Unchained

Andre Cronje of Yearn Finance on YFI and the Fair Launch: 'I'm Lazy' - Ep.190

Sep 15, 2020

Andre Cronje, the mastermind behind yearn.finance, dives into the world of DeFi and the innovative concept of the YFI token's fair launch. He reflects on his unconventional journey and the transformative power of community in governance. With candid insights, he discusses the soaring value of YFI and why traditional business structures might be ripe for change. He also addresses his controversial 'testing in production' approach and the challenges faced in decentralizing financial systems, all while maintaining a laid-back demeanor.

01:17:33

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Episode guests

Andre Cronje

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Episode notes

Intro

2min

Simplifying Yield Optimization in DeFi

27min

Exploring the Concept of Fair Launch and Community Engagement

2min

The Unpredictable Rise of the Wi-Fi Token

4min

Cryptocurrency Launch Dynamics and Governance

11min

Testing in Production: A DeFi Dilemma

10min

Exploring Why Insure Finance and Its Innovative Insurance Model

2min

The Evolution of DAO Fundraising and Governance

18min

Andre Cronje, the developer of yearn.finance, talks about all things DeFi and the past, present, and future of yEarn. In this episode, he discusses:

what Yearn Finance is, and what led him to develop it and eventually open it to the public
his history and background, leading up to the development of Yearn
the processes and mechanisms involved in yEarn v1 and yEarn v2
why he decided to do a "fair launch" of the YFI token, despite being in debt as a result of building Yearn
why he felt that a Decrypt article about him in August was a "horrible hatchet job"
why he disagrees with what he sees as the current anti-VC narrative
his thoughts on the phenomenal rise in YFI's price and why the price of a YFI token still doesn't matter
how and why he decided governance participation would be a requirement for earning tokens in the Balancer/yCurve/YFI pool
the governance processes in Yearn and his thoughts on whether or not a Compound-style form of governance would be better
how he might mitigate whales dominating the vote
what he means by "I test in prod" and how people have misinterpreted his meaning
why he briefly walked away from DeFi
whether he agrees that YFI could be a new structure to replace existing traditional business structures
his response to the allegations by XAR Network
whether he would consider moving Yearn to another blockchain
his vision for what Yearn can become
and how much YFI he currently owns personally