁠, General Counsel at StarkWare ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TuongVy Le⁠, General Counsel at Veda Links: Unchained: ⁠SEC Sends Crypto Securities Framework to the White House Blame Exchanges for Holding Up the Market Structure Bill? - DEX in the City DOJ Pushes for Retrial of Tornado Cash Developer Roman Storm Kraken Wins Direct Access to the Fed’s Payment System Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Crypto OG Erik Voorhees joins The Chopping Block crew to dissect the future of agentic payments, the eternal war for privacy, memecoin-fueled AI drama on Moltbook, and why your next DeFi user might just be your OpenClaw agent—plus, a candid look at crypto's core and how AI turns software engineering existential. Welcome to The Chopping Block — where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Tarun Chitra, and Robert Leshner chop it up about the latest in crypto. This week, we’re joined by none other than Erik Voorhees, legendary crypto pioneer and founder of Venice, for a no-holds-barred discussion on the wild convergence of AI, crypto, and the meme coin casino. Erik unpacks his journey from anti-surveillance crusader to AI entrepreneur, why Venice is all-in on privacy and free speech for LLMs, and how “provable privacy” is a Sisyphean technical challenge. The crew breaks down OpenClaw’s agent drama, memecoin carpet-bombing of Moltbook, and Meta muscling in on AI social networks. We debate agentic payments (will your first paying customer soon be a bot?), the true game theory behind state surveillance, and why crypto’s greatest killer use case might actually be building tools for robots instead of humans. Plus: existential crises for software engineers, why “AI alignment” is a philosophical dead end, and the childlike glee (or open psychosis) of trading OpenClaw war stories at AI meetups. Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pods, Fountain, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. Show highlights 🔹 Erik Voorhees traces his journey from crypto OG to Venice AI founder, fighting for privacy and free speech 🔹 Explainer: Why all big AI labs store your prompts — and how Venice’s model tries to break the surveillance cycle 🔹 The crew tears into "agentic payments" hype and asks if crypto was really made for humans — or just robots 🔹 OpenClaw, Moltbook, and memecoin floods: Welcome to the unholy spawnpoint of AI agents and CT scam culture 🔹 Meta acquires Moltbook—what happens when agent societies meet social networks (and meme coins ensue) 🔹 AI alignment isn’t as hard as they said—until agents start “optimizing” in the wild (and mining your GPU for crypto) 🔹 Existential crisis time: Why software engineers feel like Paul Bunyan fighting tunnel machines 🔹 Crypto’s endgame: DeFi legos for agents, not just degens—will AI really build its own protocols? 🔹 The game theory of state surveillance and why institutions, not individuals, are the ultimate privacy adversary 🔹 "Provable privacy” isn’t just trust, it’s math—Venice’s plan to win over the tinfoil crowd Hosts ⭐️Haseeb Qureshi, Managing Partner at Dragonfly ⭐️Tarun Chitra, Managing Partner at Robot Ventures ⭐️Tom Schmidt, General Partner at Dragonfly Guest⭐️ Erik Voorhees, Founder of Venice.ai Timestamps 00:00 Intro 01:16 Erik’s Origin & Venice.AI’s Mission 03:51 Censorship Future 08:58 Proving Privacy With TEEs 11:44 Frontier Models Tradeoffs 15:02 Agents & Crypto Payments 18:22 OpenClaw Provider Drama 22:24 Moltbook Meta Acquisition 29:16 Exponential AI Moment 33:00 Alibaba Agent Breakout 37:06 Alignment Reality Check 39:22 Who Understands LLMs? 41:48 Engineers Facing Disruption 47:55 AI Psychosis Meetups 54:24 Pro Models & Pricing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A U.S. Army Major-General on what markets got wrong about Iran, whether the Strait was ever really at risk, and what the new U.S. strike doctrine signals to China. --- Bits + Bips is spreading its wings Starting soon, new episodes will only be published on our brand‑new feeds. Here’s what you need to do: Click the links below. ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Apple⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠ ⁠⁠X⁠⁠ Smash Follow or Subscribe. 🎉 Done. ---- Oil briefly traded above $119 a barrel. Iran threatened to shut the Strait of Hormuz, the single chokepoint that carries roughly 20% of global oil supply. And then, just as fast, prices started pulling back, after Trump said the conflict was "almost completely over." But what is actually happening on the ground, what did markets get right, and what are they still missing? We bring in U.S. Army Major-General James "Spider" Marks, who spent over 30 years in the U.S. Army, serving as senior intelligence officer through the LA riots, the Balkans, Korea, and Operation Iraqi Freedom, and who culminated his career as commanding general of the U.S. Army Intelligence Center. With a conflict still unfolding, a regime in flux, and markets trying to price it all in real time, there may be no better person to ask. Hosts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Ram Ahluwalia⁠⁠⁠⁠, CFA, CEO and Founder of Lumida ⁠⁠⁠⁠Austin Campbell⁠⁠⁠⁠, NYU Stern professor and founder and managing partner of Zero Knowledge Consulting ⁠⁠⁠⁠Christopher Perkins⁠⁠⁠⁠, Managing Partner and President of CoinFund Guest: James "Spider" Marks, U.S. Army Major-General Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rob Hadick and Gracy Chen dig into Bitget's universal exchange shift as more crypto exchanges look to become an “everything app.” Plus, Gracy lets slip details of U.S. plans and how it ties to its transfer of BGB ownership. Bits + Bips is spreading its wings Starting soon, new episodes will only be published on our brand‑new feeds. What you need to do: Click the links below. ⁠YouTube⁠ ⁠Apple⁠ ⁠Spotify⁠ ⁠X⁠ Smash Follow or Subscribe. 🎉 Done. Bitget since September has said it is much more than a centralized cryptocurrency exchange. Dragonfly General Partner Rob Hadick and Bitget CEO Gracy Chen peel back Bitget's universal exchange branding to reveal the trends driving the company's expansion and really that of other exchanges both in TradFi and crypto. The main takeaway? “Users want a place to trade everything.” Gracy also teases Bitget's U.S. market entry plans and lets slip the real reason the company transferred ownership of BGB. Plus, why Gracy is not so optimistic about AI agents materially impacting the crypto market and what Rob says needs to happen for altcoins to accrue value again. He says it is no longer a market where everything goes up and down together. Guests: Rob Hadick, General Partner at Dragonfly Gracy Chen, CEO at Bitget, previous appearances on Unchained: Why All Financial Institutions Are 'All Systems Go' on Stablecoins Stablecoins Are Popping Up Everywhere. What's the End Game? When a Crypto Treasury Company Is and Isn't Worth a Premium Why Crypto Has 'a Good Setup' for the Long Term Right Now: Bits + Bips Links: Unchained: Inside Robinhood’s Big Super App Plan: ‘There’s Still a Lot of Work to Be Done’ Coinbase Launches Stock Trading and Prediction Markets Crypto’s Black Friday Was Its Largest Liquidation Ever. What the Hell Happened? Uneasy Money: Why Peter Steinberger and Non-Crypto People Hate the Crypto Mob Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joseph Chalom and Danny Ryan discuss the institutional outlook on Ethereum and why it is “the only game in town.” Bits + Bips is spreading its wings Starting soon, new episodes will only be published on our brand‑new feeds. What you need to do: Click the links below. YouTube Apple Spotify X Smash Follow or Subscribe. 🎉 Done. The institutions are here and they may have already picked their preferred blockchain. Sharplink Gaming CEO Joseph Chalom and Etherealize co-founder Danny Ryan discuss the institutional outlook on Ethereum. They say the network is the only chain being discussed by institutions thinking about tokenization, dismissing Solana as a possible contender. They explore what this means for ether and why anticipated upgrades only strengthen the case. Meanwhile, Danny maintains that L2s are still part of the Ethereum roadmap, albeit agreeing with Vitalik that they need to evolve. Plus, why Joseph thinks privacy will unlock Ethereum's next DeFi wave and why Danny sees AI agents as the salve to crypto's UX woes, though he calls the current activity “a toy.” Guest: ⁠Joseph Chalom, President/CEO at SharpLink Gaming Inc. Danny Ryan, Co-Founder & President of Etherealize Links: Unchained:⁠⁠ ⁠Vitalik Targets Block Building as Ethereum Prepares Glamsterdam Upgrade Vitalik Buterin Lays Out Quantum Defense Plan for Ethereum Can Solana Edge Out Ethereum to Win the AI Agent & RWA Race? Ethereum Researchers Outline Seven Forks Through 2029 in New “Strawmap” BlackRock Just Chose Uniswap. The Market Didn’t Care. Here’s Why. Want to Hire an AI Agent? Check Their Reputation Via ERC-8004 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Aave DAO collapsed — but might that be good for Aave? (But bad for the token?) Plus, how the feud between the U.S. government and Anthropic helped the AI company. Thank you to our sponsors! ⁠⁠⁠Fuse: The Energy Network ⁠⁠ – Shift your energy use and earn rewards. ⁠⁠⁠MultiChain Advisors -⁠⁠⁠ The Growth & Capital Markets Partner You Need The Aave civil war appears to be at an end with key members of the DAO rage quitting and leaving Aave Labs standing as the sole protocol contributor. Uneasy Money hosts Kain Warwick, Luca Netz, and Taylor Monahan explain why the Aave DAO's messy collapse is a death knell for the DAO system. Ironically, they wonder — could this be good for Aave, but bad for the token? The crew also wades into ZachXBT's recent Axiom investigation and how the on-chain detective has become “a vigilante for hire.” They also cover all the insider trading claims and fights around prediction markets involving the Iran War and Mr. Beast, and “Kalshi jail.” Kain suspects another reason for the U.S. government's rift with Anthropic. Luca, an Anthropic investor, says he wished Dario had taken the government's deal, but that Sam Altman needs to “take the Zuck playbook.” Meanwhile, is Anthropic nerfing OpenClaw? Hosts: ⁠⁠⁠Kain Warwick⁠⁠⁠, Founder of Infinex and Synthetix ⁠⁠⁠Taylor Monahan⁠⁠⁠, Security Expert ⁠⁠⁠Luca Netz, CEO of Pudgy Penguins Links: Unchained: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Aave Governance Fight Escalates Ahead of $51 Million Funding Vote Uneasy Money: Why the AI Singularity May Already Be Out of Our Hands How Aave Labs and the DAO Should Split