Beyond the Code

Yitzy Hammer
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Technology
  • Updated Bimonthly

Welcome to Beyond the Code, the podcast where we dive into the legal, regulatory, and ethical issues surrounding emerging technologies. Each week, we bring you in-depth conversations with industry experts, discussing the latest advancements in technology and their implications on society and the legal system. From artificial intelligence to blockchain, we'll be exploring all the hot topics in the field. Your host, Yitzy Hammer, a lawyer and tech enthusiast, is joined by a diverse group of experts, providing valuable insight into the complex and ever-evolving world of technology.

  1. CS8: Michael Terpin on Bitcoin Cycles, Halvings, and the Road to the Next All-Time High

    22h ago

    CS8: Michael Terpin on Bitcoin Cycles, Halvings, and the Road to the Next All-Time High

    In this episode, we cover Michael Terpin's journey from early internet PR (founding Globe Newswire, working with Motley Fool, Earthlink, and AOL) to becoming one of crypto's earliest and most recognized figures — a path that earned him the nickname "the godfather of crypto" from CNBC, by his account, for his PR work on Ethereum, Tether, and roughly 400 other early projects. Terpin walks through his "Four Seasons of Bitcoin" framework — his own thesis on how fear-and-greed cycles play out predictably between halvings — and shares his (unverified, forward-looking) outlook on where he believes Bitcoin's cycle lows and highs may land in the years ahead. He also discusses meeting Coinbase's Brian Armstrong at the first Bitcoin conference in 2013, and his book and fund, both built around the Bitcoin Supercycle thesis. Note: price levels and cycle predictions discussed are Terpin's own analysis and should not be taken as financial advice or confirmed fact. This episode is brought to you by FirstRead — use code BYNDTHECODE10 for 10% off at first-read.com/signup?ref=BEYOND2026.

    13 min
  2. E105: Reuven Rivlin — Israel's 10th President on Crypto, Regulation & Building Trust in a New Financial System

    2d ago

    E105: Reuven Rivlin — Israel's 10th President on Crypto, Regulation & Building Trust in a New Financial System

    In one of the most unique conversations in Beyond the Code history, Yitzy sits down with Reuven "Ruby" Rivlin — the 10th President of the State of Israel — to talk about why, at 86 years old, he's betting on crypto. Rivlin is now Honorary President of Bitcore Capital, a publicly traded Israeli company building regulated digital financial infrastructure — including a shekel-pegged stablecoin, Bitcoin-backed lending, and what could become Israel's first crypto-native digital bank and have recently entered into a very significant partnership with Lava Network. The company has assembled a team of former senior government officials, regulators, and law enforcement leaders specifically to earn the trust of the Israeli public and regulators alike. But before all of that, Rivlin was a trial lawyer, a Jerusalem city councilor under Mayor Teddy Kollek, president of Beitar Jerusalem football club, a 30-year Knesset member, Speaker of the Knesset twice, Israel's Communications Minister, and finally — the President of Israel from 2014 to 2021. In this episode: Why Rivlin joined Bitcore Capital and what they're actually buildingThe regulatory challenges facing crypto adoption in IsraelHow assembling former chiefs of police, ministers, and regulators is a trust-building strategy — not just opticsHis vision for Israel as a leader in the digital financial revolutionStories from his legal career, the Knesset, Beitar Jerusalem, and his relationships with world leadersThis episode is brought to you by FirstRead — your go-to source for crypto legal and regulatory intelligence. Get 10% off with code BYNDTHECODE10 at https://first-read.com/signup?ref=BEYOND2026

