Unchained Laura Shin

Welcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Tarun Chitra, and Robert Leshner chop it up about the latest news. This week, the group sits down to discuss why U.S. crypto conferences are quieter than they have been in the past, which DeFi metrics are still useful for measuring a changing market, and advice for NFT founders on how to continue to innovate.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Show highlights: 

Why Tarun says that the U.S. is “dead as a doorknob” for crypto for crypto conferences

Main takeaways from recent crypto conferences such as Token2049 in Singapore and Permissionless in Austin

How the metrics in DeFi keep changing, and which ones still have merit

What are “chart crimes” and the gang's advice for entrepreneurs pitching to VCs

Why Haseeb doesn't think that token economics are as useful as everyone thinks

The Stoner Cat settlement with the SEC and how it impacts the broader conversation about whether NFTs are securities 

Legal drama between the co-founders of the Milady NFT project

Advice for NFT founders on how to achieve success in a changing market

Hosts


Haseeb Qureshi, managing partner at Dragonfly 


Robert Leshner, founder of Compound


Tom Schmidt, general partner at Dragonfly 


Tarun Chitra, managing partner at Robot Ventures


Disclosures
Links
NFTs

Unchained: 

Mila Kunis’ Stoner Cats NFT Project Pays $1 Million to Settle SEC Charges 

Milady NFT Founder Says Rogue Developer Embezzled $1 Million from Treasury

PFP NFTs: What Are They & Why Are They So Popular?

Generative Art NFTs: What Are They & Why Are They So Popular?

SEC: Are NFTs Securities?

Token2049:
Haseeb’s panel on alt L1s
DeFi and metrics:

Unchained:

What Is TVL in DeFi? A Guide to Total Value Locked

Can DeFi Allow You To Be Your Own Bank?

How to Invest in DeFi: 4 Ways You Can Explore Today

Yield Farming: What Is It & How Does It Work?

Regulation
Unchained: U.S. House Lawmakers Urge SEC's Gensler to Approve Spot Bitcoin ETFs

The Block: Gensler takes heat from lawmakers over his approach to regulating crypto
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The trial of Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder and former CEO of bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX, is set to begin on October 3. The 31-year-old is accused of committing wire fraud and conspiracy to commit other types of fraud, in relation to the dramatic collapse of his crypto empire last year, which led to billions in losses. Nik De, CoinDesk's managing editor for global policy and regulation, discusses the importance of jury selection, the potential testimony of key witnesses, and how many years Bankman-Fried may face if he is found guilty.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Show highlights:

Why SBF's lawyers keep requesting the FTX founder be released 

Why the jury selection is so important and how long it could take

Why the DOJ opposed the proposed questions for the jury 

Why the Judge agreed with the DOJ in blocking some of the witnesses proposed by the defense team

How the defense team may try to discredit some of the proposed witnesses

Whether the argument of SBF receiving “poor legal advice” holds any ground

What role the political donations made by SBF may play in the trial

How many years SBF could face if he were to be found guilty

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Guest


Nik De, CoinDesk's managing editor for global policy and regulation

Previous appearances on Unchained:

How SEC Chair Gary Gensler's Views on Crypto Have Changed Since His MIT Days

Why the Ooki DAO Case Could Hurt Participation in DAOs

Links
Previous coverage from Unchained on Sam Bankman-Fried and FTX:

Why FTX Might Try to Claw Back Funds From Retail Customers

The Chopping Block: Was FTX a Scam From the Very Beginning? 

How Much Prison Time Is FTX’s Sam Bankman-Fried Facing? 

Why the Legal Process for FTX and Sam Bankman-Fried Could Take Years

The Chopping Block: SBF Wants to Win in the Court of Public Opinion. Will He?

Jesse Powell and Kevin Zhou on How FTX and Alameda Lost $10 Billion

Did the Bahamian Government Direct SBF and Gary Wang to Hack FTX?

The Chopping Block: Why Lenders Didn’t Liquidate Alameda When It Was Underwater 

Erik Voorhees and Cobie on Why FTX Loaned Out Customers’ Assets

The Chopping Block: FTX: The Biggest Collapse in the History of Crypto?

Sam Bankman-Fried on How to Prevent the Next Terra and 3AC

SBF’s defense team motions:

Judge Denies Sam Bankman-Fried’s Request for Temporary Release

U.S. Department of Justice Opposes Sam Bankman-Fried's Latest Move for 'Temporary Release'

Sam Bankman-Fried Can Use an 'Air-Gapped' Laptop in Court, Judge Rules

Judge Blocks Sam Bankman-Fried's Proposed Witnesses From Testifying

Key witnesses:

SBF’s Expert Witnesses Barred From Testifying at Trial

Who is Caroline Ellison, a key witness set to testify against Sam Bankman-Fried?

