Chain Reaction

Welcome to Chain Reaction, where we unpack and explain the latest in crypto news, drama and trends, breaking things down block by block for the crypto curious.

For our Thursday episode focused on major news topics this week, the crew broke down the latest blockchain happenings and volatility including SEC Chairman Gary Gensler’s open letter to the crypto industry which has web3 insiders fuming. 

We also covered:

• A new report into the financials behind crypto exchange FTX, detailing how the rising giant stacks up to top competitors while offering insight into why investors are giving it a private valuation that’s twice the size of Coinbase’s public market cap. We had a lot to unpack!
• The chaotic court proceedings around Celsius’s bankruptcy woes and how the crypto lender is lashing out at previous partners through legal action as the company looks to shift blame for the way things went down.

Tune in on Tuesday for an interview with the CEO of fast-rising NFT marketplace Magic Eden, which is doing its best to tackle OpenSea's domination of JPEG trading.

Chain Reaction comes out every Tuesday and Thursday at 12:00 p.m. PT, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts,  Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

Chain Reaction comes out every Thursday at 12:00 p.m. ET, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

Welcome back. This week while Lucas was out, Anita caught up with Devin Lewtan, cofounder and CEO of web3 media production studio Mad Realities. Mad Realities is the team behind “Proof of Love,” a dating show that allows its audience to vote and engage with its content using NFTs. Lewtan talked about how accidentally creating the viral Clubhouse show “NYU Girls Roasting Tech Guys” led her to launching a Paradigm and Paris Hilton-backed web3 startup. She also shared her insights on building community through web3 among people who might otherwise roll their eyes at that term.

Subscribe to the Chain Reaction newsletter to dive deeper: https://techcrunch.com/newsletters

Chain Reaction comes out every Thursday at 12:00 p.m. ET, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

Welcome back. This week, Jacquelyn and Anita ran the show while Lucas was out. We recapped a must-watch interview by Coinage with Do Kwon, the now-infamous founder of Terraform Labs whose algorithmic stablecoin de-pegged from the U.S. dollar, sending the crypto markets into chaos. This was Kwon’s first interview since the coin’s collapse in May, which wiped out some $60 billion in value. Is he remorseful? Aren’t the authorities after him? We got into all those questions and more.

We also discussed acquisition drama for the second week in a row, this time between Galaxy Digital and crypto custodian BitGo. Finally, we went through news of recent, highly secretive layoffs at Crypto.com as the exchange looks to expand its user base abroad.

Subscribe to the Chain Reaction newsletter to dive deeper: https://techcrunch.com/newsletters

Helpful links:
https://techcrunch.com/2022/06/16/cryptos-emphasis-on-community-could-lead-followers-off-a-cliff/
https://techcrunch.com/2022/05/25/terra-community-passes-proposal-to-revive-luna-cryptocurrency-following-stablecoin-led-implosion/
https://techcrunch.com/2022/07/27/ftx-ceo-leads-trustless-medias-seed-round-to-help-build-community-owned-web3-shows/
https://techcrunch.com/2022/08/15/galaxy-digital-calls-off-its-1-2-billion-acquisition-of-bitgo/

Chain Reaction comes out every Thursday at 12:00 p.m. ET, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

Welcome back, this week Anita and Lucas interviewed Li Jin, cofounder of crypto venture firm Variant, which just raised $450 million for its third fund. Jin, formerly a solo GP at Atelier Ventures, is known for developing an investment thesis around the “passion economy” that eventually led her down the rabbit hole of web3. A backer of companies such as Magic Eden and Mirror, Jin talked about the ethics behind onboarding cash-strapped creators into crypto, why she’s no longer a solo investor and how she balances new investments and supporting her existing portfolio companies through a downturn.

