Shows
UnchainedThe Rise of Public Crypto, ICOs Make a Comeback, and Coinbase Wins Again – The Chopping BlockWelcome 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 a special guest: Laura Shin, host of Unchained! The crew unpacks Circle’s explosive IPO, Tether’s threat to exit the U.S., and the meme-stock logic powering the rise of “crypto treasury companies.” From Coinbase’s grip on USDC to Wall Street’s sudden enthusiasm for stablecoins, we explore how public markets are reshaping crypto’s power centers. Is Circle overvalued—or the last compliant winner left? And are ICOs really...
2025-06-1255 minUnchainedThe Rise of Public Crypto, ICOs Make a Comeback, and Coinbase Wins Again – The Chopping BlockWelcome 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 a special guest: Laura Shin, host of Unchained! The crew unpacks Circle’s explosive IPO, Tether’s threat to exit the U.S., and the meme-stock logic powering the rise of “crypto treasury companies.” From Coinbase’s grip on USDC to Wall Street’s sudden enthusiasm for stablecoins, we explore how public markets are reshaping crypto’s power centers. Is Circle overvalued—or the last compliant winner left? And are ICOs really...
2025-06-1255 min
UnchainedThe Chopping Block: Crypto Strategic Reserve, Trump vs. Crypto, Bitcoin’s FutureWelcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Tarun Chitra, and Robert Leshner break down the biggest stories in crypto. This week, we’re joined by special guest Laura Shin to dissect Trump’s Strategic Crypto Reserve fiasco. Why did he name-drop XRP and Cardano first? Was this real policy or just a market pump? Meanwhile, Crypto Twitter is melting down over Trump’s crypto summit guest list—who made the cut, and who got snubbed? Plus, another SEC lawsuit bites the dust, and memecoins look deader than ever. Let’s get into it.Show highl...
2025-03-0658 minUnchainedThe Chopping Block: Crypto Strategic Reserve, Trump vs. Crypto, Bitcoin’s FutureWelcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Tarun Chitra, and Robert Leshner break down the biggest stories in crypto. This week, we’re joined by special guest Laura Shin to dissect Trump’s Strategic Crypto Reserve fiasco. Why did he name-drop XRP and Cardano first? Was this real policy or just a market pump? Meanwhile, Crypto Twitter is melting down over Trump’s crypto summit guest list—who made the cut, and who got snubbed? Plus, another SEC lawsuit bites the dust, and memecoins look deader than ever. Let’s get into it.Show highl...
2025-03-0658 min
UnchainedThe Chopping Block: Berachain’s Hype, Portnoy vs. Cramer, & Negative Market SentimentWelcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Tarun Chitra, and Robert Leshner chop it up about the latest in crypto. In this episode, we’re joined by Laura Shin, host of the Unchained Podcast, for a no-holds-barred discussion on the current state of the crypto landscape. We dive into Berachain’s shaky launch, dissecting its tokenomics, insider allocations, and why the hype didn’t hold. Then we uncover the rise of celebrity memecoin scams—how influencers are cashing in while their followers get rugged. Finally, we tackle the Ethereum vs. Solana debate: is Ethereum losing its...
2025-02-131h 01UnchainedThe Chopping Block: Berachain’s Hype, Portnoy vs. Cramer, & Negative Market SentimentWelcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Tarun Chitra, and Robert Leshner chop it up about the latest in crypto. In this episode, we’re joined by Laura Shin, host of the Unchained Podcast, for a no-holds-barred discussion on the current state of the crypto landscape. We dive into Berachain’s shaky launch, dissecting its tokenomics, insider allocations, and why the hype didn’t hold. Then we uncover the rise of celebrity memecoin scams—how influencers are cashing in while their followers get rugged. Finally, we tackle the Ethereum vs. Solana debate: is Ethereum losing its...
2025-02-131h 01
UnchainedThe Chopping Block: XRP’s DeFi Comeback, Trump’s Crypto Picks, and Bitcoin at $100KWelcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Tarun Chitra, and Robert Leshner get together and give the industry insider's perspective on crypto. This week, Laura Shin joins the crew to tackle a whirlwind of major market trends and policy shifts.They dive into Bitcoin’s historic leap to $100K, the unexpected "dino coin renaissance" with legacy tokens like XRP and ADA soaring, and the NFT market’s surprising revival. Ripple’s DeFi ecosystem and its place in the broader crypto landscape spark a spirited debate on "chain biases" and decentralization. On the policy front, the team...
2024-12-081h 04UnchainedThe Chopping Block: XRP’s DeFi Comeback, Trump’s Crypto Picks, and Bitcoin at $100KWelcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Tarun Chitra, and Robert Leshner get together and give the industry insider's perspective on crypto. This week, Laura Shin joins the crew to tackle a whirlwind of major market trends and policy shifts.They dive into Bitcoin’s historic leap to $100K, the unexpected "dino coin renaissance" with legacy tokens like XRP and ADA soaring, and the NFT market’s surprising revival. Ripple’s DeFi ecosystem and its place in the broader crypto landscape spark a spirited debate on "chain biases" and decentralization. On the policy front, the team...
2024-12-081h 04
UnchainedThe Chopping Block: How Prediction Markets Outsmarted the 2024 Election feat. Laura ShinWelcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Tarun Chitra, and Robert Leshner get together and give the industry insider's perspective on crypto. This week, Laura Shin joins the squad to help break down the aftermath of the 2024 U.S. presidential election and its impact on the crypto landscape. With a new pro-crypto administration on the horizon, they explore what Trump’s stance on blockchain regulation could mean for the industry, from ETFs and stablecoin legislation to the potential of a national Bitcoin reserve. They also dig into the power of prediction markets, which outperformed main...
2024-11-0856 minUnchainedThe Chopping Block: How Prediction Markets Outsmarted the 2024 Election feat. Laura ShinWelcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Tarun Chitra, and Robert Leshner get together and give the industry insider's perspective on crypto. This week, Laura Shin joins the squad to help break down the aftermath of the 2024 U.S. presidential election and its impact on the crypto landscape. With a new pro-crypto administration on the horizon, they explore what Trump’s stance on blockchain regulation could mean for the industry, from ETFs and stablecoin legislation to the potential of a national Bitcoin reserve. They also dig into the power of prediction markets, which outperformed main...
2024-11-0856 min
UnchainedThe Chopping Block: Trump's VP Pick, SEC's Future, and Congress' Crypto LegislationWelcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Robert Leshner, and Tarun Chitra explore the latest trends in the crypto world. In this episode, we invite Laura Shin and special guest Kristin Smith of the Blockchain Association to discuss the latest in crypto politics. We dive deep into JD Vance's VP candidacy alongside Donald Trump and its implications for the crypto industry. We also explore the impact of recent political events on the crypto markets, the potential outcomes of key legislative efforts, and the future of the SEC post-2024 elections. Don't miss this insightful conversation on...
2024-07-181h 07UnchainedThe Chopping Block: Trump's VP Pick, SEC's Future, and Congress' Crypto LegislationWelcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Robert Leshner, and Tarun Chitra explore the latest trends in the crypto world. In this episode, we invite Laura Shin and special guest Kristin Smith of the Blockchain Association to discuss the latest in crypto politics. We dive deep into JD Vance's VP candidacy alongside Donald Trump and its implications for the crypto industry. We also explore the impact of recent political events on the crypto markets, the potential outcomes of key legislative efforts, and the future of the SEC post-2024 elections. Don't miss this insightful conversation on...
2024-07-181h 07
UnchainedThe Chopping Block: Biden's Resignation Odds, Market Predictions, and Chevron Ruling's Impact on CryptoWelcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Robert Leshner, and Tarun Chitra explore the latest trends in the crypto world. In this episode, special guest Laura Shin is sitting in for Tom to discuss the impact of prediction markets on politics and crypto. They explore how prediction markets like Polymarket affect public perception during the presidential election, contrasting their reliability against traditional journalism. The conversation also touches on the implications of prediction markets on insider trading, market manipulation, and the role of expert information. Additionally, they discuss the Supreme Court's overturning of the Chevron do...
