Layer One

By The Block

The Layer One podcast, created in collaboration with Avalanche, features co-hosts Kelvin Sparks and John Wu as they unpack the real forces driving the crypto market forward.

Through candid conversat... more

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FAQs about Layer One:

How many episodes does Layer One have?

The podcast currently has 15 episodes available.

Layer One episodes:

January 27, 2026 "From Sand to Stone: Two GCs on the New Legal Foundation Shaping Crypto's Future"
In episode five of Layer One, The Block's Kelvin Sparks and Hypha Founder Steven Gates were joined by Ava Labs General Counsel Lee Schneider and Plume General Counsel Salman Benaei, to discuss how the Senate bill turns crypto's legal foundation from sand to stone, and what that means for the next generation of builders.

OUTLINE
00:00 - Introduction
01:28 - Salman's Path: CFTC to Crypto
05:52 - Lee on Token Sales & Legal Structures
08:17 - RWA Rights & Disclosures
12:26 - What Buyers Should Care About
15:15 - Pre-IPO Tokenized Shares
18:49 - The Governance Token Question
22:03 - The Decentralization Test Debate
28:13 - What Clarity Means for Builders
36:41 - TradFi's Crypto Play
44:31 - Open vs Closed Networks
51:20 - Outro

Host/Guest links:
Salman Banaei - https://x.com/banamlas
Lee Schneider - https://x.com/leelaughs5x
Steven Gates - ⁠⁠twitter.com/stvngts⁠⁠
Kelvin Sparks - ⁠⁠twitter.com/imyoungsparks⁠⁠
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...more
52min
January 20, 2026 Building AI-Native Blockchain Infrastructure with Kite AI's BD Chief Lei Lei
In episode four of Layer One, The Block's Kelvin Sparks and Hypha Founder Steven Gates were joined by Kite AI's Head of Business Development and Strategy, Lei Lei, to discuss why AI agents need dedicated blockchain infrastructure rather than general purpose blockchains. The trio also touch on the recent hype around Claude Code, why enterprise giants are panicking about AI disruption, and how the X-402 payments protocol did $600M in volume last year.

OUTLINE
00:00 - Introduction
01:13 - Claude Code
04:26 - Why Avalanche
09:40 - X-402 Explained
13:01 - General Purpose Chains
19:37 - Swarms Gone Rogue
26:53 - Crypto-Native Enterprises?
30:03 - $600M & Counting
37:04 - Big Name Backers
42:07 - Winners & Losers
47:30 - Outro

Host/Guest links:
Lei Lei - https://x.com/lei_lei0904
⁠KiteAI - ⁠https://x.com/GoKiteAI
Steven Gates - ⁠twitter.com/stvngts⁠
Kelvin Sparks - ⁠twitter.com/imyoungsparks⁠
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Subscribe to The Block's Newsletters!
🚨 Breaking News
👨‍🔬 Expert Analysis
📈 Market Insights
Subscribe now 👉 ⁠https://www.theblock.co/newsletters⁠

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hiring in crypto?
🧠 Find top talent fast with Campus, powered by The Block!
✅ Challenge candidates with our Crypto Assessment Test
⚡ Hire faster, build stronger teamsStart your free trial today
👉 ⁠https://theblock.co/campus
...more
49min
January 16, 2026 Jason DeSimone on The Arena's revival and the future of SocialFi
In episode three of Layer One, The Block's Kelvin Sparks and Hypha Founder Steven Gates were joined by The Arena CEO Jason DeSimone to discuss the platform’s revival and two-year growth, creator monetization via ticket rails, and the future of SocialFi, M&A, and AI-driven content.

