Welcome to Chain Reaction, where we unpack and explain the latest in crypto news, drama and trends, breaking things down block by block for the crypto curious.

For our Tuesday episode where we chat with a web3 expert, we talked to Meltem Demirors, chief strategy officer at publicly-traded digital asset manager Coinshares. Demirors was a core team member at crypto investment firm Digital Currency Group in 2015, we discussed:

• The upcoming Ethereum merge and what it means for the brawl between the chain and its biggest competitors
• Why investors are increasingly apathetic toward the asset class and how crypto companies are fighting that sentiment
• How Demirors has seen web3 grow more ideologically fractured over time while maintaining its cultlike following

Join us at TechCrunch Disrupt this October to hear from speakers including a16z’s Chris Dixon and Solana Labs’ Anatoly Yakovenko — use the promo code REACT for 15% off, excluding online and expo.

We’ll also be hosting our first crypto event in Miami this November with plenty of web3 experts — you can use the promo code REACT for 15% off a General Admission Ticket.

And even if you can’t join us in person, you can use the promo code REACT for 25% on an annual pass for our TechCrunch+ membership service.

Chain Reaction comes out every Tuesday and Thursday at 12:00 p.m. PT, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

Chain Reaction comes out every Thursday at 12:00 p.m. ET, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.