Unchained cover art

Unchained

By: Laura Shin
  • Summary

  • Crypto assets and blockchain technology are about to transform every trust-based interaction of our lives, from financial services to identity to the Internet of Things. In this podcast, host Laura Shin, an independent journalist covering all things crypto, talks with industry pioneers about how crypto assets and blockchains will change the way we earn, spend and invest our money. Tune in to find out how Web 3.0, the decentralized web, will revolutionize our world. Disclosure: I'm a nocoiner.
    Copyright 2020 Laura Shin. All Rights Reserved.
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Episodes
  • Why EigenLayer Gave Away More Tokens After Widespread Criticism of Its Stakedrop - Ep. 640
    May 3 2024
    Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pods, Fountain, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. EigenLayer has been in the news this week after it announced its ‘stakedrop,’ where it will distribute EIGEN tokens to early users of the restaking platform. Sreeram Kannan, founder and CEO of EigenLayer, and Robert Drost, CEO and executive director of the Eigen Foundation, discuss the launch of the token, a “universal intersubjective work token” and how it allows for slashing, or penalizing, for externally observable faults, such as data unavailability. The Eigen Foundation, a non-profit entity based in the Cayman Islands, was also recently established to grow the protocol and assist in creating a decentralized community. They also address criticisms of the token's launch, including geoblocking and the initial non-transferability of stakedrops for the community and explain why they decided to allocate an additional 100 EIGEN tokens for all participants in the stakedrop. Plus, they reveal a target date by when a decision about the token unlock date should be made. Show highlights: The buzz around the universal intersubjective work token and what it was created for What constitutes the digital commons and its two primary characteristics How the EIGEN token is designed to prevent the necessity of forking an entire blockchain Whether dapps should evolve into AVSes and EigenLayer’s complementary role to Ethereum, not replacing it Why the Eigen Foundation was established and how it differs from Eigen Labs Robert's response to the criticism regarding the exclusion of certain countries Why EIGEN will be distributed linearly, despite it potentially favoring whales EigenLayer's announcement of an updated stakedrop, after listening to community feedback The critique of the vesting schedule and Robert's explanation of when the lock period actually starts Why Sreeram believes that transfer restrictions are beneficial and empowering for users What the next steps are for EigenLayer Thank you to our sponsors! iTrustCapital Polkadot VaultCraft Guests Sreeram Kannan, founder of EigenLayer Previous appearance on Unchained: Why EigenLayer May Be the Most Innovative New Ecosystem Since Ethereum Do You Need to Think Twice Before Restaking Your Assets? Robert Drost, CEO and executive director of the Eigen Foundation Links Airdrop: Introducing the Eigen Foundation, EIGEN token and Season 1 Stakedrop Robert Drost’s thread on the Eigen Foundation Viktor Bunin’s thread on the token Unchained: Eigen Foundation to Allocate an Additional $1,000 in EIGEN Tokens to Over 280,000 Users Should You Sell ETH Before the Just-Announced EigenLayer Airdrop? Reaction CoinDesk: Why Eigenlayer’s Airdrop Is Controversial Unchained: 5 Reasons E-Beggars Are Not Happy With EigenLayer’s Airdrop Learn more: Unchained: What Is EigenLayer? A Guide to the Decentralized ETH Restaking Protocol What Is Ethereum Restaking? A Beginner’s Guide Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    57 mins
  • The Chopping Block: EigenLayer Airdrop Fallout, Shkreli vs. Io.net, and CZ's Sentencing - Ep. 639
    May 2 2024
    In this episode, we dive deep into the controversy surrounding the EigenLayer airdrop, discussing the community’s backlash and its broader implications for token distributions in crypto. We also explore the ongoing debate over the efficacy and future of cryptocurrency points programs. The episode also delves into Martin Shkreli’s impactful campaign against Io.Net, highlighting how his public criticisms shed light on project valuations and investor trust. Additionally, we discuss CZ’s recent four-month sentencing, reflecting on the crypto community’s supportive response and considering the Department of Justice's approach to crypto leadership. Tune in to gain expert perspectives on the complex interplay between market movements, regulatory actions, and community reactions in the evolving world of crypto! Show Highlights 🔹 EigenLayer Airdrop Controversy: Delve into the community's disappointment over the EigenLayer airdrop and explore its implications for future token distributions. 🔹 Debate on Crypto Points Programs: Analyze the effectiveness and future prospects of cryptocurrency points programs. 🔹 Impact of VCs on Market Dynamics: Consider the role of venture capitalists and how investor sentiment is shaped by their actions in the market. 🔹 Martin Shkreli's Campaign Against Io.Net: Discuss how Martin Shkreli significantly impacted Io.Net by publicly criticizing the project's overvaluation. 🔹 CZ's Four-Month Sentencing: Reflect on the crypto community's support for CZ following his four-month sentencing. 🔹 DOJ Sentencing and Prospects for Crypto Leaders: Examine the Department of Justice's approach to sentencing and what it means for future leadership in the cryptocurrency sector. Hosts ⭐️Haseeb Qureshi, Managing Partner at Dragonfly ⭐️Tom Schmidt, General Partner at Dragonfly ⭐️Robert Leshner, Founder of Compound ⭐️Tarun Chitra, Giga-Brain & Grand Poobah at Gauntlet Disclosures Links AI x Web3: Pioneering Decentralized Intelligence - TOKEN2049 Dubai 2024 https://youtu.be/zt_uEHcFiA4 EigenLayer Whitepapter https://github.com/Layr-Labs/whitepaper/blob/master/EIGEN_Token_Whitepaper.pdf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 3 mins
  • Bitcoin Layer 2s Aim to Attract Ethereum-Like Dapps. Will They Succeed? - Ep.638
    Apr 30 2024
    In this episode of Unchained, host Laura interviews Alexei Zamyatin, co-founder of Build on Bitcoin, Willem Schroé, founder of Botanix Labs, and Orkun Kılıç, co-founder of Chainway Labs. They discuss their respective projects, all of which are focused on developing Layer 2 solutions for Bitcoin. Zamyatin's Build on Bitcoin is a hybrid Layer 2 that connects to both Bitcoin and Ethereum, aiming to bring innovation back to the Bitcoin ecosystem. Schroé's Botanix Labs is developing a decentralized Layer 2 solution using the ‘Spiderchain,’ which uses a series of multi-signature wallets to secure the chain. Kılıç's Chainway Labs is building Citrea, a zk-rollup on Bitcoin that aims to create a Bitcoin-backed economy. All three projects are in various stages of development and testing, with BOB’s mainnet launch expected shortly. Show highlights: Introduction to Build on Bitcoin (BOB), Botanix, and Citrea: How they aim to innovate and expand Bitcoin's capabilities, including their architectural designs that integrate Ethereum users and work toward decentralization and trustlessness Security Aspects and Integration Strategies: What the security risks associated with BOB, Botanix, and Citrea are, and strategies to enhance decentralization over time How these Layer 2s influence Bitcoin fees, and how Botanix's integration can leverage the Bitcoin ecosystem, with insights on the potential of Layer 3s and zk-rollups to transform Bitcoin's utility and fee dynamics How these projects aim to attract Ethereum users and developers, and the reasons why this may be an attractive opportunity for them How Runes, Ordinals, and BRC-20s operate on Citrea, Botanix, and BOB How Bitcoin is always a derivative when it’s not in its Layer 1 and the pros and cons of different bridging solutions The concept of forward secrecy and how it can help improve security in blockchains Why Willem believes that Layer 3s are possible and bullish for Bitcoin How "merged mining” resembles Ethereum’s restaking and why it’s positive for Bitcoin Thank you to our sponsors! Polkadot Guests: Willem Schroé, founder of Botanix Labs Orkun Kılıç, cofounder of Chainway Labs Alexei Zamyatin, cofounder of Build on Bitcoin Links Recent coverage on Unchained of Bitcoin L2s: Stacks’ Muneeb Ali On Why Bitcoin Is Exciting Once Again Build on Bitcoin BOB learning documents Announcement of mainnet on May 1st. Unchained: Bitcoin DeFi App Sovryn to Deploy on Hybrid Layer 2 Network Build on Bitcoin Alexei’s tweet on BitVM/rollups Alexei went on a retreat with the inventor of BitVM Citrea Unchained: Here's What You Should Know About Citrea, Bitcoin's First ZK Rollup Whitepaper Orkun Mahir Kılıç’s interview on Unchained Premium Citrea learning documents Clementine -Citrea's BitVM Based Trust-Minimized Two-Way Peg Program Botanix CoinDesk: Willem Schroé: Building Botanix, a Bitcoin Layer 2 That Brings the EVM to Bitcoin Botanix and the Future of Bitcoin Bitcoin Magazine: Spiderchains: A Proof Of Stake Second Layer For Bitcoin Willem Schroé’s interview on Unchained Premium Learn More: Unchained: What Is the OP_CAT Bitcoin Improvement Proposal? What Are Opcodes in Bitcoin? A Beginner's Guide Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 23 mins

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