Unchained

Latest Episodes:

What Will Happen At The Time Of The Bitcoin Hard Fork? Oct 31, 2017

Show notes

As Bitcoin faces the biggest test in its nine-year history, two players on opposing sides -- Mike Belshe of BitGo and Bitcoin protocol developer Matt Corallo -- debate how the community got here and what the definition of Bitcoin is -- whether the white paper or price determines it. We also look at how the upcoming hard fork could affect Bitcoin Cash, and debate whether or not censorship on the Bitcoin subreddits has influenced people’s views on the block size debate. Plus, they give their best post-hard fork predictions.

For reference: Will This Battle For the Soul of Bitcoin Destroy It? https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/10/23/will-this-battle-for-the-soul-of-bitcoin-destroy-it/

Show notes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/10/31/what-will-happen-at-the-time-of-the-bitcoin-hard-fork/

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How To Value A Crypto Asset Oct 17, 2017

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Chris Burniske of Placeholder Ventures has recently come out with a new book, "Cryptoassets: The Innovative Investors' Guide to Bitcoin and Beyond" that dives into what crypto assets are, what makes them a new asset class, and how you calculate a valuation for such a network. He applies what is known as the equation of exchange (MV = PQ) to crypto assets and describes why the velocity of crypto assets -- the frequency with which they change hands during a particular time frame -- is likely to be much higher than for traditional assets, and discusses why he gives crypto assets much higher discount rates, which are used to determine what you should pay now for something will be worth more later. Plus, we talk about why the financial incumbents are in for a rude awakening from public blockchains.

Show notes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/10/17/how-to-value-a-crypto-asset/

Book: https://www.bitcoinandbeyond.com/

Chris's Medium post on crypto asset valuations: https://medium.com/@cburniske/cryptoasset-valuations-ac83479ffca7

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How To Explain Cryptocurrencies And Blockchains To The Average Person Oct 03, 2017

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Tired of having your friends and family say cryptocurrencies are a Ponzi scheme, nothing backs them, they're in a bubble and only criminals use them? In this episode, Amanda Gutterman, chief marketing officer of ConsenSys, and Jamie Smith, global chief communications officer of Bitfury, tackle every common misconception of Bitcoin, Ethereum and cryptocurrencies. This is an episode you'll want your friends and family to listen to. Plus: Gutterman and Smith talk about how they did the seemingly impossible: create gender-balanced crypto conferences.

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From Blockchains To Mooncakes: Two Chinese Crypto Founders On The ICO And Bitcoin Exchanges Ban Sep 19, 2017

Show notes

Da Hongfei of NEO and Patrick Dai of Qtum tell us just how crazy China's ICO craze was getting, with mooncake companies, celebs and Ponzi schemers all jumping on the blockchain train. They also explain what the reaction was to the ICO and bitcoin exchanges ban, how they're refunding investors (if the investors want to be refunded -- a big if) and what the future of crypto is in China.

Show notes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/09/19/from-blockchains-to-mooncakes-two-chinese-crypto-founders-on-the-ico-and-bitcoin-exchanges-ban/

Qtum: https://qtum.org/

NEO: https://neo.org/

Previous episodes mentioned in the podcast:

Interview with Smith & Crown: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/08/22/the-high-speed-world-of-icos-smith-and-crown-discuss-cryptoeconomics-and-the-future-of-tokens/

Interview with Bobby Lee: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/03/21/bobby-lee-ceo-of-btcc-on-why-the-chinese-probably-arent-using-bitcoin-to-evade-capital-controls/

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Blockstack On Getting Independence From Google, Facebook And Amazon Sep 05, 2017

Show notes

Ryan Shea and Muneeb Ali, the cofounders of Blockstack, on how their tools enable users to control their own data, why the internet should have universal usernames but no company should control that, and why Blockstack’s storage system still allows users to choose centralized options like Google Drive and Dropbox. They also talk about how other blockchain systems are thinking about scaling wrong, why they launched a developer fund, and why a developer would choose Blockstack over Ethereum.

Show notes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/09/05/blockstack-on-how-to-take-control-from-google-facebook-and-amazon/

BlockStack: https://blockstack.org/

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The High-Speed World Of ICOs: Smith and Crown Discuss Cryptoeconomics And The Future Of Tokens Aug 22, 2017

Show notes

Brian Lio, CEO of cryptofinance research site Smith and Crown, and head of research Matt Chwierut discuss how they do their research, how they decide which projects to cover in-depth rather than just list and when they provide advisory services for teams. They also discuss how they think the blockchain and crypto space will develop, the best structures for token sales, and why they joke that financial institutions haven't heard anything Smith and Crown has said.