Host/Guest links:
Jason DeSimone - x.com/jasonmdesimone
The Arena - x.com/TheArena
Steven Gates - twitter.com/stvngts
Kelvin Sparks - twitter.com/imyoungsparks
OUTLINE
00:00 - Introduction
02:03 - Arena’s Takeover Story
07:08 - Lessons from SocialFi Craze
09:39 - Arena’s Feature Stack
12:13 - Tickets, Identity, Monetization
15:49 - Arena’s Growth Strategy
19:20 - Competing with SocialFi Rivals
24:42 - Community, Culture, Moats
31:24 - Tokens, Equity, Exits
40:07 - AI Agents and SocialFi’s Future
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Subscribe to The Block's Newsletters!
🚨 Breaking News
👨‍🔬 Expert Analysis
📈 Market Insights
Subscribe now 👉 https://www.theblock.co/newsletters

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hiring in crypto?
🧠 Find top talent fast with Campus, powered by The Block!
✅ Challenge candidates with our Crypto Assessment Test
⚡ Hire faster, build stronger teamsStart your free trial today
👉 https://theblock.co/campus
...more
1h 1min
December 11, 2025 Anthony Scaramucci on tokenizing Wall Street and why it's '1998 for Crypto'
In episode two of Layer One, The Block’s Kelvin Sparks and Hypha Founder Steven Gates, were joined by guest co-host and Ava Labs President John Wu, and Skybridge Founder and Managing Partner, Anthony Scaramucci to discuss we are in the crypto cycle, how Avalanche is positioned to facilitate institutional adoption, and how upcoming U.S. regulation like the Clarity Act could unlock the next wave of onchain finance.

Host/Guest links:
Anthony Scaramucci - https://x.com/Scaramucci
John Wu - https://x.com/John1wu
Steven Gates - https://x.com/stvngts
Kelvin Sparks - https://x.com/imyoungsparks
OUTLINE
00:00 - Introduction
01:05 - Scaramucci’s Background
04:25 - FTX, Abu Dhabi & Leadership Lessons
08:58 - Why Avalanche Wins Institutions
12:24 - Project Crypto, Policy & Partisanship
17:04 - The Clarity Act & Tokenization Boom
25:39 - Stablecoins vs Traditional Payments
32:24 - DeFi, RWAs & Liquidity
47:23 - Where We Are in the Cycle
49:41 - Fed, Macro Outlook & Closing
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Subscribe to The Block's Newsletters!
🚨 Breaking News
👨‍🔬 Expert Analysis
📈 Market Insights
Subscribe now 👉 https://www.theblock.co/newsletters

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hiring in crypto?
🧠 Find top talent fast with Campus, powered by The Block!
✅ Challenge candidates with our Crypto Assessment Test
⚡ Hire faster, build stronger teamsStart your free trial today
👉 https://theblock.co/campus
...more
1h 10min
November 20, 2025 Introducing Layer One: Poker Logic Meets Crypto Reality
The Block is proud to introduce our newest podcast: Layer One — created in collaboration with Avalanche.
Hosted by The Block’s Kelvin Sparks and Hypha Founder Steven Gates, Layer One explores the people, ideas, and technologies shaping the future of crypto.
In this inaugural episode, Kelvin and Steven are joined by Haseeb Qureshi, Managing Partner at Dragonfly, and Sean Lippel, General Partner at Fintech Collective.
Together, our dive into their origins in the world of poker — and how the decision-making frameworks, risk management skills, and psychological insights they developed at the table carry over into crypto, trading, and investing.

Host/Guest links:
Haseeb Qureshi - https://x.com/hosseeb
Sean Lippel - https://x.com/seanlippel
Steven Gates - https://x.com/stvngts
Kelvin Sparks - https://x.com/imyoungsparks
OUTLINE
00:00 Introduction
1:07 Poker-to-Crypto Pipeline
5:36 Biggest Risks & Bad Beats
11:38 Poker Brains, VC Games
17:08 Reading the Market Regime
21:54 Betting on 2029
25:09 DeFi Growing Pains
31:44 Institutions Meet DeFi
37:17 Stablecoins, RWAs, Alts
46:13 DATs, Staking & Yield
54:47 The Avalanche Thesis
1:00:44 Vertically Integrated Moments
1:06:52 Pump.Fun & Sign-Off
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Subscribe to The Block's Newsletters!
🚨 Breaking News
👨‍🔬 Expert Analysis
📈 Market Insights
Subscribe now 👉 https://www.theblock.co/newsletters

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hiring in crypto?
🧠 Find top talent fast with Campus, powered by The Block!
✅ Challenge candidates with our Crypto Assessment Test
⚡ Hire faster, build stronger teamsStart your free trial today
👉 https://theblock.co/campus
...more
1h 10min

FAQs about Layer One:

How many episodes does Layer One have?

The podcast currently has 15 episodes available.