Empire

In today's episode, Jason and Santiago discuss their outlook on the bear market, why Lido FUD is overblown, Animoca's red flags to watch, the SEC's show of weakness and Santi's big announcement (he's building a new crypto bank!). - - Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (02:38) Why This Bear Market Seems So Dark (13:47) Santi Announces He's Building a Crypto Bank (24:54) “Valora Ad” (25:49) Lido FUD (33:34) Animoca's Red Flags (43:16) The SEC Shows Weakness (47:53) Book/Show Recommendations - - Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz 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/ - - This episode is brought to you by Valora. Valora is a self-custody, mobile-first wallet... and the easiest way to send, swap, collect and purchase digital goods on the Celo blockchain. Download the app and start exploring today at valoraapp.com/empire. - - Resources: Animoca https://www.animocabrands.com/ - - 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.

2 Jun 202351min

Today we are joined by Rune Christensen to discuss MakerDAO's Endgame. The Endgame is MakerDAO's roadmap to create the world's most widely used stablecoin. We discuss how Maker has evolved since 2015, MKR's underperformance, the 5 phases of the Endgame, what could go wrong and more! - - Timestamps: 00:00 MakerDAO's History: From Creation to Today 08:51 Codifying Rules to Scale 19:36 MKR’s Underperformance vs DAI’s Growth 24:36 Quicknode 26:25 Phase 1: Rebranding, New Tokens, Farming 37:37 Phase 2: SubDAOs, RWA Collateral & Tokenomics 55:59 Phase 3: Implementing AI 01:01:20 Phase 4 & 5: Voting Rewards and a Special Purpose Blockchain 01:05:40 The Bear Case 01:10:10 Allocator DAOs and Internalizing Value - - Follow Rune: https://twitter.com/RuneKek Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Santi: 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/  - - This episode is brought to you by Quicknode. QuickNode is an end-to-end blockchain developer platform that makes building Web3 apps easy. Go to QuickNode.com and use code Empire for a free month on their feature-packed Build Plan! - - Resources The Endgame Plan parts 1&2 (May 2022) https://forum.makerdao.com/t/the-endgame-plan-parts-1-2/15456 The 5 phases of Endgame (May 2023) https://forum.makerdao.com/t/the-5-phases-of-endgame/20830 - -  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.

31 Mai 20231h 13min

In today's episode, we discuss how Metaplex, Solana's leading NFT infrastructure provider, surprised the community by announcing usage fees, causing a heated debate on public goods funding and protocol business models. We also explore the intersection of AI and crypto, the dangers of restaking, if crypto has PMF and Ledger's PR nightmare! - - Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (00:57) Nvidia and AI Take Center Stage (14:20) Metaplex: Public Goods and Protocol Funding (31:26) “Valora Ad” (32:24) Should ETH Embrace Restaking? (38:28) Ledger’s PR Nightmare (49:32) Does Crypto Have PMF? (58:01) Fred Wilson: “When They Want to Shut Down, Double Down” (1:04:41) What We’re Watching and Blockworks’ New Podcast - - Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_ 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 - - This episode is brought to you by Valora. Valora is a self-custody, mobile-first wallet and the easiest way to send, swap, collect and purchase digital goods on the Celo blockchain. Try out Masa Prosperity Passport in Valora to claim your free 5+ character .celo domain and get additional rewards from Celo ecosystem partners. Download the app and start exploring today at valoraapp.com/empire." - - Resources: EigenLayer episode (Empire) https://spoti.fi/45yUdr6 Shared Sequencer episode (Empire) https://spoti.fi/3MSIw7n Vitalik's new article on restaking https://vitalik.ca/general/2023/05/21/dont_overload.html - - 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. Mike, Jason, Michael, Vance and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

26 Mai 20231h 16min

In today's episode of 1000x, we are joined by Don Wilson, the founder of DRW and one of the world's most successful traders. Don explains how to use probability distributions to make decisions, how he founded DRW, why BTC has negative convexity, how AI will change financial markets and more! We'll drop a new 1000x episode on Empire's RSS feed and the 1000x YouTube channel every two weeks. Hit the links below and give us a follow! - - Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (00:57) How Don First Became a Trader (06:28) Custom Valuation Models and Strategies (10:37) The Transition to Electronic Trading (14:56) Bitcoin’s Appeal: Removing Intermediaries (19:21) Cumberland's Origin Story (21:15) BTC's Negative Convexity (26:35) How Will AI Impact Financial Markets? (30:16) Crypto’s Evolution and Market Structure (35:15) When Will RWAs Move to Crypto Rails? (37:50) Today’s Infrastructure Shortfalls and the Canton Blockchain (42:54) Don’s Decision-Making Process (47:51) Favorite Trades of All Time - - Follow Don: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donwilsonjr/ Follow Avi: https://twitter.com/AviFelman Follow Jonah: https://twitter.com/jvb_xyz Follow 1000x: https://twitter.com/1000xPod Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3FuSarX 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/ - - Resources: Golden Tree https://www.goldentree.com/ Cumberland https://cumberland.io/ https://twitter.com/CumberlandSays DRW https://drw.com/ https://twitter.com/DRWTrading Digital Asset https://www.digitalasset.com/ Canton Network https://www.canton.network/ - - 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.

25 Mai 202352min

Today we are joined by Lyn Alden and Jordi Alexander to discuss the Bitcoin blockspace debate, Bitcoin's long-term security and money vs tech crypto. Lyn and Jordi are two of the most prominent macro and Bitcoin investors. You don't want to miss their hot (and often conflicting) takes on the evolution and future of Bitcoin! - - Timestamps: (00:00) Bitcoin Blockspace Debate (10:59) The Bear Case and Long-Term Security (36:03) Quicknode (37:50) Kwenta (38:45) Money Crypto vs Tech Crypto (51:53) Bitcoin's Attack Vectors (57:56) Incentives for Bitcoin Development (01:09:29) Macro’s Impact on BTC (01:14:45) The Bitcoin Halvening - - Follow Lyn: https://twitter.com/LynAldenContact Follow Jordi: https://twitter.com/gametheorizing Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Santi: 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/  - - This episode is brought to you by Quicknode. QuickNode is an end-to-end blockchain developer platform that makes building Web3 apps easy. Go to QuickNode.com and use code Empire for a free month on their feature-packed Build Plan! - - This episode is brought to you by Kwenta, the premier derivatives trading platform on Optimism that offers deep liquidity, low fees and up to 50x leverage across 24+ assets. Go to Kwenta.io and start trading today! - - Resources Lyn Alden's website https://www.lynalden.com/ Selini Capital https://www.selinicapital.com/ - -  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.

23 Mai 20231h 22min

Jason’s traveling this week so we’ve dropped today’s Bell Curve episode in its place! In today's episode, we discuss if protocols should distribute revenue to token holders. This debate was sparked by a Lido proposal for a token revenue share mechanism that now has all of Crypto Twitter debating the merits of revenue distribution, buyback and burn vs dividends, protocol treasuries and more. Tokenomics is a theme you can no longer ignore. We also discuss roadblocks at Stacks (a Bitcoin scaling solution), the viability of Bitcoin's blockspace for arbitrary use cases and Tether's new BTC buying program. - - This episode is brought to you by Valora. Valora is the easiest way to send, swap, collect, and grow your crypto on the Celo blockchain. Download the app and start exploring dapps like JumpTask today at valoraapp.com/empire. Sign up and use the code ‘HelloValora’ to get a 20% bonus after completing your first task in JumpTask!  - - Resources Lido revenue share proposal https://research.lido.fi/t/proposal-introducing-ldo-staking/4636 Hasu's Lido response https://research.lido.fi/t/proposal-introducing-ldo-staking/4636/25?u=hasu Alex's SNX thread https://twitter.com/thiccythot_/status/1659278056035348485 0xResearch hosted by Dan and Sam https://spoti.fi/3NlP1hA https://apple.co/3SNhUEt - - Follow Dan: https://twitter.com/smyyguy Follow Sam: https://twitter.com/swmartin19 Follow Mike: https://twitter.com/MikeIppolito_ Follow Myles: https://twitter.com/MylesOneil Follow Bell Curve: https://twitter.com/thebellcurvepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3R1D1D9 Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3pQTfmD Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3cpKZXH - - Disclaimer: Nothing said on 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.

19 Mai 20231h 1min

Today we are joined by Alex Blania to discuss Worldcoin and its attempt to solve proof-of-humanity. ChatGPT and AI have hit the world by storm, making it harder to distinguish humanity from machine. In this episode, we discuss how proof of humanity is necessary in an AI-driven world, why Worldcoin uses biometric data and crypto rails, how privacy concerns are mitigated, questions around UBI, and how Worldcoin will be crypto's largest onboarding catalyst over the next 12 months. - - Timestamps: (01:26) The Origin Story (06:39) How AI Impacts Proof-of-Humanity (11:24) Why Biometrics and the Orb (19:37) Data and Privacy Concerns (26:01) Related Government Experiments (30:07) Why Should People Care About Proof-of-Humanity (32:38) Quicknode ad (34:23) Kwenta ad (35:21) The Crypto Tech Stack (40:02) Biggest Challenges, Success Metrics and Revenue Model (46:37) Criticisms and Reactions from Governments (49:37) Universal Basic Income (52:16) Scary Vibes and Removing Trust - - Follow Alex: https://twitter.com/alexblania Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Santi: 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/  - - This episode is brought to you by Quicknode. QuickNode is an end-to-end blockchain developer platform that makes building Web3 apps easy. Go to QuickNode.com and use code Empire for a free month on their feature-packed Build Plan! - - This episode is brought to you by Kwenta, the premier derivatives trading platform on Optimism that offers deep liquidity, low fees and up to 50x leverage across 24+ assets. Go to Kwenta.io and start trading today! - - Resources Worldcoin https://worldcoin.org/ https://twitter.com/worldcoin Sam Altman https://twitter.com/sama - -  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.

16 Mai 202358min

In today's episode, we discuss frameworks for valuing crypto projects. The fellas debate token buybacks vs dividends, fundamentals vs flows, protocol revenue vs supply-side revenue and how these factors impact investor valuation frameworks. We also explore activist crypto investing, jaredfromsubway's MEV strategy and more. Santi's out so it's Jason with the Bell Curve crew today! - - Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (02:16) Activist Investing: Aragon DAO  (13:51) Will TradFi Have a Luna Moment? (20:22) How to Value Tokens (33:23) “Valora Ad” (34:19) Uniswap's Fee Switch & the Changing Liquidity Landscape (45:55) How Jared fromsubway.eth Eats Everyone’s MEV Lunch -- Follow Michael: https://twitter.com/im_manderson Follow Mike: https://twitter.com/MikeIppolito_ Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Vance: https://twitter.com/pythianism Follow Bell Curve: https://twitter.com/thebellcurvepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3R1D1D9 Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3pQTfmD Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3cpKZXH - - Resources: Blockworks Podcast Producer application https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/Blockworks/236ee9e8-f4ea-47ac-9eb6-f95a44d6c93b Arbitrum proposal https://forum.arbitrum.foundation/t/distribution-of-dao-revenue-to-arb-token-holders/14412 Uniswap proposal https://gov.uniswap.org/t/making-protocol-fees-operational/21198 Robert Miller MEV thread https://twitter.com/bertcmiller/status/1656392876438462464 Relay Scan https://www.relayscan.io/ - - 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.

12 Mai 202355min