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Trump’s new wave of tariffs has reignited the debate: Are they good for the economy or a disaster waiting to happen? Some say tariffs will crush trade, boost inflation, and slow growth—but others argue they could weaken the dollar and send bitcoin soaring.
On this episode of Bits + Bips, Jeff Park of Bitwise, along with James Seyffart, Alex Kruger and Noelle Acheson, battle it out over the real impact of Trump’s tariffs, whether they could spark a new Plaza Accord 2.0, and why ETH took a harder hit than BTC in the latest selloff.
Plus, is Trump’s economic strategy really about making America great again—or just about keeping his own real estate empire afloat? Jeff makes a bold claim outlining Trump’s #1 goal—one that his personal wealth depends on.
Show highlights:Guest:
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Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pods, Fountain, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.
The success of any blockchain isn’t just about scalability, security, or decentralization—it’s about attracting developers. The easier it is to build, the more innovation happens. Or at least, that’s the thesis of Movement Labs co-founder Rushi Manche and Olaf Carlson-Wee, CEO of Polychain Capital.
In this episode of Unchained, Rushi explains why Move, originally developed by Meta, is a fundamentally better programming language for crypto than the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM). He breaks down how Move’s unique approach to security and asset management improves developer experience and why the Movement Network is bringing Move to Ethereum as a layer 2 solution.
Olaf shares his thoughts on how alternative programming environments like Move could challenge the dominance of the EVM, why Ethereum is at a critical moment, and how AI-powered financial agents could change how investments work.
Show highlights:Visit our website for breaking news, analysis, op-eds, articles to learn about crypto, and much more: unchainedcrypto.com
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Welcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Tarun Chitra, and Robert Leshner chop it up about the latest in crypto. In this episode, we dive into Ethereum’s growing identity crisis as frustration mounts over the Ethereum Foundation’s leadership, vision, and sluggish innovation. Is Ethereum losing its edge while Solana, Base, and Tron take over? We also break down the Second Foundation drama, discuss Justin Sun’s wild L2 taxation proposal, and debate whether Ethereum needs a CTO-style overhaul to stay competitive. Plus, Vitalik Buterin’s unexpected embrace of the Milady NFT movement and what Gary Gensler’s exit from the SEC means for the future of crypto regulation.
Show highlights
🔹 Ethereum Civil War? The Ethereum Foundation (EF) faces internal and external backlash as Vitalik defends its “WEF soy boy” ethos. Critics call for leadership changes, faster innovation, and a more aggressive growth strategy.
🔹 Second Foundation Fakeout: Rumors spread that Lido’s founder was launching a rival EF, briefly pumping ETH before being debunked. The buzz reignites calls for governance changes.
🔹 L2 Taxation Debate: Justin Sun proposes a 5B ETH tariff on rollups to fund buybacks, sparking debates on Ethereum’s fragmented ecosystem and lack of value accrual.
🔹 Vitalik Goes Milady: Ethereum’s co-founder embraces the Milady NFT subculture, changes his profile pic, and adopts the meme’s signature sign-off, fueling speculation about crypto’s shifting cultural landscape.
🔹 Ethereum’s Identity Crisis: With Solana, Base, and Tron dominating user adoption, is Ethereum too slow and academic to compete? Calls for an Ethereum “CTO” or more centralized execution grow louder.
🔹 Gensler’s Next Move: Gary Gensler exits the SEC and returns to MIT to teach AI & finance. Crypto celebrates his departure, while an AI-generated rap video mocks his legacy.
Hosts⭐️Haseeb Qureshi, Managing Partner at Dragonfly
⭐️Robert Leshner, CEO & Co-founder of Superstate
⭐️Tarun Chitra, Managing Partner at Robot Ventures
⭐️Tom Schmidt, General Partner at Dragonfly
DisclosuresLinksHayden Adam’s Tweet:
https://x.com/haydenzadams/status/1884134669265891433
Justin Sun’s EF Plan Tweet:
https://x.com/justinsuntron/status/1881999625990836229
Scaling Ethereum L1 and L2s in 2025 and Beyond by Vitalik Buterin:
https://vitalik.eth.limo/general/2025/01/23/l1l2future.html
Zen and the Art of Shifting Mindsets in Technology: Aya Miyaguchi interview in Wired Magazine:
https://wired.jp/article/the-next-innovators-4-aya-miyaguchi-en/
Timestamps
00:00 Intro
01:47 Ethereum Foundation's Civil War
05:53 The Bronze Age Mentality
07:32 Community Criticism and Governance
10:03 Vitalik's New Persona: Embracing Milady
14:33 Future of Ethereum and L2s
37:39 L1 vs L2: Do People Really Care?