Ownership of the Brand – Uneasy Money ZachXBT Alleges Axiom Employee Misused Internal Data Uneasy Money: Why Peter Steinberger and Non-Crypto People Hate the Crypto Mob Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Analysts Will Clemente, Joe Vezzani and Marcus Wu share their Bitcoin outlook amidst war. Plus, Will shares his thesis on Gen Z’s future, and Marcus previews his Bitcoin game theory model. Thank you to our sponsors! ⁠Nexo ⁠Crypto Tax Girl Bitcoin's price has largely held steady despite President Donald Trump's escalation of hostilities with Iran. Is this the bottom signal the market has been waiting for? STIX investments chief Will Clemente, LunarCrush co-founder Joe Vezzani and Delphi Digital Research Analyst Marcus Wu explain why it looks like Bitcoin is bottoming, why a 10/10-style crash would have happened in crypto even without the Binance glitch, and why, regardless of the Jane Street rumors, it’s not beyond Wall Street to manipulate an asset. They also address speculation that Jane Street has been suppressing Bitcoin's price and how AI's rapid advancement could impact crypto in light of Citrini Research's article and Jack Dorsey's Block layoffs. Don't miss Joe's reasoning on why Trump could come to the market's rescue and Will's thesis on why zoomers face four unique financial and technological challenges. Plus Marcus also previews his new game theory model for trading the Bitcoin market. Guest: ⁠Marcus Wu, Research Analyst at Delphi Digital Joe Vezzani, Co-founder and CEO of LunarCrush Will Clemente, Investments at STIX Previous appearances on Unchained: Bitcoin Crashed Below $100K, But Smart Money Is Buying the Dip Strong Hands Aren't Selling Bitcoin. So Who Is? - Ep. 183 Arthur Hayes and Will Clemente on the 2024 Bitcoin Halving Links: Unchained:⁠⁠ Why Gold Rose and Bitcoin Tumbled on Japan Bond Turmoil Is Nic Carter Exaggerating Bitcoin’s Quantum Risk? Yes, Says One Core Dev Bitcoin Rebounds as ETF Inflows Return, Jane Street Speculation Swirls Terraform Estate Targets Jane Street in Explosive Terra Collapse Lawsuit Crypto’s Black Friday Was Its Largest Liquidation Ever. What the Hell Happened? Will’s essay Climbing a Broken Ladder: A message to my fellow Zoomers Marcus’s Bitcoin game theory model Bitcoin Game Theory on Delphi Digital Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The crew discusses whether prediction markets enable “Bloomberg terminal espionage,,” wonder how to regulate markets that could be on anything, dive into why the OCC is saying no to stablecoin yield and more. Thank you to our sponsors! ⁠⁠Fuse: The Energy Network Prediction markets are in the spotlight again. On one hand adoption appears to be growing as the Nasdaq has announced plans of entering the space. On the other hand, they scrutinize markets that pose a national security risk. In this DEX in the City episode, hosts Jessi Brooks, Katherine Kirkpatrick Bos and TuongVy Le discuss suspected insider trading activity around a market tied to the strikes on Iran. Beyond ethical concerns about betting on war, they grapple with the definition of “a death market” and ask whether all prediction markets around an individual are death markets. The big question: How can these markets on literally any possible event be policed? Plus, is Jane Street manipulating the Bitcoin market? Why the OCC is saying NO to stablecoin yield and the takeaway from Jack Dorsey's Block layoffs. Hosts: ⁠⁠⁠Jessi Brooks⁠⁠⁠, General Counsel at Ribbit Capital ⁠⁠Katherine Kirkpatrick Bos⁠⁠, General Counsel at StarkWare ⁠⁠TuongVy Le, General Counsel at Veda Links: Unchained: Nasdaq Eyes Prediction Markets With SEC Filing Bitcoin Rebounds as ETF Inflows Return, Jane Street Speculation Swirls ZachXBT Alleges Axiom Employee Misused Internal Data White House Talks Make Progress on Stablecoin Yields but No Deal Yet DEX in the City: Insider Trading and Crypto: What the Law Actually Says Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Crypto’s vibe check time: Jez (izebel_eth) joins the crew to dissect whether idealism is RIP, if cypherpunks should abandon hope, how Memecoins and asset mayhem changed the game, why prediction markets are both truth engines and regulatory minefields, and where real permissionless finance is actually winning in the middle of global chaos. Welcome to The Chopping Block — where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Tarun Chitra, and Robert Leshner chop it up about the latest in crypto. This week the gang is joined by super-perpetuals-junkie Jez for a spicy look at whether crypto has lost its soul — or if things are just getting interesting. Is crypto’s vibe shift just growing pains, or did Memecoins and jaded traders nuke our idealism for good? The crew rehashes dreams of cypherpunk glory, debates the “death of the dream,” and gets existential about crypto’s place in a world where everything is either a commodity, a meme, or a permissionless financial machine. Plus: War in Iran sends TradFi running, but DeFi markets are live, and prediction markets step up just as the regulators get weird. Enough nostalgia — let’s get into it. Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pods, Fountain, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. Show highlights 🔹 Jez and Tarun’s crypto origin story: from MIT outcast to NFT party degens. 🔹 Has crypto really lost its soul, or just shed its rose-tinted glasses? The hosts debate. 🔹 The rise and rise of Memecoins, rampant speculation, and Solana’s culture shift. 🔹 Do “return to cypherpunk” calls matter—or is this what crypto winning looks like? 🔹 Why stablecoins, perps, and DeFi are actually success stories (despite maximalist whining). 🔹 AI eating crypto’s lunch: the “everything on the blockchain” promise gets a reality check. 🔹 Real world chaos, onchain price discovery: Iran war, commodities, and DeFi’s 24/7 edge. 🔹 Prediction markets—Kalshi vs. Polymarket—tripped up by the ambiguous reality of war and death. 🔹 CFTC, insider trading, and whether banning informed bets is just protecting “the fish.” 🔹 The future: agents, open-source AI, and keeping the door open for true permissionless finance. Hosts ⭐️Haseeb Qureshi, Managing Partner at Dragonfly ⭐️Tarun Chitra, Managing Partner at Robot Ventures ⭐️Tom Schmidt, General Partner at Dragonfly Guest ⭐️ Jez, LegendDisclosures Timestamps 00:00 Intro 01:07 Jez x Tarun Lore 03:24 Cynicism & Rug Culture 09:00 Back To Cypherpunk Roots? 14:37 Compromises & Reality 23:36 Intermediaries Coexist 25:23 Gates Closing Fears 28:10 Stablecoins & Policy 29:24 Agents As Middlemen 30:28 Microfinance to DeFi Agents 31:57 Open Source AI and Crypto Control 32:41 Iran War DeFi Price Discovery 33:57 Why Perps Beat TradFi 37:21 Kalshi vs Polymarket Dispute 44:31 Are Prediction Markets Just Toys? 50:50 Insider Trading Crackdown 54:15 Adverse Selection and Market Design Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A major war broke out in the Middle East, but Bitcoin didn’t break. One veteran investor says that price action reveals something important about where crypto stands today. --- Bits + Bips is spreading its wings Starting soon, new episodes will only be published on our brand‑new feeds. What you need to do: Click the links below. YouTube Apple Spotify X Smash Follow or Subscribe. 🎉 Done. --- The U.S. and Israel have struck Iran, killing Ayatollah Khamenei, and markets are still calibrating. Oil is climbing toward $100, yields are confounding textbook expectations, and when news first broke, Bitcoin dropped to around $63,000 before recovering to roughly $70,000 during Monday's session. Equity futures that opened sharply lower also reversed, ending roughly flat vs. Friday's close. What does that price action actually mean? Is the crypto bounce a sign of structural resilience, or is it moving in lockstep with a broader risk recovery? In this episode, Steven Ehrlich sits down with Rob Hadick, General Partner at Dragonfly Capital, a veteran crypto venture investor managing hundreds of millions of dollars to work through what the Iran conflict actually means for digital assets. They also get into the stalled Clarity Act that could be crypto's biggest catalyst of the year, the rise of on-chain derivatives markets, and why one of the largest crypto-focused funds believes now is one of the best moments in history to be building in this space. Host: ⁠Steven Ehrlich⁠ Guest: Rob Hadick, General Partner, Dragonfly Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

US and Israeli strikes killed Iran's Supreme Leader and initially rattled markets. But does the subsequent market calm reflect genuine resilience or a dangerous underpricing of what comes next? --- Nexo is the premier digital wealth platform. Receive interest on your crypto, borrow against it without selling, and trade a range of assets. Now available in the U.S with 30 days of exclusive privileges. Get started at nexo.com/unchained Bits + Bips is spreading its wings Starting soon, new episodes will only be published on our brand‑new feeds. Here’s what you need to do: Click the links below. ⁠YouTube⁠ ⁠Apple⁠ ⁠Spotify⁠ ⁠X⁠ Smash Follow or Subscribe. 🎉 Done. ---- Over the weekend, US and Israeli forces conducted coordinated strikes on Iran under an operation called Epic Fury, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and triggering retaliatory missile attacks across the Gulf region. Markets absorbed the shock in ways that surprised almost everyone: bitcoin briefly dropped and recovered to $70,000, gold touched $5,400, oil surged, and the VIX held in the low 20s while equities finished roughly flat. In this episode of Bits + Bips, Austin Campbell, Ram Ahluwalia, and Chris Perkins discuss whether the market is correctly pricing this as a contained regional conflict, or is something larger being missed? What does crypto's stability in a weekend war say about its role as an asset class? And with the Clarity Bill stalling again over stablecoin yield, and Anthropic handing the Pentagon to OpenAI, is the window for principled positioning in both crypto and AI closing faster than anyone admits? Hosts: ⁠⁠⁠Ram Ahluwalia⁠⁠⁠, CFA, CEO and Founder of Lumida ⁠⁠⁠Austin Campbell⁠⁠⁠, NYU Stern professor and founder and managing partner of Zero Knowledge Consulting ⁠⁠⁠Christopher Perkins⁠⁠⁠, Managing Partner and President of CoinFund Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A former Clinton and Biden foreign policy advisor saw it before it happened. Now the question is what investors do next. Hours after this episode was recorded, the United States and Israel launched a coordinated military campaign against Iran, killing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in what analysts are calling the most significant U.S.