All of Sam Bankman-Fried's Proposed Expert Witnesses Should Be Barred From Testifying: DOJ

Sam Bankman-Fried is being sent to jail after a judge revoked his bail over alleged witness tampering

Jury selection:

Sam Bankman-Fried Can Ask DOJ Witnesses About Drug Use

Sam Bankman-Fried’s political donations can be surfaced in trial, rules judge


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Bitcoin Ordinals have exploded in popularity since their launch by developer Casey Rodarmor in January, changing the NFT game with millions of inscriptions to date. But what comes next for Bitcoin-based digital artifacts? Danny Yang and Bill Tai, cofounders of Metagood and creators of NFT collection OnChainMonkey, discuss why they will move OnChainMonkey from Ethereum to Bitcoin, Rodarmor’s proposal to change the Ordinals inscription numbering system, and why they believe more creators should consider moving to Bitcoin.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Show highlights:

How the idea for Metagood came up

What is give-to-earn and how it is used to reward OnChainMonkey holders

The differences between Ethereum versus Bitcoin when it comes to digital assets

The creative potential of Bitcoin Ordinals 

Why OnChainMonkey will move from Ethereum to Bitcoin

Thoughts on Casey Rodarmor’s Bitcoin Ordinals proposal to change the inscription numbering system

What are recursive inscriptions

How to convince NFT creators to leave other blockchains for Bitcoin


Thank you to our sponsors!

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Guest:


Bill Tai, cofounder of Metagood and creator of OnChainMonkey

Previous appearances on Unchained:


https://unchainedcrypto.com/maitai-globals-bill-tai-on-why-blockchain-is-the-6th-wave-of-technology/ 


Danny Yang,  cofounder of Metagood and creator of OnChainMonkey

Links

Unchained: 


MaiTai Global’s Bill Tai On Why Blockchain Is The 6th Wave Of Technology 


Bitcoin Ordinals Creators Propose Changing Inscriptions Numbering 

What Are BRC-20 Tokens? A Brief Introduction

Was Bitcoin Creator Satoshi Pro-NFTs?


Bitcoin Ordinals Inscriptions Surge Past 2.7 Million 


How to Create a Bitcoin Ordinal 



Elsewhere: 

Bitcoin Ordinals Trading Is Down Bad—But Just How Bad?

A New Frontier for Bitcoin? Recursive Inscriptions Explained

‘NFTs will win on Bitcoin’ — OnChainMonkey NFT collection ditches Ethereum


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As lawsuits continue to pile up in the FTX saga, FTX chief John Ray III is focused on clawing back funds from former affiliates to pay back creditors. But how might that play out in court? Founder of 117 Partners Thomas Braziel, who specializes in the trading of bankruptcy claims, explains the different paths Ray may choose to go down and the potential outcomes of these cases.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Show highlights:

The chances of FTX winning in court against Sam Bankman-Fried’s parents

The case against Barbara Fried and Joseph Bankman 

Whether civil cases could turn into criminal ones

Whether bankruptcy proceedings and the criminal case against Sam Bankman-Fried are a coordinated effort 

What retail clawbacks are and the likelihood that FTX will pursue them

Thank you to our sponsors!

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Thales DAO

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Guest

Thomas Braziel, founder of 117 Partners

Previous appearances on Unchained:

Will FTX Reboot? Here’s John Ray’s Internal Deadline for Making a Decision

Will FTX Customers Ever Recover Their Assets? Two Insolvency Experts Weigh In

Will Celsius Survive the Bankruptcy Process?

How Crypto Bankruptcy Claims Buyers Will Profit From the Collapse of FTX

Links

Previous coverage of Unchained on Sam Bankman-Fried and FTX:

The Chopping Block: Was FTX a Scam From the Very Beginning? 

How Much Prison Time Is FTX’s Sam Bankman-Fried Facing? 

Why the Legal Process for FTX and Sam Bankman-Fried Could Take Years

The Chopping Block: SBF Wants to Win in the Court of Public Opinion. Will He?

Jesse Powell and Kevin Zhou on How FTX and Alameda Lost $10 Billion

Is the Collapse of Crypto Lending Over, or Is It Just Starting?