42:12 Ethereum's Strategy and Colonialism Analogy
46:10 The Role of the Ethereum Foundation
58:34 Gary Gensler's Move to MIT and His Legacy
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The kidnapping of Ledger co-founder David Balland in France sent shockwaves through the crypto community, raising urgent questions about security for high-profile crypto holders. How do you protect yourself when criminals are willing to go beyond digital attacks and resort to violence?
In this episode of Unchained, Jameson Lopp, co-founder and Chief Security Officer of Casa, speaks about the growing trend of “wrench attacks”—physical assaults aimed at forcing crypto holders to transfer their assets. Lopp explains how these attacks are evolving, what makes someone a target, and which geographies are seeing the most attacks.
Plus, he shares what behaviors put you most at risk, how criminals are getting more organized, and why relying on exchanges for security is not as safe as you think.
If you hold significant crypto wealth, this is an episode you can’t afford to miss.
Show highlights:Visit our website for breaking news, analysis, op-eds, articles to learn about crypto, and much more: unchainedcrypto.com
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From AI shaking up Big Tech to bitcoin’s role in the macro landscape, Jim Bianco delivers insights on the DeepSeek-triggered market selloff, memecoins, and the challenges facing traditional systems. In this episode, the macro strategist shares why DeepSeek’s AI model is reshaping competition, how crypto reserves might evolve, and what happens to MicroStrategy if bitcoin’s price takes a hit. Plus, hear his take on why stablecoins are a threat to banks, and why memecoins could be more than speculation.
Show highlights:What of crypto attracted Jim so much
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Chris Dixon, founder and managing partner of a16z crypto, joins Unchained to share why he believes crypto innovation is about to explode. From Ethereum’s potential to new crypto legislation, Chris delves into why the industry is poised for a major break out.
He also discusses why the Biden administration’s “lawfare campaign” led to the memecoin craze, how AI and crypto together could transform technology, and why bad tech policy stifled the industry for years.
Plus, he shares his take on the executive order signed by President Donald Trump and its significance for the industry.
Show highlights:Visit our website for breaking news, analysis, op-eds, articles to learn about crypto, and much more: unchainedcrypto.com
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Welcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, and Tom Schmidt chop it up about the latest in crypto. This week, we're joined by special guest Peter Van Valkenburgh, Executive Director of Coin Center, to tackle one of the most pivotal moments in crypto policy. In this episode, we dive into the groundbreaking Fifth Circuit ruling on Tornado Cash, unpack its implications for blockchain privacy, and discuss the challenges noncustodial developers like Roman Storm are facing. We also break down Trump’s crypto executive order, the SEC’s new direction under Hester Peirce, and speculate on what a U.S. strategic Bitcoin reserve might mean for the future.
Show highlights
🔹 Crypto as a Public Good: Why open, permissionless technologies need protection—and how Coin Center defends them.
🔹 Tornado Cash Ruling: The Fifth Circuit overturns OFAC sanctions—what this means for blockchain privacy and freedoms.
🔹 Roman Storm Case: DOJ’s controversial crackdown on noncustodial developers and its implications for innovation.
🔹 Trump’s Crypto EO: Breaking down the ban on CBDCs and the push for U.S. leadership in digital assets.
🔹 SEC’s New Direction: Hester Peirce’s crypto task force and the future of enforcement and regulation.
🔹 CFTC vs. SEC: Will Congress resolve the jurisdiction battle over crypto markets?
🔹 Senate Banking’s Subcommittee: How Senator Lummis could lead a new era of crypto-friendly policy.
🔹 Strategic Bitcoin Reserve: Speculating on what a U.S. Bitcoin reserve might look like.
🔹 2025 Regulatory Outlook: How shifting policies could redefine crypto’s future.
Hosts⭐️Haseeb Qureshi, Managing Partner at Dragonfly
⭐️Tom Schmidt, General Partner at Dragonfly
Guest:
⭐️Peter Van Valkenburgh, Executive Director of Coin Center
DisclosuresTimestamps -
00:00 Intro
01:34 Coin Center & Crypto as a Public Good
05:04 Crypto Policy Shifts & Trump's Executive Order
16:11 Senate Banking Digital Assets Subcommittee
20:20 SEC Crypto Task Force
32:10 Hester Peirce's Safe Harbor Proposal
35:43 Strategic Bitcoin Reserve: Expectations and Realities
41:12 Tornado Cash & OFAC Sanctions
45:28 Legal Implications for Noncustodial Developers
57:51 Future of Crypto Regulation & Coin Center's Role
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Ethereum has had a tough year, losing ground to Solana in price performance, developer activity and as the home to the latest crypto trends. Yet, Vivek Raman, founder and CEO of Etherealize, is doubling down on Ethereum’s future.