    28 min
  3. CS7: From Big Law to Crypto Policy | Jonathan "Birdnals" Schmalfeld

    Jun 23

    CS7: From Big Law to Crypto Policy | Jonathan "Birdnals" Schmalfeld

    This episode was recorded live at Consensus Miami 2026. Jonathan Schmalfeld — known as 'Birdnals' across Crypto Twitter — is Policy Director at The Digital Chamber. He came up doing soft IP litigation, got into crypto around 2015, and eventually turned what he was doing for fun into his full-time work. We cover the NFT IP moment, what it takes to be a real Web3 lawyer, the knowledge-sharing culture that makes this community unique, and how he went from associate at a major law firm to advocating for the industry in front of Congress and regulators. --- This episode is sponsored by FirstRead (use BYNDTHECODE10 for 10% off). This show is hosted by Yitzy Hammer. Make sure to 'follow' us and click the "alert" button so you don't miss any future episodes. Check out our new website: www.beyondthecode.fm

    15 min
  4. CS6: Mike Bacina (NXT Law) on Why Boutique Law Firms Are Winning the AI Race & Our First-Ever Sponsor

    Jun 11 ·  Bonus

    CS6: Mike Bacina (NXT Law) on Why Boutique Law Firms Are Winning the AI Race & Our First-Ever Sponsor

    A milestone episode, recorded live at Consensus Miami 2026: after three years, Beyond the Code has its first sponsor — and there's a good story behind why it's FirstRead. Yitzy is joined by returning guest Mike Bacina, now a partner at NXT Law leading the firm out of Cayman, to talk about how boutique firms are gaining a real edge with AI, why the billable hour quietly works against adoption at big firms, and why "AI will take your job" is the same fear lawyers have had about every technology before it. Sponsored by FirstRead — AI-powered contract help for lawyers. 10% off with code BYNDTHECODE10: https://first-read.com/signup?ref=BEYOND2026

    18 min
  5. E102: From Celsius Crash to Crypto Compliance: Snir Levi on Building Nominis

    Jun 9

    E102: From Celsius Crash to Crypto Compliance: Snir Levi on Building Nominis

    Snir Levi is the founder and CEO of Nominis — a crypto compliance and blockchain intelligence platform. Before building Nominis, Snir was inside Celsius Network during its rise and sudden collapse, working in the security department with no warning of what was coming. In this episode, Snir walks us through what it was actually like when Celsius froze withdrawals, how he turned that experience into a company, and what Nominis is uncovering today — including IRGC activity, sanction evasion through crypto, and why tracking inflows and outflows to Iran is the wrong way to look at the problem entirely. We also get into the future of stablecoins, the slow death of the token economy, and where AI is reshaping compliance workflows. 🔗 Try Nominis: https://www.nominis.io/ — use code DLTLAW5 for 5% off. 🔒 Sponsored by FirstRead — AI-powered legal contract review.Try free at https://first-read.com/signup?ref=BEYOND2026 | Code BYNDTHECODE10 for 10% off.

    40 min
  6. CS5: Sam & Sarah (Swivul) — Mariah Carey, a Token Dump, and Building the Travel Platform for Web3 | Consensus Miami 2026

    Jun 8

    CS5: Sam & Sarah (Swivul) — Mariah Carey, a Token Dump, and Building the Travel Platform for Web3 | Consensus Miami 2026

    Sam Krichevsky and Sarah Figueroa are married, co-founders, and some of the most fun people I've met in this space. We sat down at Coindesk's Consensus Miami 2026 to talk about their whole journey - from Sarah mining Ethereum in 2017 and founding GeoJam (a social music platform whose biggest investor was Mariah Carey) to watching it collapse after a single exchange dumped over 10% of their token supply in one night. Now they're building Swivul - an all-in-one travel and entertainment booking platform built specifically for the Web3 and crypto industry. One-click checkout, crypto payments, concierge service, and, crucially, tools to actually measure the ROI on your travel and entertainment spend. Travel and entertainment is your second-largest controllable expense on a P&L, and almost nobody tracks it. We also get into what it's really like to build a company with your spouse. Honest, funny, and worth hearing if you're considering it. This episode is brought to you by FirstRead, the AI-powered legal contract assistant. Use code BYNDTHECODE10 for 10% off at https://first-read.com/signup?ref=BEYOND2026

