In this episode, ARK’s Cathie Wood and Brett Winton speak with Bryan Pellegrino and Simon Baksys of LayerZero, a leading interoperability protocol aiming to unify fragmented blockchain environments. The conversation covers LayerZero’s origins, the evolving landscape of crypto infrastructure, and the expanding role of stablecoins and tokenized assets. Bryan shares his personal journey from professional poker to crypto entrepreneur, and how LayerZero emerged from a need for seamless cross-chain communication.

Together, they explore the trade-offs in blockchain scaling, institutional adoption of crypto, and how LayerZero could power a future shaped by AI agents and global, permissionless finance.

Key Points From This Episode:

 

(00:02:55) Bryan Pellegrino’s path from poker to crypto infrastructure

(00:06:31) Why interoperability is critical in a multi-chain world

(00:10:36) Institutional adoption and the trade-offs in decentralization

(00:13:09) The rise of Layer 2s and the compromises in blockchain scalability

(00:16:34) The future of chain proliferation vs. reconsolidation

(00:23:22) How LayerZero works from a user perspective

(00:31:43) Winning market share and competitive dynamics in bridging

(00:43:13) AI x Blockchain: Enabling agentic commerce and microtransactions

(00:49:34) Stablecoins as bottom-up globalization and financial empowerment

(00:54:04) How LayerZero is becoming the default stablecoin infrastructure

(01:02:57) Final thoughts: Stablecoins, tokenization, and AI agents converging

Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)