Expansion

Blockworks
  • 4.5 (2)
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
Expansion

The podcast on Modular. Exploring a refreshed vision for building in crypto. Expansion is a podcast exploring the intersection of modular blockchain design and abundant blockspace. We’ll bring on the leading voices from the modular ecosystem to discuss blockchain design, specialization, applications, and the possibilities that cheap, secure blockspace unlocks.

  1. 5 DAYS AGO

    Bitcoin's L2 Opportunity and Evolving Crypto Beyond Asset Ledgers | Roundup

    In this episode, we explore the evolving landscape of Bitcoin L2s and debate the fundamental question of crypto's use case. We dive into the technical and cultural challenges facing Bitcoin L2s, examine how different L2 ecosystems might develop unique characteristics, and unpack a pivotal ideological divide between those who see blockchain as primarily asset ledgers versus those who envision unlimited innovation potential. We close out by discussing continued blockchain experimentation and the vision of a verifiable internet. Thanks for tuning in! - - Follow Nick: https://x.com/nickwh8te Follow Mike: https://x.com/MikeIppolito_ Follow Expansion: https://x.com/ExpansionPod_ Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@expansionpod Subscribe on Apple: http://apple.co/4bGKYYM Subscribe on Spotify: http://spoti.fi/3Vaubq1 Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ -- Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (01:48) Bitcoin L2 Demand? (20:31) Absolute vs Relative Security (31:03) Based Rollups on Celestia (43:11) Lazy Chains & Community Chains (48:43) Usecase of Blockspace - - Disclaimer Expansion was kickstarted by a grant from the Celestia Foundation. Nothing said on Expansion 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. Rex, Jon, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

    59 min

  2. 12/27/2024

    L1 Scaling Failures, Growth of Rehypothecation & Mass Stablecoin Adoption | 2025 Predictions

    In this episode, Mike and Nick discuss three major trends they expect to shape crypto in 2025: the inevitable scaling challenges facing monolithic L1s like Solana and Ethereum, the expansion of rehypothecation across DeFi protocols and bridges, and massive growth in stablecoin adoption driven by regulatory tailwinds and institutional issuers. They explore technical constraints around L1 scaling, analyze the business dynamics pushing protocols toward rehypothecation, and examine why stablecoin market cap could exceed $450B. The conversation also covers complementary predictions around ZK proofs, TEEs, and the American crypto renaissance. Thanks for tuning in and happy holidays! - - Follow Nick: https://x.com/nickwh8te Follow Mike: https://x.com/MikeIppolito_ Follow Expansion: https://x.com/ExpansionPod_ Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@expansionpod Subscribe on Apple: http://apple.co/4bGKYYM Subscribe on Spotify: http://spoti.fi/3Vaubq1 Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ -- Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (01:48) Solana & Eth Scale Fails (07:25) American Crypto Renaissance (11:28) Institutions Launching Chains (19:58) Stablecoin Marketcap Exceeds $450B (24:30) 2025 is zk Year (29:24) TEE Growth (39:04) Fee Switches, Rehypotheticating Assets (45:23) Celestia 20mbps Throughput (50:26) AI & Crypto Bubble (1:00:23) New Media Models - - Disclaimer Expansion was kickstarted by a grant from the Celestia Foundation. Nothing said on Expansion 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. Rex, Jon, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

    1h 12m

  3. 12/16/2024

    Inside the Cosmos Hub's Great Reset | Zaki Manian & Barry Plunkett

    In this episode, we dive deep into Skip Protocol's acquisition by the Cosmos Hub and what it means for the future of ecosystem. Barry and Zaki join to discuss the evolution of Cosmos, the challenges of blockchain standardization, and Skip's vision for unifying the ecosystem. They then discuss the implications of IBC Eureka, the launch of Commonware, and broader industry trends around execution environments and settlement layers. Thanks for tuning in! - - Follow Zaki: https://x.com/zmanian  Follow Barry: https://x.com/BPIV400  Follow Nick: https://x.com/nickwh8te Follow Mike: https://x.com/MikeIppolito_ Follow Expansion: https://x.com/ExpansionPod_ Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@expansionpod Subscribe on Apple: http://apple.co/4bGKYYM Subscribe on Spotify: http://spoti.fi/3Vaubq1 Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ -- Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (01:17) Skip Protocol Acquired by Cosmos Hub (06:42) Cosmos Hub Origin Story (12:01) Role of Cosmos Hub & Skip (29:22) Goals of Cosmos Hub (34:44) Avalanche vs Cosmos (44:06) Impact of IBC Eureka (50:08) Movement & VM Diversity (56:55) Network Effects of Execution vs Settlement - - Disclaimer Expansion was kickstarted by a grant from the Celestia Foundation. Nothing said on Expansion 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. Rex, Jon, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

