This week, the one, the only, Ryan Sean Adams makes his return to the Weekly Rollup and crypto, after a 90-day crypto detox to find a radically changed landscape. Ryan and David break down crypto’s shifting cycle, what Ryan missed, and Bitcoin’s dramatic decoupling from equities as it earns a strategic reserve in the U.S. Treasury. Meanwhile, Ethereum faces an existential pivot as it tries to reclaim lost ground against Bitcoin and Solana. Plus, Zora sparks heated debate with “content coins” amid new regulatory wins—and new fears of political corruption. Did crypto lose its soul chasing mainstream adoption, or is this the messy price of progress? It’s an essential Weekly Rollup you can’t afford to miss.

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TIMESTAMPS & RESOURCES

0:00 Intro

0:47 Are we still in a bull market?

3:01 Ryan’s unplugging

5:35 Ryan’s last 90-days
https://x.com/ryansadams/status/1915115437505049055

24:50 Bankless’s choices moving forward
https://x.com/TrustlessState/status/1914312548897219006

32:58 Markets since Ryan’s break

40:35 Trump’s memecoin

48:31 Bitcoin Strategic Reserve

52:34 $LIBRA memecoin

1:03:29 Contentcoins, Zora, & Jesse

1:16:39 Ethereum pivot & Bitcoin decoupling

1:18:18 Closing & Disclaimers

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Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here:
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In this episode, we unpack Paradigm’s groundbreaking 2025 report, “TradFi Tomorrow: DeFi and the Rise of Extensible Finance,” with Paradigm’s Dan Robinson and Justin Slaughter.

We explore the stunning stat that 66% of traditional financial institutions are actively engaged with DeFi—and what that really means. From tokenization and stablecoins to regulatory clarity and decentralized exchanges, this conversation dives deep into how Wall Street is already integrating with crypto.

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0:00 Intro

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Paradigm Report

Dan Robinson

Justin Slaughter

Paradigm

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Jon Charbonneau and Bread join David Hoffman to unpack Ethereum’s pivotal moment—facing tough choices to re-focus on its Layer 1.

They break down Ethereum’s shift back toward prioritizing L1 growth, the delicate dance between Layer 1 and Layer 2 strategies, and why Ethereum must reclaim DeFi as its core strength. The conversation also explores the nuanced dynamics between Ethereum’s cultural vision and technical roadmap, how Layer 2s fit into Ethereum’s evolving ecosystem, and what this strategic recalibration means for Ethereum's future in a competitive crypto landscape.

Jon Charbonneau: https://x.com/jon_charb
Bread: https://x.com/0xBreadguy

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TIMESTAMPS & RESOURCES

0:00 Intro

5:28 Jon & Bread’s reaction to the Dankrad/Angsar episode
https://www.bankless.com/podcast/ethereums-strategic-pivot-ansgar-dankrad-mike-ippolito
https://x.com/TrustlessState/status/1914402754891559253
https://x.com/TrustlessState/status/1914330497905299790

27:56 Unichain or Ethereum L1 is DeFi?
https://x.com/TrustlessState/status/1913633500206428201

35:07 Making the L1 competitive while keeping L2s happy

44:38 L2s Parasitic?

48:49 Bitcoin Roadmap Bread vs. Jon

57:09 Decline of the ETH price & all asset prices overpriced?

1:05:02 ETH/BTC growth slowdown reason

1:13:35 The politics side of the conversation

1:19:05 What Bread & Jon are excited about

1:26:49 Closing & Disclaimers

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Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here:
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Ethereum Foundation researchers Dankrad Feist and Ansgar Dietrichs join David Hoffman and Michael Ippolito to discuss Ethereum’s identity crisis—and how it’s turning the ship around.

They break down Ethereum’s cultural and organizational challenges, the pivot toward L1 growth, and the evolving role of the Ethereum Foundation under new leadership. The conversation covers the future of base and native rollups, L2 alignment, and why Ethereum’s unique values still matter in a competitive landscape.

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TIMESTAMPS

00:00:00 Intro
00:05:42 Top Problems with Ethereum
00:12:33 Lack of Growth in Ethereum Layer 1
00:27:49 Ethereum’s Roadmap Dilemma
00:38:08 Layer 1 Scaling Progress
00:39:08 Ethereum L1’s Value Proposition to L2s
00:48:44 Base and Native Rollups Explained
00:57:25 Canonical EVM in a Rollup World
01:01:26 Vitalik’s Vision for L1 Scaling
01:05:59 ZK Scaling Becomes Real
01:08:12 Fast Block Times and DeFi
01:16:59 The Evolving Ethereum Core Culture
01:22:38 Other Interesting Changes
01:26:41 Ethereum’s Direction Feels Different Now
01:30:09 Closing and Disclosure

