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Mariano Conti | Layer Zero Oct 05, 2021

Show notes

Mariano Conti is a pillar in the crypto space. Known for revolutionizing smart contracts with Maker, he has built a long resume of building and investing in key projects. He's also a fascinating human being with a unique story.

Tune in to hear Mariano's takes on how the pandemic shaped crypto's narrative, Bull vs Bear markets, finding passion and community, and his musings on going anonymous.

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Topics Covered:

0:00 Intro 3:30 Mariano Conti’s Travels 8:17 Crypto & COVID 11:58 Financial Concerns 20:42 New Paradigm 28:22 New vs Old 34:32 Attention Maximalist 40:30 Mariano Pre-Crypto 50:14 Early Engineering & Investing 55:48 Work Ethic & Passion 1:01:09 Cult & Society 1:06:55 Churn 1:11:00 Builder-Focused Community 1:15:53 Clout, Ego, and Twitter 1:22:32 Anon & What’s Next 1:32:06 Closing

------ Resources:

Mariano on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nanexcool?s=20

----- Not financial or tax advice. This channel is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. This video is not tax advice. Talk to your accountant. Do your own research.

Disclosure. From time-to-time I may add links in this newsletter to products I use. I may receive commission if you make a purchase through one of these links. Additionally, the Bankless writers hold crypto assets. See our investment disclosures here: https://newsletter.banklesshq.com/p/bankless-disclosures

86 - OpenSea & The Business of NFTs | Devin Finzer Oct 04, 2021

Show notes

Devin Finzer, founder & CEO of OpenSea, returns to Bankless to discuss the NFT boom and the role of OpenSea at the center of it all. From Devin's perspective, the energy surrounding NFTs right now is crypto native. This means that this boom starts at the center of crypto culture and extends outwards from there.

We also discuss scaling and gas fees, the spectrum of centralization, the metaverse, and the OpenSea's recent front-running scandal. Building with an open mind and conviction is a key reason why OpenSea finds itself at the center of the NFT markets today, and it looks like we may just be getting started.

✨EXCLUSIVE EPISODE DEBRIEF✨ https://shows.banklesshq.com/p/exclusive-debrief-opensea-and-the

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------ Topics Covered:

0:00 Intro 4:00 Devin Finzer 6:05 The Crypto Native NFT Boom 9:15 Building With an Open Mind 11:36 OpenSea at the Center 18:06 Scaling Under Pressure 22:24 Gas Fees 25:01 Social Media & Users 32:00 Before OpenSea & The Bear 39:50 When NFTs Heated Up 41:45 The Front Running Scandal 48:21 The Centralization Spectrum 55:31 What’s the Metaverse? 58:24 Rapid Fire Questions 1:01:43 Closing & Disclaimers

------ Resources:

Devin on Twitter: https://twitter.com/dfinzer?s=20 OpenSea: https://opensea.io/ NFT Bull Market Episode: https://youtu.be/cmLJHlNlH1s

📺 ROLLUP: China Crypto Ban | NFTs & Bitcoin on Twitter | Compound Bug | Virgil Griffith Oct 01, 2021

Show notes

Last Week of September, 2021

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------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS:

💰 GEMINI | FIAT & CRYPTO EXCHANGE https://bankless.cc/go-gemini

💧LIDO | DECENTRALIZED STAKING https://bankless.cc/Matcha

👻 AAVE | LEND & BORROW ASSETS https://bankless.cc/aave

🦄 UNISWAP | DECENTRALIZED FUNDING https://bankless.cc/UniGrants

------

Topics Covered:

0:00 Intro

8:15 MARKETS 8:45 BTC Price 9:18 ETH Price 11:45 ETH/BTC Ratio 12:39 DeFi Action 16:10 EIP 1559 https://dataalways.substack.com/p/below-the-surface-of-eip-1559 20:07 dYdX https://twitter.com/AntonioMJuliano/status/1442234625120608256?s=20 24:06 Settlement Assurances Nic’s Article: https://medium.com/@nic__carter/its-the-settlement-assurances-stupid-5dcd1c3f4e41 David’s Talk: https://youtu.be/z3ufil39z5o 34:39 Reserve Asset of DeFi https://coinmetrics.substack.com/p/coin-metrics-state-of-the-network-a0e 35:48 Polygon Daily Active Addresses https://twitter.com/MihailoBjelic/status/1443041767725674499?s=20 37:16 TracerDAO https://tracer.finance/