2024-07-041h 07UnchainedThe Chopping Block: Biden's Resignation Odds, Market Predictions, and Chevron Ruling's Impact on CryptoWelcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Robert Leshner, and Tarun Chitra explore the latest trends in the crypto world. In this episode, special guest Laura Shin is sitting in for Tom to discuss the impact of prediction markets on politics and crypto. They explore how prediction markets like Polymarket affect public perception during the presidential election, contrasting their reliability against traditional journalism. The conversation also touches on the implications of prediction markets on insider trading, market manipulation, and the role of expert information. Additionally, they discuss the Supreme Court's overturning of the Chevron do...
2024-07-041h 07
UnchainedThe Chopping Block: Crypto in US Politics & Roaring Kitty is back!Welcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Robert Leshner, and special guest Laura Shin explore the latest trends in the crypto world. In this episode, we touch on how Donald Trump's pro-crypto statements influence voter behavior in the upcoming U.S. elections. We ask ourselves, is voting based solely on crypto policy a legitimate strategy? What are the implications of the Biden administration's stance on crypto regulations for future electoral outcomes? Following the political discussion, we unpack the recent GameStop and AMC pump and dissect the viability of their business models. We bring to li...
2024-05-1650 minUnchainedThe Chopping Block: Crypto in US Politics & Roaring Kitty is back!Welcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Robert Leshner, and special guest Laura Shin explore the latest trends in the crypto world. In this episode, we touch on how Donald Trump's pro-crypto statements influence voter behavior in the upcoming U.S. elections. We ask ourselves, is voting based solely on crypto policy a legitimate strategy? What are the implications of the Biden administration's stance on crypto regulations for future electoral outcomes? Following the political discussion, we unpack the recent GameStop and AMC pump and dissect the viability of their business models. We bring to li...
2024-05-1650 min
UnchainedThe Chopping Block: If Vitalik Is the Pope of Crypto, Is Justin Sun the Inverse Pope?Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Pandora, Castbox, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.Welcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, and Tarun Chitra chop it up about the latest news. This week, they are joined by Laura Shin, the host of Unchained, to discuss the latest post from Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin, who argues that crypto needs to get back to its idealistic cypherpunk roots. Is Vitalik the Pope of crypto, as Haseeb argues, and is there even a ne...
2024-01-031h 15UnchainedThe Chopping Block: If Vitalik Is the Pope of Crypto, Is Justin Sun the Inverse Pope?Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Pandora, Castbox, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.Welcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, and Tarun Chitra chop it up about the latest news. This week, they are joined by Laura Shin, the host of Unchained, to discuss the latest post from Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin, who argues that crypto needs to get back to its idealistic cypherpunk roots. Is Vitalik the Pope of crypto, as Haseeb argues, and is there even a ne...
2024-01-031h 15UnchainedLaura Shin Reflects on 500 Episodes of ‘Unchained’If a year in crypto is like a decade in other industries, then Laura Shin has seen a lot. To commemorate the 500th episode of “Unchained” (actually, there’s about 150 more under a different brand name), Laura hops on the other side of the microphone to field questions from Unchained Contributing Editor Zack Seward about standout moments dating back to 2018. From the early rise of Binance to a charged interview with Terra founder Do Kwon, Shin takes you behind the scenes for rare insights into her process, her favorite moments, and how key episodes have aged.L...
2023-06-021h 18UnchainedLaura Shin Reflects on 500 Episodes of ‘Unchained’If a year in crypto is like a decade in other industries, then Laura Shin has seen a lot. To commemorate the 500th episode of “Unchained” (actually, there’s about 150 more under a different brand name), Laura hops on the other side of the microphone to field questions from Unchained Contributing Editor Zack Seward about standout moments dating back to 2018. From the early rise of Binance to a charged interview with Terra founder Do Kwon, Shin takes you behind the scenes for rare insights into her process, her favorite moments, and how key episodes have aged.L...
2023-06-021h 18UnchainedThe Chopping Block: Are VCs Bad for Crypto?Welcome to “The Chopping Block” – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, and Robert Leshner chop it up about the latest news. In this episode, they’re joined by Unchained’s Laura Shin to debate FTX revival rumors, what the U.S. Treasury got wrong about DeFi, and whether VCs are antithetical to crypto’s core principles.Show highlights:
how much ETH is getting unstaked and deposited after Shapella
the market reaction following the successful implementation of the upgrade
whether FTX could reopen after its massive collapse
why Robert thinks rebooting the exchange is a “terrible...
2023-04-151h 06UnchainedThe Chopping Block: Are VCs Bad for Crypto?Welcome to “The Chopping Block” – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, and Robert Leshner chop it up about the latest news. In this episode, they’re joined by Unchained’s Laura Shin to debate FTX revival rumors, what the U.S. Treasury got wrong about DeFi, and whether VCs are antithetical to crypto’s core principles.Show highlights:
how much ETH is getting unstaked and deposited after Shapella
the market reaction following the successful implementation of the upgrade
whether FTX could reopen after its massive collapse
why Robert thinks rebooting the exchange is a “terrible...
2023-04-151h 06UnchainedLaura’s 10-Year Anniversary of Self-Employment: A Personal MessageLaura’s 10-Year Anniversary of Self-Employment: A Personal Message Laura Shin, the host of Unchained, celebrated her 10-year anniversary of self-employment on Wednesday, April 12. She tells her story and has a message that she hopes will help others on their journeys. Links: Original Twitter thread Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2023-04-1515 minUnchainedLaura’s 10-Year Anniversary of Self-Employment: A Personal MessageLaura’s 10-Year Anniversary of Self-Employment: A Personal Message Laura Shin, the host of Unchained, celebrated her 10-year anniversary of self-employment on Wednesday, April 12. She tells her story and has a message that she hopes will help others on their journeys. Links: Original Twitter thread Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2023-04-1515 minUnchainedThe Chopping Block: Is Ether the Only ‘Organic Yield’ in Crypto?Welcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, and Tarun Chitra chop it up about the latest news. In this episode, they are joined by Laura Shin, author, journalist, and host of Unchained, to discuss the drama around the Arbitrum governance’s proposal, the MEV attack on Ethereum, the Shanghai upgrade… and much more!Show highlights:
what the intentions behind Arbitrum Foundation's ratification poll were
why Tarun says that it was suggested by a crypto lawyer
what will happen to Ethereum staking after the Shanghai upgrade
how ETH provides 'organic yield,' accordi...
2023-04-0656 minUnchainedThe Chopping Block: Is Ether the Only ‘Organic Yield’ in Crypto?Welcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, and Tarun Chitra chop it up about the latest news. In this episode, they are joined by Laura Shin, author, journalist, and host of Unchained, to discuss the drama around the Arbitrum governance’s proposal, the MEV attack on Ethereum, the Shanghai upgrade… and much more!Show highlights:
what the intentions behind Arbitrum Foundation's ratification poll were
why Tarun says that it was suggested by a crypto lawyer
what will happen to Ethereum staking after the Shanghai upgrade
how ETH provides 'organic yield,' accordi...
2023-04-0656 minUnchainedThe Chopping Block: Was FTX a Scam From the Very Beginning?Welcome to The Chopping Block! Crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Robert Leshner, and Tarun Chitra were joined by Laura Shin to chop it up about the latest news.Show topics:
the details of the SEC and CFTC complaints
how crypto traders have always speculated about Alameda's preferential treatment
whether many people knew about the mismanagement of funds and alleged fraud
why Haseeb thinks SBF was a "f*cking psycho"
how helpful Tarun believes a testimony from Sam Trabucco, former co-CEO of Alameda, would be
why Alameda and FTX lost billions of dollars, and the...