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RESOURCES

Dankrad Feist
https://x.com/dankrad

Ansgar Dietrichs
https://x.com/adietrichs

Mike Ippolito
https://x.com/MikeIppolito_

------
Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here:
https://www.bankless.com/disclosures⁠

This week, Bread joins David to unpack Ethereum’s surprising pivot back to Layer 1, as insiders push for a more pragmatic roadmap and faster block times. MegaETH’s 10ms testnet drops jaws and breaks dApps, while WalletConnect shocks the industry with a late-stage token launch. Meanwhile, Base stirs chaos with its “content coins,” OHM crashes $6B in hours, and Solana’s token wars heat up. Is Ethereum finally finding its focus — or just reacting to the noise? It’s a jam-packed Weekly Rollup you don’t want to miss.

Bread: https://x.com/0xBreadguy
MegaETH: https://x.com/megaeth_labs
Modern Market: https://x.com/modernmarket_

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TIMESTAMPS & RESOURCES

0:00 Intro
1:20 Bread’s Arc
3:17 MegaETH & Testnet
8:46 Noise
13:31 Wen MegaETH Mainnet?
16:59 Ethereum Strategic Pivot?
39:25 Base Tokenized Content Drama
49:59 $OM Mantra Token Dump
59:28 Raydium’s LaunchLab
1:03:38 Bread’s Upcoming Excitement
1:04:31 Closing & Disclaimers

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Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here:
https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

OpenAI just rocked the week with a groundbreaking memory update, sparking debate over whether “soul data” is the real moat in AI. Google fires back with its Agent‑to‑Agent protocol and a Cursor‑killer. We riff on 1,000 AI agents unleashed in Minecraft, labs turning pets into humans, and how Dolphin AI somehow beat GTA 6 to market. Buckle up as David, Ejaaz, and Josh roll through the top five stories shaping the AI‑crypto frontier and what they mean for builders, traders, and the future of intelligence.

David: https://x.com/TrustlessState
Ejaaz: https://x.com/cryptopunk7213
Josh: https://x.com/Josh_Kale

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------
TIMESTAMPS & RESOURCES

00:00:00 OpenAI’s HUGE Announcement

https://x.com/openai/status/1910378774727623024?s=46

https://x.com/cryptopunk7213/status/1910728919113736380

00:10:23 The Final Data Set

https://x.com/theannagat/status/1912209931073433907?s=46

https://x.com/nearcyan/status/1910796767626686951?s=46
https://x.com/dbarabander/status/1910402182589145411

00:16:10 Falling In Love With AI

https://www.instagram.com/p/DHwWc6RiH2P/

00:23:05 Open AI To Replace Apple

00:31:10 The All Knowing Intelligence

00:37:12 Agents Overtake Minecraft

https://x.com/kimmonismus/status/1912415676331168147?s=46

00:44:50 Pets As Humans?

https://x.com/venturetwins/status/1911113662607315035

00:46:18 We Can Talk To Dolphins

https://blog.google/technology/ai/dolphingemma/

00:48:33 Google Agent To Agent

https://x.com/omarsar0/status/1909977142311690320?s=46

https://x.com/i/status/1912123283954389172

01:00:01 GPT 4.1

https://x.com/_mohansolo/status/1911843179898540311

https://x.com/openrouterai/status/1911803671878173114?s=46

https://x.com/kimmonismus/status/1912434791779017083?s=46

01:09:17 A New Model Architecture

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Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here:
https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

Donald Trump is attempting something no leader has done before—unwind the global economic order.

In this episode, Financial Times columnist and CNN analyst Rana Foroohar joins us to unpack Trump’s economic strategy, the unraveling of Bretton Woods, and whether America is becoming an emerging market.

From soaring bond yields to declining dollar strength, we explore what markets are signaling, how business leaders are reacting, and why this may mark the end of the neoliberal era.

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TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Intro

4:20 Trump Unwinding Global Order?

13:39 Emerging Market Paradigm

21:51 All-In Debate

26:22 Manufacturing Jobs

31:55 Trump Vibe Based President?

35:41 90-Day Tariff Pause Signal

38:41 Centralizing U.S. Supply Chain

40:54 Where Rana Finds Signal & Crypto

45:16 Closing & Disclaimers

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RESOURCES

Rana Foroohar

https://x.com/RanaForoohar

America the Unstable

https://www.ft.com/content/e7a0af16-6ecf-4e04-8fa3-4de5646e8d58

The Great Tariff Debate with David Sacks, Larry Summers, and Ezra Klein

https://youtu.be/KcmMOZKnKAk?si=52ZULN6T_xyirh23

Stephen Miran’s A User's Guide to Restructuring the Global Trading System

https://x.com/SteveMiran/status/1856745675943207362

------

Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here:

https://www.bankless.com/disclosures⁠

Stablecoins are no longer a niche crypto curiosity—they're a full-blown financial revolution.

In this episode, Rob Hadick, General Partner at Dragonfly, joins us to unpack the emerging stablecoin tech stack and why cross-border payments, savings, and financial infrastructure are being rebuilt from the ground up.

From Circle and Tether to next-gen orchestration layers and stablecoin-native blockchains, we explore why this $200 trillion global opportunity is only 5% unlocked—and who stands to win the most.

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TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Intro

5:08 Why Stablecoins?

6:50 The Stablecoin Train

20:26 Stablecoin Network Effects

22:55 Stablecoin Payments: Who Actually Wins?

26:51 Orchestration Layers

41:53 Stablecoin Blockchains

52:53 Stablecoin Singularity

56:03 Traditional Banks

59:38 Non-USD Stablecoins

1:02:05 How Many Stablecoins?

1:05:03 Circle IPO

1:09:32 Closing & Disclaimers

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RESOURCES

Rob Hadick

https://x.com/hadickm

Stablecoin Payments: Who Actually Wins?

https://medium.com/@HadickM/stablecoin-payments-who-actually-wins-ebd72a1cc8b3

------

Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here:

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This week, Haseeb Qureshi joins us to break down Trump’s explosive new tariffs that rocked global markets and triggered a full-blown trade war with China. Stocks whipsawed, recession odds spiked, and the world scrambled to the negotiation table — except China. Was it 3D chess or policy chaos? Plus, we explore the ripple effects on crypto markets, investor sentiment, and what this all means for the future of U.S. economic leadership. It's a jam-packed Weekly Rollup you don't want to miss.

Follow Haseeb on X:
https://x.com/hosseeb 

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TIMESTAMPS & RESOURCES

0:00 Intro

0:44 What has happened since Liberation Day?
https://x.com/tier10k/status/1910020421870637132
https://x.com/Birdyword/status/1910364014825070652
https://polymarket.com/event/us-recession-in-2025

31:17 Inflation 
https://x.com/intocryptoverse/status/1910311058222227586

41:49 Paul Atkins confirmed as the new SEC chair
https://x.com/Cointelegraph/status/1910117967230300613

45:43 ETH/BTC Ratio & Crypto VC Funding 
https://x.com/pet3rpan_/status/1910345673288958052

58:36 MegaETH released its testnet
https://x.com/megaeth_labs/status/1903099481874153880
https://x.com/0xBreadguy/status/1909619744455741709

1:03:05 Closing & Disclosures 

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Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here:
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Welcome to the AI Rollup, your weekly ride through the fast-paced world of artificial intelligence! This week, we’re joined by frontier tech enthusiast Josh Kale to unpack the drama around Meta’s controversial launch of Llama 4, scrutinized for potentially overstating its capabilities. We dive into “AI 2027,” a provocative roadmap predicting espionage, geopolitical turmoil, and runaway intelligence, and explore Shopify’s bold move making AI usage mandatory for employees. Plus, we cover Claude Education’s groundbreaking efforts to boost student performance with tailored AI tutors and a16z’s massive $20 billion AI startup fund aiming to shape the industry’s next era.

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------

TIMESTAMPS & RESOURCES

00:00:00 AI Generated Tarriff’s

00:03:58 Meta’s Huge New LLAMA 4 Announcement

https://x.com/ahmad_al_dahle/status/1908595680828154198?s=46

https://x.com/alexocheema/status/1908651942777397737?s=46

00:11:54 Did Meta Cheat?

https://x.com/Yuchenj_UW/status/1909061004207816960

https://x.com/andrewallenxo/status/1909143884321481157

https://x.com/ahmad_al_dahle/status/1909302532306092107?s=46

https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/4mvphwx5pdsZLMmpY/recent-ai-model-progress-feels-mostly-like-bullshit

00:20:45 AGI Is Coming in 2027

https://ai-2027.com/

https://situational-awareness.ai/

00:28:02 What Happens After AGI

https://ai-2027.com/

https://situational-awareness.ai/

00:39:58 Shopify And The Employment Crisis

https://x.com/tobi/status/1909251946235437514

00:48:34 The Future Of Education

https://www.anthropic.com/news/introducing-claude-for-education

https://x.com/jowettbrendan/status/1907695965726978184

https://x.com/cryptopunk7213/status/1907969387958513727

https://x.com/itsPaulAi/status/1907122207136137368

https://www.foxnews.com/media/texas-private-schools-use-ai-tutor-rockets-student-test-scores-top-2-country

00:59:55 How Much Does AI Know About You

01:04:58 A16Z’s $30B Fund

https://x.com/tkexpress11/status/1909626333711548526

https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/andreessen-horowitz-seeks-raise-20-billion-megafund-amid-global-interest-us-ai-2025-04-08/

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Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here:

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