39:00 RELEASE 40:00 Connext NXTP Protocol https://www.coindesk.com/tech/2021/09/28/connext-launches-nxtp-protocol-to-improve-liquidity/ 42:42 Andre’s OpenSea Competitor https://www.coindesk.com/tech/2021/09/24/andre-cronjes-new-nft-marketplace-is-a-vampire-attack-suicide-pact/ 45:25 Coinbase Direct Deposits https://blockworks.co/coinbases-new-direct-deposit-feature-allows-users-to-get-paychecks-in-crypto 47:45 USDC Enabled Funds https://twitter.com/angellist/status/1442901252552101888?s=21 48:06 Affirm Super-App https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-09-28/affirm-to-debut-crypto-debit-products-in-push-toward-super-app 49:54 Polygon x Index Coop https://twitter.com/crypto_texan/status/1443292276940316673?s=21 50:30 Nahmii 2.0 https://blog.nahmii.io/launching-nahmii-2-0-layer-2-commercial-scaling-for-ethereum-ee790a8af2d2 51:14 Roll Social Tokens https://decrypt.co/82080/roll-raises-10m-expand-social-tokens-service-creators 52:21 Bankless Jobs https://jobs.banklesshq.com/

53:00 NEWS 53:15 NFTs on Twitter https://twitter.com/TheSmarmyBum/status/1443259893411049475?s=20 56:53 China Ban https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-09-24/china-deems-all-crypto-related-transactions-illegal-in-crackdown Blocks: https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/118878/coingecko-coinmarketcap-blocked-china-internet-firewall 1:01:03 $23M Gas Tip https://cointelegraph.com/news/bitfinex-paid-a-colossal-23m-fee-to-send-100k-of-usdt 1:02:58 Aave Arc & Fireblocks https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/118822/permissioned-defi-platform-aave-arc-gears-up-for-launch 1:03:56 Compound Bug https://twitter.com/rleshner/status/1443380518498848768?s=20 1:05:59 Axie Airdrop https://twitter.com/AxieInfinity/status/1443536552211124230?s=20 1:07:20 ETH Staked https://twitter.com/LidoFinance/status/1443259897878040578 1:09:53 Snoop & Sandbox https://twitter.com/TheSandboxGame/status/1441069396567412736?s=20 1:11:49 Dapper NFL Top Shot https://cointelegraph.com/news/dapper-labs-to-launch-top-shot-for-nfl-as-ftx-signs-the-packers-aaron-jones 1:13:48 Lightning Network https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/119025/bitcoin-lightning-network-capacity-reaches-all-time-high 1:15:36 Visa Payment Channels https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/119117/visa-universal-payment-channel-interoperability-cbdc 1:17:07 1inch Blocking US Trades https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/119055/dex-aggregator-1inch-blocks-out-us-trades-in-preparation-for-separate-american-platform 1:19:44 CFTC vs Kraken https://www.cftc.gov/PressRoom/PressReleases/8433-21 1:20:38 Wells Fargo Sucks https://twitter.com/BanklessHQ/status/1443202690805293061?s=20 1:23:54 Sen. Lummis CBDC https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/119035/senator-lummis-lays-out-principles-for-a-us-digital-currency-alongside-continued-role-of-private-stablecoins 1:24:45 Virgil Griffith https://twitter.com/ameensol/status/1442170786941444106?s=20

1:33:00 TAKES 1:34:00 Advice for the US https://twitter.com/ryansadams/status/1442864882274107396?s=21 1:36:40 Protecting the Public? https://twitter.com/ojuice_eth/status/1441406498186227720?s=20 1:39:27 Nerfing SEC https://twitter.com/TrustlessState/status/1442846197085917187?s=20 1:41:38 Bankrupting Our Youth https://twitter.com/BanklessHQ/status/1443549124062851075?s=20 1:43:38 Golden Age of Building https://twitter.com/TrustlessState/status/1443603632973176835?s=20

1:45:26 What David’s Excited About 1:47:42 What Ryan’s Excited About

1:50:38 MEME of the Week https://www.instagram.com/p/CT0z-FLloi0/?utm_medium=copy_link

1:51:24 Closing & Disclaimers

China's Crypto Ban... Why Now? | Sahil Bloom (SotN 9/28) Sep 29, 2021

Show notes

"Evergrande is the train wreck that the financial world and media can’t help but watch."

A week ago, Sahil Bloom dropped a thread on twitter detailing the buildup and consequences of the Evergrande debt crisis. This week, he's coming on State of the Nation to paint a macro picture of global events and their effects on the economy and crypto.

There are so many puzzle pieces in the world at large, and we're trying to get to the bottom of how it all settles. What does this mean for the global economic landscape? How does this line up with another recent China Crypto ban?