    22 min
  7. CS4: Shiba Inu Co-Founder Russ Davis on Meme Coins, Vitalik & What's Next

    Jun 4 ·  Bonus

    CS4: Shiba Inu Co-Founder Russ Davis on Meme Coins, Vitalik & What's Next

    Live from Consensus 2026 in Miami, we're joined by Russ Davis - "In Russ We Trust" - one of the co-founders of Shiba Inu, the meme coin that changed everything. Russ tells the full story: from passing on Doge in 2016 (a decision that would've been worth $15 million), to taking over Shiba's marketing in February 2021 when it was stuck at a $2M market cap, to watching it explode to $40 billion in eight months. This episode is sponsored by FirstRead — the AI-powered legal assistant that reads, marks up, and chats through contracts right inside your Word document. If you're a founder, builder, or anyone dealing with legal agreements, FirstRead is a game-changer. 🔗 https://first-read.com/signup?ref=BEYOND2026 Use code BYNDTHECODE10 at signup for 10% off. In this episode, we cover: - The exact post that started it all and why $100 turned into $2M - Why most of his friends sold at $5,000 and kicked themselves in October - Shiba Physicals — NFC-chipped collectibles and the post-NFT pivot - The DeLorean partnership and what's dropping in Q2 - How meme coin communities actually work (and how Shiba avoided becoming a dumpster fire) - Hopium: the Clarity Act, TradFi adoption, and the path back up

    14 min
  8. CS3: Crypto Law & Lessons Learned: Jacqueline Cooper on Bitcoin Mining Hacks, Legal Education & Digital Estate Planning

    Jun 3

    CS3: Crypto Law & Lessons Learned: Jacqueline Cooper on Bitcoin Mining Hacks, Legal Education & Digital Estate Planning

    Live from Consensus 2026 in Miami, we're joined by Jacqueline Cooper , also known as CryptoMom2 (we already had CryptoMom No. 1 on this show) ,— partner at Cogent Law Group, co-founder of the Blockchain Legal Institute, and a 10-year veteran of the blockchain space. Jacqueline shares her unexpected origin story (a chance encounter in Scotland), what it felt like to lose two years of Bitcoin mining rewards to a company collapse, and why she built a centralized library of legal resources for the decentralized world. We also get into something most crypto holders ignore: what happens to your digital assets when you die? If your wallet access is biometric-only — and you're gone — your family may never touch that generational wealth. This episode is sponsored by FirstRead — the AI-powered legal assistant that reads, marks up, and chats through contracts right inside your Word document. If you're a founder, builder, or anyone dealing with legal agreements, FirstRead is a game-changer. 🔗 https://first-read.com/signup?ref=BEY... and use code BYNDTHECODE10 at signup for 10% off. In this episode, we covered: - The difference between knowing enough and knowing too much as a client - Why the Blockchain Legal Institute exists and who it's actually for - How blockchain is being used by FedEx, McCormick, and global supply chains - The TradFi/crypto convergence and payment rail risks - Not your keys, not your crypto — a firsthand story - Digital estate planning: wills, cold wallets, and backup access Find the Blockchain Legal Institute at: https://bli.tools/

    13 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Welcome to Beyond the Code, the podcast where we dive into the legal, regulatory, and ethical issues surrounding emerging technologies. Each week, we bring you in-depth conversations with industry experts, discussing the latest advancements in technology and their implications on society and the legal system. From artificial intelligence to blockchain, we'll be exploring all the hot topics in the field. Your host, Yitzy Hammer, a lawyer and tech enthusiast, is joined by a diverse group of experts, providing valuable insight into the complex and ever-evolving world of technology.

Information

  • Creator
    Yitzy Hammer
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    101
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Yitzy Hammer
  • Show Website
    Beyond the Code