-Iran escalation in decades. Charles Myers, Founder and CEO of Signum Global Advisors and a former senior foreign policy advisor to Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden, had just sat down with Steven Ehrlich to discuss the geopolitical landscape and what it means for investors. What he said about Iran during that conversation is now raising serious questions about what comes next, and the investment implications are far from settled. In this episode, Myers also addresses whether the "sell America" trade is overdone, where oil is heading, the future of AI funding, and whether Bitcoin can actually function as a safe haven when the world is on fire. Hosts: ⁠Steven Ehrlich⁠, Host of Bits + Bips: The Interview Guests: ⁠Charles Myers, Founder and CEO, Signum Global Advisors Links: Iran strike / military action: US strikes Iran — https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/israel-iran-attack-02-28-26-hnk-intl US-Iran nuclear talks — https://www.nbcnews.com/world/iran/us-iran-nuclear-talks-trump-military-buildup-attack-missiles-rcna260764 Largest US military buildup in the Middle East since the early 2000s — https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2026/02/26/us-military-assembles-largest-force-of-warships-aircraft-in-middle-east-in-decades/ Oil markets: Oil prices surge after Iran strike — https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/28/iran-us-attack-oil-market-economy.html Trump’s energy strategy: targeting oil in the low $50s — https://www.axios.com/2026/02/28/us-iran-attack-energy-oil-prices Sell America / US safe haven: Global investors question US safe haven status — https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/28/markets-brace-for-impact-following-us-military-strikes-against-iran.html The “Sell America” trade, explained — https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-02/sell-america-trade-why-investors-are-questioning-us-assets Venezuela / Monroe Doctrine: Maduro government and the US oil deal — https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/05/maduro-overthrow-could-pave-the-way-for-us-oil-companies-to-recover-venezuela-assets.html The return of the Monroe Doctrine under Trump — https://www.cfr.org/articles/oil-power-and-the-climate-stakes-of-the-u-s-move-in-venezuela OpenAI / AI: OpenAI raises $110 billion — https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/27/open-ai-funding-round-amazon.html Stargate: OpenAI and SoftBank’s AI moonshot — https://openai.com/index/announcing-the-stargate-project/ Prediction Markets: Polymarket Iran strike odds — https://polymarket.com Insider trading on Polymarket: the Maduro bet — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_United_States_strikes_in_Venezuela Stablecoins / GENIUS Act: The GENIUS Act and stablecoin regulation — https://www.gibsondunn.com/the-genius-act-a-new-era-of-stablecoin-regulation/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

MegaETH's Namik Muduroglu joins the Uneasy Money crew to discuss how the industry can fix token incentives, the continued escalation of the Aave civil war and more. Thank you to our sponsors! ⁠⁠Fuse: The Energy Network ⁠ – Shift your energy use and earn rewards. ⁠⁠MultiChain Advisors -⁠⁠ The Growth & Capital Markets Partner You Need ⁠⁠Crypto Tax Girl An article from Boost CEO Brian Flynn sparks conversation about whether tokens are dead. The Aave civil war continues to escalate. China is trying to reverse engineer Claude even as Anthropic faces off against the U.S. government. In this episode of Uneasy Money, hosts Kain Warwick and Taylor Monahan are joined by MegaETH founding team member Namik Muduroglu to discuss how to fix token incentives, whether there is a happy ending in sight for Aave. They also discuss the geopolitical risks that come with AI and the technology's rapid rate of advancement. Is the Singularity already out of our hands? Plus, ZachXBT's teased announcement and Ethereum's “strawmap.” Don't miss Kain's plan to fuse Claude with his Unitree dog and why Namik is a closet AI doomer. Hosts: ⁠⁠Kain Warwick⁠⁠, Founder of Infinex and Synthetix ⁠⁠Taylor Monahan⁠⁠, Security Expert Guest: ⁠Namik Muduroglu, CSO & Founding Team at MegaETH Links: Unchained: ⁠Uneasy Money: Why Token Holders Have No Rights & Why Every DAO ‘Has Failed’ ⁠Why MegaETH Is Delaying Its Token and Rejecting Credible Neutrality ⁠Aave Governance Fight Escalates Ahead of $51 Million Funding Vote How Aave Labs and the DAO Should Split Ownership of the Brand – Uneasy Money Uneasy Money: Why Peter Steinberger and Non-Crypto People Hate the Crypto Mob ⁠Ethereum Researchers Outline Seven Forks Through 2029 in New “Strawmap” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tushar Jain and Mike Ippolito make the bull case for Solana as competition heats up. Thank you to our sponsors! Fuse: The Energy Network – Shift your energy use and earn rewards. MultiChain Advisors – The Growth & Capital Markets Partner You Need Crypto Tax Girl – Save $100 on your crypto taxes. With Ethereum refocusing on L1 and Hyperliquid adoption growing, Solana is arguably facing stronger competition than ever. Can it thrive still? Multicoin co-founder Tushar Jain and Blockworks co-founder Mike Ippolito share several reasons to be excited about Solana, including Alpenglow and anticipated market microstructure design flexibility. Find out why Tushar and Mike say Firedancer has not been a flop despite seemingly low adoption, why they don't see block building issues stopping Solana from challenging Hyperliquid, and why they say the network doesn't have to do anything to specifically attract AI agents. Plus, why they both believe that the RWA race is too early to call despite Ethereum's dominance. Meanwhile, with Alpenglow still months away, Mike says the wait doesn’t matter — for the next 12 to 18 months BD and marketing matter more than tech for adoption. #UN1047 Guest: Tushar Jain, Co-Founder & Managing Partner at Multicoin Capital Previous appearances on Unchained: Solana Rejected Inflation Reduction-Here's Why CoinFund's Jake Brukhman and Multicoin's Tushar Jain on Generalized Mining Binance Hack: Should the Threat of Reorgs Be Used to Deter Hackers? Multicoin on the 1 Thing Crypto Teams Miss in Their Quests for Success Mike Ippolito, Co-Founder at Blockworks Links: Unchained: Ethereum Lets Go of the Rollup Story. Here Are the 6 Tokens That Benefit Jump Crypto’s Firedancer Goes Live on Solana Mainnet BlackRock Just Chose Uniswap. The Market Didn’t Care. Here’s Why. When AI Agents Take Over, What Does a Post-Human Economy Look Like? Uneasy Money: How the Increasingly Better AI Agents Are Being Used Onchain Pump.fun Cashed Out $436M Since Mid-October: Lookonchain Zora Shocks Base Community With Solana Pivot Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Robinhood's Coy Garrison and Seong Seog Lee join the crew to unpack the Robinhood Chain launch strategy. Thank you to our sponsors! ⁠MultiChain Advisors Robinhood's proposed chain for the trading of tokenized assets is live in testnet. In this DEX in the City episode, Coy Garrison, Robinhood's deputy general counsel on crypto, and Robinhood Crypto Head of Product Seong Seog Lee walk hosts Katherine Kirkpatrick Bos and Jessi Brooks through the thinking behind the blockchain's testnet launch and why it is important that it supports tokenized equities out of the gate. Beyond the Robinhood Chain testnet launch, KK and Jessi discuss OpenAI and Paradigm's EVMbench tool and why it highlights the need for a safety-first approach. “AI and crypto are in the same room now, but the room's sort of on fire,” Jessi says. Don't miss how a man accidentally gained remote access to 7,000 robot vacuums in 24 countries with AI-written code. KK and Jessi also dig into the Terraform Labs estate's lawsuit against Jane Street. Is there any real credibility behind the lawsuit? Listen to find out! Save $100 with Crypto Tax Girl! Hosts: ⁠⁠Jessi Brooks⁠⁠, General Counsel at Ribbit Capital ⁠Katherine Kirkpatrick Bos⁠, General Counsel at StarkWare Guests: ⁠⁠⁠Coy Garrison, Senior Director and Deputy General Counsel, Crypto at Robinhood ⁠⁠Seong Seog Lee, Head of Product at Robinhood Crypto Links: Unchained: Robinhood Pushes Deeper Into Tokenization With Layer 2 Testnet Launch Inside Robinhood’s Big Super App Plan: ‘There’s Still a Lot of Work to Be Done’ OpenAI and Paradigm Launch EVMbench to Stress Test AI on Smart Contract Security Uneasy Money: How the Increasingly Better AI Agents Are Being Used Onchain When AI Agents Take Over, What Does a Post-Human Economy Look Like? Terraform Estate Targets Jane Street in Explosive Terra Collapse Lawsuit DeFi Platforms Could Get ‘Innovation Exemption,’ SEC Chair Says SEC Quietly Eases Capital Rules for Stablecoins Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Explore how AI could reshape crypto and finance, redefining traditional systems and introducing new threats. As AI-powered agents promise efficiency, Haseeb, Tom, Tarun, and guest Illia Polosukhin critique Citrini's controversial predictions on a global financial crisis and consider whether AI might just save or further complicate crypto's role in the economy. Welcome to The Chopping Block — where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Tarun Chitra, and Robert Leshner chop it up about the latest in crypto. Joining us is Illia Polosukhin, co-founder of NEAR Protocol and contributing author to the original transformers paper that’s revolutionized AI. Buckle up as we delve into AI’s burgeoning role in the crypto world, dissect the sensational claims from Citrini’s article predicting an AI-triggered financial crisis, and explore the potential of agentic coding in reshaping traditional systems. Let’s get into it! Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pods, Fountain, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. Hosts ⭐️Haseeb Qureshi, Managing Partner at Dragonfly ⭐️Tarun Chitra, Managing Partner at Robot Ventures ⭐️Tom Schmidt, General Partner at Dragonfly Guest⭐️ Illia Polosukhin, Co-founder of NEAR Protocol Disclosures Links: THE 2028 GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE CRISIS by Citrini and Alap Shah Timestamps 00:00 Intro 01:06 AI Agents Meet Crypto 08:06 Dark Forest Threat Model 15:31 How Close Are We 18:41 AI Coding Risks in Crypto 27:27 Citrini 2028 Crisis Explained 35:01 Demand Shock Missing Money 37:55 Automation Limits and Human Value 44:13 AI Zero Days and Botnets 51:40 Escrow Courts and Enforcement 56:05 Illia on Vibe Coding Future Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

