The Network State Podcast #18 - Jesse Pollak
Jul 16, 2025
Jesse Pollak, who leads Coinbase Base, discusses groundbreaking blockchain innovations. He explores the motivation behind enabling ultra-low transaction fees on Ethereum and how Base is revolutionizing product development. The conversation dives into optimistic rollups and their impact on decentralization. Pollak also highlights the potential of blockchain beyond finance, including social networking and education. Lastly, he emphasizes the importance of building resilient tech communities and the evolving relationship between cryptocurrency and network states.
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Base's Origin and Evolution
- Base started as a platform to enable Coinbase's transition to an on-chain company.
- It evolved into an open Ethereum Layer 2 empowering global builders to create an on-chain economy.
Base's Optimistic Rollup Architecture
- Base uses optimistic rollups to batch transactions and publish them to Ethereum, reducing costs.
- This method balances scalability with Ethereum's decentralization and security guarantees.
Security via Multi-layer Validation
- Optimistic rollups assume transactions are valid but include mechanisms to challenge fraud.
- Base plans multiple validation methods stacked to increase security and decentralization.