Unchained The Chopping Block: Zcash +400%, Tempo’s $500M Shock, EF Pay Firestorm & AWS/Base Meltdown feat. Mert - Ep. 929
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Oct 22, 2025 Mert, Co-founder & CEO of Helius, returns to discuss the massive Zcash rally and the philosophical tension it stirs among Bitcoin supporters. He dives into the implications of a recent $500M Tempo fundraise and the exodus from Ethereum, touching on the cultural challenges within the Ethereum Foundation. Mert introduces his idea of a Solana-native stablecoin, USD-Manlet, while critiquing DeFi's current user experience. The conversation wraps up with an analysis of the recent AWS outage and its consequences for crypto services.
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Zcash Sparked A Privacy Education Moment
- Zcash's recent 400% run exposed broad ignorance about privacy tech and anonymity sets across crypto.
- Mert argues the price move revived legitimate discussion about privacy, not an orchestrated pump.
Cultural Clash, Not Just Market Noise
- Bitcoiners' anger at Zcash partly stems from framing it as "encrypted Bitcoin" and a perceived cultural betrayal.
- The clash mixes reflexive price narratives with deeper identity and purity debates.
Tempo Revealed Ethereum's Talent Friction
- Tempo's $500M fundraise and hiring of Dankrad exposed tensions between market competition and maintaining Ethereum's public-goods culture.
- The episode frames talent flow to corporate chains as a market inevitability highlighting organizational weaknesses.