    1h 1m

  4. 12/10/2024

    The Case for Application Specific Sequencing | Ben Livshits & Terry Chung

    In this episode, we dive deep into the architecture and philosophy behind Eclipse with CTO Ben Lipschitz and Head of Strategy Terry. The conversation explores why applications need control over their own sequencing, challenging the traditional model where validators capture all the value. Learn about Eclipse's unique position bridging Ethereum and Solana ecosystems, their approach to local fee markets, and why the future of L2s may depend more on user/liquidity networks than settlement assurances. Thanks for tuning in! - - Follow Terry: https://x.com/0xtaetaehoho Follow Ben: https://x.com/convoluted_code Follow Nick: https://x.com/nickwh8te Follow Mike: https://x.com/MikeIppolito_ Follow Expansion: https://x.com/ExpansionPod_ Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@expansionpod Subscribe on Apple: http://apple.co/4bGKYYM Subscribe on Spotify: http://spoti.fi/3Vaubq1 Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ -- Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (03:51) Network Effects of Settlement vs Execution (18:12) Who has Leverage? (25:03) Application Specific Sequencing (38:55) L1 or L2 MEV Split (49:06) How do L1s Impact L2s (54:39) Selecting an L1 - - Disclaimer Expansion was kickstarted by a grant from the Celestia Foundation. Nothing said on Expansion 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. Rex, Jon, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

    1 hr

  5. 12/07/2024

    Exploring the Hidden Costs of Decentralization and Bitcoin's ZK Revival | Roundup

    In this episode, we dive into deep into the emerging landscape of Bitcoin L2s as it crosses $100k. With Uma Roy of Succint and Jill Gunter of Espress Systems joining us, we explore ZK's impact on crypto's scaling future. To close out we debate Ethereum's strategic direction and the complex relationship between L1s and L2s as Solana continues gaining adoption. Thanks for tuning in! - - Follow Uma:https://x.com/pumatheuma Follow Jill: https://x.com/jillrgunter Follow Nick: https://x.com/nickwh8te Follow Mike: https://x.com/MikeIppolito_ Follow Expansion: https://x.com/ExpansionPod_ Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@expansionpod Subscribe on Apple: http://apple.co/4bGKYYM Subscribe on Spotify: http://spoti.fi/3Vaubq1 Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ -- Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (01:48) $100k Bitcoin Sentiment (05:55) Bitcoin L2 Horizon (10:01) Modularity in Bitcoin (15:48) Over Indexing Decentralization (28:59) Succient Decentralized Prover Network (43:43) Competing with Intents Model (48:13) State of Ethereum - - Disclaimer Expansion was kickstarted by a grant from the Celestia Foundation. Nothing said on Expansion 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. Rex, Jon, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed. (00:00) Introduction (01:48) $100k Bitcoin Sentiment (05:55) Bitcoin L2 Horizon (10:01) Modularity in Bitcoin (15:48) Over Indexing Decentralization (28:59) Succient Decentralized Prover Network (43:43) Competing with Intents Model (48:13) State of Ethereum