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Topics Covered

0:00 Intro 5:30 Sahil Bloom 8:36 What Happened to Evergrande? 15:48 Risk to Chinese Economy 20:08 Who's Getting Punished? 27:39 Transparency & Trust 31:54 Central Bank Decisions 36:58 Updates on the Situation 42:00 China's Crypto Ban... Why Now? 47:22 Why Take it Seriously? 52:35 Geopolitical Rivalry 56:58 Bullish for Crypto? 1:00:38 Closing & Disclaimers

------ Resources:

Sahil on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SahilBloom?s=20 Sahil's Evergrande Thread: https://twitter.com/SahilBloom/status/1439920043404546050?s=20 Sahil's Newsletter: https://sahilbloom.substack.com/

Kevin Owocki | Layer Zero Sep 28, 2021

Show notes

Kevin Owocki is the leader behind the Gitcoin project, but he is also a husband, a father, an ultimate frisbee player, and a self-described hippie. As one of the most compelling individuals in the space, for Kevin it all boils down to coordination.

In this episode of Layer Zero, we focus on Slaying Moloch, Incentivizing Public Goods, the Solarpunk aesthetic, and much more. Dive in and find out why we're optimistic about the future of society.

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------

Topics Covered:

0:00 Intro 4:00 Kevin Owocki & Gitcoin 9:12 Public Goods 13:05 Open-Source Business Model 19:59 Kevin’s Start 28:02 Who is Kevin? 35:00 Running on the Shoulders of Giants 42:00 Solarpunk 50:00 Nightmare Fuel & Branding 54:58 Ethereum vs Moloch 1:00:55 Regen Finance 1:06:24 Optimistic about the Future

------ Resources:

Kevin on Twitter: https://twitter.com/owocki?s=20

85 - The Crypto Gaming Revolution | Arianna Simpson Sep 27, 2021

Show notes

Arianna Simpson of a16z comes on the Bankless Podcast to explore the insane momentum we've seen around crypto gaming. The product-market fit between the gaming and crypto worlds is palpable. The scaling and maturation of the crypto economy make for a ripe inflection point for an explosion of cultural applications.

What does Play-To-Earn mean for the investor? Is ETH money for the metaverse? Arianna's takes offer a huge amount of insight as we dive into the future of both work and play.

✨GET THE EXCLUSIVE DEBRIEF✨ https://shows.banklesshq.com/p/exclusive-debrief-the-crypto-gaming

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Topics Covered:

0:00 Intro 5:00 Arianna Simpson 7:05 Crypto Gaming: Why Now? 10:06 How Big is This? 17:15 Building Infrastructure 20:29 Player Ownership 28:13 Eating the World 31:55 Progression to Play-To-Earn 37:30 Capturing Value 41:27 Isn’t it a Ponzi Game? 48:30 Working in Crypto Gaming 58:08 Consolidation of Resources 1:05:03 Impact on Culture & Industry 1:15:36 The Metaverse 1:20:17 ETH is Metaverse Money 1:27:10 Closing & Disclaimers

------ Resources:

Arianna on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AriannaSimpson?s=20 Masters of Doom: https://www.amazon.com/Masters-Doom-Created-Transformed-Culture/dp/0812972155

Show notes

4th Week of September, 2021

----- 📣 TracerDAO | Perpetual Pools are now Live on Aribtrum! https://bankless.cc/Tracer ------ 🚀 SUBSCRIBE TO NEWSLETTER: https://newsletter.banklesshq.com/ 🎙️ SUBSCRIBE TO PODCAST: http://podcast.banklesshq.com/ ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS:

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🔐 LEDGER | SECURE YOUR ASSETS https://bankless.cc/Ledger

🦄 UNISWAP | DECENTRALIZED FUNDING https://bankless.cc/UniGrants ------

Topics Covered:

0:00 Intro

3:01 MARKETS 3:14 BTC Price 3:33 ETH Price 4:50 ETH/BTC Ratio 5:17 DeFi Action 7:06 Layer 2 https://l2beat.com/ 7:44 Polygon Users ATH https://twitter.com/MihailoBjelic/status/1440692200447246337?s=19 8:49 Miners Selling Less https://twitter.com/Data_Always/status/1440137774775083008 10:32 Evergrande https://twitter.com/SahilBloom/status/1439920043404546050?s=20

1:07:00 TAKES 1:08:00 Build Faster https://twitter.com/RyanSAdams/status/1440022593860472838?s=20 1:10:19 Changing Securities https://twitter.com/raoulgmi/status/1440361603459735556?s=21 1:11:44 Maker Solar Farm https://twitter.com/jp_koning/status/1440318552108462081?s=20 1:14:48 ETH Logo https://twitter.com/avsa/status/756875789182857216?s=20

1:15:25 What David’s Excited About 1:16:32 What Ryan’s Excited About

1:20:08 MEME of the Week https://twitter.com/raoulgmi/status/1440470852722511881?s=21

84 - Defining the Metaverse Sep 22, 2021

Show notes

This is a classic Ryan-and-David only episode. With no guest, we dive into David's recent article "The Metaverse Emerges." What is the Metaverse? Raoul Pal described it as digital fluidity on our recent episode with him.

