Tarun Chitra on whether Code is Law | Layer Zero

Bankless

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Navigating the Challenges of DeFi and Beyond

This chapter explores the dynamic landscape of cryptocurrency and decentralized finance (DeFi), drawing parallels with the early internet. The speaker reflects on the legal foundations that underpin financial systems and the aesthetic beauty found in mathematical proofs and effective writing. Ultimately, the conversation emphasizes the role of innovation and knowledge as catalysts for shaping the future financial landscape.

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Episode notes

Tarun Chitra, in addition to being Founder and CEO of Gauntlet, is a gigabrain, polymath type in the Ethereum space. His fluency in mathematics results in a creative, almost artistic approach to a traditionally rigorous and analytical field.

Perhaps related to his search for beauty, Tarun observes the structural changing of massive systems happening in the broader geopolitical ecosystem today. We explore the relationship between regulation and finance in a unique light. Finance itself is fundamentally a legal practice—it’s money plus law.

Finance becomes more elegant with smart contracts, and we muse on the idea that broader governance structures can improve with smart contracts as well. Is code law? Can we generalize capital efficiency?

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Topics Covered:

0:00 Intro

4:30 Tarun Chitra

8:15 New York City & Boom Cities

14:00 Global Crypto

18:00 Leapfrogging the US

27:45 Governance & Regulation

31:55 The Fundamental Crypto Shift

35:53 The Great Re-Shuffling

43:08 What Works vs What Doesn’t

48:07 Core Blockchain Governance

52:40 Scaling with DAOs

1:00:00 Upgrading Financial Law

1:09:00 Code is Law

1:14:05 Tarun’s Approach to Life

1:20:34 Optimism through Beauty

1:26:00 Basins and Sinking to Elegance

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Resources:

Tarun on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/tarunchitra?s=20&t=-Wk1FKVJz6cQrJM6EzusdQ

Gauntlet:

https://twitter.com/gauntletnetwork?s=20&t=-Wk1FKVJz6cQrJM6EzusdQ

Episode with Santi Siri:

https://newsletter.banklesshq.com/p/-santiago-siri-layer-zero?s=w

Fundamental Theorem of Algebra

https://www.britannica.com/science/fundamental-theorem-of-algebra

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Not financial or tax advice. This channel is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. This video is not tax advice. Talk to your accountant. Do your own research.

Disclosure. From time-to-time I may add links in this newsletter to products I use. I may receive commission if you make a purchase through one of these links. Additionally, the Bankless writers hold crypto assets. See our investment disclosures here:

https://newsletter.banklesshq.com/p/bankless-disclosures

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