

Empire
Blockworks
Empire features interviews with top crypto founders to get the real stories that aren’t shared elsewhere. Empire is your look behind the curtain of the crypto industry. We release two episodes per week: guest interviews on Monday and a weekly roundup on Friday.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jun 25, 2024 • 1h 10min
Why Retail Can't Win | Regan & Mike, Lattice Fund
Regan and Mike from Lattice Fund discuss challenges facing retail investors, token distribution methods, impact of venture capital, emerging opportunities in DePin, and importance of distribution for blockchain projects.

6 snips
Jun 21, 2024 • 1h 10min
Managing Emotions in Crypto Cycles
The podcast delves into managing emotions in the crypto market, covering Coinbase's strategy, surprising demographics of ETF buyers, future of airdrops, and the recent Kraken security incident. It also discusses fitness achievements, emotional challenges, building on the Monad ecosystem, Blockworks' events, airdrops impact on token prices, Coinbase's expansion plans, and playful banter between the hosts.

Jun 19, 2024 • 1h 20min
Is Arweave Crypto's Darkhorse L1? | 1000x
Sam Williams, founder of Arweave, discusses the evolution of decentralized data storage, NFT storage, Arweave Operating System, AI-driven smart contracts, and the potential of an 'agent economy'. They compare Arweave to Filecoin, explore Arweave's mainstream moment, performance, and next-gen L1 design for AI.

Jun 18, 2024 • 1h 8min
Is Blended Execution the Missing Link for dApps? | Dino & Stephy
Stephy and Dino from Fluent discuss blended execution environments enabling composability between various virtual machines in a shared state. They explore benefits for developers, challenges in implementation, and how it could reshape crypto. They also touch on the roadmap towards a public launch and the uncertain future of blockchain applications.

Jun 14, 2024 • 1h 21min
Why Self-Custody Still Matters | Pascal & Ian
Pascal Gauthier, CEO of Ledger, and Ian Rogers, CXO of Ledger, discuss the importance of self-custody in the digital world, the future of luxury in digital ownership, Ledger's mission and business lines, challenges of regulation, and predictions for crypto adoption. They also explore the evolution of Ledger's business model, the development of Ledger Stacks, hardware security for digital assets, Sei V2 features, Solana staking, and innovations in Avalanche technology.

Jun 11, 2024 • 1h 9min
How ZK Will Shatter Social Media Monopolies | Alex & Stani
Stani from Aave and Alex from Matter Labs discuss decentralized social networks and blockchain scaling. They explore the mission of Lens Protocol, the intersection of AI and blockchains, US crypto regulation, and user empowerment through data ownership. They also touch on the future of ZK technology, multi-chain ecosystems, and the cultural impact of meme coins in the crypto space.

Jun 7, 2024 • 1h 25min
Solana's Crypto Native Next-Gen CEX | Armani Ferrante
Armani Ferrante, founder of Backpack, discusses the technical and regulatory hurdles of running an exchange, the importance of focusing on the Solana ecosystem, challenges in expanding into Japan, and keys to long-term success in crypto. He also explores the significance of community building, product vision for an exchange, stablecoin products, and navigating challenges in the crypto industry.

Jun 6, 2024 • 48min
Exploring Crypto's Modular Path | Rex & NoSleepJon
Blockchain enthusiasts Rex and NoSleepJon discuss the benefits and challenges of modularity in the crypto space, emphasizing its potential to disrupt existing technologies. They explore topics like sovereignty, value accrual, fragmentation survival, and ecosystem competition within the modular blockchain ecosystem.

Jun 5, 2024 • 1h 5min
The Modular Integration Spectrum | Keone & Zon
Keone from Monad and Zon from Initia dive into the spectrum of modular vs integrated blockchain designs, discussing decentralization, performance, scalability, AppChains, EVM compatibility, and building Web3 communities. They explore the importance of composability, scalability decisions, and share insights on building organic communities in the crypto space.

4 snips
Jun 4, 2024 • 1h 14min
Inside Crypto's Liquidity Chess Game | Evgeny, Nick, & Omar
In this engaging discussion, Omar and Nick from SecondLane along with Evgeny from Wintermute delve into the intricate world of crypto token markets. They cover the lifecycle of tokens, the role of market makers, influencing factors on token prices, market liquidity challenges, Wintermute's strategy in traditional markets, digital safety in gaming, Bitcoin ETF influence, retail investor challenges, and complexities of crypto market investments.


