Foundering

Cryptocurrencies have exploded in 2017. But while prices are surging, transactions are facing long delays because the networks are flooded with traffic. This is the problem facing the Ethereum network, which, along with its digital currency ether, has quickly become the world's No. 2 cryptocurrency after Bitcoin. And one man, Vlad Zamfir, has a plan to fix it. This week, Bloomberg's Matthew Leising and Brad Stone speak to Zamfir about his big dreams for Ethereum and how his project (codenamed Casper) could pave the way for masses of ordinary internet users to join in the craze.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From a young age, Cyrus Massoumi knew he wanted to become rich one day. In 2012, he figured out how: by creating an inflammatory, hyper-partisan news site that used Facebook to make its articles go viral. This week, Bloomberg Technology's Sarah Frier and Aki Ito talk to Cyrus about how MrConservative.com's success sparked a frenzy of other sites like it. Cyrus watched the phenomenon snowball—until one day he realized he had created a monster.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Francisco Riordan suspected his company of breaking the law last year, he secretly reached out to federal regulators. His actions helped set in motion events that left Rothenberg Ventures subject to a government investigation and multiple lawsuits -- and according to Francisco, cost him his own job. This week, we're re-broadcasting this May episode, in which Francisco first went public with his role as a whistleblower. At the end, you'll hear a recent conversation between Decrypted's Aki Ito and Francisco, who give us an update on his life. There's valuable advice here for people who are considering calling out their own employers for bad behavior.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For a decade, Ken Sena has had a classic Wall Street job as an equity analyst, which means he researches companies to help investors decide which stocks to buy and sell. Last year, he met developer Bryan Healey, who helped build the AI assistant Alexa at Amazon. The two of them embarked on a curious challenge: to make a computerized version of Ken that can dole out its own stock recommendations. This week on Decrypted, Bloomberg Technology's Alistair Barr and Julie Verhage meet Ken and Bryan's creation. What does their breakthrough mean for the future of Ken's profession? And will we all soon be taking investment advice from robots? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A few months ago, Bloomberg Technology's Adam Satariano found an unflattering video of himself going viral on Instagram. Someone had filmed him riding the train, furiously typing on his phone. That discovery and his quest to get the video deleted got Adam thinking about the changing nature of online privacy. This week on Decrypted, we meet the man behind SubwayCreatures, the popular Instagram account that briefly featured the video of Adam. As internet companies face growing pressure to police more of what's on their platforms, Adam and Aki Ito ask: do we want these businesses to become the editors of our digital lives?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fake news, Russia and the U.S. election: It's been one of the biggest stories over the last year. Last week, it all came to a head as Congress summoned representatives from Facebook, Google and Twitter to explain how Russia used their platforms to sway the minds of American voters. This week on Decrypted, Bloomberg Technology's Sarah Frier, Gerrit De Vynck and Joshua Brustein discuss how we got here and what consequences these tech giants could face as lawmakers prepare to take action.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2014, WeWork told its investors that its next big thing would be a product called WeLive: a dorm-like apartment that applies the company's success in providing office space to the home life. Investors were told there would be 34 WeLive locations by the end of 2017; today, there are just two. This week on Decrypted, Bloomberg Technology's Ellen Huet spends five nights at a WeLive apartment in New York to figure out why growth has come so slow, and what that means for the future of this $20 billion startup.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Back in May, we brought you an episode about the life of Japanese billionaire Masayoshi Son, who at that time had just raised his $93 billion tech fund. This week, we'll play you a wide-ranging conversation that Son had for a Bloomberg TV series called The David Rubenstein Show: Peer-to-Peer Conversations. Among the topics Son discusses: the dot-com crash in which he lost much of his wealth, the 45-minute conversation he had with one investor that led to a $45 billion commitment, and his vision for the future of humanity. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At the center of the crisis enveloping the world's most valuable startup is Uber's mounting legal problems: The ride-hailing giant today faces at least five criminal probes from the U.S. Justice Department, as well as dozens of lawsuits. This week, Bloomberg Technology's Eric Newcomer and Brad Stone explain how things got so bad. They'll also discuss the challenge ahead as the company's new CEO scrambles to get Uber back on stable footing.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2015, Iran signed a landmark deal with global superpowers. An end to Iran's isolation pointed to a bright future for the country's budding tech scene -- but then, Donald Trump, a vocal critic of the nuclear agreement, won the U.S. presidency and once-eager foreign investors got spooked. This week on Decrypted, Bloomberg's Ladane Nasseri visits the founders of a homegrown e-commerce startup called Koodakoo as well as several other companies. These young entrepreneurs are awaiting Trump's next move -- and what his actions would mean for the future of their businesses -- as he threatens to renegotiate and even withdraw from the nuclear agreement. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.