Did the Bahamian Government Direct SBF and Gary Wang to Hack FTX?

The Chopping Block: Why Lenders Didn’t Liquidate Alameda When It Was Underwater 

Erik Voorhees and Cobie on Why FTX Loaned Out Customers’ Assets

The Chopping Block: FTX: The Biggest Collapse in the History of Crypto?

Sam Bankman-Fried on How to Prevent the Next Terra and 3AC

Unchained: 

New Suit Claims That FTX Kept Its Fraud All in the Family

Stanford University Will Return $5.5 Million to FTX

FTX Sues SBF’s Parents to Claw Back Misappropriated Funds: Report

Full text of the FTX lawsuit against Bankman and Fried

CoinDesk: Sam Bankman-Fried’s Dad Thought His Son Wasn’t Paying Him Enough, So He Got Mom Involved


Bloomberg: How Sam Bankman-Fried’s Elite Parents Enabled His Crypto Empire


The Verge: The best stuff Sam Bankman-Fried’s parents bought using FTX money



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Welcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders chop it up about the latest news. This week, Haseeb Qureshi and Tom Schmidt speak to Will Warren, cofounder of 0x Labs, to discuss why the CFTC issued them a Wells Notice, how they responded to regulatory scrutiny, and how other countries may offer a blueprint for crypto regulation.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Show highlights: 

why the CFTC issued a Wells Notice to 0x

how a decentralized application addresses the issue of geolocalization of users

how the team at 0x worked together with the CFTC to avoid violating the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) again

what are the implications of the settlement and who's liable for offering services 

why it's so hard for crypto projects to follow the rules without clear regulatory guidance

why Haseeb says that the SEC wants this industry to “not exist”

how lack of regulatory clarity may be stunting US innovation

whether there's a conflict of interest between the companies building protocols and the protocols themselves

Hosts


Haseeb Qureshi, managing partner at Dragonfly 


Tom Schmidt, general partner at Dragonfly 

Guest

Will Warren, cofounder of 0x Labs 
Disclosures
Links

Unchained: 

UniswapX Launches With MEV Protection and Gas Free Swaps

CFTC Charges Three DeFi Protocols With Violating AML Rules, Operating Without Licenses


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Zeke Faux, author of 'Number Go Up,' shares his findings after making a deep dive into the world of crypto. From skepticism to a full-blown investigation, Faux recounts his journey that led him to the heart of crypto, meeting some of the most eccentric characters in the industry. As a Bloomberg investigative reporter, Faux brings a critical eye to the crypto sphere, unearthing the bizarre, the risky, and the downright astonishing facets of what the crypto community calls a financial revolution.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Show highlights:

what the book 'Number Go Up' is about

Zeke's background as an investigative reporter for Bloomberg

whether Zeke is skeptical about crypto 

why Zeke thought it was a big deal to investigate Tether, the issuer of USDT

whether he had a conclusion on the fact that he couldn't find anything big about Tether

why Zeke says that Sam Bankman-Fried had a sloppy approach to risk management

why Zeke believes that SBF did not give so much money to charity even though he's an effective altruist

how projects like STEPN and Axie Infinity are 'clearly not the future of finance,' according to Zeke

how SBF had such an open relationship with the media that helped him when the FTX collapse happened

what Zeke found out investigating pig butchering scams in Cambodia

how Zeke’s attempt to buy a Mutant Ape to get into an Ape Fest in New York City taught him about crypto’s bad user experience


Thank you to our sponsors!

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LayerZero

Guest:

Zeke Faux, author of ‘Number Go Up’
Bloomberg: 11 Hours With Sam Bankman-Fried: Inside the Bahamian Penthouse After FTX’s Fall
Links
Tether

Unchained: 

Is Tether a Fraud? Its Bank Says It's Not 

Tether, the Multibillion-Dollar Stablecoin at the Heart of the Crypto Ecosystem

Sam Bankman-Fried and FTX

Unchained: 

Sam Bankman-Fried on How to Prevent the Next Terra and 3AC

SBF Behind Bars: Why Revoked Bail Is a Big Deal for Crypto’s Biggest Trial

Pig butchering scams
Unchained: How This Prosecutor Is Spearheading the Fight Against Crypto ‘Pig Butchering’ Scams

Crypto in developing countries

Bitcoin in El Salvador: Why Would Cypherpunks Support Government-Mandated Bitcoin Adoption?

Anita Posch on Why ‘Bitcoin Is a Tool for Freedom’ – Especially in Africa


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