DATs may be collapsing, AI agents may be overhyped, but Omid Malekan thinks the strongest case for crypto has nothing to do with either. Thank you to our sponsors: ⁠⁠Fuse: The Energy Network⁠ Bitcoin is below $63,000, digital asset treasuries are under pressure, and the debate over whether crypto markets are bottoming or breaking down is splitting the hosts. Ram is skeptical of institutional demand when he looks at the 13F data from institutions filing SEC reports. Chris is on the phone with institutions all day and is bullish. Omid Malekan, adjunct professor at Columbia Business School, comes in with a longer lens: he admits he contributed to the DAT hype cycle, has doubts about agentic commerce that remind him of the metaverse in 2021, and thinks the strongest argument for crypto is not a product or a token but a fact about how nation-states treat their own citizens. The conversation also covers tokenized bank deposits, the SEC's updated broker-dealer guidance on stablecoins, and what it means that the Supreme Court just struck down Trump's tariffs. Hosts: ⁠⁠Ram Ahluwalia⁠⁠, CFA, CEO and Founder of Lumida ⁠⁠Austin Campbell⁠⁠, NYU Stern professor and founder and managing partner of Zero Knowledge Consulting ⁠⁠Christopher Perkins⁠⁠, Managing Partner and President of CoinFund Guest: ⁠Omid Malekan, Adjunct Professor at Columbia Business School Links: Unchained: Bitcoin Slips Below $63,000 as Fear Deepens Bitcoin Dips Below $65,000 as Tariff Uncertainty Weighs on Risk White House Talks Make Progress on Stablecoin Yields but No Deal Yet SEC Quietly Eases Capital Rules for Stablecoins SCOTUS: Supreme Court strikes down tariffs Citrini: ⁠THE 2028 GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE CRISIS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jansen Teng announces Virtuals’ new humanoid robotics accelerator. Is this the next frontier for the AI agent meta? Thank you to our sponsors! ⁠⁠⁠⁠Figure⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Crypto Tax Girl⁠⁠⁠⁠ Virtuals Protocol has announced the launch of Eastworld Labs, an AI accelerator to make it easier for builders to deploy humanoid robots. Virtuals Protocol co-founder Jansen Teng unpacks the idea behind the program, how it would work and what it hopes to achieve. He also addresses questions about how to prevent damage to remotely controlled robots, how to address backlash to robots taking jobs, and whether Virtuals views OpenClaw as a competitor. Will human relationships eventually be replaced by AI agents? Guest: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Jansen Teng, CEO & Co-Founder of Virtuals Protocol Links: Unchained: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Virtuals Ecosystem Sees Boost After Team Reveals Details of Buyback-and-Burn Program ⁠⁠⁠⁠Want to Hire an AI Agent? Check Their Reputation Via ERC-8004 When AI Agents Take Over, What Does a Post-Human Economy Look Like? How Nansen’s New Trading Agent Makes It Easier to Follow the Smart Money Onchain How the x402 Standard Is Enabling AI Agents to Pay Each Other Uneasy Money: How the Increasingly Better AI Agents Are Being Used Onchain Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Matt Corallo says “the community that exists at the time” will make decisions on how Bitcoin deals with the threat of quantum computing. Thank you to our sponsors! ⁠Figure⁠ ⁠Crypto Tax Girl⁠ ⁠Fuse: The Energy Network⁠ When it comes to the quantum computing threat to crypto, the focus is often on Bitcoin and for good reason. The blockchain lacks a defined governance structure and the vulnerability around Satoshi's and other abandoned and lost coins is far greater than on any other chain. Furthermore, influential figures like Nic Carter have accused developers of sleeping at the wheel. Bitcoin Core contributor Matt Corallo argues that it won't take much to make the network quantum-resistant and, contrary to popular narrative, says work is already underway. Find out why Corallo says quantum-proofing Bitcoin requires only two steps ”you burn old lost coins, you burn anyone who hasn't migrated.” Guest: ⁠Matt Corallo, Open Source Engineer at Block/Spiral Links: Unchained: ⁠Why Bitcoin Developers Are Not Incentivized to Talk About the Quantum Threat⁠ ⁠Q-Day Is Imminent. Can Bitcoin Survive the Quantum Threat?⁠ ⁠Solana Deploys Post-Quantum Signatures on Testnet⁠ ⁠Cracking Bitcoin Encryption Is Getting Much Easier, Google Says Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

LayerZero’s Bryan Pellegrino joins to unpack Base's decision to leave the OP Stack, Zora's migration to Solana and more. Thank you to our sponsors! ⁠Fuse: The Energy Network – Shift your energy use and earn rewards. ⁠MultiChain Advisors -⁠ The Growth & Capital Markets Partner You Need Coinbase's Base is making a shock move away from Optimism's OP Stack. In this Uneasy Money episode, LayerZero Labs CEO Bryan Pellegrino joins hosts Kain Warwick and Taylor Monahan to unpack whether this is the right move for Base and what it could mean for Optimism. Beyond Base's big move, the trio also discuss Zora's Solana migration, whether Coinbase was wrong to initially pursue a super app strategy with Base App, Peter Steinberger joining OpenAI, the launch of Zero blockchain and OpenAI's EVMbench. Will OpenAI's acqui-hiring of Peter prove to be a “generational fumble” for Anthropic? And can crypto fix its brand problem? Also, learn why the rise of AI agents have Kain and Tay confident that open source will win in the end. Hosts: ⁠Kain Warwick⁠, Founder of Infinex and Synthetix ⁠Taylor Monahan⁠, Security Expert Guest: Bryan Pellegrino, CEO of LayerZero Labs Links: Unchained: Zora Shocks Base Community With Solana Pivot ⁠⁠BlackRock Just Chose Uniswap. The Market Didn’t Care. Here’s Why. ⁠⁠LayerZero Launches ‘Zero’ Layer 1 as Citadel, ARK Buy ZRO ⁠⁠How Zero Blockchain Cracked 2 Million TPS and Is Still Decentralized ⁠⁠Uneasy Money: Are Institutions Creating a New Crypto Meta? ⁠⁠Uneasy Money: How the Increasingly Better AI Agents Are Being Used OnchainVitalik Rethinks Ethereum’s L2 Playbook, Calls for Shift Toward Native Rollups Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stani Kulechov unpacks Aave Labs’ “Aave Will Win” proposal, explaining why the company wants the DAO to have power over its finances. Thank you to our sponsors! Adaptive Security Aave Labs has proposed a “Aave Will Win” framework that will direct all revenue to the DAO to bring the protocol under “a token-centric model.” In this episode, Aave founder Stani Kulechov explains why Aave Labs is putting its funding at the mercy of the DAO and how the framework could drive DeFi innovation. Plus wen Aave v4? And is Aave Labs’ requested budget too much? Guest: Stani Kulechov, Founder of Aave Labs Previous appearances on Unchained: Why Aave's Founder Is 'More Bullish on Ethereum Than Anything Else’ Why the Founders of Aave and Sky Are Still Bullish on Ethereum DeFi Satoshi, Shorter Blocks, & Secret Plot - The Chopping Block Stani Kulechov on Why Aave Is So Successful - Ep.212 Links: Unchained: Aave Revenue Overhaul Sparks Governance Clash Aave Labs Proposes Off-Protocol Revenue Sharing With Token Holders The Chopping Block: Aave Civil War + Flow Hack + Coinbase Super-App Aave’s Rushed Governance Vote Draws Backlash How Aave Labs and the DAO Should Split Ownership of the Brand – Uneasy Money Uneasy Money: Why Token Holders Have No Rights & Why Every DAO ‘Has Failed’ ‘Poison Pill’ Proposal Calls for Aave DAO to Take Over Aave Labs AAVE Holders Question if DAO Quietly Redirected Revenue Away From Treasury Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dragonfly raises a $650M Fund IV amid crypto's institutional vs retail sentiment gap, the industry exodus including Kyle Samani's departure from Multicoin, OpenClaw's OpenAI acquisition and crypto Twitter harassment, X402 payment standards for AI agents, Polymarket's controversial 5-minute Bitcoin betting markets, and the brewing federal vs state regulation battle over prediction markets. Welcome to The Chopping Block — where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Tarun Chitra, and Robert Leshner chop it up about the latest in crypto. This episode kicks off with major news: Dragonfly just closed their $650 million Fund IV, making them one of the largest crypto VCs not through growth, but because others have downsized. The timing feels surreal — they keep raising right when markets dump, creating the biggest gap between institutional optimism and retail sentiment Haseeb has ever seen. But money flowing in contrasts sharply with talent flowing out. Kyle Samani left Multicoin, Arianna Simpson departed A16z Crypto, and several other crypto veterans are moving on. The crew unpacks what this "great resignation" means for an industry that feels like it's shifted from pioneer phase to settler phase. Then they dive into the OpenClaw saga — the viral AI coding assistant that got acquired by OpenAI, but not before its creator almost deleted it due to harassment from crypto Twitter demanding he launch a token. This leads to a deep discussion on X402 payment standards and why AI agents might prefer crypto over credit cards. Finally, they debate Polymarket's controversial 5-minute Bitcoin betting markets and the brewing legal battle between federal and state regulation of prediction markets. Let's get into it. Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pods, Fountain, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. Show highlights 🔹 Dragonfly raises $650M Fund IV while other crypto VCs face "mass extinction" and downsizing 🔹 Kyle Samani's departure from Multicoin signals crypto's shift from pioneer to settler phase 🔹 Industry exodus includes Arianna Simpson, Toshi from Ethereum Foundation, and other veterans 🔹 OpenClaw creator almost deleted viral AI tool due to crypto Twitter harassment over tokens 🔹 X402 payment standard emerges as walletless protocol for AI agent transactions 🔹 OpenAI acquires OpenClaw through separate foundation structure, not direct acquisition 🔹 Polymarket launches controversial 5-minute Bitcoin up/down markets sparking gambling debate 🔹 CFTC chair files amicus briefs defending prediction markets against state regulation attempts 🔹 Federal vs state jurisdiction battle intensifies over event contracts vs sports betting classification 🔹 Institutional sentiment remains bullish while crypto native sentiment hits historic lows Hosts ⭐️Haseeb Qureshi, Managing Partner at Dragonfly ⭐️Robert Leshner, CEO & Co-founder of Superstate ⭐️Tarun Chitra, Managing Partner at Robot Ventures ⭐️Tom Schmidt, General Partner at Dragonfly Timestamps 00:00 Intro 01:04 Dragonfly Closes $650M Fund IV 03:26 Institutional vs Retail Sentiment 06:14 Bear Markets as Opportunity 13:48 Kyle Samani’s Exit 21:44 OpenClaw Gets ‘Acquired’ by OpenAI 24:03 Token Pressure & Harassment 25:05 Is OpenClaw Actually Useful? 