Jesse Pollak, head of protocols at Coinbase and founder of layer 2 rollup tech, discusses Ethereum's history, upgrades, challenges, winning developer mindshare, rollups and bridges interactions, and the debate on hyphenating 'onchain'. Noah Citron from a16z crypto shares insights on building onchain products and the importance of aligning decentralized products with Ethereum's values.

Coinbase's Jesse Pollak talks about the ambitious goals of Base, the new Optimism-based blockchain. They discuss topics such as the advantages of Base compared to other layer 2 chains, the absence of a token to incentivize developer activity, the success of Friend.Tech, the lack of live fault proofs on OP Stack chains, and the differentiation of layer 2 chains' design paths.

Jesse Pollak, Co-creator of Coinbase's L2, Base, discusses how Base plans to bring billions of users onchain and increase scale by 400x. They delve into cost to send transactions on Base, potential for free transactions, and Coinbase's relationship with Base. The conversation also covers Base's path to 1 billion people onchain and the Onchain Summer II initiative for building an inclusive on-chain community.

Today on the show we welcome back Jesse Pollak. Jesse is the Head of Protocols at Coinbase and the Creator of Base. Base plays the important role of trailblazing the future of Layer 2's and doesn't let it's centralized parent get in the way of innovation. Can Base be the spark that kicks off "Layer 2 Summer"? ------ 🚀Join Ryan & David at Permissionless in September. Bankless Citizens get 30% off https://bankless.cc/GoToPermissionless  ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🐙KRAKEN | MOST-TRUSTED CRYPTO EXCHANGE ⁠https://k.xyz/bankless-pod-q2  ⁠ 🦊METAMASK PORTFOLIO | TRACK & MANAGE YOUR WEB3 EVERYTHING ⁠https://bankless.cc/MetaMask  ⚖️ ARBITRUM | SCALING ETHEREUM ⁠https://bankless.cc/Arbitrum  ⁠ 🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle  ⁠ 👾POLYGON | VALUE LAYER OF THE INTERNET https://polygon.technology/roadmap  🗣️TOKU | CRYPTO EMPLOYMENT SOLUTION https://bankless.cc/Toku    ------ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 9:00 Public Perception of Base 10:12 Why is Base a Big Deal? 14:34 Investing in Decentralization 16:11 Trailblazing for an Entire Industry 20:52 A New Level Of Collaboration 23:41 Contributing Fees to Public Goods 30:46 Layer 2 Summer 35:17 Wen Mainnet? 42:07 Onchain vs On-Chain 45:07 Closings and Disclaimers ----- RESOURCES Jesse Pollak https://jessepollak.com/  Build on Base https://base.org/  ------ Not financial or tax advice. This channel is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. This video is not tax advice. Talk to your accountant. Do your own research. Disclosure. From time-to-time I may add links in this newsletter to products I use. I may receive commission if you make a purchase through one of these links. Additionally, the Bankless writers hold crypto assets. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures⁠  

Jesse Pollak, a co-founder of Base, delves into the creation of this pioneering Layer 2 solution and its vision for a decentralized internet. He discusses the importance of maintaining user experience and outlines the challenges and innovations the team faces. The conversation also covers the strategic significance of decentralization, the evolving dynamics of blockchain architectures, and his forward-looking perspective on the next five years, emphasizing the transformative potential of on-chain technology and decentralized governance.

Ethereum's Dencun upgrade leads to cheaper Layer 2 transactions, paving the way for specialized Layer 3s. Jesse Pollak discusses the impact on Base, differentiation between Layer 1s and 2s, the rise of Layer 3s, and the benefits of Dencun. The podcast also covers legal battles in the cryptocurrency industry and Elon Musk's Dogecoin comment.

Head of Base at Coinbase, Jesse Pollak, discusses how Base plans to scale and onboard millions of users, aiming to be the biggest chain in crypto. They explore Ethereum upgrades, challenges in lowering fees, and Coinbase's role in upholding crypto ethos. The conversation highlights the potential of a global on-chain economy and the exciting future of crypto infrastructure.

The podcast discusses Ethereum's Dencun upgrade and its impact on reducing transaction fees for L2s like Base. It explores how Layer 1s and Layer 2s will differentiate, leading to the rise of specialized Layer 3s. Jesse Pollak shares insights on the benefits of blobs, fragmentation concerns, and why he prefers the term 'onchain' over 'crypto' or 'web3'.

Jesse Pollak, spearheading Base, the L2 incubated by Coinbase, discusses the superchain thesis, financialization in onchain social experiences, and how Base connects to existing governance systems. They also explore bringing a billion users onto the blockchain, personal experiences with Coinbase and Ethereum, and the concept of retroactive public goods funding.

Jesse Pollak, creator of Base and leader at Coinbase Wallet, shares his emotional journey building a transformative Ethereum Layer 2 network. He reveals the intense pressure of the initial stages and how personal challenges nearly led him to quit. Jesse predicts a future where ‘everything will be on-chain’ and discusses the balance between centralization and decentralization in crypto. He emphasizes the importance of building quality products without token issuance and provides insights into the resilience needed for successful entrepreneurship in the ever-evolving crypto landscape.