Smith and Crown: https://www.smithandcrown.com/

Show notes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/08/22/the-high-speed-world-of-icos-smith-and-crown-discuss-cryptoeconomics-and-the-future-of-tokens/

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How Bitcoin Solved This Serial Entrepreneur's Problems Aug 08, 2017

Show notes

Afghan entrepreneur Roya Mahboob has launched numerous companies, but it was a blogging platform that presented her with the problem of how to pay her (mostly female) users, 99% of whom did not have bank accounts. And even if they did get paid, their families would often confiscate the money. She found her solution in Bitcoin, and later launched a new startup, Digital Citizen Fund, that trains girls in blockchain technology and Bitcoin. Mahboob, named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine in 2013, funded the Afghan girls' robotics team that made news recently, and describes what went on behind-the-scenes. She also tells us about her other ventures, EdyEdy, her coffee/tea venture Digital Citizen Brew, and the marketplace for Afghan goods that she is launching -- which will accept Bitcoin or perhaps its own token.

Show notes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/08/08/how-bitcoin-solved-this-serial-entrepreneurs-problems/

Digital Citizen Fund: http://digitalcitizenfund.org/

Roya's Time 100 description, written by Sheryl Sandberg: http://time100.time.com/2013/04/18/time-100/slide/roya-mahboob/

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Why November Will Be The Real Test For Bitcoin Jul 25, 2017

Show notes

Bitcoin core developer Eric Lombrozo and OB1 CEO Brian Hoffman debate whether SegWit2x is the best path forward, discuss who supported it and why, and whether the potential for a hard fork harms the price. They also discuss what happens to the power of core developers now that a change they didn’t support might get pushed through, what their ideal solutions for increasing transactions on the network are, and how much power miners should have.

Show notes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/07/25/why-november-will-be-the-real-test-for-bitcoin/

Back story referenced in this episode:

The different sides in Bitcoin threatening to cut each other out: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/03/21/is-this-massive-power-struggle-about-to-blow-up-bitcoin/#33e4c5047325

New York agreement: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/05/23/bitcoin-agreement-promises-to-resolve-years-long-impasse/#6ed7d8dd448d

Economic activity moving to other blockchains: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/06/07/bitcoin-is-at-an-all-time-high-but-is-it-about-to-self-destruct/#2c563f8dcb31

Brian's company: https://ob1.io/

Eric's company: https://ciphrex.com/

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Listener Qs: Laura On Ponzi Schemes, Bubbles, Greed And More Jul 11, 2017

Show notes

In this episode, coming one day after the release of my Forbes cover story online, I answer listener questions, starting with my background, the history of the podcast, whether or not I trade or invest in crypto, and what tokens I think have the strongest real-world application. If you haven't read the cover package, I highly recommend you do so now: Cover story: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/07/10/the-emperors-new-coins-how-initial-coin-offerings-fueled-a-100-billion-crypto-bubble/ Sidebars: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/07/10/return-of-the-day-traders/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/07/10/how-crypto-tokens-work-a-close-look-at-golem/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/07/10/not-so-tiny-bubbles-the-top-25-crypto-assets/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/07/10/cryptos-in-wonderland-12-of-the-weirdest-wackiest-coins/

And if you haven't listened to the episode with Olaf Carlson-Wee, I strongly suggest you check that out now as well: iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/why-the-first-employee-of-coinbase-launched-a-hedge-fund/id1123922160?i=1000382301347&mt=2 Google Play: https://play.google.com/music/m/Dg3qrzci54ppzevdqvztwap2yiu?t=Why_The_First_Employee_Of_Coinbase_Launched_A_Hedge_Fund-Unchained_Big_Ideas_From_The_Worlds_Of_Bloc

I also get philosophical, fielding listener questions about whether blockchain is a Ponzi scheme, whether greed will undercut the democratic possibilities offered by blockchain and whether this isn't really a bubble but just a new form of exponential growth.

I also cover security in this episode, and would like to point readers to this story that explains the phone hijacking situation: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2016/12/20/hackers-have-stolen-millions-of-dollars-in-bitcoin-using-only-phone-numbers/ Some tips on how to protect yourself: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2016/12/21/hackers-are-hijacking-phone-numbers-and-breaking-into-email-and-bank-accounts-how-to-protect-yourself/#720a302f4e1b

Other episodes referenced in this podcast are the ones with Coin Center, Kathryn Haun, Michael Casey, Elizabeth Rossiello and Matt Roszak. Please give a listen to those as well if you haven't!

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Why Digital Currency Group's Meltem Demirors Is Concerned About The ICO Craze Jun 13, 2017

Show notes

The DCG director of development talks about why she thinks identity will be the first tangible application of blockchain technology that consumers experience, why DCG supports Ethereum Classic as an investment vehicle and yet still supports Ethereum as a protocol, and how bitcoin itself as a global currency hasn't taken off as much as she thought when she first got into the industry. She also explains what the top regulatory issue is for blockchain startups and projects -- it's a lot more mundane than you might expect -- and why she doesn't, at this point, have a lot of confidence in crypto hedge funds. Plus, she makes suggestions on how ICOs could improve and reveals her top picks for new tokens.

Show notes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/06/13/why-digital-currency-groups-meltem-demirors-is-concerned-about-the-ico-craze/

The phone hijacking article referenced in the episode: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2016/12/20/hackers-have-stolen-millions-of-dollars-in-bitcoin-using-only-phone-numbers/

DCG: http://dcg.co/

Ethereum Classic Investment Trust: https://grayscale.co/ethereum-classic-investment-trust/

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