31:01 Why Open Source Will Move Faster Than Big Labs 33:13 Agents, Memecoins, and the Dark Incentives 37:40 Why Crypto Payments Beat Credit Cards 40:09 Polymarket’s New 5-Minute Markets 49:43 State Gambling Laws vs CFTC Federal Preemption Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The crew tackles everything from the CFTC's controversial stance on prediction markets to the real-world impacts of rising crypto crime. Thank you to our sponsors! Figure is giving away $25,000 in USDC. Deposit into Democratized Prime, earn ~9% APY hourly—and every $1 you keep in for 25 days is 1 entry. Enter here Adaptive Security: As AI makes deception easier, security gets harder. Adaptive runs deepfake and phishing simulations so your team can train for real-world threats. Explore more The CFTC has announced an innovation council, Chair Mike Selig has asserted that prediction markets are under the agency's ambit, SBF wants another trial and Nancy Guthrie's kidnapping is casting crypto in a negative light. In this episode of DEX in the City, hosts Jessi Brooks, Katherine Kirkpatrick Bos and TuongVy Le discuss how the distribution of the CFTC's council highlights industry's need for better gender equity, why Selig's stance on prediction markets triggers “a huge constitutional debate,” why SBF's push for a new trial is so dangerous for crypto, and whether the crypto industry can do more to mitigate crime. Find out why SBF's search for a new trial has far reaching effects beyond his case. Plus, can crypto tackle crime without sacrificing its benefits? If you want your crypto taxes done carefully — not guessed — Crypto Tax Girl is offering $100 off one-on-one crypto tax services. Their team focuses solely on crypto and has been helping investors navigate tax season since 2017. Save $100 here Hosts: ⁠Jessi Brooks⁠, General Counsel at Ribbit Capital Katherine Kirkpatrick Bos, General Counsel at StarkWare ⁠TuongVy Le⁠, General Counsel at Veda Links: Unchained: SEC and CFTC Signal United Front on Crypto Trump Won’t Consider Pardon for SBF: Report DEX in the City: How Crypto Exchanges May Be Holding Up the Market Structure Bill This week's good news: How Ripple is Helping Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity to Unlock Crypto Philanthropy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Mag 7 have committed over $700 billion to AI infrastructure, but the companies building the models may never capture the value. Thank you to our sponsors: Adaptive Security Fuse: The Energy Network The BLS just quietly revised away 862,000 jobs, and real-time inflation trackers now peg price growth below 1%, less than half of what official figures report. If the Fed is steering monetary policy with stale data, investors need to ask what else the models are getting wrong. At the same time, the Mag 7 have committed more than $700 billion to AI infrastructure, with Anthropic alone projecting $1 trillion in revenue within five years. Is that conviction or the early stages of a debt cycle nobody is pricing? And then there is the institutional side of crypto: BlackRock's BUIDL fund just landed on Uniswap with $2.4 billion in assets, Apollo acquired $90 million in Morpho tokens, and AI agents are already settling micropayments in stablecoins. Austin Campbell, Ram Ahluwalia, and Christopher Perkins sit down with Truflation’s CEO Stefan Rust to ask whether the numbers we trust are telling us the truth. Hosts: ⁠Ram Ahluwalia⁠, CFA, CEO and Founder of Lumida ⁠Austin Campbell⁠, NYU Stern professor and founder and managing partner of Zero Knowledge Consulting ⁠Christopher Perkins⁠, Managing Partner and President of CoinFund Guest: Stefan Rust, Founder and CEO of Truflation Links: Unchained: BlackRock Just Chose Uniswap. The Market Didn’t Care. Here’s Why. Apollo Moves Into DeFi Lending With Morpho Token Deal UNI Spikes on BlackRock DeFi Move, Then Gives It All Back Macro: NBC: U.S. had almost no job growth in 2025 PBS: Inflation measure falls to nearly five-year low as gas prices fall and housing costs cool Crowdfund Insider: Secretary Of The Treasury Scott Bessent Calls Out Truflation's Inflation Numbers At Senate Banking Hearing AI CapEx: Amazon, Google And Others Are Pouring $700 Billion Into AI CapEx, Top Analyst Explains Why This Makes It 'Hard' To Bet Against Nvidia CIO: Data center capex to hit $1.7 trillion by 2030 due to AI boom Reuters: OpenClaw founder Steinberger joins OpenAI, open-source bot becomes foundation Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The crew unpacks BlackRock buying UNI, ARK, Citadel, DTCC, the Intercontinental Exchange and other TradFi players backing Zero, , Vitalik's thoughts on AI, and more. Thank you to our sponsors! Fuse: The Energy Network MultiChain Advisors Crypto Tax Girl AI safety chiefs are leaving, BlackRock's launching on Uniswap and buying UNI, LayerZero launches “the last blockchain” with institutional backing, Kaito is launching attention markets, Base is abandoning social and Vitalik has some thoughts on AI. Hosts Kain Warwick, Luca Netz and Taylor Monahan unpack these and more in yet another packed episode of Uneasy Money. Find out why Kain thinks the Uniswap and LayerZero news point to a new meta reminiscent of DeFi Summer. Plus, is Coinbase's Base playing it too safe? And is Vitalik fighting a losing battle? Hosts: Luca Netz, CEO of Pudgy Penguins Kain Warwick, Founder of Infinex and Synthetix Taylor Monahan, Security at MetaMask Links: Unchained: ⁠LayerZero Launches ‘Zero’ Layer 1 as Citadel, ARK Buy ZRO⁠ ⁠How Zero Blockchain Cracked 2 Million TPS and Is Still Decentralized⁠ ⁠Vitalik Buterin Pushes Back on the ‘Race to AGI,’ Outlines Ethereum-Led AI Path⁠ ⁠When AI Agents Take Over, What Does a Post-Human Economy Look Like?⁠ ⁠Uneasy Money: How the Increasingly Better AI Agents Are Being Used Onchain⁠ ⁠Uneasy Money: Why Crypto Still Can’t Overcome Its ICO Struggles Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The market structure bill introduces a "control" test for DeFi protocols. The problem: nobody agrees on what control means. Figure is giving away $25,000 in USDC. Deposit into Democratized Prime, earn ~9% APY hourly—and every $1 you keep in for 25 days is 1 entry. Enter here Peter Van Valkenburgh of Coin Center sits down with Jessi Brooks and Vy Le to confront a question that will determine which DeFi projects can operate in the United States and which ones can't. The Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act creates a carve-out for non-custodial developers, codifying the principle that if you never hold customer funds, you shouldn't need a money transmitter license. Simple enough on paper. But Vy presses on the hard cases: what about an admin key, an upgradeable vault, or a pause function built for security? Where exactly does "non-custodial" end and "control" begin? Meanwhile, Jessi raises the tension the industry rarely wants to discuss. The DOJ just charged cartel brokers moving money through crypto, yet simultaneously dismantled its own enforcement teams. If Congress clears developers, who pursues the actual criminals? The answer matters for every builder, investor, and victim watching this play out. Hosts: Jessi Brooks, General Counsel at Ribbit Capital TuongVy Le, General Counsel at Veda Guest: ⁠Peter Van Valkenburgh, Executive Director of Coin Center Links: ⁠​​Crypto Market Structure Bill Clears Senate Committee — But the Hard Part Is Still Ahead⁠ ⁠Senators Move to Curb Passive Stablecoin Yields in Market Structure Push⁠ ⁠Mastercard in Talks to Buy Zerohash for $2 Billion: Report⁠ ⁠How the GENIUS Act Creates a Built-In Advantage for Banks and Deposit Tokens⁠ ⁠How Nansen’s New Trading Agent Makes It Easier to Follow the Smart Money Onchain⁠ ⁠How the x402 Standard Is Enabling AI Agents to Pay Each Other⁠ ⁠Reading is Fundamental⁠ ⁠Stablecoin for Babies Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Namik Muduroglu and Amir Almaimani walk through MegaETH's launch strategy and why they are delaying the TGE. Thank you to our sponsors! ⁠Figure⁠ ⁠Crypto Tax Girl Months after its oversubscribed initial coin offering, MegaETH's mainnet is live. But the project is not launching its token just yet. In this Unchained podcast episode, MegaETH strategy chief Namik Muduroglu and Head of Ecosystem Amir Almaimani break down the Ethereum Layer 2 chain’s launch strategy, including its decision to delay TGE. They also explain how the MegaETH is navigating the current market slump and how it is positioning USDM as its long term moat. Plus, why they believe credible neutrality is a “losing strategy.” Guests: Namik Muduroglu, CSO & Founding Team at MegaETH Amir Almaimani, Head of Ecosystem of MegaETH Previous appearances on Unchained: MegaETH Just Had Its Public Sale. Can It Succeed in Building a Web2-Like Experience? Links: Unchained: Ethereum Lets Go of the Rollup Story. Here Are the 6 Tokens That Benefit MegaETH Plans Return of All Pre-Deposit Funds MegaETH Just Had Its Public Sale. Can It Succeed in Building a Web2-Like Experience? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thank you to our sponsors! Figure Crypto Tax Girl Are bitcoiners underestimating the quantum threat to Bitcoin? That's the question Castle Island Ventures Partner Nic Carter has posed with some recent posts gauging the views of several leading Bitcoin developers on quantum computing. To help answer the question, Unchained reached out to Ethereum Foundation Researcher Justin Drake and Michigan University Professor Chris Peikert. In this episode, Justin and Chris, who is one of the foremost experts on lattice cryptography, break down the quantum computing threat to crypto and the potential timelines. Justin theorizes that Bitcoin developers may not be incentivized to talk about the quantum computing risk while still saying that a number of smart people are already taking it seriously and that may be enough. Conversely, Chris highlights the constraints that come with uncertainty around risks and timelines. Listen to find out what they conclude. Plus, could AI do crypto in before quantum computers? Guests: Justin Drake, Researcher at the Ethereum Foundation Chris Peikert, Professor, Computer Science and Engineering, University of Michigan Links: Ethereum and Optimism Lay the Groundwork for a Post-Quantum Future Q-Day Is Imminent. Can Bitcoin Survive the Quantum Threat? Solana Deploys Post-Quantum Signatures on Testnet Cracking Bitcoin Encryption Is Getting Much Easier, Google Says Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thank you to our sponsors! Figure Crypto Tax Girl What happened to Bitcoin on Feb. 5? And why does the apex crypto continue to underperform? DeFi Development Corp investment chief Parker White has some theories. In this Unchained podcast episode, Parker walks Laura Shin through them as they gain traction on X. At the center of it all is non-crypto Hong Kong fund and another fund that may be executing a ‘Big Short’-style trade using derivatives. Listen to find out why Parker is so convinced. Guest: Parker White, COO/Chief Investment Officer at DeFi Development Corp Links: Bitcoin Mining Gets a Rare Reset as Weaker Players Drop Out Why Bitcoin Is Down, Plus the Rare Bright Spot in Crypto: Hyperliquid Crypto Sentiment Is Down Bad. The Reality Is Far Different, Says Ryan Watkins Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Fountain, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. Figure is giving away $25,000 in USDC. Deposit into Democratized Prime, earn ~9% APY hourly—and every $1 you keep in for 25 days is 1 entry. Enter here --- Bitcoin slid toward $60,000 on Feb. 5 in a brutal, cross-asset selloff that hit gold, equities, and crypto alike. With leverage unwinding and basis trades breaking, long-time bitcoin holders are distributing to institutional buyers who, by 13F data, are mostly underwater. The mood across digital assets is bleak. Against that backdrop, Nic Carter of Castle Island Ventures argues that key Bitcoin narratives have quietly failed—and warns that developers’ inaction on quantum risk could open the door to institutional control. If devs don’t act, Carter says ETF giants like BlackRock will. The panel then widens the lens: declaring the token-centric VC model dead, debating whether AI now rivals the industrial revolution, and stress-testing it all across topics ranging from Solana vs. Hyperliquid to Japan’s political shift and MrBeast’s fintech play. --- If you want your crypto taxes done carefully — not guessed — Crypto Tax Girl is offering $100 off one-on-one crypto tax services. Their team focuses solely on crypto and has been helping investors navigate tax season since 2017. Save $100 here Hosts: Ram Ahluwalia, CFA, CEO and Founder of Lumida Austin Campbell, NYU Stern professor and founder and managing partner of Zero Knowledge Consulting Christopher Perkins, Managing Partner and President of CoinFund Guest: Nic Carter, Founding Partner at Castle Island Ventures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thank you to our sponsors! Figure Crypto Tax Girl LayerZero Labs is making bold promises with its coming Zero Blockchain. 2 million transactions per second per node. A thousandth of a penny per transaction. No compromises to decentralization. The big question is how?! In this Unchained podcast episode, LayerZero Labs CEO Bryan Pellegrino explains how the team was able to crack scalability by fixing blockchain storage and rethinking the crypto industry's approach to zero knowledge technology. With the blockchain already boasting partners such as Citadel Securities, DTCC and ICE, will Zero be the blockchain institutions decide to build on? Guest: Bryan Pellegrino, Co-founder & CEO of LayerZero Labs Links: LayerZero Foundation Buys Back 5% of ZRO Token Supply From Early Investors PayPal’s PYUSD Integrates LayerZero to Expand Across Blockchains The LayerZero/Wormhole Bidding War Shows How to Value a Crypto Business LayerZero Fought the Sybils and Airdropped Its Token. Did the Team Win? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The ERC-8004 standard for trustless AI agent interactions is finally live on mainnet! In this Unchained episode, Ethereum Foundation AI Lead Davide Crapis joins to explain what the standard is, how it works, how it’s protected against manipulation, and what's next. Listen to find out his most interesting experience building the project and tips for builders looking to start businesses around AI agents. Guest: Davide Crapis, AI Lead at Ethereum Foundation Links: How the x402 Standard Is Enabling AI Agents to Pay Each Other Uneasy Money: How Ethereum May Have One-Upped Bitcoin in One Big Way Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thank you to our sponsors! Fuse: The Energy Network MultiChain Advisors Vitalik Buterin just dropped a bombshell: the L2 vision no longer makes sense. Meanwhile, AI coding agents are going parabolic. In this monster episode of Uneasy Money, Ethereum Foundation Head of Developer Growth Austin Griffith and Optimism co-founder Karl Floersch join hosts Kain Warwick and Taylor Monahan to unpack the reasoning behind Vitalik's remarks and debate whether Ethereum needs L2s to pull institutions. They also take a deep dive into the OpenClaw and Moltbook craze and Austin shares how he has different agents running on different machines, including one that texts his wife good morning everyday. Is “AI the new UI?” Hosts: Kain Warwick, Founder of Infinex and Synthetix Taylor Monahan, Security Expert, Metamask Guests: Austin Griffith, AI Lead at Ethereum Foundation Karl Floersh, CTO of OP Labs Links: Vitalik Rethinks Ethereum’s L2 Playbook, Calls for Shift Toward Native Rollups How the x402 Standard Is Enabling AI Agents to Pay Each Other Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thank you to our sponsors! Fuse In one week, OpenClaw agents have gotten their own social networking platform, launched cryptocurrency tokens and built a site to rent humans. In this episode of Unchained, DAIS Global Chair Michael Casey and The Exponentialist co-founder David Mattin explore what Moltbook reveals about the direction of the AI trend, how AI could impact jobs and what a post-human economy looks like. Will Bitcoin be the currency of the future? Don't miss Michael's sovereign AI thesis and how Mattin believes we can navigate the transition to a post-human society. Hint: “lean into your weirdness.” Guests: Michael Casey, Chairman of DAIS Global David Mattin, Co-founder of The Exponentialist Links: How Nansen’s New Trading Agent Makes It Easier to Follow the Smart Money Onchain How the x402 Standard Is Enabling AI Agents to Pay Each Other Check out David's newsletter New World Same Humans Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’re looking for help with crypto taxes, Crypto Tax Girl is offering $100 off for Unchained listeners. They provide personalized crypto tax reports and tax returns, and availability before April 15 is limited. Go to http://cryptotaxgirl.com/unchained to save $100! The White House is intervening in the fight over stablecoin yield. And AI agents are… organizing? In this special episode of DEX in the City, Zerohash CEO Edward Woodford joins hosts Jessi Brooks and Katherine Kirkpatrick Bos to unpack the White House meeting to resolve disputes over the CLARITY Act and the Moltbook craze. Listen to find out why Edward thinks CLARITY should have a narrower focus and what he thinks is more important than the yield debate. Plus why Jessi thinks the crypto industry is pinning too much hope on the bill. Don't also miss Edward's rationale behind rejecting $2B from Mastercard and KK's awkward interaction with a teacher after offering to teach crypto at her son's school. Meanwhile, as AI agents proliferate, where does accountability lie? Hosts: Jessi Brooks, General Counsel at Ribbit Capital Katherine Kirkpatrick Bos, General Counsel at StarkWare Guest: Edward Woodford, Founder and CEO of Zerohash Links: ​​Crypto Market Structure Bill Clears Senate Committee — But the Hard Part Is Still Ahead Senators Move to Curb Passive Stablecoin Yields in Market Structure Push Mastercard in Talks to Buy Zerohash for $2 Billion: Report How the GENIUS Act Creates a Built-In Advantage for Banks and Deposit Tokens How Nansen’s New Trading Agent Makes It Easier to Follow the Smart Money Onchain How the x402 Standard Is Enabling AI Agents to Pay Each Other Reading is Fundamental Stablecoin for Babies Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thank you to our sponsor! Fuse Bitcoin's collapse is accelerating. Continuing a descent that began last week, the asset this week has all the price progress made under the Trump administration. The price action begs the question why amid greater adoption and support. In this episode of Unchained, FalconX Head of Markets Joshua Lim highlights two main reasons for Bitcoin's regression and offers his outlook for the year. Is it 2022 all over? Plus, how gold's run resembles GameStop in 2021 and why Hyperliquid is a bright spot amid market weakness. Guest: Joshua Lim, Head of Markets, FalconX Links: Bitcoin Sinks as Markets Price In a More Hawkish Fed Has Bitcoin Failed to Live Up to the Digital Gold Narrative? Why HYPE Is Up While Every Other Crypto, Including Bitcoin, Is Down Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Crypto markets are under severe pressure, with Bitcoin sliding into one of the most oversold conditions in its history and Ethereum following closely behind. In this episode of Bits + Bips, Steve Ehrlich sits down with Fairlead Strategies founder Katie Stockton to walk through what the charts are actually signaling amid the selloff. They discuss why oversold does not automatically mean a bottom, how technicians look for downside exhaustion, and what needs to change before confidence returns for Bitcoin and ETH. Hosts: Steven Ehrlich, Host, Bits + Bips Guests: Katie Stockton, Founder and Managing Partner, Fairlead Strategies Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The hosts dive into Bitcoin's volatility below $75K, dissect the explosive CZ vs Star Twitter battle over who caused the 10/10 liquidation cascade, debate the ethics of founder secondary sales with passionate disagreement, and explore the surprising crypto connections in the newly released Epstein files including Tarun's unexpected cameo. Welcome to The Chopping Block — where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Tarun Chitra, and Robert Leshner chop it up about the latest in crypto. This week, the crew tackles a volatile market with Bitcoin struggling below $75K and explores what's driving the uncertainty. They dive deep into the explosive Twitter battle between Binance founder CZ and OKX's Star over who really caused the catastrophic 10/10 liquidation event that broke crypto's correlation with traditional markets. The conversation gets heated as the hosts debate the ethics of founder secondary sales — with Haseeb taking a surprisingly libertarian stance against his co-hosts. Finally, they explore the unexpected crypto connections in the newly released Epstein files, including Tarun's own amusing cameo and connections to Coinbase, Bitcoin Core developers, and other industry figures. From market analysis to Twitter drama to moral philosophy, this episode covers the full spectrum of crypto discourse. Let's get into it. Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pods, Fountain, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. Show highlights 🔹 Bitcoin below $75K signals uncertain market conditions with equal odds of hitting $40K or $130K 🔹 CZ vs Star Twitter battle over who caused the catastrophic 10/10 liquidation cascade 🔹 Athena unwinding timeline analysis challenges Star's claims about Binance's role 🔹 Heated debate on founder secondary sales ethics with sharp disagreements among hosts 🔹 Tarun's unexpected appearance in Epstein files via Quora digest on homomorphic encryption 🔹 Epstein's 2014 Coinbase investment and connections to Brock Pierce revealed 🔹 Bitcoin developers' interactions with Epstein including Adam Back and Jeremy Rubin 🔹 MicroStrategy's break-even position becomes psychological market threshold 🔹 Quantum computing concerns emerge as potential Bitcoin selling catalyst 🔹 Post-10/10 correlation breakdown between crypto and traditional risk assets analyzed Hosts ⭐️Haseeb Qureshi, Managing Partner at Dragonfly ⭐️Robert Leshner, CEO & Co-founder of Superstate ⭐️Tarun Chitra, Managing Partner at Robot Ventures ⭐️Tom Schmidt, General Partner at Dragonfly Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Fountain, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. --- If you want expert help with crypto taxes — without guessing or DIY spreadsheets — Crypto Tax Girl is offering $100 off their crypto tax services for Unchained listeners. They provide personalized support for everything from complex transactions to full tax returns. Get $100 off --- In this episode of Bits + Bips, Austin Campbell and Chris Perkins sit down with Cosmo Jiang to unpack what gold’s volatility shock revealed about market structure, why onchain venues like Hyperliquid are increasingly where price discovery happens, and how digital asset treasuries are being blamed for stress they did not create. The conversation also turns to Kevin Warsh’s nomination as Fed chair and why it represents a deeper shift in institutional power, not just personnel. Hosts: Austin Campbell, NYU Stern professor and founder and managing partner of Zero Knowledge Consulting Christopher Perkins, Managing Partner and President of CoinFund Guest: Cosmo Jiang, General Partner at Pantera Capital Links: Crypto at a Crossroads: Winter Fatigue Meets the Risk of Lower Lows Weekend Drama Rekindles Debate Over What Really Caused the October 10 Crash Crypto’s Weekend Washout Tests Conviction After a Brutal Week Bitcoin Sinks as Markets Price In a More Hawkish Fed Why HYPE Is Up While Every Other Crypto, Including Bitcoin, Is Down Hyperliquid Prepares Prediction-Style Markets With HIP-4 Upgrade Hyperliquid Sees Record Trading as Commodities Drive New Interest ​​Crypto Market Structure Bill Clears Senate Committee — But the Hard Part Is Still Ahead Silver and gold extend losses after last week's historic plunge Gold Volatility Tops Bitcoin in Wildest Price Swings Since 2008 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Crypto has stalled, but markets haven’t. As volatility migrates and narratives shift, retail traders are moving fast into exciting, but risky frontiers. We break down where attention is going next, how professionals are adapting, and why this cycle feels different from the last. Host: Steven Ehrlich, Host: Bits + Bips: The Interview Guest: Evgeny Gaevoy, Founder and CEO, Wintermute Links: Adams’ NYC Memecoin Crashes After Debut, Sparking Outcry Memecoins Were Hot a Year Ago. Many Have Crashed Over 90% Crypto Traders Flee to Prediction Bets After Crash Prediction Markets to Get New Federal Rules, CFTC Chair Says Three Reasons for the Record Rise in Gold Prices, and One Why They Are Falling Gold Falls as Investors Take Profits After Record High Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thank you to our sponsors, Fuse: The Energy Network and MultiChain Advisors! What is the Moltbot buzz about? In this episode of Uneasy Money, hosts Kain Warwick, Luca Netz and Taylor Monahan delve into why Moltbot, the new AI agent hogging the internet spotlight, is so exciting as well as the memecoin drama that has followed. They also discuss how the son of a U.S. government contractor was allegedly caught flexing stolen Bitcoin in an online contest, analyzing how scammers can be so dumb. Plus, why Ethereum's quantum computing initiative is so bullish in contrast to Bitcoin’s nonchalance. Also, are memecoins back? Don't miss out on what Kain says is the real AI agent opportunity and Luca's tales of flipping Instagram handles for millions of dollars. Hosts: Kain Warwick, Founder of Infinex and Synthetix Luca Netz, CEO of Pudgy Penguins Taylor Monahan, Security at MetaMask Links: How Nansen’s New Trading Agent Makes It Easier to Follow the Smart Money Onchain How the x402 Standard Is Enabling AI Agents to Pay Each Other Ilya Lichtenstein Pleads Guilty to 2016 Bitfinex Hack of Billions in Bitcoin Ethereum and Optimism Lay the Groundwork for a Post-Quantum Future Q-Day Is Imminent. Can Bitcoin Survive the Quantum Threat? PUMP Drops Below ICO Price as Private Sale Investors Send $160 Million to Exchanges Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’re looking for help with crypto taxes, Crypto Tax Girl is offering $100 off for Unchained listeners. They provide personalized crypto tax reports and tax returns, and availability before April 15 is limited. Go to http://cryptotaxgirl.com/unchained to save $100! President Donald Trump is suing JPMorgan for $5 billion, a U.S. government contractor's son is linked to Bitcoin theft from the government, the SEC and CFTC appear to be collaborating on crypto and CZ's Davos interview goes viral. In yet another packed episode of DEX in the City, hosts Jessi Brooks, Katherine Kirkpatrick Bos and Vy Le dive into how Trump's case impacts the debanking debate, how a government contractor’s son was bragging about controlling federally seized crypto, why the crypto regulatory turf war may be taking a different shape and CZ's interview, which got a bit too detailed about the horrors of prison. Does the government need a Bitcoin Fort Knox and is the U.S. moving towards a single financial regulator? Listen to find out! Hosts: Jessi Brooks, General Counsel at Ribbit Capital Katherine Kirkpatrick Bos, General Counsel at StarkWare TuongVy Le, General Counsel at Veda Links: Trump Signs Executive Order to Prevent Crypto Debanking Bessent Clarifies U.S. Bitcoin Reserve Plans Ilya Lichtenstein Pleads Guilty to 2016 Bitfinex Hack of Billions in Bitcoin SEC and CFTC Signal United Front on Crypto CZ Denies Ties to Trump and WLFI After Pardon Good news Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thank you to our sponsor, Adaptive Security! As AI makes deception easier, security gets harder. Adaptive runs deepfake and phishing simulations so your team can train for real-world threats. Explore more: http://adaptivesecurity.com Why is crypto sentiment so low despite the growing adoption narrative? In this episode of Unchained, Syncracy Capital co-founder Ryan Watkins unpacks why he thinks crypto is in a “twilight zone” and why the market could take investors by surprise. He also sheds light on why he thinks bitcoin is underperforming gold and what needs to change. Plus what he is excited about in the coming years and why crypto is not just fintech. Is a big move ahead? Listen to find out! Guests: Ryan Watkins, Co-Founder of Syncracy Capital Links: Why Gold Rose and Bitcoin Tumbled on Japan Bond Turmoil Has Bitcoin Failed to Live Up to the Digital Gold Narrative? Will Bitcoin’s New Phase Change It Forever? And Is the 4-Year Cycle Dead? Why the Crypto Markets Seem Down Bad as Bitcoin Dips Below $100K Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thank you to our sponsor, Walrus! Walrus is where the world’s data becomes reliable, valuable, and governable. --- In this exclusive Unchained interview, Griff Green, one of the original DAO curators and a member of the White Hat Group that helped recover funds after the 2016 DAO hack, reveals how tens of thousands of unclaimed ETH are being transformed into a long-term security fund for the Ethereum ecosystem. Nearly ten years after the most infamous exploit in crypto history, the community is repurposing its leftovers, not to rewrite history, but to prevent it from repeating itself. The new DAO Security Fund will deploy grants for Ethereum security research, infrastructure, incident response, and user protection, while also reviving DAO-based governance experiments that have fallen out of favor. Griff explains how the fund will work, why the Ethereum Foundation is involved, how staking will generate sustainable funding, and why, despite Ethereum’s strength, crypto still isn't safe enough for everyday users. Guests: Griff Green, Co-Founder at Giveth, q/acc & Unicorn.eth Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The crew breaks down Superstate's massive $82M Series B for tokenization, the explosive rise of TradeXYZ's commodities trading hitting $1B+ volume, different tokenization models from "bootleg" to "back office," the ClawdBot AI phenomenon taking over coding, and how agent-based development is revolutionizing crypto software engineering. Welcome to The Chopping Block — where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Tarun Chitra, and Robert Leshner chop it up about the latest in crypto. This week, Robert drops news about Superstate's massive $82 million Series B raise led by Bain Capital to bring Wall Street on-chain through tokenization. The crew dives deep into the explosive growth of Hip3 markets, particularly TradeXYZ's commodities trading that's hitting over $1 billion in daily volume as precious metals rip to all-time highs. They break down the different tokenization models emerging - from "bootleg" third-party approaches to "back office" settlement tools to issuer-led official tokenization. Then the conversation shifts to the ClawdBot phenomenon taking the internet by storm, exploring how AI agents are revolutionizing coding and