Tomicah Tillemann, the global chief policy officer at Katie Haun's firm, is a seasoned expert in government and blockchain technology. He discusses how Ukraine is utilizing cryptocurrency to aid civilians amidst the conflict with Russia. Tomicah explains the challenges Russia faces in bypassing sanctions using crypto and highlights the unprecedented ways blockchain can enhance humanitarian efforts. He shares insights on the significant uptick in ruble/BTC volume and how Web3 tools could reshape future disaster responses.
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Tomicah's Background
Tomicah Tillemann worked for Joe Biden on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, covering Ukraine.
He later worked at the State Department under Hillary Clinton and John Kerry, where he learned about blockchain from Estonia's president.
insights INSIGHT
Ukraine Conflict & Crypto's Role
Russia's invasion of Ukraine was anticipated by U.S. intelligence.
Ukrainians have shown heroism, but need help; surprisingly, some of this help has come from the crypto community.
insights INSIGHT
SWIFT's Inefficiency & Sanctions
SWIFT is an inefficient and expensive system for inter-bank transfers, and has been in trouble for a while.
Sanctioning Russian banks by removing them from SWIFT may lead to countries seeking alternative solutions, including stablecoins.
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In 'Kings of Crypto', Jeff John Roberts chronicles the journey of Coinbase from its inception in Silicon Valley to becoming a pivotal player in the global cryptocurrency market. The book delves into the challenges faced by Coinbase, including hacking, regulatory scrutiny, and ideological conflicts within the crypto community. It offers insights into how cryptocurrency is transforming the financial industry.
The Cryptopians
Idealism, Greed, Lies, and the Making of the First Big Cryptocurrency Craze
Laura Shin
The Cryptopians delves into the story of idealists, technologists, and opportunists fighting to bring cryptocurrency to the masses. The book focuses on the founding of Ethereum by Vitalik Buterin and the subsequent crypto fever it created. It introduces readers to larger-than-life characters such as Buterin, Charles Hoskinson, and Joe Lubin, highlighting the personal and professional conflicts that shaped the early days of Ethereum. The narrative explores the booms, busts, and internecine wars within the crypto world, revealing it as a deeply personal struggle to influence the coming revolution in money, culture, and power.
Tomicah Tillemann, the global chief policy officer of Katie Haun's new firm, analyzes Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and explains how crypto is being used in an unprecedented manner to render aid to civilians, move money across the world, and potentially document war crimes. Show highlights:
Tomicah’s background, which includes stints working for the State Department and a16z
recap of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
what Tomicah thinks of the decision to boot certain Russian banks from SWIFT
why Tomicah believes that it would be very difficult for Russia to use crypto at a large scale to evade sanctions
why ruble/BTC volume is spiking
how Ukraine’s usage of web3 tools could change humanitarian aid forever
what lessons to take away from Ukraine’s almost-airdrop
the four real-world crypto use cases governments should take notice of
For people in Seattle: I’ll be doing a reading and signing as part of town Hall Seattle on Wednesday March 9, at 7:30pm at The Forum, moderated by Steve Scher, of Town Hall Seattle. https://townhallseattle.org/event/laura-shin/
And, I may also be at SXSW on March 12 — details still TBD, and I may also be in Boston at Harvard the weekend of March 26. No promises on either score, but I guess if you feel strongly about either one, you can tweet at me, as that might tip the scales. On April 5th, I’ll be in Miami doing a reading, and on April 9th, I’ll be in Annapolis at the Annapolis Book Festival. Finally, on March 23rd, I’ll be doing a virtual reading with Powell’s bookstore at 8pm Eastern Time/5pm Pacific Time, and Jeff Roberts, executive editor of Decrypt and author of Kings of Crypto will be moderating.
Unchained 