Subscribe to the Chain Reaction newsletter to dive deeper: https://techcrunch.com/newsletters

Helpful links:
https://techcrunch.com/2021/10/19/variant-debuts-a-new-110m-fund-for-crypto-startups-announces-li-jin-has-joined-as-a-general-partner/
https://techcrunch.com/2022/06/30/khaby-lame-crypto-binance-christiano-ronaldo/

Chain Reaction comes out every Thursday at 12:00 p.m. ET, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

Welcome back. This week, Jacquelyn and Anita ran the show while Lucas was off on vacation. We got up to speed on the U.S. government’s crackdown on cryptocurrency mixer Tornado Cash because of its role in facilitating money laundering. While it’s true that hackers have long used Tornado to fuel illicit activity, we tried to answer some bigger questions: what is a mixer in the first place, and what exactly would someone use one for if not crime?

This week’s episode comes just after Coinbase announced its long-awaited, ultimately disappointing second-quarter results, so we ran through the numbers and what they mean for the industry. We also talked about Binance and Indian exchange WazirX, which might never, ever, ever be getting back together.

Subscribe to the Chain Reaction newsletter to dive deeper: https://techcrunch.com/newsletters

Helpful links:
https://techcrunch.com/2022/08/08/ethereum-co-founder-sees-role-diminishing-as-blockchain-becomes-increasingly-decentralized/
https://techcrunch.com/2022/08/08/treasury-tornado-cash-laundering-stolen-crypto/
https://techcrunch.com/2022/08/09/coinbases-earnings-fall-short-of-expectations-as-crypto-winter-rages/
https://techcrunch.com/2022/08/06/binance-says-it-doesnt-own-indian-exchange-wazirx-years-after-acquisition-announcement/
https://techcrunch.com/2022/08/08/binance-tells-estranged-partner-wazirx-customers-to-move-funds-to-discontinue-off-chain-transfer/

Chain Reaction comes out every Thursday at 12:00 p.m. ET, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

Welcome back, this week Anita and Lucas interviewed MC Lader, COO of Uniswap Labs, the entity managing the world’s largest decentralized crypto exchange. A former managing director at asset management firm BlackRock, Lader explained how her management team oversees a fully decentralized protocol and shared her thoughts on the exchange’s future path to profitability.

Subscribe to the Chain Reaction newsletter to dive deeper: https://techcrunch.com/newsletters

Helpful links:
https://techcrunch.com/2022/06/21/uniswap-acquires-nft-marketplace-aggregator-genie/
https://techcrunch.com/2022/04/15/uniswap-labs-coo-says-mainstream-crypto-adoption-hinges-on-accessibility-and-ease/
https://techcrunch.com/2022/04/11/defi-giant-uniswap-launches-venture-arm-to-invest-in-other-crypto-companies/

Chain Reaction comes out every Thursday at 12:00 p.m. ET, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

Welcome back, this week Lucas and Anita welcome Jacquelyn Melinek as a new permanent co-host on Chain Reaction. They dove into the hot crypto topics of the week, including the $190 million draining of the Nomad bridge by both ‘black-hat’ and ‘white-hat’ hackers. They also discussed the widespread Solana wallet attack and a particularly deep round of layoffs at Robinhood.

You’ll notice something different about the show this week besides a new co-host -- we’re splitting up the news analysis and interview segment into different episodes! On Tuesdays you’ll hear us sit down with experts in the crypto space and on Thursdays, we’ll dive into the hottest web3 topics of the week. Catch us early next week for an interview with Uniswap COO MC Lader.

