Carpe Consensus

Insights into the realities of hiring during a bear market.

The 2022 bear market has left many of the industry’s workers in the cold of crypto winter as rounds of layoffs are continually announced. Today’s episode explores a recruiter’s perspective of hiring in a bear market.

Dani Schlarmann, senior recruiter at Ava Labs, joins “Opinionated” hosts Ben Schiller, Danny Nelson and Anna Baydakova to discuss trends in the recruiting space throughout the market downturn. Plus: Schlarmann tells the hosts some of his experiences of the early days of the industry.

This show is produced and edited by Eleanor Pahl with additional production support and announcements by Michele Musso. Our theme song is by Elision.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

NFTs brought culture to crypto. But with floor prices dropping, are crypto and culture doomed to remain separate?

“Opinionated” hosts Ben Schiller, Danny Nelson and Anna Baydakova break down CoinDesk contributing writer Jeff Wilser’s article “Investing in Web3: Culture and Entertainment,” which categorizes potential investment opportunities in crypto. The hosts debate how the biggest culture-focused crypto projects – non-fungible tokens, decentralized autonomous organizations, gaming, sports and more – have fared to date, and how they might take off or fizzle out in the future.

This show is produced and edited by Eleanor Pahl with additional production support and announcements by Michele Musso. Our theme song is by Elision.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Details on the SEC’s million-dollar fine for the influencer’s promotion of a token without disclosing payment.

Celebrities regularly accept promotional deals, hyping products from swimsuits to weight loss tea on social media to their hordes of followers. Trouble arrived when a crypto token deemed by regulators a security entered the mix.

“Opinionated” hosts Ben Schiller, Danny Nelson and Anna Baydakova are joined by writer and Assistant Opinion Editor Daniel Kuhn to dissect the bull market trend of celebrity crypto endorsements, and particularly Kim Kardashian’s shilling of the ethereumMax token. 

Kardashian was fined $1.26 million this week by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for her promotion of a security without disclosing the payment she received in return. Was Kardashian an unlucky scapegoat, or is this penalty a harbinger of broader enforcement action to come?

See also:

• What Is EthereumMax? Inside the Crypto Kim Kardashian Lost $1.2M Promoting 
• Kim Kardashian, EthereumMax and the SEC's Publicity Grab

I.D.E.A.S. 2022 by CoinDesk is the place to see your idea for the next big thing through – meet with leading investors, vet service providers and meet fellow visionaries. Learn more and apply to become a presenter today: coindesk.com/ideas

This show is produced and edited by Eleanor Pahl with additional production support and announcements by Michele Musso. Our theme song is by Elision.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The latest in Craig Wright’s series of lawsuits against those who question that he is Satoshi Nakomoto.

The identity of Satoshi Nakomoto, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, has been an ongoing mystery since the figure’s retreat from the public eye over a decade ago. Australian computer scientist Craig Wright has asserted he is Satoshi, and has fought those who say otherwise in courts around the world. Few in the crypto community believe his claim. 

Cheyenne Ligon, CoinDesk regulatory reporter, joins “Opinionated” hosts Ben Schiller, Danny Nelson and Anna Baydakova to discuss the latest lawsuit involving Craig Wright, this time in Norway. The group assesses new, and at times dubious, evidence put forth by Wright’s lawyers. After many unsuccessful attempts, does Wright still believe he can convince the world he is Satoshi?

I.D.E.A.S. 2022 by CoinDesk is the place to see your idea for the next big thing through – meet with leading investors, vet service providers and meet fellow visionaries. Learn more and apply to become a presenter today: coindesk.com/ideas

This show is produced and edited by Eleanor Pahl with additional production support and announcements by Michele Musso. Our theme song is by Elision.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A discussion on the future of layer 2 blockchains in a post-Merge era.

Ethereum’s long-awaited Merge, the transition from a proof-of-work to a proof-of-stake consensus mechanism, successfully occurred last week.

“Opinionated” hosts Ben Schiller and Danny Nelson look to the future on this week’s episode with a discussion about the Merge’s impact on decentralization, Ethereum adoption, energy consumption and planned network updates with StarkWare co-founders Eli Ben-Sasson and Uri Kolodny. The guests provide insights from their perspective as longtime developers in the Ethereum ecosystem.

I.D.E.A.S. 2022 by CoinDesk is the place to see your idea for the next big thing through – meet with leading investors, vet service providers and meet fellow visionaries. Learn more and apply to become a presenter today: coindesk.com/ideas

This show is produced and edited by Eleanor Pahl with additional production support and announcements by Michele Musso. Our theme song is by Elision.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Is crypto still bullish on play-to-earn?

Play-to-earn cryptocurrency game Axie Infinity skyrocketed in popularity in 2020, with many of the newly onboarded users residing in the Philippines and Venezuela. The game provided a unique – though ultimately temporary – economic model that allowed users to earn an income while at home in lockdown.

In the time since then, Axie suffered an exploit ultimately attributed to the North Korean Lazarus group and its users dropped off as the game lost its early profitability.

