Antonio Juliano, the founder of dYdX, joins us to discuss why dYdX is launching an appchain. dYdX has over $1T in exchange volume, 50%+ market share of onchain perps market, and is one of the few crypto products that's found a semblance of product-market fit. Despite this, dYdX is moving from Starkware (an Ethereum L2) to a Cosmos-based appchain, officially launching this month! In this episode, we cover why dYdX is launching an appchain, finding product-market fit, decentralization vs immutability, branding and distribution, why Antonio is now against horizontal integration and more!

- -

Timestamps

(00:00) introduction

(00:57) dYdX: Crypto’s Leading Perpetuals Exchange

(04:50) Why dYdX is Launching an Appchain

(17:07) Choosing the Right Tech Stack

(20:59) The L2 Landscape

(24:52) Jito Midroll

(25:57) Does Cosmos Have to Succeed for dYdX to Succeed?

(28:51) Decentralization and Immutability

(33:24) Why Should People Care About DeFi?

(39:10) The User-Generated Value Thesis

(43:55) What Antonio Has Learned as a Crypto Founder

(49:29) Committees Can't Make Big Bold Decisions

(55:30) Discovery and Branding

(57:09) Horizontal vs Vertical Integration

(01:01:13) Rapid Fire

- -

This episode is brought to you by Jito.

Jito is the easiest way to earn MEV rewards on Solana with liquid staking. Stake your SOL with Jito to start earning high yield powered by MEV and access instant liquidity through Jito’s liquid staking token JitoSOL so that you can use your staked assets across Solana DeFi. Visit jito.network to get started today!

- -

Follow Antonio: https://twitter.com/AntonioMJuliano

Follow Mert: https://twitter.com/0xMert_

Follow Garrett: https://twitter.com/GarrettHarper_

Follow Lightspeed: https://twitter.com/Lightspeedpodhq

Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/43o3Syk

Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3OhiXgV

Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3OkF7PD

Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/

- -

Resources

Jito

jito.network

dYdX

https://twitter.com/dYdX

https://dydx.exchange/

- - 

Disclaimers:

Lightspeed was kickstarted by a grant from the Solana Foundation.

Nothing said on Lightspeed is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Mert, Garrett and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.