2022-12-171h 09UnchainedThe Chopping Block: Was FTX a Scam From the Very Beginning?Welcome to The Chopping Block! Crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Robert Leshner, and Tarun Chitra were joined by Laura Shin to chop it up about the latest news.Show topics:
the details of the SEC and CFTC complaints
how crypto traders have always speculated about Alameda's preferential treatment
whether many people knew about the mismanagement of funds and alleged fraud
why Haseeb thinks SBF was a "f*cking psycho"
how helpful Tarun believes a testimony from Sam Trabucco, former co-CEO of Alameda, would be
why Alameda and FTX lost billions of dollars, and the...
2022-12-171h 09
UnchainedThe Chopping Block: Why Lenders Didn't Liquidate Alameda When It Was UnderwaterWelcome to The Chopping Block! Crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, and Tarun Chitra were joined by Laura Shin, CEO of the show, to chop it up about the collapse of FTX. Show topics:
Haseeb's explanation of the blowup of FTX
whether FTX was a Ponzi scheme
Sam Bankman-Fried's strategy to become a billionaire
the weird sale of Serum, a project backed by SBF
the lack of proper accounting practices in FTX and Alameda
whether FTX did not have a proper and large enough security team
the likelihood that FTX’s volume numbers are...
2022-11-161h 52UnchainedThe Chopping Block: Why Lenders Didn't Liquidate Alameda When It Was UnderwaterWelcome to The Chopping Block! Crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, and Tarun Chitra were joined by Laura Shin, CEO of the show, to chop it up about the collapse of FTX. Show topics:
Haseeb's explanation of the blowup of FTX
whether FTX was a Ponzi scheme
Sam Bankman-Fried's strategy to become a billionaire
the weird sale of Serum, a project backed by SBF
the lack of proper accounting practices in FTX and Alameda
whether FTX did not have a proper and large enough security team
the likelihood that FTX’s volume numbers are...
2022-11-161h 52
UnchainedThe Chopping Block: FTX: The Biggest Collapse in the History of Crypto?Welcome to The Chopping Block! Crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi and Tom Schmidt were joined by Nic Carter, reformed Bitcoin Maxi, and Laura Shin, CEO of the show, to chop it up about Binance’s buyout of FTX. Show topics:
Haseeb's tl;dr of Binance's possible acquisition of FTX
whether Alameda is the new Three Arrows Capital
the implications of FTX's collapse for regulators and lawmakers
what will happen to all the companies that lent money to Alameda
Sam Bankman-Fried's emergency effort to raise billions of dollars
whether there could be criminal charges against FTX...
2022-11-091h 04UnchainedThe Chopping Block: FTX: The Biggest Collapse in the History of Crypto?Welcome to The Chopping Block! Crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi and Tom Schmidt were joined by Nic Carter, reformed Bitcoin Maxi, and Laura Shin, CEO of the show, to chop it up about Binance’s buyout of FTX. Show topics:
Haseeb's tl;dr of Binance's possible acquisition of FTX
whether Alameda is the new Three Arrows Capital
the implications of FTX's collapse for regulators and lawmakers
what will happen to all the companies that lent money to Alameda
Sam Bankman-Fried's emergency effort to raise billions of dollars
whether there could be criminal charges against FTX...
2022-11-091h 04
UnchainedThe Chopping Block: Two on Two Debate: NFT Royalty Throwdown!Welcome to The Chopping Block! Host Haseeb Qureshi partnered with Zhuoxun Yin, cofounder of Magic Eden, to debate Unchained host Laura Shin and Li Jin, cofounder at Variant Fund, on the topic of NFT Royalties. Show highlights: What NFT royalties are Why Laura believes zero NFT royalties is a bad business decision prioritizing short-term needs over long-term ones and that it will turn creators off from the industry How charging royalties is not sustainable, according to Haseeb Why royalties are the best mechanism to align incentives between creators and holders, according to Li The technical limitations of...
2022-10-191h 23
UnchainedThe Chopping Block: Two on Two Debate: NFT Royalty Throwdown!Welcome to The Chopping Block! Host Haseeb Qureshi partnered with Zhuoxun Yin, cofounder of Magic Eden, to debate Unchained host Laura Shin and Li Jin, cofounder at Variant Fund, on the topic of NFT Royalties. Show highlights:
What NFT royalties are
Why Laura believes zero NFT royalties is a bad business decision prioritizing short-term needs over long-term ones and that it will turn creators off from the industry
How charging royalties is not sustainable, according to Haseeb
Why royalties are the best mechanism to align incentives between creators and holders, according to Li
T...
2022-10-191h 23UnchainedThe Chopping Block: Two on Two Debate: NFT Royalty Throwdown!Welcome to The Chopping Block! Host Haseeb Qureshi partnered with Zhuoxun Yin, cofounder of Magic Eden, to debate Unchained host Laura Shin and Li Jin, cofounder at Variant Fund, on the topic of NFT Royalties. Show highlights:
What NFT royalties are
Why Laura believes zero NFT royalties is a bad business decision prioritizing short-term needs over long-term ones and that it will turn creators off from the industry
How charging royalties is not sustainable, according to Haseeb
Why royalties are the best mechanism to align incentives between creators and holders, according to Li
T...
2022-10-191h 23UnchainedThe Chopping Block: Two on Two Debate: NFT Royalty Throwdown!Welcome to The Chopping Block! Host Haseeb Qureshi partnered with Zhuoxun Yin, cofounder of Magic Eden, to debate Unchained host Laura Shin and Li Jin, cofounder at Variant Fund, on the topic of NFT Royalties. Show highlights: What NFT royalties are Why Laura believes zero NFT royalties is a bad business decision prioritizing short-term needs over long-term ones and that it will turn creators off from the industry How charging royalties is not sustainable, according to Haseeb Why royalties are the best mechanism to align incentives between creators and holders, according to Li The te...
2022-10-191h 23UnchainedThe Chopping Block: Was This Gary Gensler's Most Liked Tweet?Welcome to The Chopping Block! Crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, and Tarun Chitra were joined by Laura Shin to chop it up about the latest news in the digital asset industry. Show topics: Whether crypto optimism is different in Asia than in the United States How Sam Bankman-Fried has been doing some work with US regulators How the CFTC lawsuit against Ooki DAO changed people’s perspectives about the regulator Whether the lawsuit could make all DeFi illegal and the role of DAOs to coordinate governance The SEC settlement with Kim Kardashian for $1.26 million, Gensler’s vide...
2022-10-081h 15UnchainedThe Chopping Block: Was This Gary Gensler's Most Liked Tweet?Welcome to The Chopping Block! Crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, and Tarun Chitra were joined by Laura Shin to chop it up about the latest news in the digital asset industry. Show topics: Whether crypto optimism is different in Asia than in the United States How Sam Bankman-Fried has been doing some work with US regulators How the CFTC lawsuit against Ooki DAO changed people’s perspectives about the regulator Whether the lawsuit could make all DeFi illegal and the role of DAOs to coordinate governance The SEC settlement with Kim Kardashian for $1.26 mill...
2022-10-081h 15
UnchainedThe Chopping Block: Was This Gary Gensler's Most Liked Tweet?Welcome to The Chopping Block! Crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, and Tarun Chitra were joined by Laura Shin to chop it up about the latest news in the digital asset industry. Show topics:
Whether crypto optimism is different in Asia than in the United States
How Sam Bankman-Fried has been doing some work with US regulators
How the CFTC lawsuit against Ooki DAO changed people’s perspectives about the regulator
Whether the lawsuit could make all DeFi illegal and the role of DAOs to coordinate governance
The SEC settlement with Kim Kardashian for $1.26 mill...
