Mike Ippolito, co-founder of Blockworks, and Jon Charbonneau, co-founder of DBA, delve into the challenges facing Ethereum amidst the rise of competitors like Bitcoin, Solana, and Celestia. They discuss Ethereum's need for a unified vision and strategic decision-making to enhance its identity and market presence. The conversation highlights Ethereum's strengths in liquidity and versatility while also examining the importance of user engagement. They draw parallels with Amazon's growth, suggesting that clearer governance could solidify Ethereum's competitive edge.

In this episode, we explore Jon’s journey into crypto and our mutual passion for research and the writing process. We then give an overview over the key areas of crypto infrastructure today. Finally, we zoom into rollup decentralization roadmaps, and Jon shares a controversial new thesis about sequencer decentralization. __ Timestamps: (00:00) Intro (02:42) Interview start (03:44) Jon's work week (08:04) ChatGPT & writing (10:57) Jon's start in crypto (14:45) How to pick things to work on (17:08) Outsider's perspective on crypto (19:05) Jon's research process (22:00) Jon's proudest moment in crypto (23:06) Crypto Infrastructure overview (29:58) Why crypto infrastructure is interesting (35:57) Rollup decentralization overview (42:44) Challenges decentralizing the sequencer (47:46) Ethereum vs Cosmos approach to governance & decentralization (53:35) User ability to opt out (56:37) Staking vs. governance deciding sequencers (01:08:31) L3s (01:13:34) Superchain (01:16:38) Summary of rollup decentralization (01:21:08) Outro __ Hasu - https://twitter.com/hasufl Jon Charbonneau - https://twitter.com/jon_charb UCC2 - https://twitter.com/UCC2_xyz Website - https://ucc2.xyz __ Disclaimer: The material and information presented in this podcast is for general informational purposes only and should not be considered investment advice. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the speakers and are not the views of any entity or other person with whom the speaker is affiliated, including, without limitation, DBA Crypto, LLC. The “DBA Crypto” name and all forms thereof are the sole property of its owner, and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service.

In today's episode, Jon unpacks his relatively controversially titled new piece, "ETH Is Not Ultrasound Money: Part 1" Is ETH doomed? Was Ultrasound money a myth? Tune in to hear Jon's arguments.  ------  MetaMask Learn  https://bankless.cc/metamaskshow  ------  JOIN BANKLESS PREMIUM:  https://newsletter.banklesshq.com/subscribe  ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS:  KRAKEN | MOST-TRUSTED CRYPTO EXCHANGE https://bankless.cc/kraken  UNISWAP | ON-CHAIN MARKETPLACE https://bankless.cc/uniswap  ️ ARBITRUM | SCALING ETHEREUM https://bankless.cc/Arbitrum   EARNIFI | CLAIM YOUR UNCLAIMED AIRDROPS https://bankless.cc/earnifi   ------ Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 5:06 Jon's Argument 11:30 Triple Point Asset Thesis 17:52 ETH 18:53 The Disagreement 22:10 Semantics  26:40 Profit  30:00 PoW vs. PoS 33:15 Does Issuance Matter? & L1s & L2s 37:57 Blockchain Sustainability  42:00 Deflation vs. Inflation Value 47:50 How is Jon's Argument Bullish? 51:35 Alt L1s Issuance 59:20 Jon's Model Spreadsheet 1:17:53 Closing & Disclaimers ------ Resources: Jon Charbonneau https://twitter.com/jon_charb  Jon's Essay https://joncharbonneau.substack.com/p/eth-is-not-ultrasound-money-part  Jon's Model Spreadsheet https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1UlxKC98STwN-AoonytC-qOscZ_99fAMpMvB6EfGGe9E/edit#gid=0  ----- 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 

Jon Charbonneau, investor and researcher in Solana and Ethereum, discusses SVM adoption for Solana, rollups scaling Ethereum, convergence of integrated and modular chains, and what Ethereum and Solana can learn from each other. They also explore end-user verification, writing tips for crypto, and the impact of SVM Roll Up for Eclipse on Solana's future.

Jon Charbonneau, co-founder and General Partner at DBA, discusses the challenges of valuing decentralized networks like Bitcoin and Ethereum. He explains why traditional equity models falter when applied to these assets and reveals the tax inefficiencies impacting staking rewards. The conversation also delves into Layer 2 solutions and their complexities, questioning whether they enhance or hinder Layer 1 blockchains. Finally, Jon tackles the sustainability of these networks in the long run, offering a comprehensive look at crypto valuation.

Delve into building high-performance blockchains with Monad, focusing on EVM compatibility, parallel execution, and state database design. Learn about hardware requirements, L1 competition, and community building. Explore collaborations with Arbitrum, wallet security, and comparisons with Solana for state access. Dive into community engagement, on-chain activity evolution, and blockchain business models.

Investor and researcher Jon Charbonneau discusses the adoption of SVM, rollups on Ethereum, the convergence of integrated and modular chains, the value of end-user verification, and the differences between Solana and Ethereum ecosystems. They also touch on writing about crypto and the importance of concise writing styles.

Explore the concept of Data Availability (DA) in the crypto space, its business model and economics. Dive into the DA Market with participants like Celestia and EigenDA. Discuss network effects, DA value capture, and the future of DA. Learn about Solana DA and the implications for the crypto space.

Exploring the impact of Jito on Solana, MEV issues, Ethereum's Denkoon upgrade, data availability, Layer 3 solutions, meme coins, and Solana's fee market. Discussing Monad's EVM compatibility, blockchain scalability, and the state of crypto in 2024. Delving into rollups, Solana's value accrual, and the challenges of scaling in the crypto space.

Nick White, a key player in Celestia's blockchain design, and Jon Charbonneau, who offers expert insights into Celestia's ecosystem, dive deep into the evolving modular blockchain landscape. They discuss the impressive scalability of Celestia’s base layer and celebrate its support for 21 chains. The conversation highlights innovative features like sovereign rollups, lazybridging, and ZK accounts. Additionally, they touch on the TIA token’s potential in decentralized frameworks, shaping the future of blockchain ecosystems.