David Marcus, CEO and co-founder of Lightspark and co-creator of Diem, discusses company building, decentralization, and the challenges faced by Libra. Topics include centralization, moving from Web2 to Web3, Bitcoin, remote work, and the potential future of Bitcoin and innovation in the crypto industry.

We’ve got a special episode with Alex Heath, deputy editor at The Verge and a familiar host for Decoder listeners, and David Marcus, the CEO of Lightspark. That’s a company that just launched a service to make fast transactions using Bitcoin on something called the Lightning Network. David was previously at PayPal, and then he led Meta’s big payments effort that went nowhere, but he’s got a lot to say about where crypto and payments are right now.Links:Launching the Lightspark PlatformFacebook tells Congress how it thinks Libra should be regulated - The VergeThe leader of Facebook’s stalled cryptocurrency project is leaving the company - The VergeTranscript:https://www.theverge.com/e/23460507 Credits:Decoder is a production of The Verge, and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.Today’s episode was produced by Creighton DeSimone and Jackie McDermott and it was edited by Callie Wright.The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Our Sr Audio Director is Andrew Marino and our Executive Producer is Eleanor Donovan.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

David Marcus is a renowned entrepreneur and executive in the tech industry known for his leadership roles at PayPal and Meta.In this episode, Marcus unpacks how his latest venture, Lightspark, is helping transform Bitcoin's Lightning Network into a real-time global settlement layer for the internet.Lightspark raised about $173 million last year at a valuation of almost $1 billion at the time, as reported by The Block.Outline:2:33 - David Marcus' Bitcoin journey5:29 - Lightspark & Bitcoin9:50 - Lightspark adoption12:37 - Regulatory tailwinds for bitcoin16:33 - Merchant payment innovation23:25 - Lightspark’s partnerships26:26 - SEN/SIGNET replacement28:47 - Lessons learned from libra40:21 - What’s next for Lightspark43:43 - Closing thoughtsThis episode is brought to you by our sponsors PayPal and CleanSpark.About PayPalMake your crypto move with PayPal. Get started today at PayPal.com/cryptoAbout CleanSparkCleanSpark (NASDAQ: CLSK) is America’s Bitcoin Miner™. Visit cleanspark.com/theblock to learn more about the CleanSpark way.

David Marcus, CEO and co-founder of Lightspark and co-creator of Diem (formerly Libra), shares insights on company building, decentralization, platforms, and financial freedom. They discuss the challenges and advantages of small teams, the regulatory environment's impact on innovation, simplifying the global payment system, exploring the potential of Bitcoin and interoperability in blockchain technology, and the parallel between the history of the internet and decentralized organizations.

David Marcus, CEO & co-founder of Lightspark, discusses how outdated technology is constraining global GDP. Topics include building at Lightspark, stablecoins & bitcoin as payment options, and the transformative potential of real-time payments for the global economy.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Fox News' David Marcus, and Washington Free Beacon's Aaron Sibarium discuss cancel culture being dead due to Mahomes' defense of a commencement speech; Project Veritas uncovering Biden's plan to betray Israel; Charlamagne tha God challenging 'The View' hosts; Trump teasing Tim Scott as VP; Palantir CEO on Western civilization; Gen X parenting PSA effects.

David Marcus, the former president of PayPal and current CEO of LightSpark, dives into the inefficiencies plaguing our global payment systems. He highlights the historical crises that led to innovations like banking and draws parallels to today's challenges. Marcus passionately discusses Bitcoin's potential to eliminate friction and build trust in financial transactions. Additionally, he explores the transformative role of blockchain technology and the Lightning Network in reshaping our monetary future, advocating for a more streamlined, digital-native approach.

Entrepreneur and former Meta executive David Marcus discusses Lightspark's efforts to expand the Lightning Network and bitcoin. Topics include: Lightning Network's advantages over traditional payment methods, global money flow capabilities, enterprise solutions, predictive liquidity optimization, and decentralized payment protocols impact on creator monetization.

David Marcus, former President of PayPal and current CEO of Lightspark, discusses why Facebook's stablecoin project failed. Topics include the role of the US government and banking lobby in its failure, the challenges faced by Western banking systems, and the future of the money layer on the internet built on crypto, particularly Bitcoin.

David Marcus from Ticketmaster gives insights into the future of ticketing while Peter Katsis, manager for Jane's Addiction, discusses his journey from agent to manager. They also explore the challenges faced by Ticketmaster and the evolution of radio in discovering music.