2022-10-081h 15UnchainedThe Chopping Block: Was This Gary Gensler's Most Liked Tweet?Welcome to The Chopping Block! Crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, and Tarun Chitra were joined by Laura Shin to chop it up about the latest news in the digital asset industry. Show topics:
Whether crypto optimism is different in Asia than in the United States
How Sam Bankman-Fried has been doing some work with US regulators
How the CFTC lawsuit against Ooki DAO changed people’s perspectives about the regulator
Whether the lawsuit could make all DeFi illegal and the role of DAOs to coordinate governance
The SEC settlement with Kim Kardashian for $1.26 mill...
2022-10-081h 15
UnchainedThe Chopping Block: Did OFAC Overstep by Sanctioning Tornado Cash?Welcome to The Chopping Block! Crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, and Tarun Chitra chop it up about the latest news in the digital asset industry. In this episode, Laura Shin, host of Unchained and author of The Cryptopians, also joined the conversation. Show topics:
What Tornado Cash is and why it got sanctioned by the OFAC
The difference between Tornado Cash and blender.io
Whether privacy is dead as a category and whether regulators are going after it
How these sanctions have a negative impact on the funding of privacy projects
How people wit...
2022-08-181h 18UnchainedThe Chopping Block: Did OFAC Overstep by Sanctioning Tornado Cash?Welcome to The Chopping Block! Crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, and Tarun Chitra chop it up about the latest news in the digital asset industry. In this episode, Laura Shin, host of Unchained and author of The Cryptopians, also joined the conversation. Show topics:
What Tornado Cash is and why it got sanctioned by the OFAC
The difference between Tornado Cash and blender.io
Whether privacy is dead as a category and whether regulators are going after it
How these sanctions have a negative impact on the funding of privacy projects
How people wit...
2022-08-181h 18
UnchainedThe Chopping Block: Does the New Terra Have Any Chance?Welcome to The Chopping Block! Crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, and Tarun Chitra chop it up about the latest news in the digital asset industry. Since Robert Leshner couldn’t make it, Laura also decided to hop on the show too! Show topics:
how Terra is trying to rebuild
what its value proposition is
why Laura is surprised at how fast Do Kwon began shitposting again
how teams affected by the Terra collapse, like Delphi Digital and Mars Protocol, are responding
how its implosion will affect Cosmos
why Tarun thinks Osmosis’ purchase of Keplr was the “best” purchase...
2022-06-021h 01UnchainedThe Chopping Block: Does the New Terra Have Any Chance?Welcome to The Chopping Block! Crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, and Tarun Chitra chop it up about the latest news in the digital asset industry. Since Robert Leshner couldn’t make it, Laura also decided to hop on the show too! Show topics:
how Terra is trying to rebuild
what its value proposition is
why Laura is surprised at how fast Do Kwon began shitposting again
how teams affected by the Terra collapse, like Delphi Digital and Mars Protocol, are responding
how its implosion will affect Cosmos
why Tarun thinks Osmosis’ purchase of Keplr was the “best” purchase...
2022-06-021h 01
UnchainedThe Chopping Block: How to Improve DeFi and Cross-Chain Bridge SecurityWelcome to The Chopping Block! Crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, and Tarun Chitra chop it up about the latest news in the digital asset industry. On this episode, Laura Shin, the host of Unchained and author of The Cryptopians, also joined the conversation. Show topics: how people have responded to The Cryptopians
why traditional publishers were reticent to publish the story revealing the alleged DAO attacker’s identity what lessons can be learned from North Korea’s alleged involvement in the Ronin bridge exploit what zero-knowledge proofs work and how a miscalculation in a whitepaper almost caused majo...
2022-04-211h 17UnchainedThe Chopping Block: How to Improve DeFi and Cross-Chain Bridge SecurityWelcome to The Chopping Block! Crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, and Tarun Chitra chop it up about the latest news in the digital asset industry. On this episode, Laura Shin, the host of Unchained and author of The Cryptopians, also joined the conversation. Show topics: how people have responded to The Cryptopians
why traditional publishers were reticent to publish the story revealing the alleged DAO attacker’s identity what lessons can be learned from North Korea’s alleged involvement in the Ronin bridge exploit what zero-knowledge proofs work and how a miscalculation in a whitepaper almost caused majo...
2022-04-211h 17
UnchainedWhy Crypto Twitter’s Disrespect Toward Regulators Is a ‘Really Bad Business Decision’Two policy experts, Chris Lehane, chief strategy officer at Haun Ventures, and Niki Christoff, the founder of Christoff and Co., discuss how the crypto industry has performed in Washington and how it can better educate more regulators and politicians about the technology. Show highlights: Niki and Chris’ background how Niki and Chris would grade the performance of crypto companies in Washington what parallels Chris can draw between crypto in the 2020s and FAANG in the mid-90s whether having a plethora of crypto policy groups helps or hurts crypto in Washington whether calling politicians and regulators names and mak...
2022-04-191h 13UnchainedWhy Crypto Twitter’s Disrespect Toward Regulators Is a ‘Really Bad Business Decision’Two policy experts, Chris Lehane, chief strategy officer at Haun Ventures, and Niki Christoff, the founder of Christoff and Co., discuss how the crypto industry has performed in Washington and how it can better educate more regulators and politicians about the technology. Show highlights: Niki and Chris’ background how Niki and Chris would grade the performance of crypto companies in Washington what parallels Chris can draw between crypto in the 2020s and FAANG in the mid-90s whether having a plethora of crypto policy groups helps or hurts crypto in Washington whether calling politicians and regulators names and mak...
2022-04-191h 13
UnchainedWhy Ethereum's Merge Was Delayed and Why It Won't Reduce Gas Fees MuchTim Beiko, the Ethereum Foundation coordinator for core developers, discusses his recent estimation that Ethereum’s merge, where the network transitions from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake, will be delayed until the second half of 2022. Show topics: what the Ethereum merge is why an upcoming difficulty bomb could force developers to delay the merge what shadow forks are and how they affect the decision to go forward with the merge how network difficulty is used in Ethereum to keep a balance between the blockchain and miners Tim’s (purposefully vague) timeline for the merge how the merge could increase Ethereum’s throu...
2022-04-1536 minUnchainedWhy Ethereum's Merge Was Delayed and Why It Won't Reduce Gas Fees MuchTim Beiko, the Ethereum Foundation coordinator for core developers, discusses his recent estimation that Ethereum’s merge, where the network transitions from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake, will be delayed until the second half of 2022. Show topics: what the Ethereum merge is why an upcoming difficulty bomb could force developers to delay the merge what shadow forks are and how they affect the decision to go forward with the merge how network difficulty is used in Ethereum to keep a balance between the blockchain and miners Tim’s (purposefully vague) timeline for the merge how the merge could increase Ethereum’s throu...
2022-04-1536 min
UnchainedExcited About Your Bored Ape or CryptoPunk? Make Sure You Understand Your IP RightsStuart Levi, co-head of the Technology Transaction and Intellectual Property Group at Skadden Arps, and Marta Belcher, general counsel and Head of Policy at Protocol Labs, break down the legal issues surrounding NFTs specifically in the context of Yuga Labs’ recent purchase of CryptoPunks and Meebits IP rights. Show highlights: the definitions and differences between copyrights, trademarks, and rights of publicity (name, image, likeness) how NFT projects have evolved in the past 12-18 months and what that means for the rights of NFT holders why NBA Top Shot’s licensing model is the best model for famous brands ente...
2022-04-121h 08UnchainedExcited About Your Bored Ape or CryptoPunk? Make Sure You Understand Your IP RightsStuart Levi, co-head of the Technology Transaction and Intellectual Property Group at Skadden Arps, and Marta Belcher, general counsel and Head of Policy at Protocol Labs, break down the legal issues surrounding NFTs specifically in the context of Yuga Labs’ recent purchase of CryptoPunks and Meebits IP rights. Show highlights: the definitions and differences between copyrights, trademarks, and rights of publicity (name, image, likeness) how NFT projects have evolved in the past 12-18 months and what that means for the rights of NFT holders why NBA Top Shot’s licensing model is the best model for famous brands ente...
