Blockchain Won't Save the World

Latest Episodes:

S4E25 Celo: Using Blockchain for Everyday Payments w. Isha Varshney Apr 19, 2025

Show notes

Why aren't a billion people using Blockchains and Crypto everyday? We explore use cases, particularly payments, with Isha from Celo - an Ethereum L2 focused on 'real world adoption'...
You wouldn't pay for coffee with your pension... So assuming that Bitcoin (cited by many as a 'digital gold') doesn't fit for everyday usage, what else can we use to get the benefits of Blockchain technology?

Celo has been focusing on this particular problem since inception, and in this episode we're going to zoom in specifically on:
- Why Ethereum needs L2s
- The mission and vision of Celo to drive 'real world' adoption
- Use cases that are gaining traction today: In Africa and beyond
- Whether Blockchain is a good 'fit' for everyday payments
- And what more is needed to see wider adoption

S4E24 MultiversX: How to Build the Perfect Blockchain w. Beniamin Mincu Mar 22, 2025

Show notes

Why does the world need another Blockchain when we have Ethereum? This is the exact question Beniamin and the Elrond (now MultiversX) team pondered in 2017. And have been comprehensively answering ever since.
'First Generation' Blockchains like Bitcoin have managed to pass the test of time due to their simplicity. However smart contract chains have evolved, and different protocols have started offering improvements on early-stage designs,

In this episode, we cover:
- An objective view on the current state of Layer 1 (and Layer 2) Blockchains

- What it takes to drive REAL adoption of decentralised technology

- An unscripted deep dive into the world of AI for Blockchains

- What MultiversX does differently in terms of developer experience, user experience and performance

- Learnings from Beniamin's own content creation journey with the Full Shard Podcast

- The road ahead - what's next for the MultiversX roadmap

S4E23 TON: Bringing 1Bn Blockchain Users to Telegram w. Jack Booth Feb 02, 2025

Show notes

Is this (finally) 'Mass Adoption'? TON may have finally cracked how to put Blockchain and Crypto into the hands of Billions, but how did they get there? And how do you build a blossoming community in the process?
Jack Booth, Co-founder of TON Society, a grassroots movement supporting the TON Blockchain community, will share his insight and experience on how we grow vibrant and meaningful communities with Web3 technology. As well as sharing an insider's view into the rapid rise of the TON network.
On this show we'll cover:
- Introduction to TON and TON Society
- The importance of communities for Blockchains projects
- What TON Society is doing differently to attract developers and drive engagement
- What more is needed to see wider use of Blockchain and DApps

S4E22 Supra: From Oracles to Interoperability w. Josh Tobkin (CEO, Supra.com) Dec 28, 2024

Show notes

We may be entering the 'end game' for Blockchain and Web3, with different chains being connected seamlessly. But what happens next in this interoperable, connected world?

Supra have been working to provide Web3 with trusted data for 4-years, and now are moving to the next stage of their evolution: 'MultiVM'.

On this podcast, Josh takes us through:

- The history of Supra

- The importance of Oracles

- Why we have failed to deliver meaningful interoperability so far - What is a 'MultiVM'?

- If we've solved for connectivity between chains, what more is required to see widespread adoption of Web3

Note: Sorry for the poor audio quality on Anthony's mic. Still some teething issues with the new recording setup!

S4E21 How to Launch an L2 Blockchain w. Azeem Khan, Co-founder of Morph Dec 07, 2024

Show notes

Don't we have enough Blockchains already? Short answer: No... And Azeem from Morph is going to explain why, in full HD!...
Blockchains keep evolving, and Layer 2s present an opportunity to provide unique functionality, integrations and experiences for dApp builders. And Morph is a really interesting example of an L2 that is innovating beyond just the chain code.
This is an in-depth discussion around why the world still needs more L2s, and what are the key tactics for launching and growing 'yet another' Blockchain in 2024. We cover:
- Morph 101
- Why Ethereum, and Web3 in general, need another L2
- What's required to build a blockchain ecosystem
- What Morph are doing to differentiate from other L1s and L2s
- How to grow Web3 adoption without fragmenting ecosystems, developers and funding
- What’s next for Morph, and the roadmap ahead

S4E20 Virtual Worlds & Building Better Governance in Decentraland w. Yemel Jardi Nov 23, 2024

Show notes

Decentraland pioneered the crossover of Blockchain and the Metaverse, and now they're back with version 2.0. And they've been working on some important things along the way...

