Gm! This week we're joined by David Kalk & Pranav Kanade to discuss the current state of crypto markets. We deep dive into the unwinding of the basis trade, what's next for BTC & alt's, the psychology of trading, market reflexivity, is the cycle over & much more. Enjoy! -- Follow David: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidkalk/ Follow Pranav: https://…

Gm! This week we're back with another roundup episode to discuss SIMD 228 & it's impact on Solana's inflation. We deep dive into, what is SIMD 228, is Solana overpaying for security, crypto's data problem & Trump's strategic crypto reserve announcement. Enjoy! -- Follow Dan: https://x.com/smyyguy Follow Mert: https://x.com/0xMert_ Follow Jack: http…

Gm! This week we're back with another roundup. We discuss the current state of the market as sentiment follows price lower. We deep dive into is it time to be bullish or is the cycle over, do fundamentals in crypto matter, the Michael Saylor impact, the Bybit hack aftermath, stablecoin regulation & much more. Enjoy! -- Start your day with crypto ne…

Gm! This week we're joined by Ben Leventhal & Jesse Walden to discuss Blackbird & the launch of Flynet. We deep dive into the Blackbird origin story, launching an L3, how to build a great consumer app, what makes a successful airdrop, advice for founders & more. Enjoy! -- Follow Ben: https://x.com/benleventhal Follow Jesse: https://x.com/jessewldn …

Gm! This week we're joined by Illia Polosukhin & Bowen Wang to discuss the current state of crypto, AI & what's next for NEAR. We deep dive into NEAR's approach to scaling, L1 value accrual, how to unlock cross chain liquidity, Ethereum's alignment problem & more. Enjoy! -- Follow Illia: https://x.com/ilblackdragon Follow Bowen: https://x.com/Bowen…

This week Nick Tomaino joins the show for a discussion on the current state of crypto. We deep dive into the recent LIBRA launch, investing in L1s vs apps, the rise of stablecoins, finding opportunities in crypto, advice for founders & more. Enjoy! -- Follow Nick Tomaino: https://twitter.com/NTmoney Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz F…

No weekly Empire roundup this week unfortunately, but we'll be back next week! In the meantime, enjoy this episode from another Blockworks podcast Expansion. In this week's roundup, we discuss crypto’s momentum shift, Ethereum DA, and Kaito’s token launch. We also unpacked the implications of centralized companies operating onchain. Finally, we end…

Gm! This week Rebecca Rettig joins the show for a discussion on crypto's policy landscape in 2025 & beyond. We deep dive into why Rebecca recently joined Jito, meeting with the SEC & their stance on SOL, the impact of crime season within crpyto, what's coming for crypto policy & more. Enjoy! -- Follow Rebecca: https://x.com/RebeccaRettig1 Follow Ja…

Gm! This week we're joined by David Bailey for a discussion on the current state of the Bitcoin market. We deep dive into David's background building one of the largest Bitcoin media & events companies in the world, working with the Trump campaign, the 2025 corporate Bitcoin strategy, the outlook for a strategic reserve & so much more. Enjoy! -- St…

Gm! This week we're joined by Dan Smith for another roundup. We deep dive into the LIBRA token launch and it's impact on Solana. Enjoy! -- Follow Dan: https://x.com/smyyguy Follow Jack: https://x.com/whosknave Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/LightspeedpodhqSubscribe to the Lightspeed Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/lightspeed --…

The Hivemind team discusses whether Ethereum can be saved, Initia with co-founder Zon, and what chains need to do to compete. The team also explores the outlook and market opportunity for Celestia and breaks down the Berachain and Story L1s. To close out, the team digs into market sentiment, whether the bottom is finally in for alts, and OpenAI’s D…

Gm! This week we're back with another roundup. We discuss Santi's big announcement as he prepares to launch an L1. We deep dive into the strategic decision to launch your own chain, value capture as an L1, crypto's biggest opportunity, why the future will be on chain & more. Enjoy! -- Start your day with crypto news, analysis and data from Katherin…