Composable digital objects, a network economy, scaling social structures... whatever it is, Nation States aren't ready for the incoming metaversal explosion. Are you?

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------ Topics Covered:

0:00 Intro 7:00 Cryptoeconomic Nation State 10:45 Seeing Like The State 18:50 Humanity’s Faustian Bargain 23:30 Seeing Like The Protocol 28:45 The Metaverse 32:00 Metaversal Objects 35:40 Centralization 39:21 Neutrality & Density 46:10 Slowly Manifesting 54:00 Avatars & Identity 59:41 Fluid Value 1:06:25 Ethereum’s Role 1:10:33 Blockchain Taxes 1:15:45 ETH as Metaverse Money 1:22:35 It’s All Metaverse 1:27:43 Closing & Disclaimers

Nic Carter | Layer Zero Sep 21, 2021

Show notes

Nic Carter is one of our favorite writers in crypto. He's shaped our thoughts on many subjects over the years. He's definitely a Bitcoiner, but is he also an Etherean? What makes Nic tick?

Get to know the person behind the persona in this week's episode of Layer Zero.

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⚖️ ARBITRUM | SCALING ETHEREUM https://bankless.cc/Arbitrum

🍵 MATCHA | DECENTRALIZED EXCHANGE AGGREGATOR https://bankless.cc/Matcha

🔐 LEDGER | SECURE YOUR ASSETS https://bankless.cc/Ledger

🦄 UNISWAP | DECENTRALIZED FUNDING https://bankless.cc/UniGrants

------ 📣 TracerDAO | Perpetual Pools are now Live on Aribtrum! https://bankless.cc/Tracer ------

Topics Covered:

0:00 Intro 4:00 Nic Carter & Geography 8:51 What’s Your Deal? Ethereum?? 12:39 Shared Ancestry 20:09 Cypherpunk Values 23:28 Working for Bitcoin 25:54 Countering FUD 28:24 Individualism & Value Supremacy 35:00 Conservative & Faith-Based 42:53 Money God 46:35 Affiliation & Identity 52:48 Mountaineering & Fun 56:55 Memory & External Storage 58:40 What’s Nic Doing? What Now? 1:05:22 Kanye & Closing

------ Resources:

Nic on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nic__carter?s=20 Castle Island: https://www.castleisland.vc/ Nic's Podcast, On the Brink: https://onthebrink-podcast.com/

83 - Beyond Coin Voting Governance | Vitalik Buterin Sep 20, 2021

Show notes

Vitalik Buterin returns to the Podcast to discuss his recent article 'Moving Beyond Coin Voting Governance.' As always, Vitalik comes with a birds-eye view of high level challenges facing the crypto space with a moral & philosophical slant.

Building sufficiently decentralized governance mechanisms is a hugely challenging endeavor. Tackling elegant solutions to coin voting, we also cover the benefits of running your own node, the metaverse, and an update on the Ethereum narrative.

When Vitalik comes on Bankless, it's time to listen closely.

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⚖️ ARBITRUM | SCALING ETHEREUM https://bankless.cc/Arbitrum

🍵 MATCHA | DECENTRALIZED EXCHANGE AGGREGATOR https://bankless.cc/Matcha

🔐 LEDGER | SECURE YOUR ASSETS https://bankless.cc/Ledger

🦄 UNISWAP | DECENTRALIZED FUNDING https://bankless.cc/UniGrants

------ 📣 TracerDAO | Perpetual Pools are now Live on Aribtrum! https://bankless.cc/Tracer ------

Topics Covered:

0:00 Intro 4:00 Vitalik Returns! 7:26 Decentralized Governance 14:38 Who is Governance For? 19:44 Coordinating Public Goods 26:07 Public Goods & Upgrades 34:52 New Mechanisms 38:28 What is Blockchain Governance? 47:53 Ungovernance for Layer 1 54:00 Why Coin Voting Sucks 1:02:20 Whales 1:12:15 Running Your Own Node 1:22:14 Culture & Technology 1:26:51 Scalability Tradeoffs 1:31:05 The Metaverse & Loot 1:36:55 Update on Ethereum 1:43:15 Closing & Disclaimers

------ Resources:

Vitalik on Twitter https://twitter.com/VitalikButerin?s=20

Moving beyond coin voting governance https://vitalik.ca/general/2021/08/16/voting3.html

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