CoinDesk columnist Leah Callon-Butler joins “Opinionated” hosts Ben Schiller, Danny Nelson and Anna Baydakova to chart Axie’s recovery and predict what the future of the game might look like. Will the play-to-earn model continue in the years to come, or will it fall off as a short-lived experiment?

I.D.E.A.S. 2022 by CoinDesk is the place to see your idea for the next big thing through – meet with leading investors, vet service providers and meet fellow visionaries. Learn more and apply to become a presenter today: coindesk.com/ideas

This show is produced and edited by Eleanor Pahl with additional production support and announcements by Michele Musso. Our theme song is by Elision.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What happens when a crypto bro walks into a Wall Street bar?

CoinDesk reporter Cameron Thompson’s piece, “A Crypto Bro Walked Into a Wall Street Bar, and It Went Just Fine,” details the physical intermingling of both crypto and traditional finance (TradFi) industry professionals at a networking event.

Thompson joins “Opinionated” hosts Ben Schiller and Danny Nelson as the trio discuss the ways in which crypto culture differs from the rules of the traditional financial world, often by design. As institutional adoption of crypto continues, will the two industries’ cultures begin to merge together?

I.D.E.A.S. 2022 by CoinDesk is the place to see your idea for the next big thing through – meet with leading investors, vet service providers and meet fellow visionaries. Learn more and apply to become a presenter today: coindesk.com/ideas

This show is produced and edited by Eleanor Pahl with additional production support and announcements by Michele Musso. Our theme song is by Elision.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Crass Kitty, founder of adult content platform Proof of Peach, describes how Web3 tools can make porn creation and consumption more ethical.

For CoinDesk’s Sin Week, “Opinionated” explores where the crypto and sex work industries intersect.

Crass Kitty joins “Opinionated” hosts Ben Schiller, Danny Nelson and Anna Baydakova to discuss the intersection of porn and crypto. Kitty’s newly launched site Proof of Peach takes advantage of Web3 tools and blockchain technology to create a more fair, safe and ethical platform for sex workers to publish their content. 

I.D.E.A.S. 2022 by CoinDesk is the place to see your idea for the next big thing through – meet with leading investors, vet service providers and meet fellow visionaries. Learn more and apply to become a presenter today: coindesk.com/ideas

This show is produced and edited by Eleanor Pahl with additional production support and announcements by Michele Musso. Our theme song is by Elision.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Open source development, free speech and privacy are all under fire with the arrest of an alleged Tornado Cash developer. Plus: interviews from the #FreeAlex protest.

“The message you got from U.S. authorities is, if your privacy-enhancing tool as a side issue also enables money laundering, then we’d rather not have it.”

Jack Schickler, regulatory reporter at CoinDesk, joins “Opinionated” hosts Ben Schiller, Danny Nelson and Anna Baydakova to discuss the developing story of cryptocurrency mixer Tornado Cash. Earlier this month, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned the Tornado Cash protocol for its use by North Korean hackers to launder stolen funds. Two days later, an alleged Tornado Cash developer, Alexey Pertsev, was arrested in the Netherlands.

The local decentralized finance (DeFi) community gathered to draw attention to Pertsev’s case and ensure a fair trial. Schickler captured interviews from some of the attendees of the protest, many expressing concerns about the implications of Pertsev’s arrest to the right of privacy and the future of open source development. Listen to hear the voices of Buzko Krasnov, Eléonore Blanc, Naomi Schettini, James Murdza, Rinke and two individuals who wished to remain anonymous.

Schickler also wrote a follow-up after a closed-door hearing in Pertsev’s case.

I.D.E.A.S. 2022 by CoinDesk is the place to see your idea for the next big thing through – meet with leading investors, vet service providers and meet fellow visionaries. Learn more and apply to become a presenter today: coindesk.com/ideas

This show is produced and edited by Eleanor Pahl with additional production support and announcements by Michele Musso. Our theme song is by Elision.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

After debate about the role of politics in the workplace erupted surrounding cryptocurrency exchange Kraken, CEO Jesse Powell offered a severance package to employees who weren’t ready to leave politics at the door. More than a month after the offer, less than 1% of employees have accepted.

“Opinionated” hosts Ben Schiller, Danny Nelson and Anna Baydakova are joined by CoinDesk reporter Cheyenne Ligon to discuss her piece “In Crypto Winter, Jesse Powell’s Pirate-King Leadership Style Might Be the New Normal” detailing the workplace culture war waging at Kraken, and how a crypto winter might be altering employees’ decisions. Are Kraken’s new standards for workplace culture going to become standard across the crypto industry?

I.D.E.A.S. 2022 by CoinDesk is the place to see your idea for the next big thing through – meet with leading investors, vet service providers and meet fellow visionaries. Learn more and apply to become a presenter today: coindesk.com/ideas

This show is produced and edited by Eleanor Pahl with additional production support and announcements by Michele Musso. Our theme song is by Elision.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.