Gm! This week Santi joins the show to discuss why now is crypto's time to accelerate adoption. We deep dive into Santi's updated Solana thesis, crypto's biggest opportunities in 2025, what's next for Inversion & more. Enjoy! -- Follow Santi: https://x.com/santiagoroel Follow Jack: https://x.com/whosknave Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Light…

Gm! This week Armani Ferrante joins the show. We discuss the CEX vs DEX exchange model, who will win market share for perps in crypto, why crypto wallets are broken, the future of Mad Lads & more. Enjoy! -- Follow Armani: https://x.com/armaniferrante Follow Mert: https://x.com/0xMert_ Follow Jack: https://x.com/whosknave Follow Lightspeed: https://…

This week, we discuss the current state of the market as sentiment nears all time lows. We deep dive into the outlook for Bitcoin & alt's, what will outperform in this market environment, the AI trade, Trump's headline impact on markets & more. Enjoy! -- Go follow the new 1000x feed to keep up to date with all new episodes! Spotify: https://blckwrk…

Gm! This week Avery Ching joins the show to discuss the Aptos 2.0 roadmap. We deep dive into the current vs end state of crypto, building a high performance L1, the rise of AI, misconceptions about Aptos & more. Enjoy! -- Follow Avery: https://x.com/AveryChing Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theemp…

Gm! This week we're back with another roundup. We discuss the current state of the market, where are we in the cycle, altcoin unlocks, crypto venture & what are the most exciting projects in 2025 & more. Enjoy! -- Start your day with crypto news, analysis and data from Katherine Ross and David Canellis. Subscribe to the Empire newsletter: https://b…

Gm! This week Ilja Moisejevs and Richard Wu join the show to discuss the release of Vector. We deep dive into Tensor's pivot from NFTs, the rise of social trading, building a consumer platform, whats next for Tensor & more. Enjoy! -- Follow Ilja: https://x.com/_ilmoi Follow Richard: https://x.com/0xrwu Follow Jack: https://x.com/whosknave Follow Li…

This week, we discuss crypto's liquidation event over the weekend and how to trade the upcoming week. We deep dive into the weak performance of altcoins, Bitcoin's role in a multipolar world, shorting in this market environment & more. Enjoy! -- Go follow the new 1000x feed to keep up to date with all new episodes! Spotify: https://blckwrks.co/3WAD…

Gm! This week we're joined by Dan Smith for another roundup. We deep dive into crypto's weekend liquidation event, crypto's biggest opportunity, Solana updates in 2025 & more. Enjoy! -- Follow Dan: https://x.com/smyyguy Follow Mert: https://x.com/0xMert_ Follow Jack: https://x.com/whosknave Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq Sub…

In today's episode Alex Dolesky, founder of Uranium Digital, explains why a commodity powering 10% of global electricity still trades through phone calls and decade-long contracts. After discovering he couldn't express a bullish view on uranium like other commodities, Alex set out to build the first institutional-grade spot market on Solana, bringi…

Gm! This week Kyle Samani joins the show to discuss his most recent piece "The Solana Thesis: Internet Capital Markets". We deep dive into Kyle's current thesis for Solana, bringing TradFi on chain, the opportunity in DePIN & AI, the state of crypto venture & more. Enjoy! The Solana Thesis: Internet Capital Markets: https://multicoin.capital/2025/0…

On this week's Empire roundup, Jason and Santi kick off by diving into DeepSeek's market impact and NVIDIA's historic selloff. They then explore Powell's comments on banks serving crypto customers and break down why tech founders – from Vine to Venmo – are suddenly rushing to launch tokens as their go-to-market strategy. Plus: Santi shares his port…

In today's Hivemind episode Jose, Ceteris, Yan, and Duncan dive deep into three major narratives shaping crypto. They start with China's DeepSeek breakthrough, explore its ripple effects on AI token valuations and broader market sentiment. They then shift to an analysis of Solana's upcoming unlocks, breaking down timing, market impact, and why it m…

This week, we discuss the fallout after the announcement of DeepSeek. We deep dive into the difference between fundamental vs technical sell offs, are altcoins cooked this cycle, Ethereum in 2025, the collapse of memes & more. Enjoy! -- Go follow the new 1000x feed to keep up to date with all new episodes! Spotify: https://blckwrks.co/3WADHnL Apple…