2022-04-121h 08
UnchainedWhy Chatroulette Founder Andrey Ternovskiy Fell in Love With CryptoWhile researching for The Cryptopians, I discovered that Andrey Ternovskiy, the founder of internet sensation Chatroulette, was heavily involved in The DAO back in 2016. In this episode, we skirt around revealing major spoilers from The Cryptopians and discuss Andrey’s experience founding Chatroulette, how he fell down the crypto rabbit hole, whether hacking smart contracts is ethical, and more. Show topics: Andrey’s background how Andrey’s struggles with PayPal at Chatroulette led him to quickly understand the need for crypto what Andrey’s involvement at Chatroulette is the different ways Andrey thinks crypto can disrupt middlemen why Andrey bec...
2022-03-0850 minUnchainedWhy Chatroulette Founder Andrey Ternovskiy Fell in Love With CryptoWhile researching for The Cryptopians, I discovered that Andrey Ternovskiy, the founder of internet sensation Chatroulette, was heavily involved in The DAO back in 2016. In this episode, we skirt around revealing major spoilers from The Cryptopians and discuss Andrey’s experience founding Chatroulette, how he fell down the crypto rabbit hole, whether hacking smart contracts is ethical, and more. Show topics: Andrey’s background how Andrey’s struggles with PayPal at Chatroulette led him to quickly understand the need for crypto what Andrey’s involvement at Chatroulette is the different ways Andrey thinks crypto can disrupt middlemen why Andrey bec...
2022-03-0850 min
UnchainedHow Ukraine Is Leveraging Crypto in Its Fight Against RussiaTomicah Tillemann, the global chief policy officer of Katie Haun's new firm, analyzes Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and explains how crypto is being used in an unprecedented manner to render aid to civilians, move money across the world, and potentially document war crimes. Show highlights: Tomicah’s background, which includes stints working for the State Department and a16z recap of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine what Tomicah thinks of the decision to boot certain Russian banks from SWIFT why Tomicah believes that it would be very difficult for Russia to use crypto at a large scale to evad...
2022-03-0445 minUnchainedHow Ukraine Is Leveraging Crypto in Its Fight Against RussiaTomicah Tillemann, the global chief policy officer of Katie Haun's new firm, analyzes Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and explains how crypto is being used in an unprecedented manner to render aid to civilians, move money across the world, and potentially document war crimes. Show highlights: Tomicah’s background, which includes stints working for the State Department and a16z recap of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine what Tomicah thinks of the decision to boot certain Russian banks from SWIFT why Tomicah believes that it would be very difficult for Russia to use crypto at a large scale to evad...
2022-03-0445 min
UnchainedIs Code Law? Should the Hacker Be Punished? The DAO Creators DisagreeDuring my research for The Cryptopians, I found information that I believe identifies the perpetrator behind The DAO hack on Ethereum. Three founding members of The DAO and Slock.it (Christoph Jentzsch, Lefteris Karapetsas, Griff Green) discuss how and why they created The DAO, how they helped save the funds being siphoned off by black hat hackers, their personal feelings about The DAO, along with their reaction to the news about who I believe was The DAO attacker. Show topics: Part 1: Background on The DAO Christoph, Lefteris, and Griff’s background and how they cam...
2022-03-011h 22UnchainedIs Code Law? Should the Hacker Be Punished? The DAO Creators DisagreeDuring my research for The Cryptopians, I found information that I believe identifies the perpetrator behind The DAO hack on Ethereum. Three founding members of The DAO and Slock.it (Christoph Jentzsch, Lefteris Karapetsas, Griff Green) discuss how and why they created The DAO, how they helped save the funds being siphoned off by black hat hackers, their personal feelings about The DAO, along with their reaction to the news about who I believe was The DAO attacker. Show topics: Part 1: Background on The DAO Christoph, Lefteris, and Griff’s background and how they cam...
2022-03-011h 22
UnchainedHow Writing 'The Cryptopians' Shaped My Views on EthereumIn a fun change of pace, Steven Ehrlich, editor of Forbes Cryptoasset and Blockchain Advisor, joins Unchained to interview me about my book, The Cryptopians: Idealism, Greed, Lies, and the Making of the First Big Cryptocurrency Craze, which came out this week. We discuss… where the inspiration for “The Cryptopians” title came from why I wanted to write a book about Ethereum how Vitalik’s role changed over the course of Ethereum’s founding who the main characters in The Cryptopians are the biggest challenges Ethereum and the Ethereum Foundation faced in its early days Ethereum’s “red wedding” day w...
2022-02-2543 minUnchainedHow Writing 'The Cryptopians' Shaped My Views on EthereumIn a fun change of pace, Steven Ehrlich, editor of Forbes Cryptoasset and Blockchain Advisor, joins Unchained to interview me about my book, The Cryptopians: Idealism, Greed, Lies, and the Making of the First Big Cryptocurrency Craze, which came out this week. We discuss… where the inspiration for “The Cryptopians” title came from why I wanted to write a book about Ethereum how Vitalik’s role changed over the course of Ethereum’s founding who the main characters in The Cryptopians are the biggest challenges Ethereum and the Ethereum Foundation faced in its early days Ethereum’s “red wedding” day w...
2022-02-2543 min
UnchainedExclusive: Crypto’s Biggest Whodunnit: Who Was Behind the 2016 DAO Attack on Ethereum?While researching for my book, The Cryptopians: Idealism, Greed, Lies, and the Making of the First Big Cryptocurrency Craze, I found evidence that I believe resolves the biggest whodunnit in crypto: who hacked The DAO? This podcast is coming out in conjunction with an article in Forbes revealing the prime suspect’s identity. Part 1: Who Attacked the DAO? Here’s the Evidence To document the process of finding the alleged attacker, I wrote an article for Forbes, with which I opened the podcast. In it, I reveal who, evidence indicates, attacked the DAO how...
2022-02-221h 09UnchainedExclusive: Crypto’s Biggest Whodunnit: Who Was Behind the 2016 DAO Attack on Ethereum?While researching for my book, The Cryptopians: Idealism, Greed, Lies, and the Making of the First Big Cryptocurrency Craze, I found evidence that I believe resolves the biggest whodunnit in crypto: who hacked The DAO? This podcast is coming out in conjunction with an article in Forbes revealing the prime suspect’s identity. Part 1: Who Attacked the DAO? Here’s the Evidence To document the process of finding the alleged attacker, I wrote an article for Forbes, with which I opened the podcast. In it, I reveal who, evidence indicates, attacked the DAO how...
2022-02-221h 09
UnchainedHow NFT DAOs Could Shape the Next Blockbuster, Fund Poetry and Change VCDapper Collectives CEO and Friends With Benefits founder Trevor McFedries joins Unchained to discuss social tokens, NFTs, the creator economy, $FWB, VC snacks, DAOs, Cooper Turley, and more. Show highlights: Trevor’s past, which includes a top 10 album, working at Spotify, founding Brud, creating Lil Miquela, and, of course, falling down the crypto rabbit hole what Trevor’s vision for Dapper Collectives is what type of activities DAOs will facilitate in the future why Trevor is so excited to be working with Dapper Labs and Flow what Friends With Benefits is and how the $FWB token works what sort...
2022-02-011h 03UnchainedHow NFT DAOs Could Shape the Next Blockbuster, Fund Poetry and Change VCDapper Collectives CEO and Friends With Benefits founder Trevor McFedries joins Unchained to discuss social tokens, NFTs, the creator economy, $FWB, VC snacks, DAOs, Cooper Turley, and more. Show highlights: Trevor’s past, which includes a top 10 album, working at Spotify, founding Brud, creating Lil Miquela, and, of course, falling down the crypto rabbit hole what Trevor’s vision for Dapper Collectives is what type of activities DAOs will facilitate in the future why Trevor is so excited to be working with Dapper Labs and Flow what Friends With Benefits is and how the $FWB token works what sort...
