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 this week, where we interview an expert in the crypto space, we chatted with Kevin Owocki. He is the founder of Gitcoin and an outspoken proponent of both open source software and decentralized governance. We spoke with Owocki about whether the crypto community is living up to its lofty ideals and what comes next for Ethereum after The Merge. We also discussed:

• How venture capitalists should be incentivizing the creation of more publicly beneficial blockchain infrastructure, and what still needs to be built.
• Whether technology is enough to solve some of the societal problems blockchain developers and advocates are frequently passionate about.

ICYMI, you can use the promo code REACT for 15% off tickets to TechCrunch Disrupt this October (excluding online and expo) where we’ll be chatting with industry experts such as a16z’s Chris Dixon and Solana Labs’ Anatoly Yakovenko.

We’ll also be hosting our first dedicated crypto event in Miami for just one day on November 17th — you can use the same 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 to get 25% off an annual subscription to TechCrunch+.

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.