

Crypto Critics' Corner
Cas Piancey and Bennett Tomlin
Bennett and Cas discuss historical moments in the cryptocurrency and finance industries, focusing on frauds, hacks, exit scams, and other malfeasance.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Feb 8, 2022 • 22min
Oh, a thing called Wormhole ate $320,000,000? Are you surprised?
Bennett Tomlin and Cas Piancey talk about the recent incredible hack of the cryptocurrency bridge, aptly named, Wormhole. Did $320,000,000 worth of ETH evaporate? Yes. Did Jump Crypto 100% cover that? Also yes.

Feb 3, 2022 • 48min
The US Dollar, Inflation, and Recession (Feat. Travis Kimmel)
Today Bennett Tomlin and Cas Piancey have the opportunity to chat with THE BEAR LORD - or just Travis, if you prefer - about all things SCARY when it comes to the future of the dollar, yields, cryptocurrency, and the economy as a whole.
Follow Travis on Twitter @coloradotravis
(Recorded on Monday, January 31st, 2022)

Jan 29, 2022 • 19min
Michael and Omar and 0xSifu, oh my!
Today Bennett Tomlin and Cas Piancey bring you up to date on an old character in an old story: Michael Patryn - er, should we say Omar Dhanani? Or 0xSifu? It's all up for debate, because on January 27th, 2022, the cofounder of QuadrigaCX, a now defunct Canadian cryptocurrency exchange - reappeared in a big way: by being the chief financial officer and treasurer for one of the biggest decentralized protocols around today.
So now what?
Read the initial thread exposing Michael Patryn here: https://twitter.com/zachxbt/status/1486591682728673282?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet

Jan 27, 2022 • 31min
The Complex History and Weird Transition of DAOs (Decentralized Autonomous Organizations)
Bennett Tomlin and Cas Piancey discuss the long, complex, and fraught history of DAOs (or Decentralized Autonomous Organizations) and try to understand the current hype cycle.

Jan 24, 2022 • 47min
Bitcoin's Black Swans (Feat. Doomberg)
Today Bennett Tomlin and Cas Piancey are joined by Doomberg - Twitter and Substack's favorite Little financial Chicken - to discuss Bitcoin's, and cryptocurrency in general's, biggest threats for maximum liquidations and pain (including, but not limited to: Microstrategy, El Salvador, and Tether).
Follow Doomberg on Twitter @Doomberg or subscribe to their Substack at doomberg.substack.com
If you'd like to subscribe to Bennett Tomlin's FUD Letter, please visit https://TheFUDLetter.com/#/portal/ for details.
Note: This episode was recorded on Friday, January 21st, 2022

Jan 20, 2022 • 32min
Poker's Black Friday (Feat. Jason Bral)
Today Bennett Tomlin and Cas Piancey discuss online Poker's Black Friday - April 15th, 2011 - and it's everlasting effects with Jason Bral, a semi-professional poker player.

Jan 13, 2022 • 33min
Energy Problem in Kazakhstan is an Energy Problem for Bitcoin
Today Bennett Tomlin and Cas Piancey talk about how Bitcoin mining works, why the Bitcoin miners have (mostly) fled China, why the Bitcoin miners moved to Kazakhstan, and how Kazakhstan's spike in in fossil fuel prices and political upheaval has effected Bitcoin.

Jan 7, 2022 • 46min
Elizabeth Holmes, Theranos, and the Future of VC (Feat. Elizabeth Lopatto)
Today Bennett and Cas are lucky enough to have the opportunity to discuss the Elizabeth Holmes trial with Elizabeth Lopatto, Deputy Editor of The Verge, who was present for the entirety of the trial.
Please read some of her eye-opening pieces written during and since the end of the trial here:
https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/5/22867505/elizabeth-holmes-guilty-fraud-investing
https://www.theverge.com/2021/12/9/22820995/elizabeth-holmes-theranos-trial-testimony-defense-abuse
Also worth listening to John Carreyrou's podcast, available here:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bad-blood-the-final-chapter/id1575738174

Jan 6, 2022 • 33min
Craig Steven Wright is a Crier and a Flawed (individual)
Today Bennett and Cas talk about Craig Steven Wright, the self-proclaimed "Satoshi Nakamoto," and lawyer, doctor, ninja, and creator of Bitcoin Satoshi's Vision.

Dec 30, 2021 • 42min
The Silk Road, Bitcoin, and Ross (Feat. Nicholas Weaver)
For the last episode of 2021 Bennett and Cas are joined by Nicholas Weaver (@ncweaver on Twitter) to discuss the history of the darknet marketplace The Silk Road, which was owned and operated by Ross Ulbricht, who is currently serving a double life sentence without parole, and its association with Bitcoin.