Dan Finlay

This is Eric Golden and my guest today is Dan Finlay, the co-founder of MetaMask and Chief Web3 Ethos Officer at ConsenSys. MetaMask is a crypto wallet and has become a critical piece of web3 infrastructure, with over 30 million users around the world. We've likely all used MetaMask at some point, so I was excited to understand Dan's philosophical approach and long-term vision for the product, as well as talk to him about the challenges of securing digital assets and how they combat those with MetaMask. Please enjoy my conversation with Dan Finlay. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here ----- Web3 Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Web3 Breakdowns, visit joincolossus.com/episodes. Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @Web3Breakdowns | @ericgoldenx | @patrick_oshag Show Notes[00:02:17] - [First question] - His view of hyperlinks and self-security[00:05:38] - What’s happening when you’re signing a smart contract with MetaMask[00:10:33] - An elevator pitch of what MetaMask Learn is [00:12:45] - Thinking about adoption when building general purpose tools in a technical space[00:15:21] - How people feel about computer security versus Web3 security [00:18:38] - Whether or not he wishes the stakes were lower for perfecting MetaMask[00:20:03] - Stepping into crypto and the founding story of MetaMask[00:23:12] - What their intentions were for building MetaMask in the first place[00:27:13] - Some examples of what they tried to solve that didn’t pan out [00:29:11] - Dealing with asset co-location and the pros and cons of it [00:35:24] - Whether or not MetaMask will deploy the first ‘revoke all’ button  [00:41:32] - Users generally being displeased with the program’s UX[00:44:40] - Thoughts about what to prioritize as they improve MetaMask [00:46:34] - The account abstraction without a protocol change proposal [00:49:27] - An example of someone building on SNAPS and how it is beneficial to users  [00:53:14] - What he’s most excited to build over the next six months and six years Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join Dan Finlay, a key developer at MetaMask, and Taylor Monahan, the founder of MyCrypto, as they discuss a groundbreaking merger to create the ultimate crypto wallet. They dive into the evolution of wallet technology, emphasizing the need for security and user experience. The duo explores the implications of this merger for asset management and the broader crypto landscape. They also touch on the potential for a MetaMask token and the ethical responsibilities of wallet design in empowering users within the space.

Dan Finlay, co-founder of MetaMask, shares insights into the wallet's remarkable growth, seeing a 5x increase in users largely driven by the NFT boom. He discusses how MetaMask evolved from a browser extension to a mobile wallet, improving accessibility for users in emerging markets. The conversation highlights the importance of grassroots education in crypto adoption and the necessity of enhancing wallet security. Finlay also teases upcoming features aimed at optimizing user experience and addressing challenges like onboarding new users.