Empire

Blockworks Senior Reporters Casey Wagner and Ben Strack join the podcast to analyze the first approvals of Bitcoin spot ETFs. They discuss early winners among asset managers, the unfolding fee war between issuers, and Coinbase's role as custodian. Stay tuned for more on this and the impact of the SEC's decisions on the crypto industry.

Dan Matuszewski, Co-founder of CMS Holdings, discusses trading strategies, surviving bear markets, and narrative trading in crypto. They also talk about the post Bitcoin ETF approval, BTC/Alt rotation, and the 2017 crypto mania.

Anatoly Yakovenko and Ben Sparango discuss Solana's priorities on scaling, fees, and alignment incentives. They explore the network effects of open-sourcing core technology and highlight mobile adoption and NFTs driving crypto demand. The podcast debates permissionless finance's trajectory and the potential impact of the Saga phone on distribution monopolies.

The podcast explores recent crypto market volatility, risks of overleveraging, and the trend of restaking protocols in depth. They also discuss concerns about fragility and centralization risks. The conversation turns to pending SEC decisions around Bitcoin ETF filings. They touch on topics such as funding rates, holding vs. trading in crypto, and financial incentives in Wall Street and crypto products.

In this episode, Santi and Jason make predictions for the year 2024 in the crypto industry, including the potential flip of Ethereum by Solana, the growth of NFTs, and the emergence of restaking companies. They also discuss the impact of DeFi OGs on mainstream adoption, app chains, and predictions for L2s in 2024. Additionally, they share specific price predictions for Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana.

In this episode, host Santi dives into AI and it's intersection with Crypto. Joined by Casey and Daniel, they investigate AI's key innovations, centralizing tendency, and the importance of zero-knowledge proofs in merging AI and crypto. They address the potential challenges and opportunities presented by decentralized networks and GPUs. The chat extends to AI regulation, non-deterministic AI's issues in production, and AI model insurance. Stay tuned for all of this and much more!- -Follow Casey: https://twitter.com/caseykcarusoFollow Daniel: https://twitter.com/realDanielShorrFollow Santiago: https://twitter.com/santiagoroelFollow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepodSubscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2jSubscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprwGet top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - -Join us at DAS (Digital Asset Summit) in London this March! DAS is the #1 institutional conference in crypto, hosted by Blockworks. Use the link below to learn more, and use EMPIRE20 to get 20% off your ticket! Sign up now because the price goes up every month. See you there! Learn more + get your ticket here: https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-2024-london/home- -Timestamps(00:02) Evolution and State of AI (18:03) Model Specialization(30:37) Productization of AI(34:46) Crypto & AI Intersection(49:34) DAS 2024(50:51) How Real is AI & Crypto(01:00:08) Performant Blockchains vs Ethereum(01:09:32) Decentralized Compute & Equitable GPU Access(01:17:18) First Crypto & AI Unlocks(01:32:18) AI & Crypto Debate- -Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

The hosts reflect on their 2023 predictions in the crypto industry, highlighting the growth of self custody and competition faced by MetaMask. They discuss the best founders like Luca Nett and breakout stars such as Jeremy Allaire and Brian Armstrong. The speakers also express their negative views on the real estate industry and discuss the challenges of being open about investments on social media. They emphasize the excitement around founders and sectors in the crypto industry, and offer a discount code for an upcoming digital asset summit in London.

Richard Wu and Ilja Moisejevs, co-founders of Tensor, discuss building Solana's leading NFT marketplace. They cover topics like enhancing developer experience, decentralizing their protocol, user behavior, and their vision for NFTs. They also talk about the rise of NFT trading, inscriptions, company growth, team size, and productivity.

In this episode, the hosts discuss market price action, meme coin mania, defining success as a trader, and the upcoming Bitcoin ETF approvals. They also explore the risks and challenges of trading and investing in crypto, the performance of Bitcoin, the differences between meme coins and NFT media on Solana, and the misconceptions around retirement savings.

Kevin Sekniqi, Co-Founder of Avalanche, and Patrick O'Grady, VP of Engineering at Avalanche, join the show to discuss the future of Avalanche with thousands of highly optimized specialized blockchains. They explain the concept of subnets and their economics, and compare them with rollups. They also discuss the implementation of the Warp protocol for cross-chain communication, the value accrual of AVACs, and the excitement for Avalanche and Ava Labs in 2024.