Andrew Hall

Bailey Flanigan, a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard heading to MIT, and Andrew Hall, a Stanford political science professor, explore the revival of sortition—selecting representatives by lottery. They discuss its ancient roots in Athenian democracy and its relevance today, especially for governance in technology and crypto. The conversation dives into improving democratic legitimacy, balancing expert authority with citizen input, and the role of technology in decision-making. With a touch of humor, they also highlight the balance between accountability and participant anonymity.

Eddy Lazzarin, a blockchain expert and CTO at a16z crypto, joins fellow guests Andrew Hall, a Stanford political economics professor, and Daren Matsuoka, a data science partner. They dive into the fascinating world of airdrops, revealing their complicated history and design challenges. The trio discusses strategies to avoid Sybil attacks and optimize rewards while navigating the impacts of AI on airdrop mechanics. They also share learnings from notable cases like Uniswap and explore how airdrops influence user behaviors and project governance.