    1h 3m

  6. 12/03/2024

    Gelato's Vision for Abundant Blockspace & Sovereign Rollups | Luis Schliesske

    In this episode, Luis, founder of Gelato and Abundance, presents a compelling argument for sovereign rollups while challenging composability. We explore how traditional L2 bridge designs may be holding back scalability, diving deep into Abundance's achievement of 1 giga gas throughput through a sovereign rollup approach. Luis makes the controversial case that liquidity fragmentation is a "skill issue" rather than a technical problem, and examines why the future of scaling may not require the complex bridge architecture common in today's L2s. We close out by diving into the evolving relationship between rollup frameworks and RaaS providers. Thanks for tuning in! - - Follow Luis: https://x.com/luis_0x Follow Mike: https://x.com/MikeIppolito_ Follow Expansion: https://x.com/ExpansionPod_ Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@expansionpod Subscribe on Apple: http://apple.co/4bGKYYM Subscribe on Spotify: http://spoti.fi/3Vaubq1 Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ -- Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (02:39) Abundance Overview (08:26) What is Actually a Rollup? (12:17) Benefits of Sovereign Rollup (30:19) Giga Gas Production Ready (33:47) Abundant Blockspace Thesis (41:05) Rollup Framework Business Model (47:29) Benefit of Interop (54:51) RaaS vs Framework (1:02:14) Convergence of Solutions - - Disclaimer Expansion was kickstarted by a grant from the Celestia Foundation. Nothing said on Expansion 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. Rex, Jon, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

    1h 14m

  7. 11/29/2024

    The Value of Verification and Rethinking Bitcoin's Block Size War | Mustafa Al-Bassam, Celestia

    In this episode, Celestia co-founder Mustafa Al-Bassam dives deep into how lazy bridging and data availability sampling are rethinking crypto's scalability. Starting with the historical context of Bitcoin's block size wars, Mustafa explains how Celestia's architecture finally resolves the tension between bigger blocks and decentralization. The conversation explores the trade-offs between modular and integrated blockchain designs, the role of ZK proofs in scaling, and why light nodes may be more crucial than validators for true decentralization. Thanks for tuning in! - - Follow Mustafa: https://x.com/musalbas Follow Mike: https://x.com/MikeIppolito_ Follow Expansion: https://x.com/ExpansionPod_ Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@expansionpod Subscribe on Apple: http://apple.co/4bGKYYM Subscribe on Spotify: http://spoti.fi/3Vaubq1 Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ -- Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 01:46 Modular vs Integrated Tradeoffs 05:33 L1 Bottlenecks 21:25 Time to Finality Constraint 35:11 1 GB Block Roadmap 47:31 Unbundling Consensus & Verification 53:52 Checks and Balances - - Disclaimer Expansion was kickstarted by a grant from the Celestia Foundation. Nothing said on Expansion 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. Rex, Jon, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

    1h 1m

  8. 11/23/2024

    Finding Crypto's Infra Limits and a Builder's Conviction Dilemma | Roundup

    In this episode, Mike and Nick explore two critical challenges facing crypto as we enter the bull market: the looming stress test of crypto infrastructure and the psychological challenge of maintaining builder conviction. They dive deep into how Celestia's lazy bridging and Gelato's sovereign rollup are preparing for the scaling challenges ahead, while discussing staying true to your vision when competitors take shortcuts seem to be winning. They also share their biggest insights from DevCon and Ethereum's latest moves to nationalize rollups. Thanks for tuning in! - - Follow Nick: https://x.com/nickwh8te Follow Mike: https://x.com/MikeIppolito_ Follow Expansion: https://x.com/ExpansionPod_ Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@expansionpod Subscribe on Apple: http://apple.co/4bGKYYM Subscribe on Spotify: http://spoti.fi/3Vaubq1 Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ -- Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (01:09) DevCon Takeaways (08:53) Finality vs Blocktimes (10:38) Lazy Bridging (27:09) RaaS Provider Conflict (31:14) Espresso Mainnet (44:05) Sequencing Layer on Celestia (53:41) Market Timing - - Disclaimer Expansion was kickstarted by a grant from the Celestia Foundation. Nothing said on Expansion 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. Rex, Jon, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

    59 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

The podcast on Modular. Exploring a refreshed vision for building in crypto. Expansion is a podcast exploring the intersection of modular blockchain design and abundant blockspace. We’ll bring on the leading voices from the modular ecosystem to discuss blockchain design, specialization, applications, and the possibilities that cheap, secure blockspace unlocks.

Information

  • Channel
    Blockworks
  • Creator
    Blockworks
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2025
  • Episodes
    48

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