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Near One: Scaling the Agentic Internet. AI X Crypto - Bowen Wang
Duration: 01:01:40
July 17, 2025
- Near's pivot from AI to blockchain aimed to build a superior smart contract platform, driven by limitations in AI development and observations of areas for improvement in existing blockchains like Ethereum.
- Near's recent upgrade enabling 600 millisecond block times and 1.2 second finality features a unique "pre-state root" approach and stateless validation design leveraging improvements over several years in various technological areas, improving speed and reducing validator overhead.
- Near envisions a future where AI agents operate autonomously, owning assets and interacting with each other, facilitated by near's scalable and cheap blockchain, despite concerns about the unstoppable nature and potential downsides of decentralized AI development.
![Vitalik Buterin: Ethereum, The [LAST] Steward of Decentralisation](https://image.simplecastcdn.com/images/3fd3384e-ef77-4fde-81aa-9b946a76e280/d6ed6d69-857f-4f6e-826f-bc440c2f058a/3000x3000/vitalik-buterin-1-podcast.jpg?aid=rss_feed)
Vitalik Buterin: Ethereum, The [LAST] Steward of Decentralisation
Duration: 00:39:19
July 9, 2025
- Vitalik invested Shiba Inu profits into open-source biotech for pandemic prevention, funding research into better testing, air filtration, and immune system enhancements.
- Vitalik emphasized that Ethereum needs to shift from prioritizing blockchain technology to focusing on building applications and systems that deliver the best properties like decentralization, privacy, and user sovereignty.
- The Ethereum Foundation (EF) is evolving to focus on L1 protocol development and application-layer projects prioritizing decentralization, privacy, and security, rather than solely acting as a representative or coordinator.
Stripe: The Stablecoin (R)Evolution - John Egan
Duration: 01:05:36
July 1, 2025
- Stripe aims to simplify access to complex financial systems through APIs, and sees stablecoins as an opportunity to rebuild digital money from first principles.
- Stripe initially supported Bitcoin but discontinued it due to poor user experience and buyer's remorse, later re-engaging with stablecoins as developer interest grew substantially.
- Stripe's current focus is on enabling global access and dollar access via stablecoins, viewing stablecoins as just another currency integrated into existing payment systems to enhance speed and accessibility.
t1 Protocol: Unifying Ethereum's L2 Liquidity Through Real-Time Proving - Can Kisagun
Duration: 01:01:41
June 27, 2025
- T1 aims to solve Ethereum's fragmentation issue with a real-time proving rollup that leverages trusted execution environments (TEEs) for faster cross-chain interactions.
- The T1 protocol will focus on enhancing intent-based bridging by using TEEs to provide faster proofs of payment, aiming to make cross-chain transactions cheaper and more efficient for users and market makers.
- While T1 utilizes TEEs to achieve real-time proving initially, the long-term vision includes decentralization and permissionless access, with a potential future shift towards faster ZK-proving if it becomes more viable.
DappCon 25: The Ticker Is $ETH - Jerome de Tychey, Joshua Dávila & Nixorokish
Duration: 01:12:32
June 20, 2025
- The Ethereum Foundation's R&D section, now called "Protocol," underwent a recent restructuring, which included team dissolutions and personnel shifts, aiming for greater efficiency and ecosystem relevance.
- The panelists discussed the challenge of political associations with blockchain technology, particularly how attempts to align it with specific ideologies can be detrimental to its adoption and perceived neutrality.
- There's a need for improved UX in crypto wallets, particularly around key management, account abstraction, smarter on-ramps, and better scam protection, to increase usability and reduce risks for the average user.
Lombard: Unlocking Bitcoin DeFi Through Liquid, Yield-Bearing LBTC - Jacob Phillips
Duration: 01:11:09
June 16, 2025
- Jacob emphasizes that Bitcoin's culture is shifting towards expressivity, which is critical for its wider adoption and integration into DeFi.
- Lombard is evolving from a homogenous product to offering diversified Bitcoin primitives and security options to cater to various customer needs and preferences.
- Jacob believes that utility drives yield and that the development of liquid markets and applications is key to unlocking Bitcoin's full potential in decentralized finance.
Staking Rewards: Is Crypto Staking Killing Decentralisation? - Mirko Schmiedl & Tobias Jung
Duration: 00:54:55
June 6, 2025
- Bitcoin is viewed as an untapped resource with opportunities to unlock its utility through products that provide sustainable yield opportunities.
- The staking market, particularly for proof-of-stake networks, faces potential consolidation due to issues with incentivizing decentralization and diminishing profitability for smaller validators.
- The "restaking" narrative is deflating, with questions around the sustainability of yields and the need for projects to unlock new use cases beyond simply repurposing economic security.
ETHPrague: ETH Renaissance - Austin Griffith, Brenda Loya, Joseph Schweitzer, Marek Olszewski
Duration: 01:00:25
June 2, 2025
- The L2 ecosystem is primed for an application summer due to recent technical advancements and a renewed focus on interoperability.
- Despite earlier concerns, there is conviction that Ethereum's scalability roadmap positions it to become the settlement layer of the internet.
- Hackathons should evolve from "bingo" events to more serious founder support systems, including mentorship, seed funding, and introductions to potential co-founders.
The Multi-Chain Avalanche - Emin Gün Sirer
Duration: 00:31:52
May 26, 2025
- Avalanche's primary focus is on enhancing single-chain performance without sacrificing core crypto principles like verifiability.
- The Avalanche team sees a growing demand from Wall Street for permissioned, bespoke blockchain solutions that can handle regulated assets.
- A future where natural language can be used to program and interact with blockchains is a key area of research and excitement for the development team.
Initia: Incentively Aligned Appchains - Ezaan Mangalji, Anil Lulla & Jose Maria Macedo
Duration: 01:02:08
May 16, 2025
- App chains are gaining traction as a viable solution for large projects needing app-specific environments, with most now opting for L2s over L1s.
- Initia aims to solve Cosmos' shortcomings by providing app chains with essential infrastructure like wallets, explorers, and liquidity, alongside innovative economic incentives like the Initia VIP program.
- Initia leverages enshrined liquidity and VIP rewards allocated based on L2 activity and gauge votes to incentivize network participation and bootstrap a healthy, sustainable ecosystem.