In this episode, Vivek explains how Etherealize, a “marketing arm for the ETH ecosystem,” was in the works long before the current criticisms of the Ethereum Foundation’s marketing, and how it got funding from Ethereum creator Vitalik Buterin and the foundation. He discusses why he believes layer 2 solutions make Ethereum a better fit for Wall Street than Solana.
Plus, Vivek shares his thoughts on Ethereum’s value accrual, the state of its ecosystem, and how Etherealize plans to bridge the gap between Wall Street and Web3.
Show highlights:
Visit our website for breaking news, analysis, op-eds, articles to learn about crypto, and much more: unchainedcrypto.com
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Welcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Tarun Chitra, and Robert Leshner chop it up about the latest in crypto. In this episode, we dive into one of the wildest weeks in crypto history, unpacking the unprecedented launch of Trump’s memecoin and its explosive $70 billion valuation. We discuss how it broke every record imaginable, the fallout from Melania’s token, and the chaos it unleashed across the Solana network. From the ethics of a sitting president launching a coin to the implications for retail investors and the future of memecoins, we’re covering it all. Plus, we debate whether this marks a new chapter for crypto adoption or a troubling precedent for political grift. Stay tuned for this jam-packed emergency episode!
Show highlights
🔹 Trump’s Memecoin Craze: Breaking down the historic launch of $Trump, its unprecedented $70B valuation, and how it shattered every record in crypto history.
🔹 Melania’s Memecoin Fallout: What went wrong with the $Melania token launch? Exploring its disastrous impact on the market and $Trump coin’s rapid crash.
🔹 DeFi’s Ultimate Stress Test: How Solana infrastructure held up against unprecedented volumes, Moonshot’s rise to the top, and why this reshaped the memecoin landscape.
🔹 Retail FOMO vs. Institutional Doubts: Examining retail’s overwhelming rush to $Trump coin and why some insiders remain skeptical of its long-term implications.
🔹 Crypto Meets Politics: The ethics and implications of a sitting president launching a memecoin—and how it could distort the future of crypto regulation and perception.
🔹 The Memecoin Economy Evolves: Could Trump and Melania coins signify the end—or a new era—of memecoins? A debate on the future of speculative tokens.
🔹 Solana’s Big Moment: Why Trump coin positioned Solana as the go-to chain for memecoins, and how it outperformed competitors during this chaos.
🔹 On-Chain Innovation or Grift? Is this a turning point for crypto adoption, or just the latest example of right-wing opportunism? The crew debates the broader implications.
🔹 Adversarial Predictions: What happens when other world leaders witness Trump’s success? The panel speculates on who could be next in the memecoin race.
Hosts⭐️Haseeb Qureshi, Managing Partner at Dragonfly
⭐️Robert Leshner, CEO & Co-founder of Superstate
⭐️Tarun Chitra, Managing Partner at Robot Ventures
⭐️Tom Schmidt, General Partner at Dragonfly
DisclosuresTimestamps -
00:00 Intro
02:23 The Crypto Ball
07:11 Trump's Memecoin: $TRUMP
13:21 Market Reactions & Infrastructure Challenges
26:25 Melania Token: $MELANIA
38:52 Solana's User Surge, Start of Ethereum Civil War?
45:12 Speculation: Crypto's Killer Use Case
49:59 Partisan Divide in Crypto
54:22 Trump's Crypto Strategy
01:07:32 Crypto's Social and Political Implications
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This week, Trump’s memecoin launch had everyone talking—and scrambling for Phantom wallets. But was it a strategic masterstroke or just another speculative frenzy?
On this episode of Bits + Bips, the hosts unpack the wild moments of the Crypto Ball, where $TRUMP made its surprise debut. They discuss how Bitcoin maxis were forced to embrace Solana wallets, why Multicoin Capital emerged as the biggest winner, and whether the memecoin launch signals a local market top.
Plus, they debate whether Trump’s crypto-friendly stance could shape policy in 2025, why Litecoin might beat Solana to a spot ETF, and what Trump’s inauguration speech reveals about his crypto game plan.
Show highlights:
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