2024 has been a transformative year for Solana. With a surge in developer activity, bold innovations in DePIN, and its ambitions to become a “decentralized Nasdaq,” the ecosystem is making waves. But are these changes enough to differentiate it from competitors like Ethereum and L2 solutions such as Base?

In this episode, Lily Liu, president of the Solana Foundation, and Mert Mumtaz, CEO of Helius, join Unchained to discuss how Solana is carving out its niche. They debate whether Base is a serious contender, why they’re not concerned about the 2025 token unlocks, and how Solana’s unique approach to MEV could shape its future. Plus, they tackle the ecosystem’s broader challenges and why they believe Solana’s vision will endure.

Show highlights:

Why Mert feels paranoid but also vindicated
Why Lily started working on Solana after being known as a hardcore bitcoiner
How Mert’s background in Coinbase led him to found Helius and become the voice of Solana online
Whether Solana can become a place where unique innovations are built, rather than copying Ethereum
Whether Solana can achieve its vision of a “decentralized Nasdaq”
Why the ecosystem has attracted so many developers in 2024
Why Lily believes that Base is no competitor to Solana
What network extensions actually mean, according to Mert
How Mert responds to the criticisms around Solana’s MEV
Why Mert and Lily are not worried about the token unlocks of 2025
How the Solana mobile phone will compete with the giants
Why DePIN showcases the real value of blockchain technology

Visit our website for breaking news, analysis, op-eds, articles to learn about crypto, and much more: unchainedcrypto.com

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Guests:

Lily Liu, President of the Solana Foundation
Mert Mumtaz, CEO of Helius

Links

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro
02:34 Mert’s mix of paranoia and vindication about Solana
07:08 Why Lily shifted from Bitcoin to working on Solana
09:43 Mert’s journey from Coinbase to becoming Solana’s online advocate
14:47 Can Solana foster unique innovations rather than mimic Ethereum?
19:47 Solana’s vision of a “decentralized Nasdaq” vs. center of memecoin mania
27:54 What’s driving Solana’s surge in developer activity
30:26 Why Lily sees Base as no real competitor
33:04 The meaning and implications of network extensions
37:07 Mert’s take on criticisms of Solana’s MEV approach
42:11 Why they aren’t worried about the 2025 token unlocks
44:26 Competing with tech giants through the Solana mobile phone
50:48 How DePIN highlights blockchain’s true potential

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