I'm joined by Yemel Jardi, a Web3 veteran, developer, Executive Director of Decentraland, and occasional virtual 'celebrity'.

We take a look back over the launch and growth of Decentraland, the challenge of competing with established gaming and VR categories, and what it took to develop Decentraland 2.0, including:

- Decentraland 101

- The state of the Metaverse in 2024

- Decentraland vs. Fortnite vs. Minecraft

- Parties, Hide & Seek, and What Decentraland User Get Up To

- The Challenge of Building Governance for a Virtual World

- What More is Needed to See More People Use Virtual Worlds

S4E19 BlockJoy: Middle Finger to the Cloud w. Chris Bruce Nov 09, 2024

Show notes

Without Blockchain nodes, there would be no Blockchain. But not all nodes are created equal. And many chains are falsely claiming 'decentralisation'. Chris from BlockJoy is on a mission to enable better Blockchain infrastructure...

The reality is that Web3 is still heavily dependent on the Cloud. But should users, developers and communities care: 'Yes' according to Chris.

In this episode, we'll give everyone an introduction to Blockchain nodes, and cover a range of other important topics, including:

- Nodes 101

- Mapping Web3's Cloud Dependency

- Why Bare Metal Servers are 'So Back'

- What It Takes to Build Validator Infrastructure

- How We Deliver 'Better' Decentralisation

- The Future of Blockchain Infrastructure

S4E18 Web Proofs: Using ZK to Regain Ownership of your Data w. Hubert Rachwalski von Rejchwald (CEO, vlayer labs) Oct 26, 2024

Show notes

The ZK series continues with Hubert and vlayer: an exciting team looking to give back control and equitability of data using Blockchain technology...

If you're not paying attention to zero-knowledge technology at this point in the evolution of the internet and decentralised applications, you should be. And it's refreshing to see that not all teams are correlating the 'data opportunity' with just AI - but the wider petabytes of data that humans and businesses create every day.

On this show, Hubert and I will delve deeper into the applications for ZK in building a more equitable internet for all of us, including:

- WTF are Web Proofs

- Why the world needs another data infrastructure company (and where others have failed to-date)

- Learnings from Hubert's experience with data fraud, and what needs to change to protect sensitive data in future

- The vlayer origin story, and major use cases

- Why people should care about data protection

- Alternative approaches to data protection and comparisons

S4E17 ZK Chain & An Insiders Guide to Zero-Knowledge w. Ken Timsit (MD, Cronos Labs) Oct 12, 2024

Show notes

Many (including myself) are hailing ZK as the technology that will finally enable mass adoption of Web3. But how? And what's missing today that ZK provides?

Ken Timsit is a Web3 veteran and a strong advocate for ZK tech. He is MD of Cronos Labs and its Particle B ecosystem accelerator, and was previously CRO at Consensys.

On this show, we're going to be covering as much as possible on the proposition and benefits of zero-knowledge, and how it is being applied in Web3 today, including:

- An introduction to Cronos

- An overview of the ZK landscape, and how it’s being used today (Roll-ups, data protection, EVMs, L1s vs. L2s) - Important use cases for ZK

- The opportunity for ZK and DeFi to drive further adoption - Challenges and limitations of ZK today

- What more is required for wider adoption of Web3 in general

S4E16 Blockchain & AI w. Arthur Breitman (co-founder, Tezos) Sep 13, 2024

Show notes

Are Blockchain & AI force multipliers or competitors? Will Blockchain 'unlock' AI adoption, or is the reality much less positive?...

Arthur Breitman, Co-founder of Tezos, was working with AI and Self-Driving Cars long before he stepped into Blockchain. So he has an informed view, and a desire to see both technologies succeed, albeit without the hype!

On this episode, we'll look to demystify the value of Blockchain and AI, and debunk narratives that talk to Blockchain and AI either being critical for each others' success, or too different to be able to work well together.

On this show, we'll cover:

- Arthur's Web3 and AI journey to-date

- An introduction to the unique capabilities of AI and Blockchain technologies

- Evaluating the claim that "AI needs crypto, and crypto needs AI.”

- Distinguishing between genuine opportunities and hype - What more is needed to see adoption of AI and Blockchain together at-scale