Shadow Forks Are a Great Way to Test Integration Tests

with @timbeiko @tim_roughgarden @alive_eth @smc90

A deep dive on all things Ethereum, which this week makes the big move to Proof of Stake in The Merge. So in this long and wide-ranging conversation with Tim Beiko -- who runs the core devs calls and Protocol Support for Ethereum Foundation -- a16z crypto head of research (Tim Roughgarden), general partner (Ali Yahya), and editor in chief (Sonal Chokshi) cover:

• how Ethereum got here today -- and the co-evolution of the protocol and the community;
• what went into The Merge -- both technical and the social processes behind the outcomes;  what changes, what doesn't;
• top of mind tech trends such as rollups, data availability, EVMs, and more (as well as hot topics including proposer-builder separation and others);
• views on token governance
• the nature of distributed collaboration especially between R&D

...but it's really a conversation about how innovation happens, in a decentralized way.  And what does that mean for community involvement, who participates, and how more people can participate in web3? 

In case you missed it, check out last week's episode for an overview of proof of stake blockchains.

As a reminder, none of the following is investment, business, legal, or tax advice; please see a16z.com/disclosures for more important information, including a link to a list of our investments. 

"web3 with a16z" is a show about building the next generation of the internet from the team at a16z crypto; this show is for anyone seeking to understand, and go deeper, on all things crypto and web3.