Subscribe to the Chain Reaction newsletter to dive deeper: https://techcrunch.com/newsletters

Helpful links:

• https://techcrunch.com/2022/08/03/solana-wallet-hack/
• https://techcrunch.com/2022/08/02/nomad-chaotic-exploit-crypto/
• https://techcrunch.com/2022/08/02/robinhood-23-layoff-vlad-tenev-responsibility-hiring/
• https://techcrunch.com/2022/07/27/the-outlook-is-getting-more-complicated-for-metas-virtual-reality-dreams/
• https://techcrunch.com/2022/08/03/upstreams-new-vault-could-help-nft-holders-sleep-at-night/
• https://techcrunch.com/2022/08/03/solanas-speedy-approach-to-crypto-is-attracting-developers-despite-hiccups/

Chain Reaction comes out every Thursday at 12:00 p.m. ET, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

Welcome back, this week Lucas and Anita dive into a conversation around Coinbase’s legal woes and the insider trading scandal surrounding an employee at the firm. We also discussed Elon Musk’s bitcoin sale and Minecraft’s ban of NFTs from its platform.

In their interview this week, Anita and Lucas interviewed David Nage. Nage is a portfolio manager at Arca where he makes early-stage bets on crypto startups. We talked about finding hot opportunities in seed stage crypto and then broke into a wide-ranging conversation on crypto regulation and what comes next.

Subscribe to the Chain Reaction newsletter to dive deeper: https://techcrunch.com/newsletters

Helpful links:
https://techcrunch.com/2022/07/25/crypto-valuations-may-sink-until-september-as-vcs-play-a-waiting-game/

https://techcrunch.com/2022/07/20/tesla-dumped-75-of-its-bitcoin-holdings/

https://techcrunch.com/2022/07/20/minecraft-says-no-f-ing-thanks-to-nfts/

https://techcrunch.com/2022/07/26/if-it-walks-like-a-dog-and-barks-like-a-dog-perhaps-its-actually-a-non-security-crypto-digital-asset/

Chain Reaction comes out every Thursday at 12:00 p.m. ET, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

Welcome back, this week Lucas and Anita dive into a conversation around OpenSea’s significant layoffs, how Binance is taking on Coinbase in a stateside battle royale and why the Bored Apes creators are trying to outdo Meta with their own metaverse.

In their interview this week, Lucas and Anita chat with Alexander Taub. Taub is the founder of DAO tooling startup Upstream which lets people spin up their own decentralized governance organizations. DAOs were the space to be this year, but how many of them will stick around through a crypto winter?

Subscribe to the Chain Reaction newsletter to dive deeper: https://techcrunch.com/newsletters

Helpful links:
https://techcrunch.com/2022/07/14/nft-marketplace-opensea-lays-off-20-percent-of-its-staff-we-have-entered-crypto-winter/

https://techcrunch.com/2022/07/14/crypto-us-market-as-coinbase-falters-binance-us-is-waiting-in-the-wings/

https://techcrunch.com/2022/07/19/bored-apes-founders-on-their-plans-for-otherside-metaverse/

https://techcrunch.com/2021/11/18/constitutiondaos-bold-crypto-bid-for-us-constitution-falls-short/

Chain Reaction comes out every Thursday at 12:00 p.m. ET, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

Welcome back, this week Lucas and Anita return to discuss the ultimate meme investing crossover episode with GameStop launching an NFT marketplace. We also break down this week’s latest drama with the liquidation of crypto hedge fund 3 Arrows Capital. It wasn’t all doom and gloom as we discussed some of the new crypto funds injecting fresh capital into the space.

In their interview this week, Lucas and Anita chat with Naveen Jain. Naveen is the founder of web3 startup Yat which lets people buy their own emoji URL. The marketplace saw some wildly expensive sales this year, but when can pricey emojis tell us about the future of identity?

Subscribe to the Chain Reaction newsletter to dive deeper: https://techcrunch.com/newsletters

Helpful links:
https://techcrunch.com/2021/07/30/yat-thinks-emoji-identities-can-be-a-thing-and-it-has-20m-in-sales-to-back-it-up/

https://techcrunch.com/2022/07/13/celsius-one-of-cryptos-biggest-lenders-files-for-bankruptcy/

https://techcrunch.com/2022/07/12/crypto-focused-multicoin-capital-launches-430m-venture-fund/

Chain Reaction comes out every Thursday at 12:00 p.m. ET, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.