what this means for the future of software engineering in crypto. From vibe coding to the complete transformation of how startups will be built, the hosts examine whether we're witnessing a fundamental shift in how technical work gets done. Show highlights 🔹 Superstate raises $82M Series B led by Bain Capital for official securities tokenization 🔹 TradeXYZ hits $1B+ daily volume trading commodities on HyperLiquid's Hip3 markets 🔹 Gold and silver surge drives massive crypto-native precious metals trading boom 🔹 Three tokenization models emerge: "bootleg" third-party, "back office" settlement, issuer-led official 🔹 ClawdBot/Molt Bot AI phenomenon explodes with agent-based life automation tools 🔹 Security concerns arise as thousands of unsecured ClawdBot gateways discovered online 🔹 Agent coding revolution transforms software engineering from hand-coding to management 🔹 Anthropic employees fully transition to Claude Code, abandoning traditional IDEs entirely 🔹 Crypto exchanges expand beyond crypto to capture trading cohorts aging into new assets 🔹 AI meme coin cycles continue as crypto financializes every new tech breakthrough Hosts ⭐️Haseeb Qureshi, Managing Partner at Dragonfly ⭐️Robert Leshner, CEO & Co-founder of Superstate ⭐️Tarun Chitra, Managing Partner at Robot Ventures ⭐️Tom Schmidt, General Partner at Dragonfly Timestamps 00:00 Intro 01:05 Superstate's $82M Series B Raise 05:16 Tokenization Models: Bootleg vs Back Office vs Issuer-Led 10:03 Trade XYZ HIP-3 Markets Commodities Surge 17:06 Why Crypto Traders Are Flocking to Precious Metals 20:45 The Evolution of Crypto Trading Cohorts 28:14 ClawdBot AI Phenomenon 32:02 Security Concerns with AI Life Automation 35:43 Agent Coding Revolution 41:30 How AI is Transforming Crypto Startups 46:22 Anthropic Teams Fully Adopt Claude Code 51:06 Future of Software Engineering and Hiring Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’re looking for help with crypto taxes, Crypto Tax Girl is offering $100 off for Unchained listeners. They provide personalized crypto tax reports and tax returns, and availability before April 15 is limited. Go to http://cryptotaxgirl.com/unchained to save $100! --- Thank you to our sponsor, Adaptive Security! As AI makes deception easier, security gets harder. Adaptive runs deepfake and phishing simulations so your team can train for real-world threats. Explore more: http://adaptivesecurity.com --- Worried about your 2025 taxes? Don't fret, Unchained has you covered! In this episode, Crypto Tax Girl founder Laura Walter joins to unpack new crypto tax developments such as the 1099-DA, offering strategies to navigate what she calls a tricky year for crypto taxation. The key takeaway: “Don't freak out.” Whether you only use stablecoins, are a heavy DeFi user, are a miner or staker, or even just a prediction market trader, you don't want to miss this episode! Guest: Laura Walter, Founder and CPA of Crypto Tax Girl Links: White House Considers Bid to Tax Crypto Held in Foreign Accounts Roger Ver to Pay $48 Million in Tentative Settlement Deal With DOJ: Report Senator Lummis Pushes Making Small Crypto Transactions Tax-Free in ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Crypto’s Black Friday Was Its Largest Liquidation Ever. What the Hell Happened? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Crypto taxes stressing you out? You don’t have to figure it out alone. We’ve partnered with Crypto Tax Girl, a crypto-focused tax firm that’s been helping investors since 2017, to give readers $100 off personalized, one-on-one crypto tax help. Their team can handle everything from transaction calculations to full tax returns — but pre-April 15 spots are limited, so don’t wait! Grab $100 off here In this episode of Bits + Bips, Austin Campbell, Ram Ahluwalia, Chris Perkins, and guest Charles Edwards debate what “realpolitik” means for markets, why gold is leading, and whether Bitcoin is lagging for a reason that is not just sentiment. They also argue over a counterintuitive claim gaining traction on desks: that rate cuts can be bad for risk assets in a high-debt world, and that the biggest adoption blocker for Bitcoin may be a known unknown, the quantum threat, whether it is imminent or simply believed enough to cap upside. Hosts: Ram Ahluwalia, CFA, CEO and Founder of Lumida Austin Campbell, NYU Stern professor and founder and managing partner of Zero Knowledge Consulting Christopher Perkins, Managing Partner and President of CoinFund Guests: Charles Edwards, Founder & CIO at Capriole Investments Links: Why Gold Rose and Bitcoin Tumbled on Japan Bond Turmoil Should You Buy Gold or Bitcoin? Here’s How to Think About It Bitcoin Stumbles as Global Tensions Push Investors Toward Safe Havens Bitcoin Rebounds After Trump’s Truth Social Post Eases Tariff Fears Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gold is hitting new highs. Bitcoin is struggling to keep up. And once again, the “digital gold” narrative is being put to the test.On today’s episode of Bits + Bips: The Interview, host Steve Ehrlich sits down with Steve Sosnick, Chief Strategist at Interactive Brokers, to break down why bitcoin still trades like a risk asset, why gold keeps winning in moments of market stress, and what crypto must prove to close the credibility gap. From rising bond yields to geopolitics and Fed independence, this conversation cuts through the noise to explain what’s really driving markets right now. Hosts: Steven Ehrlich, Executive Editor at Unchained Guests: Steve Sosnick, Chief Strategist at Interactive Brokers Links: Should You Buy Gold or Bitcoin? Here’s How to Think About It Bitcoin Rebounds After Trump’s Truth Social Post Eases Tariff Fears Crypto Slides on Tariff Fears as Gold Breaks Above $4,850 Why Gold Rose and Bitcoin Tumbled on Japan Bond Turmoil Supreme Court casts doubt on Trump’s power to fire Fed official without proper review Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thank you to our sponsors! Fuse: The Energy Network MultiChain Advisors Trove Markets crashed at launch after a hyped ICO. X has pulled the plug on the InfoFi meta. Farcaster has been absorbed. In this packed Uneasy Money episode, hosts Luca Netz, Kain Warwick and Taylor Monahan delve into how Trove's crash suggests that crypto's ICO struggles persist. Kain suggests X's move to block out InfoFi applications is “bullish” for the platform and the crew explores what's next for decentralized social media along with the takeaways from Farcaster's run. They also discuss the pervasiveness of wallet poisoning scams, why Cosmos is struggling despite its good tech and why Paradex's rollback suggests that crypto's “code is law” ethos may be dying out. Don't miss out on how Luca nearly got wrapped up in the Trove drama and Tay's tips to spot suspicious projects. Plus, why Kain thinks two people building with AI could succeed where Farcaster failed. Hosts: Luca Netz, CEO of Pudgy Penguins Kain Warwick, Founder of Infinex and Synthetix Taylor Monahan, Security at MetaMask Links: Uneasy Money: ICOs Are Back and Why Airdrops Are Instantly Dumped X Bans Incentivized Posting Apps, Prompting Shakeup in Crypto Engagement Platforms Linda Xie on How Mini-Apps Are Helping Farcaster Take on Web2 Social Media Ethereum Sets New Activity Record as Network Upgrades Pay Off Paradex Rollback Raises Hard Questions After Pricing Glitch Triggers Liquidations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week the boys break down the Crypto Clarity Act's dramatic Senate markup with Coin Center's Peter Van Valkenburgh, covering developer liability concerns, tokenized securities language controversy, the banking industry's war against stablecoin yield. Welcome to The Chopping Block — where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Tarun Chitra, and Robert Leshner chop it up about the latest in crypto. Tarun's out this episode, but we're joined by Peter Van Valkenburgh, Principal of Policy at Coin Center and one of the sharpest legal minds in crypto. This week, we're diving deep into the Crypto Clarity Act drama that has DC in chaos mode. What started as crypto's best shot at comprehensive regulation just hit a major roadblock when Coinbase pulled their support hours before the Senate markup. We'll break down the developer liability questions around "control" definitions, the tokenized securities language that has Brian Armstrong fired up, and the stablecoin yield restrictions that have banks and crypto companies at each other's throats. Peter gives us the inside scoop on what's really in this 200-page bill, why Polymarket odds crashed from 80% to 40%, and whether this legislative train wreck can still get back on track. Let's get into it. Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pods, Fountain, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. Show highlights 🔹 Coinbase pulls support for Crypto Clarity Act hours before Senate markup, citing "defacto ban" on tokenized equities 🔹 Peter Van Valkenburgh explains developer liability concerns and how "control" definitions could impact DeFi protocols 🔹 Debate over whether the bill actually kills tokenized securities innovation or just restates existing law 🔹 Banking industry fights to restrict stablecoin yield payments, fearing deposit flight and profit compression 🔹 Tom breaks down multiple loopholes in yield restrictions that could easily be exploited through rewards programs 🔹 Robert argues banks are protecting oligopoly profits while stifling consumer choice and competition 🔹 Peter warns that fighting over yield could jeopardize crucial developer protections like the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act 🔹 Polymarket odds for bill passage crash from 80% to 40% as political tensions escalate 🔹 Discussion of sanctions obligations for DeFi frontend operators and application layer providers Hosts ⭐️Haseeb Qureshi, Managing Partner at Dragonfly ⭐️Robert Leshner, CEO & Co-founder of Superstate ⭐️Tom Schmidt, General Partner at Dragonfly Guest ⭐️Peter Van Valkenburgh, Executive Director of Coin Center Disclosures Links Senate Banking Nears Vote on Digital Asset Market Structure by Peter Van Valkenburgh & Jason Somensatto & Lizandro (Laz) Pieper https://www.coincenter.org/senate-banking-nears-vote-on-digital-asset-market-structure/ Timestamps 00:00 Intro 01:36 Clarity Act Panic 04:46 Peter's Expert Take: Why This Bill Matters 10:16 Developer Liability 19:36 Sanctions Compliance 27:03 Tokenized Equities Fight 35:42 Great Yield War: Banks vs. Stablecoins 45:11 Will Clarity Survive? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices