Empire

Latest Episodes:

Friend.tech Debate: Innovation or Implosion? | Ansem Aug 22, 2023

Show notes

In today's episode, Ansem joins us to dive into Friend.Tech, Crypto twitter's latest hot narrative. The discussion dives into Friend.Tech, a Base chain native app that allows users to create and trade tokens associated with their online profiles. They explore how Friend.tech enables trading of personal tokens and its potential impact on independent artists, debate its ethical considerations, and future potential of social tokens.

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Follow Ansem: https://twitter.com/blknoiz06

Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz

Follow Santiago: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel

Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod

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Use code EMPIRE30 to get 30% off Permissionless 2023 in Austin: https://blockworks.co/event/permissionless-2023

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Timestamps:

(00:52) Friend.Tech Explained

(15:24) Friend.Tech Social Betting Model

(22:57) Friend.Tech Bull Case

(26:41) Bear Case

(33:23) Speculation vs Fandom

(37:55) Permissionless ad

(39:23) Social Token Price Manipulation

(45:49) Will Social Tokens Cause Harm?

(48:40) Airdrop Point System

(51:34) BitClout VS Friend.Tech

(53:17) Social Token Exit Plans

(01:00:34) Social Fractionalization

(01:02:42) L2 Wars

(01:09:22) Stock Ownership

(01:16:24) Fan Base Monetization

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Resources

Friend.Tech

https://twitter.com/friendtech

https://www.friend.tech/

BitClout

https://bitclout.com/

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Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Ending the Modular vs Monolithic Debate | Kyle Samani Aug 18, 2023

Show notes

We're joined by Kyle Samani, the co-founder of Multicoin Capital and one of crypto's most independent thinkers. In this episode, we cover why "monolithic L1s" is a misnomer, the value of global state, how a protocol establishes moats, why DePIN is finding product-market fit, how Kyle synthesizes new ideas and more!

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Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction

(00:34) The Modular vs Monolithic Debate

(07:43) Bootstrapping Communities

(09:17) A Case for Rollups and Appchains

(15:33) The Value of Composability and Globally Shared State

(23:22) Crypto’s Moats, Meat Space and the Saga Phone

(28:38) Don’t Sleep on DePIN

(45:11) Spatial Computing and New Form Factors

(53:42) Kyle’s Thinking Process

(57:49) Zero Knowledge Proof Use Cases

(01:04:21) How Kyle Cultivated His Communication Style

(01:06:03) Advice for Founders

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Although our guests this week are managing partners of a registered investment adviser, nothing in this podcast should be considered an offer of Multicoin’s investment advisory services or should otherwise be confused for investment, tax, legal or other financial advice.

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Follow Kyle: https://twitter.com/KyleSamani

Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_

Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_

Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq

Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk

Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV

Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD

Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/

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Use code EMPIRE30 to get 30% off Permissionless 2023 in Austin: https://blockworks.co/event/permissionless-2023

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Resources:

Multicoin Capital

https://multicoin.capital/

Unlocking Payments Over Crypto Rails

https://multicoin.capital/2022/12/08/unlocking-payments-over-crypto-rails/

Stratechery (Ben Thompson)

https://stratechery.com/

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Disclaimers:

Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation.

Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Garrett and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Solana’s Ultimate Vision | Anatoly Yakovenko Aug 15, 2023

Show notes

Anatoly joins us to discuss why Solana is uniquely designed to utilize ever-increasing bandwidth and compute. We cover Solana's core thesis, how blockchains benefit from hardware improvements, the fundamental flaws of L2s, Anatoly's favorite applications, decentralization and more! Anatoly is a legend, you don't want to miss this one!

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Follow Anatoly: https://twitter.com/aeyakovenko

Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_

Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_

Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq

Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk

Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV

Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD

Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/

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Use code EMPIRE30 to get 30% off Permissionless 2023 in Austin: https://blockworks.co/event/permissionless-2023

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Timestamps:

(00:00) Solana’s Core Thesis

(10:40) The Scaling Bottleneck

(13:58) Do All Blockchains Equally Benefit From Hardware Improvements?

(17:57) Pros and Cons of Parallel Execution

(21:12) The Realities of Decentralization

(24:43) Solana’s Design Moat

(28:10) Permissionless ad

(29:37) The Fundamental Tradeoffs of L2s

(44:12) How Should Solana Approach Business Development?

(48:12) The Role of Solana Labs and the Solana Foundation

(49:47) The Compressed NFT Opportunity

(53:31) We Need to Fix DAO Governance

(55:14) Anatoly’s Metric of Success for Solana

(57:58) Why Anatoly Hasn’t Left Crypto

(01:00:03) Why an Average Joe Would Use Solana

(01:01:39) Rapid Fire

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Resources

Endgame: Proof of Governance by Jon Charbonneau

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toPd1vgHjVE&t=0s

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The Future of Stablecoins | Bell Curve Roundup Aug 11, 2023

Show notes

This week we're excited to bring you the Round Up episode from our Bell Curve Podcast, a show where we breakdown the most important themes in crypto. In today’s episode, Mike and Michael discuss all things Stables and more! The guys kick things off with PayPal, discussing their PYUSD Stablecoin launch and what it means for the wider ecosystem and future Stablecoin market structure. We then take a closer look at Coinbase’s Q2 earnings, before touching on future Rollup value accrual. We then close with a Ripple update, Cantina (Web3’s security marketplace), the endgame for Stablecoins, and more!

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Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction

(02:28) PYUSD: PayPal stablecoin

(07:37) Future Stablecoin Market Structure

(11:31) Coinbase Update

(24:39) Portnoy's Barstool Sports $1 Buy Back

(26:10) Rollup Value Accrual

(44:43) Ripple XRP Update

(50:04) Web3 Security Marketplace: Cantina

(55:10) News-to-price Incongruities

(58:15) The Stablecoin Endgame

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Follow Michael: https://twitter.com/im_manderson

Follow Mike: https://twitter.com/MikeIppolito_

Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3R1D1D9

Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3pQTfmD

Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3cpKZXH

Research, news, data, governance and models – now, all in one place. As a listener of Bell Curve, you can use code "BELLCURVE10" for a 10% discount when signing up to Blockworks Research https://www.blockworksresearch.com/

Use code BELLCURVE30 to get 30% off Permissionless 2023 in Austin:

https://blockworks.co/event/permissionless-2023

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Resources:

PYUSD: PayPal stablecoin:

https://www.paypal.com/us/digital-wallet/manage-money/crypto/pyusd

Coinbase earnings:

https://blockworks.co/news/crypto-stocks-stumble-earnings

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Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire or Bell Curve is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mike, Jason, Michael, Vance and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Crypto Is Entering A Paradigm Shift | 1000x Aug 10, 2023

Show notes

Follow 1000x On Spotify: https://spoti.fi/45htDli

Follow 1000x On Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3Kz0Bpw

Follow 1000x On YouTube: https://bit.ly/3DNc5C6

On today's episode of 1000x, Avi & Jonah discuss the major shift happening in crypto markets. As green shoots emerge across the industry, are there signs of liquidity beginning to return?

We also deep dive into the performance of crypto hedge funds throughout 2023, how a Bitcoin ETF would open up a "gateway of liquidity" and PayPal's stablecoin launch. To hear all this & more, you'll have to tune in!

Follow Avi: https://twitter.com/AviFelman

Follow Jonah: https://twitter.com/jvb_xyz

Follow 1000x: https://twitter.com/1000xPod

Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/

Referenced In The Show:

PayPal launches stablecoin tied to the US dollar, issued on Ethereum: https://blockworks.co/news/paypal-launches-stablecoin

Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction

(02:26) How Have Crypto Hedge Funds Performed In 2023?

(05:52) Has Bitcoin Dominance Peaked?

(07:56) Alt Coin Season & The Bitcoin ETF

(12:28) Re-Thinking The Multi Chain Thesis

(19:38) PayPal Launches A Stablecoin

(24:50) Tether

(29:48) From Crypto To Crude Oil

Disclaimer: Nothing said on 1000x is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Avi, Jonah and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

Base: Decentralization Funding, Public Infrastructure, & Onchain Native Life | Jesse Pollak Aug 09, 2023

Show notes

In today's episode, Santi is joined by Jesse Pollak, a Base contributor. Base is an Ethereum Layer 2 (L2) chain incubating inside of Coinbase with plans to progressively decentralize the chain over time. They discuss Coinbase role in the ecosystem, account messaging & abstraction, privacy approach, and ecosystem growth trajectories.

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Follow Jesse: https://twitter.com/jessepollak

Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz

Follow Santiago: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel

Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod

Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j

Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7

Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw

Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news.

Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/

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Use code EMPIRE30 to get 30% off Permissionless 2023 in Austin: https://blockworks.co/event/permissionless-2023

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Timestamps:

(00:00) Base: High Level Overview

(07:08) Base Neutrality

(10:25) Base Bridging

(13:52) Base dApp Development

(19:15) Base Privacy Approach

(21:27) Permissionless Ad

(22:54) Base Value to Coinbase Revenue

(25:57) Coinbase Wallet Adoption

(30:32) User Incentives

(37:05) Onchain Identity

(41:25) Bald Meme Coin Season

(46:13) Real Consumer Experiences on Base

(48:44) Sequencer Decentralization

(51:53) Onchain Messaging

(58:42) USDC Importance

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Resources

Introducing Base

https://www.coinbase.com/blog/introducing-base

https://base.mirror.xyz/lt3JR-mZ51q9eIOtGO36L3ZVzCTXmZVnbIiXz6crqzQ

Onchain Summer

https://www.coinbase.com/blog/celebrate-onchain-summer-with-coinbase

Prop House

https://prop.house/base

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The Blockworks Origin Story | Michael & Jason Aug 08, 2023

Show notes

In today's episode, the tables have flipped. Santi & Michael interview Co-founders of Blockworks Michael and Jason. They dive into the Blockworks origin story, from conception, surviving COVID, the hiring difference, and the evolving thesis for Blockworks growth & trajectory.

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Follow Michael I: https://twitter.com/MikeIppolito_

Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz

Follow Michael A: https://twitter.com/im_manderson

Follow Santiago: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel

Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod

Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j

Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7

Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw

Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/

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Use code EMPIRE30 to get 30% off Permissionless 2023 in Austin: https://blockworks.co/event/permissionless-2023

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Timestamps:

(00:00) The Blockworks Start

(08:20) Entrepreneur Mindset Origination

(11:42) Determining Product Categories

(19:18) The COVID Pivot

(24:12) Competitive Landscape

(30:26) The Hiring Difference

(34:36) Cycle Sentiment Check-in

(39:24) Aligning Teams in Crypto

(43:37) Target Audience

(47:04) Permissionless

(48:30) Evolving Thesis Approach

(57:03) Narrative Pulse Check-in

(01:00:02) Crypto's Killer App

(01:02:38) Why Back Blockworks?

(01:13:11) The Biggest Mistake

(01:16:16) DAO Bullishness

(01:23:12) Staying Interested Advice

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Resources

Go to Permissionless

https://blockworks.co/event/permissionless-2023

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Curve Hack Explained | Roundup Aug 04, 2023

Show notes

In today's round-up, we dive into the $70M Curve Exploit. Joined by Ren, a blockworks research analyst, and Andrew, blockwork's lead data reporter, the team dives into how the exploit happened, the impacted pools, MEV & White Hat recovery efforts, and Egorov's liquidation hunt.

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Use code EMPIRE30 to get 30% off Permissionless 2023 in Austin: https://blockworks.co/event/permissionless-2023

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Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz

Follow Ren: https://twitter.com/purplepill3m

Follow Andrew: https://twitter.com/Blockanalia

Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod

Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j

Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7

Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw

Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/

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Resources

Technical Post-mortem

https://hackmd.io/@LlamaRisk/BJzSKHNjn

Egorov's Debank Profile

https://debank.com/profile/0x7a16ff8270133f063aab6c9977183d9e72835428?chain=eth

Egorov's Aave

https://aave.blockanalitica.com/v2/ethereum/wallets/0x7a16ff8270133f063aab6c9977183d9e72835428/

OTC Deals

https://twitter.com/thiccythot_/status/1686728604326002688

Timestamps

(00:00) Introduction

(00:24) What is Curve?

(03:49) Exploit Explained

(08:59) Impacted Curve Liquidity Pools

(16:01) Vyper Code Exploit

(20:25) Permissionless Ad

(21:51) Centralized War Rooms

(25:54) MEV Bots vs Hackers

(31:29) Egorov Liquidation Hunt

(38:09) Abracadabra Governance Proposal

(40:25) Bad Debt Stand-off

(44:06) OTC Deals

(49:04) Lending Protocol Watershed Moment

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Why VC is Dumb Money, OpenSea Token, and The NFT Comeback | Nick Tomaino Aug 01, 2023

Show notes

In today's episode, Nick Tomaino, GP of 1confirmation, joins Santiago and Jason. They dive into why the Next Gen L1 Thesis is wrong, Opensea token launch, VC issues, and his thesis for NFTs moving forward.

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Follow Nick Tomaino: https://twitter.com/NTmoney

Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz

Follow Santiago: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel

Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod

Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j

Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7

Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw

Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/

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This episode is brought to you by Carbon.

Carbon is a new DEX on Ethereum that makes concentrated liquidity easy. LPs can automate their liquidity strategy with custom on-chain limit and range orders: all from a beautiful UI. Check out Carbon today at https://www.carbondefi.xyz/.

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Use code EMPIRE30 to get 30% off Permissionless 2023 in Austin: https://blockworks.co/event/permissionless-2023

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Timestamps:

(00:00) Why Crypto VC is Dumb Money

(08:06) Narrative Investing

(17:48) The Key to VC Success

(23:10) Bull Case for Prediction Markets

(31:40) Carbon Ad

(32:59) Permissionless

(34:24) The NFT Thesis

(44:19) NTS & RWAs

(49:02) NFT Fractionalization

(54:52) The Future of Open Sea

(01:00:04) Coinbase and Wallstreet

(01:04:15) Timeline for Mainstream Adoption

(01:12:25) 2024 US Election Outlook

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Resources

Polymarket

https://polymarket.com/

https://twitter.com/Polymarket

The Scapegoat by Rene Girard

https://www.amazon.com/Scapegoat-Ren

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Centralized Builders Bull Case, Bear Market Conference, zkEVM Problems | EthCC Reflection Jul 28, 2023

Show notes

In today's episode Dan and Sam are joined by host of Bell Curve Podcast & Blockworks Co-Founder Michael and Blockworks research analyst Matt. The team dives into their key takeaways of the EthCC and converse on zkEVM problems, the bull case for centralization, scaling solutions, interoperability, and much more!

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Follow 0xResearch on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3foDS38

Subscribe to 0xResearch on Apple: https://apple.co/3SNhUEt

Subscribe to 0xResearch on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3NlP1hA

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Follow Michael: https://twitter.com/MikeIppolito_

Follow Sam: https://twitter.com/swmartin19

Follow Dan: https://twitter.com/smyyguy

Follow Matt: https://twitter.com/MattFiebach

Follow Blockworks Research: https://twitter.com/blockworksres

Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3foDS38

Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3SNhUEt

Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3NlP1hA

Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/

Use code EMPIRE30 to get 30% off Permissionless 2023 in Austin: https://blockworks.co/event/permissionless-2023

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Resources

Alex Blania Interview

spoti.fi/3BuCzab

https://apple.co/3W94QN6

https://youtu.be/ImPvUOwFR68

McHenry Bill Derailing

https://blockworks.co/news/house-stablecoin-markup

Vitalik Buterin - A history of account abstraction

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLf8qpOmxQc

LayerZero

https://layerzero.network/

—

Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction

(02:27) EthCC Vibe Check

(09:30) Discussions on zkEVM Problems

(15:11) Takeaways for Interoperability

(23:52) The Bull Case for Centralized Builders

(39:49) Enshrining Eigen Layer in Ethereum Protocol

(46:21) Are Scaling Solutions Too Much?

(55:01) Lido Bribe Mechanism

(59:45) Web2 at EthCC

(01:01:55) Permissionless Discount

(01:03:19) What Does Institutional Adoption Look Like?

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