Gm! This week, Luca Netz joins the show to discuss the future of Pudgy Penguins. We deep dive into the Pudgy origin story, why Luca launched PENGU on Solana, building in the Solana ecosystem, what's next in 2025, key advice for founders & so much more. Enjoy! -- Follow Luca: https://x.com/LucaNetz Follow Mert: https://x.com/0xMert_ Follow Jack: htt…

In today's episode Charles Cascarilla from Paxos and Nathan McCauley from Anchorage reveal why today's stablecoin giants keep billions in yield that could be flowing to users. They unpack USDG's approach through the Global Dollar Network, exploring why major companies might choose collaboration over competition. The conversation spans Tether's surp…

This week's roundup covers Ross Ulbricht's pardon, Trump's executive order on digital assets, and the mounting pressure on the Ethereum Foundation. The conversation shifts to institutional adoption challenges, DeFi's user growth problems, and finishes with insights on crypto replacing traditional finance rails. To close out Jason and Santi analyze …

Gm! This week we are joined by Lucas Bruder & Sreeram Kannan to discuss everything you need to know about restaking on Solana vs Ethereum. We deep dive into why does restaking matter, how it differs on Solana vs Ethereum, is economic security a meme & more. Enjoy! -- Follow Lucas: https://x.com/buffalu__ Follow Sreeram: https://x.com/sreeramkannan …

In this episode of Empire we dissect the surprise launch of Trump's memecoin, which rocketed to a $70 billion market cap in just 24 hours. We also discuss the implications for crypto adoption, US regulatory landscape, and the future of American based DeFi. We also analyze Solana's performance during the surge, examine the subsequent Melania token l…

Gm! We're back with a special episode to discuss how Solana performed over the weekend as Trump launched his meme coin. We deep dive into the record on chain activity that occurred, how Solana managed to perform, the impact of Jito, what happened with Coinbase & more. Enjoy! -- Follow Mert: https://x.com/0xMert_ Follow Jack: https://x.com/whosknave…

This week, we discuss the fallout over the weekend as Trump launched his meme coin. We deep dive into what this means for markets into 2025, what will benefit the most, how to pick winners coming out of this & more. Enjoy! -- Follow Avi: https://twitter.com/AviFelman Follow Jonah: https://twitter.com/jvb_xyz Follow 1000x: https://twitter.com/1000xP…

Gm! this week Matthew Sigel returns to discuss the current state of Solana in 2025. We deep dive into Van Eck's new ETF filing, the state of the market, crypto IPOs under a Trump administration, unlocks on Solana & more. Enjoy! -- Follow Matthew: https://x.com/matthew_sigel Follow Mert: https://x.com/0xMert_ Follow Jack: https://x.com/whosknave Fol…

In today's episode Optimism co-founder Ben Jones and growth lead Ryan Wyatt discuss the Superchain vision. They explore how the OP Stack and Superchain are transforming Ethereum scaling through unprecedented collaboration between major players like Base, Coinbase, and Kraken. The conversation covers the strategic importance of interoperability, the…

In today's episode James Zhang joins the show to discuss the breakout year Jambo had after selling around 750,000 phones. We discuss why crypto needs to focus on go to market strategies, the killer use case for stablecoins, why mobile is so important & what to expect in 2025. Enjoy! - - Help us shape the future of Empire. Fill out our audience surv…

Gm! This week, we're joined by Tushar Jain to discuss his most recent Solana improvement proposal to reduce Solana's inflation & switch to a market based inflation rate. We deep dive into Solana's current emission schedule, how this could be improved, Solana the asset vs the network & another SIMD proposal Tushar is preparing to announce. Enjoy! Fi…

In today's episode Dan Smith, Head of Data at Blockworks, joins Empire to break down why traditional crypto metrics are flawed. The episode begins with analysis of recent crypto payment acquisitions and Trump's proposed US Token Reserve, before diving deep into blockchain metrics and why REV matters more than active addresses or TVL. Dan explains S…

"The Delphi Digital Crew is back to dive into the current state of the crypto markets, exploring Bitcoin's recent price action and the potential impact of Trump's return to office. They then examine the evolving AI framework narrative in crypto, discussing why this sector could become a major bubble in 2025. The conversation shifts to an analysis o…

Gm! This week, we're joined by Ryan Watkins to discuss the bull case for Solana in 2025. We deep dive into how Ryan's Solana thesis has developed over time, the rise of AI agents, the state of applications in crypto what to expect in 2025 & more. Enjoy! -- Follow Ryan: https://x.com/RyanWatkins_ Follow Jack: https://x.com/whosknave Follow Lightspee…

This week, we discuss the current state of the market as macro uncertainty leaves everyone worried about what's next for crypto. We deep dive into SUI & the L1 trade, Hyperliquid, what will perform in the next leg of the bull market, crypto's KOL problem & where to find opportunity during a correction. Enjoy! -- Follow Avi: https://twitter.com/AviF…

In today's episode Binance CEO Richard Teng joins Jason and Santi to dive behind the scenes of the world's largest crypto exchange. Richard reveals the untold story of how CZ recruited him, shares what it was like taking over during the $4.3B regulatory settlement, and explains how Binance maintains its aggressive edge while becoming the most regul…

In this week's roundup Jason and Santi tackle the week's biggest story - claims about the US government selling $6.5B in Bitcoin. Joined by Asset Reality CEO Aidan Larkin, they unpack how government crypto seizures actually work. The discussion expands into why crypto has transformed asset recovery compared to traditional finance, with insights int…

Gm! In this episode, we’re joined by Dan Smith to discuss avoiding noise in crypto data, the issue with FDV, and stablecoin supply across chains. Finally, we end the podcast by diving into the concept of conditional liquidity, MEV, and Solana’s sandwich attack problem. Enjoy! Resources Solana MEV Landscape From Helius Labs: https://x.com/__lostin__…

In today's episode Jason and Santi evaluate their 2024 predictions, from successful calls on Solana's growth to misses on NFTs and explosion of restaking products. They then move on to their predictions for 2025, forecasting major L1 chain differentiation, explosive stablecoin adoption driven by banks and tech companies, Bitcoin reaching $150K with…

Happy new year! This week, we discuss the current state of the market as we head into 2025. We deep dive into crypto's AI trade, the alt L1 narrative, trading trending markets vs technical analysis, what to expect in 2025 & much more. Enjoy! -- Follow Avi: https://twitter.com/AviFelman Follow Jonah: https://twitter.com/jvb_xyz Follow 1000x: https:/…

Gm! This week, we discuss Hyperliquid and decentralization, the potential for Solana and crypto ETFs, and Mert’s developer thesis. We also delve into whether AI agents are being overhyped, some of the biggest problems with crypto & more. Enjoy! -- Follow Mert: https://x.com/0xMert_ Follow Jack: https://x.com/whosknave Follow Lightspeed: https://twi…

In today's episode Jose, Ceteris, Yan, and Jason break down the year's biggest winners (Bitcoin, AI) and losers (Ethereum, L2s), covering the best founders, best investors, and top-performing sectors. The conversation then covers their 2025 predictions, making their Bitcoin price targets, crypto market cap expectations, and why AI might be the most…

In today's episode Kuzco founder Sam Hogan explores AI's major infrastructure shift, explaining why inference computing is set to dominate 99% of AI compute within five years. He details how Kuzco is building a global marketplace for idle GPU power, leveraging crypto for payments and verification. The conversation evolves from technical infrastruct…

Gm! This week, we’re joined by Zooko, Sean Bowe, and Anatoly to discuss Zcash! We covered scaling Zcash, how it works and whether or not it can function as money, and how Zcash fits into your privacy stack. Enjoy! -- Follow Zooko: https://x.com/zooko Follow Sean: https://x.com/ebfull Follow Anatoly: https://x.com/aeyakovenko Follow Mert: https://x.…

In today's episode Alex Botte and Alexander Pack from Hack VC break down Ethereum's controversial shift from monolithic to modular. Starting with ETH's foundational decision to embrace L2s, they analyze the four key impacts on price, token value distribution, market share, and future adaptability. The discussion explores parallels with AWS, debates…