2022-02-011h 03
UnchainedOn-Chain Analytics Show ETH Accumulation Is Greater Than That of BTCNFTs are the talk of the metaverse, EIP 1559 just went live, and DeFi stats are rebounding. On Unchained, Fredrik Haga, cofounder and CEO at Dune Analytics, along with Richard Chen, general partner at 1confirmation, discuss the booming Ethereum ecosystem through the lens of on-chain data, diving into NFTs, DeFi, ETH, and their favorite layer 2s. Show highlights: why Ethereum is on such a pronounced upswing why on-chain metrics lead to superior information reporting mind-blowing OpenSea statistics why NFTs are so hot at the moment how Richard explains NFTs to normies whether the NFT market is sustainable what makes a...
2021-08-171h 09UnchainedOn-Chain Analytics Show ETH Accumulation Is Greater Than That of BTCNFTs are the talk of the metaverse, EIP 1559 just went live, and DeFi stats are rebounding. On Unchained, Fredrik Haga, cofounder and CEO at Dune Analytics, along with Richard Chen, general partner at 1confirmation, discuss the booming Ethereum ecosystem through the lens of on-chain data, diving into NFTs, DeFi, ETH, and their favorite layer 2s. Show highlights: why Ethereum is on such a pronounced upswing why on-chain metrics lead to superior information reporting mind-blowing OpenSea statistics why NFTs are so hot at the moment how Richard explains NFTs to normies whether the NFT market is sustainable what makes a...
2021-08-171h 09
UnchainedIs ETH on Its Way to Becoming Ultra-Sound Money? Yes, Says Justin DrakeEthereum just went through its most complex upgrade ever. Justin Drake, researcher at the Ethereum Foundation, discusses what the upgrade, aka the London hard fork, means for ether’s future as what he calls "ultra-sound money." At the end of the episode, he also drops a few Bitcoin hot takes. Show highlights:
his background and how he got involved in crypto
how EIP 1559 will affect Ethereum now that it is live
why burning ether is good for the Ethereum economy
what two concepts are crucial to understanding money
what three ways ether is used as money
why he be...
2021-08-101h 09UnchainedIs ETH on Its Way to Becoming Ultra-Sound Money? Yes, Says Justin DrakeEthereum just went through its most complex upgrade ever. Justin Drake, researcher at the Ethereum Foundation, discusses what the upgrade, aka the London hard fork, means for ether’s future as what he calls "ultra-sound money." At the end of the episode, he also drops a few Bitcoin hot takes. Show highlights:
his background and how he got involved in crypto
how EIP 1559 will affect Ethereum now that it is live
why burning ether is good for the Ethereum economy
what two concepts are crucial to understanding money
what three ways ether is used as money
why he be...
2021-08-101h 09
UnchainedCan a DeFi Smart Contract Be Regulated? Two CFTC Commissioners DiscussCFTC Commissioners Dan Berkovitz and Brian Quintenz discuss the difficulties of regulating crypto derivatives and DeFi. Show highlights: their backgrounds what the CFTC’s duties are regarding crypto how the CFTC’s jurisdiction has evolved over the years why Commissioner Quintenz believes SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce’s safe harbor proposal is “brilliant” what relationship the CFTC and SEC have when making decisions on crypto assets why the commissioners believe CFTC’s complaints regarding BitMEX are “well-founded” why formal regulation for crypto derivatives is unlikely to be produced by the CFTC why leveraged derivatives products are a “concern” to the CFTC what makes...
2021-08-031h 13UnchainedCan a DeFi Smart Contract Be Regulated? Two CFTC Commissioners DiscussCFTC Commissioners Dan Berkovitz and Brian Quintenz discuss the difficulties of regulating crypto derivatives and DeFi. Show highlights: their backgrounds what the CFTC’s duties are regarding crypto how the CFTC’s jurisdiction has evolved over the years why Commissioner Quintenz believes SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce’s safe harbor proposal is “brilliant” what relationship the CFTC and SEC have when making decisions on crypto assets why the commissioners believe CFTC’s complaints regarding BitMEX are “well-founded” why formal regulation for crypto derivatives is unlikely to be produced by the CFTC why leveraged derivatives products are a “concern” to the CFTC what makes...
2021-08-031h 13
UnchainedWhy ShapeShift's Erik Voorhees Thinks Toxic Bitcoin Maximalism Is BullshitShapeShift recently announced an intent to decentralize -- a move that would transition the one-time centralized exchange to a full-on DAO. Erik Voorhees, founder and CEO of ShapeShift, comes onto the show to talk about decentralizing the exchange, along with his thoughts on Bitcoin maximalism and crypto regulation. Show highlights: why ShapeShift is decentralizing the company how ShapeShift used to work what needs to happen for ShapeShift to decentralize why user experience should not change during the transition how the FOX token works what parts of a company cannot be decentralized yet how ShapeShift’s forthcoming foundation will fun...
2021-07-271h 04UnchainedWhy ShapeShift's Erik Voorhees Thinks Toxic Bitcoin Maximalism Is BullshitShapeShift recently announced an intent to decentralize -- a move that would transition the one-time centralized exchange to a full-on DAO. Erik Voorhees, founder and CEO of ShapeShift, comes onto the show to talk about decentralizing the exchange, along with his thoughts on Bitcoin maximalism and crypto regulation. Show highlights: why ShapeShift is decentralizing the company how ShapeShift used to work what needs to happen for ShapeShift to decentralize why user experience should not change during the transition how the FOX token works what parts of a company cannot be decentralized yet how ShapeShift’s forthcoming foundation will fun...
2021-07-271h 04
UnchainedHow Ransomware Evolved Into a Big BusinessGurvais Grigg, Chainalysis public sector CTO, and Kim Grauer, director of research at Chainalysis, review the ransomware landscape. Show Highlights: their backgrounds and roles at Chainalysis how a ransomware attack works what types of businesses are usually targeted in ransomware attacks why ransomware as a service (RAAS) is a booming business why Kim and Gurvais believe the hacking group REvil is becoming more sophisticated what characteristic of REvil hints that the group could be affiliated with Russia how the RAAS business model works how ransomware payments can be tracked why ransomware reporting has a data problem why Bitcoin...
2021-07-2057 minUnchainedHow Ransomware Evolved Into a Big BusinessGurvais Grigg, Chainalysis public sector CTO, and Kim Grauer, director of research at Chainalysis, review the ransomware landscape. Show Highlights: their backgrounds and roles at Chainalysis how a ransomware attack works what types of businesses are usually targeted in ransomware attacks why ransomware as a service (RAAS) is a booming business why Kim and Gurvais believe the hacking group REvil is becoming more sophisticated what characteristic of REvil hints that the group could be affiliated with Russia how the RAAS business model works how ransomware payments can be tracked why ransomware reporting has a data problem why Bitcoin...
2021-07-2057 min
UnchainedCan a DAO Go to Court? According to Two DAO Legal Experts… ProbablyAaron Wright, co-founder of OpenLaw and Professor at Cardozo Law, and Ross Campbell, SushiSwap core developer and LexDAO contributor, discuss the latest breakthroughs and legal implications in the burgeoning world of DAOs. Show highlights: how Aaron and Ross fell down the crypto rabbit hole whether a DAO, like Curve, could sue to protect its IP when a governance token might be considered a security who owns the copyright to a DAO how SushiSwap handles its open-source licenses why Ross views Uniswap’s business license as a good thing what an DAO is and how the idea stems from Bi...
2021-07-131h 09UnchainedCan a DAO Go to Court? According to Two DAO Legal Experts… ProbablyAaron Wright, co-founder of OpenLaw and Professor at Cardozo Law, and Ross Campbell, SushiSwap core developer and LexDAO contributor, discuss the latest breakthroughs and legal implications in the burgeoning world of DAOs. Show highlights: how Aaron and Ross fell down the crypto rabbit hole whether a DAO, like Curve, could sue to protect its IP when a governance token might be considered a security who owns the copyright to a DAO how SushiSwap handles its open-source licenses why Ross views Uniswap’s business license as a good thing what an DAO is and how the idea stems from Bi...
2021-07-131h 09
UnchainedThe Bitcoin Hash Rate Has Dropped. How Long Will It Take to Return?Kevin Zhang, vice president of business development at Foundry, breaks down the latest developments surrounding China and bitcoin mining. Show highlights: how he came across crypto and which Bitcoin OG he joined at Bitcoin.com to help start its mining operations arm what Foundry does and its relationship with Digital Currency Group (DCG) why DCG wanted to build out a mining infrastructure business what news from China in early March kickstarted the process of the mining ban how China’s Central Television broadcasting company might have brought extra scrutiny to cryptocurrencies what the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Comm...
2021-07-061h 01UnchainedThe Bitcoin Hash Rate Has Dropped. How Long Will It Take to Return?Kevin Zhang, vice president of business development at Foundry, breaks down the latest developments surrounding China and bitcoin mining. Show highlights: how he came across crypto and which Bitcoin OG he joined at Bitcoin.com to help start its mining operations arm what Foundry does and its relationship with Digital Currency Group (DCG) why DCG wanted to build out a mining infrastructure business what news from China in early March kickstarted the process of the mining ban how China’s Central Television broadcasting company might have brought extra scrutiny to cryptocurrencies what the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Comm...
2021-07-061h 01
UnchainedEthereum's EIP-1559 Will Solve Some Problems But Big Ones Will RemainTaylor Monahan, CEO of MyCrypto, and Tim Beiko, Ethereum Foundation core-dev facilitator, discuss the upcoming upgrade to the Ethereum network, EIP 1559. Show highlights: why Tim believes EIP 1559 is necessary what narrative is driving EIP 1559 what problems the network upgrade will solve how Ethereum transactions/fees work whether gas prices are correlated with ETH/USD the 3 main protocol changes that EIP 1559 proposes why Taylor, as the CEO of a wallet provider, is wary of EIP 1559 how EIP 1559 will affect Ethereum’s block size what changes wallet providers are considering due to EIP 1559 whether ‘Black Swan’ events will be more or les...
2021-06-291h 13UnchainedEthereum's EIP-1559 Will Solve Some Problems But Big Ones Will RemainTaylor Monahan, CEO of MyCrypto, and Tim Beiko, Ethereum Foundation core-dev facilitator, discuss the upcoming upgrade to the Ethereum network, EIP 1559. Show highlights: why Tim believes EIP 1559 is necessary what narrative is driving EIP 1559 what problems the network upgrade will solve how Ethereum transactions/fees work whether gas prices are correlated with ETH/USD the 3 main protocol changes that EIP 1559 proposes why Taylor, as the CEO of a wallet provider, is wary of EIP 1559 how EIP 1559 will affect Ethereum’s block size what changes wallet providers are considering due to EIP 1559 whether ‘Black Swan’ events will be more or les...
2021-06-291h 13
UnchainedIs Quadriga's Gerald Cotten Still Alive? The 'Exit Scam' Podcast Aims to AnswerAaron Lammer, author and host of the Exit Scam podcast, recounts the mysterious and controversial death of QuadrigaCX’s founder Gerald Cotton. Show highlights: A quick recap of QuadrigaCX why Aaron felt compelled to create a series on QuadrigaCX how Gerald Cotton, a lifelong Ponzi-addict, came to be the CEO of Canada’s largest crypto exchange what Ponzi-schemes Gerald ran before starting Quadriga CX why customers trusted QuadrigaCX and what red flags were readily apparent looking back the sketchy tactic Gerald used to single-handedly boosted QuadrigaCX’s trading volume by 30% a new wife, empty wallets, a hastily written will, a...
2021-06-221h 08UnchainedIs Quadriga's Gerald Cotten Still Alive? The 'Exit Scam' Podcast Aims to AnswerAaron Lammer, author and host of the Exit Scam podcast, recounts the mysterious and controversial death of QuadrigaCX’s founder Gerald Cotton. Show highlights: A quick recap of QuadrigaCX why Aaron felt compelled to create a series on QuadrigaCX how Gerald Cotton, a lifelong Ponzi-addict, came to be the CEO of Canada’s largest crypto exchange what Ponzi-schemes Gerald ran before starting Quadriga CX why customers trusted QuadrigaCX and what red flags were readily apparent looking back the sketchy tactic Gerald used to single-handedly boosted QuadrigaCX’s trading volume by 30% a new wife, empty wallets, a hastily written will, a...
2021-06-221h 08
UnchainedUnconfirmed: Polygon: The Layer 2 Solution Doing 8 Times as Many Transactions a Day as EthereumJaynti Kanani, cofounder and CEO of Polygon, discusses why the layer 2 solution has seen so much success during a down crypto market. Show highlights: what factors have led to Polygon’s and MATIC's impressive performance YTD how Polygon is scaling Ethereum what types of projects are taking off on Polygon how Polygon is attempting to address the issue of layer 2 composability how Polygon plans to use its latest funding why Jaynti is confident Polygon will still be necessary after ETH 2.0 launches Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unchainedcardearnfeb2021
2021-06-1836 minUnchainedUnconfirmed: Polygon: The Layer 2 Solution Doing 8 Times as Many Transactions a Day as EthereumJaynti Kanani, cofounder and CEO of Polygon, discusses why the layer 2 solution has seen so much success during a down crypto market. Show highlights: what factors have led to Polygon’s and MATIC's impressive performance YTD how Polygon is scaling Ethereum what types of projects are taking off on Polygon how Polygon is attempting to address the issue of layer 2 composability how Polygon plans to use its latest funding why Jaynti is confident Polygon will still be necessary after ETH 2.0 launches Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: https://crypto.onelink.me/J9Lg/unchainedcardearnfeb2021
2021-06-1836 min
UnchainedUnchained 5-Year Anniversary: AMA With Laura on Her Favorite Guests, Predictions and MoreTo celebrate the 5th anniversary of Unchained, I answer some questions submitted to me by the audience. In this episode, I cover: what I think about the relationship between psychedelics and crypto the most entertaining guest I’ve interviewed on Unchained why Coinbase founders may have a more impactful future on crypto than Ethereum founders which show has been the most impactful why I am a “nocoiner” where I believe DAOs fit into the future of crypto who my favorite guests have been over the years what I am most fearful and most hopeful about in the crypto space...
2021-06-151h 03UnchainedUnchained 5-Year Anniversary: AMA With Laura on Her Favorite Guests, Predictions and MoreTo celebrate the 5th anniversary of Unchained, I answer some questions submitted to me by the audience. In this episode, I cover: what I think about the relationship between psychedelics and crypto the most entertaining guest I’ve interviewed on Unchained why Coinbase founders may have a more impactful future on crypto than Ethereum founders which show has been the most impactful why I am a “nocoiner” where I believe DAOs fit into the future of crypto who my favorite guests have been over the years what I am most fearful and most hopeful about in the crypto space...
2021-06-151h 03
UnchainedUnconfirmed: Want Crypto in Your 401(k)? It's Finally Possible -- With This ProviderForUsAll recently announced a new product that will allow cryptocurrency investments to be made inside 401(k) retirement accounts. Jeff Schulte, CEO of ForUsAll, discusses why putting crypto in a 401(k) is such a game changer, how this differs from Bitcoin IRAs, and more! Show highlights: how bringing crypto into a 401(k) with ForUsAll will work what “guardrails” ForUsAll is placing on investors who choose to invest in crypto the tax advantages of purchasing crypto within a 401(k) whether ForUsAll is offering a Roth IRA why nobody has offered crypto within a 401(k) before now what differentiates a crypto 401(k) fr...
2021-06-1139 min
UnchainedWill Bitcoin's Price Go Up Again? Yes, According to On-Chain AnalyticsWilly Woo, on-chain Bitcoin analyst and writer of the Bitcoin Forecast, a market intelligence newsletter, and Rafael Schultze-Kraft, co-founder and CTO of Glassnode, discuss Bitcoin and what the on-chain metrics tell us about the price. Here to discuss is. Episode highlights: what factors pushed the price of BTC down in May why Elon’s Twitter account hold so much sway over the market why Willy believes Bitcoin is good for renewable energy who sold during the last month which type of BTC investors stopped purchasing in Feb/March what trends Willy and Rafael have noticed from coins moving to...
2021-06-081h 12
UnchainedUnconfirmed: How Taproot Could Improve Bitcoin -- If It Gets AdoptedJeremy Rubin, a Bitcoin Core contributor and founder of Judica, a Bitcoin R&D Lab, joins Unchained from the Miami Bitcoin Conference (2021) to discuss all things Taproot. Show highlights: a general update on the Miami Bitcoin Conference what Taproot will do for the Bitcoin network how Taproot will make Bitcoin transactions more private what effect Taproot might have on on-chain analytics companies what parts of Bitcoin transactions will be public if/when Taproot goes live what new wallet features Taproot will unlock for Bitcoin how Bitcoin vaults might work a user-friendly definition of MASTs (Merklized Abstract Syntax Tree) h...
2021-06-0442 min
UnchainedNick Tomaino on 1confirmation's $125 Million Fund and What Future NFTs Will Look LikeNick Tomaino, general partner of 1confirmation, discusses his firm’s recently announced third fund of $125 million and gives his perspective on many hot crypto topics, such as NFTs, Layer 2 solutions, Polkadot, DAOs, and more. Show highlights: why Nick became interested in crypto and his background what drives 1confirmation’s investment thesis why he Nick believes NFTs have taken off in popularity this year why NFTs are currently in a bubble what we might do with NFTs in the future how competition between different NFT marketplaces will shake out how music NFTs could work the feasibility of charging royalties in t...
2021-06-011h 01
UnchainedUnconfirmed: Rep. Tom Emmer, One of the Most Active Crypto Congress Members, on Taxes and DeFiHouse Representative Tom Emmer, of Minnesota, is one of the most active voice for crypto and blockchain in the US government. In this episode, he discusses: what book made Tom fall down the crypto rabbit hole why Tom believes the Financial Accounting Standards Board needs to set clear accounting standards for cryptocurrencies why the current way of accounting for Bitcoin on balance sheets may be a detriment to companies in the future how he feels about the acting head of the OCC putting together a “sprint team” of federal regulators to establish overarching crypto standards why he is fight...
2021-05-2838 min
UnchainedUnconfirmed: Mike Novogratz on the 5 Reasons the Crypto Markets PlummetedMike Novogratz, founder, CEO, and chairman of Galaxy Digital, digs into the drivers behind this week’s market selloff. Show highlights: the five factors Mike believes led to this week’s dip what Mike thinks about the environmental concerns surrounding Bitcoin how Ethereum will perform in 2021 whether centralized blockchains will survive regulatory scrutiny why Galaxy Digital made its $1 billion acquisition of BitGo what sort of projects Galaxy Digital is mulling in the DeFi space when Mike thinks a bitcoin ETF could be approved Mike’s 2021 bitcoin price prediction Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.c...
2021-05-2140 min
UnchainedUnconfirmed: How Elon Musk Pushed DOGE Up and BTC Down, With Arca's Jeff DormanJeff Dorman, the chief investment officer at Arca, comes on the show to give a macro perspective on the crypto environment. In this episode, he discusses: how economic data and real-world events have affected digital assets how Jeff classifies the different types of assets within crypto what market forces have pushed ETH to new all-time highs above $4k whether EIP 1559 will have the same effect on ether price as the Bitcoin halving has on BTC price what is happening with Dogecoin and other meme-coins why the market’s reaction to Tesla’s halt of BTC vehicle purchases was heal...
2021-05-1438 min
UnchainedUnconfirmed: Should NYC’s Pension Funds Invest in Crypto? This Comptroller Candidate Says YesReshma Patel, a Democratic candidate for New York City’s Comptroller position, talks about her “future proof” plan for the city, which centers on investing in cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology. In this episode, she discusses: what duties the New York City Controller performs how Reshma thinks crypto and blockchain tech can help New York City, which she calls her “future proof” plan how a city comptroller would go about investing 1%-3% of the city’s pension funds into crypto what type of crypto investment vehicles would be appropriate for the city to invest in why Reshma became interested in crypto in...
2021-05-0733 min
UnchainedThanks, Forbes: Laura on How the Unchained Podcast Came to BeIn a fun change of pace, I was interviewed by the On Deck Podcaster Fellowship about the origins of Unchained pod, how my background as a journalist prepared me for podcasting, and tips for aspiring creators. Episode highlights: why I believe the Unchained podcast has been successful and how my penchant for asking tough questions came about (1:48) how my background in journalism prepared me for hosting a podcast (6:35) how I choose guests for the show and how they feel about being asked difficult questions (9:10) why I feel my background in traditional media is so important (15:46) whether my podcast...
2021-04-201h 03UnchainedThanks, Forbes: Laura on How the Unchained Podcast Came to BeIn a fun change of pace, I was interviewed by the On Deck Podcaster Fellowship about the origins of Unchained pod, how my background as a journalist prepared me for podcasting, and tips for aspiring creators. Episode highlights: why I believe the Unchained podcast has been successful and how my penchant for asking tough questions came about (1:48) how my background in journalism prepared me for hosting a podcast (6:35) how I choose guests for the show and how they feel about being asked difficult questions (9:10) why I feel my background in traditional media is so important (15:46) whether my podcast...
2021-04-201h 03
Unchained2020 Highlights: The Biggest News Stories of the Year in CryptoHost Laura Shin recaps the biggest stories of the year in crypto, with clips from shows throughout the year. In this episode, we cover how the pandemic drove Bitcoin to new all-time highs, how regulation began to come for the crypto space in a big way, plus new trends in DeFi, corporate structures, and how ETH will change as an asset. Thank you to our sponsors! Crypto.com: http://crypto.com 1inch: https://1inch.exchange Episode links: Meltem Demirors on Bitcoin’s behavior during the recessi...
2020-12-291h 03
UnconfirmedAMA With Laura: The Greatest Innovation in the Industry Right NowIn this episode, I answer some questions submitted to me via Twitter. I take the audience behind the scenes at Unconfirmed and Unchained to discuss: how I started learning about crypto my pre-interview ritual and how I prepare for interviews the toughest interview I have done so far what I dislike about being a crypto journalist my interests outside of crypto what my recording setup and environment are like the storyline to my upcoming book who I consider to be the top five leaders in crypto what the layer 1 blockchain future looks like whether my conviction in the c...
2020-08-2148 min
UnchainedSEC Commissioner Hester Peirce on Why You Shouldn't Have to Be Rich to Get RichIn a fireside chat I moderated with SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce held by the Blockchain Digital Asset Forum, in conjunction with the NYU Stern Executive MBA program, on March 26, 2019, she explained where her reputation as 'Crypto Mom' comes from — a desire to look at the world with fresh eyes and say, are there things we can do things better? We also discussed a Bitcoin ETF and the prospects for one after Bitwise released a report showing a health legitimate market, as well as initial coin offerings and what will happen to the hundreds of ICO issuers that had initial co...
2019-04-021h 05
UnconfirmedTrailerSubscribe now - first episode coming Friday! Weekly Insights and Analysis From the Top Minds in Crypto. Events in crypto take place at warp speed. This weekly crypto podcast reveals how the marquee names in crypto are reacting to the week’s top headlines. With host Laura Shin, the guests also discuss what they’re thinking about these days and reveal what they believe is on the horizon in crypto. Host Laura Shin - Independent journalist covering crypto (crypto assets, Bitcoin, Ethereum, ICOs, tokens), and host of the podcasts Unchained and Unconfirmed.
2018-02-0900 min