Unchained

Jansen Teng announces Virtuals’ new humanoid robotics accelerator. Is this the next frontier for the AI agent meta? Thank you to our sponsors! ⁠⁠⁠⁠Figure⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Crypto Tax Girl⁠⁠⁠⁠ Virtuals Protocol has announced the launch of Eastworld Labs, an AI accelerator to make it easier for builders to deploy humanoid robots. Virtuals Protocol co-founder Jansen Teng unpacks the idea behind the program, how it would work and what it hopes to achieve. He also addresses questions about how to prevent damage to remotely controlled robots, how to address backlash to robots taking jobs, and whether Virtuals views OpenClaw as a competitor. Will human relationships eventually be replaced by AI agents? Guest: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Jansen Teng, CEO & Co-Founder of Virtuals Protocol Links: Unchained: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Virtuals Ecosystem Sees Boost After Team Reveals Details of Buyback-and-Burn Program ⁠⁠⁠⁠Want to Hire an AI Agent? Check Their Reputation Via ERC-8004 When AI Agents Take Over, What Does a Post-Human Economy Look Like? How Nansen’s New Trading Agent Makes It Easier to Follow the Smart Money Onchain How the x402 Standard Is Enabling AI Agents to Pay Each Other Uneasy Money: How the Increasingly Better AI Agents Are Being Used Onchain Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Matt Corallo says “the community that exists at the time” will make decisions on how Bitcoin deals with the threat of quantum computing. Thank you to our sponsors! ⁠Figure⁠ ⁠Crypto Tax Girl⁠ ⁠Fuse: The Energy Network⁠ When it comes to the quantum computing threat to crypto, the focus is often on Bitcoin and for good reason. The blockchain lacks a defined governance structure and the vulnerability around Satoshi's and other abandoned and lost coins is far greater than on any other chain. Furthermore, influential figures like Nic Carter have accused developers of sleeping at the wheel. Bitcoin Core contributor Matt Corallo argues that it won't take much to make the network quantum-resistant and, contrary to popular narrative, says work is already underway. Find out why Corallo says quantum-proofing Bitcoin requires only two steps ”you burn old lost coins, you burn anyone who hasn't migrated.” Guest: ⁠Matt Corallo, Open Source Engineer at Block/Spiral Links: Unchained: ⁠Why Bitcoin Developers Are Not Incentivized to Talk About the Quantum Threat⁠ ⁠Q-Day Is Imminent. Can Bitcoin Survive the Quantum Threat?⁠ ⁠Solana Deploys Post-Quantum Signatures on Testnet⁠ ⁠Cracking Bitcoin Encryption Is Getting Much Easier, Google Says Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

LayerZero’s Bryan Pellegrino joins to unpack Base's decision to leave the OP Stack, Zora's migration to Solana and more. Thank you to our sponsors! ⁠Fuse: The Energy Network – Shift your energy use and earn rewards. ⁠MultiChain Advisors -⁠ The Growth & Capital Markets Partner You Need Coinbase's Base is making a shock move away from Optimism's OP Stack. In this Uneasy Money episode, LayerZero Labs CEO Bryan Pellegrino joins hosts Kain Warwick and Taylor Monahan to unpack whether this is the right move for Base and what it could mean for Optimism. Beyond Base's big move, the trio also discuss Zora's Solana migration, whether Coinbase was wrong to initially pursue a super app strategy with Base App, Peter Steinberger joining OpenAI, the launch of Zero blockchain and OpenAI's EVMbench. Will OpenAI's acqui-hiring of Peter prove to be a “generational fumble” for Anthropic? And can crypto fix its brand problem? Also, learn why the rise of AI agents have Kain and Tay confident that open source will win in the end. Hosts: ⁠Kain Warwick⁠, Founder of Infinex and Synthetix ⁠Taylor Monahan⁠, Security Expert Guest: Bryan Pellegrino, CEO of LayerZero Labs Links: Unchained: Zora Shocks Base Community With Solana Pivot ⁠⁠BlackRock Just Chose Uniswap. The Market Didn’t Care. Here’s Why. ⁠⁠LayerZero Launches ‘Zero’ Layer 1 as Citadel, ARK Buy ZRO ⁠⁠How Zero Blockchain Cracked 2 Million TPS and Is Still Decentralized ⁠⁠Uneasy Money: Are Institutions Creating a New Crypto Meta? ⁠⁠Uneasy Money: How the Increasingly Better AI Agents Are Being Used OnchainVitalik Rethinks Ethereum’s L2 Playbook, Calls for Shift Toward Native Rollups Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dragonfly raises a $650M Fund IV amid crypto's institutional vs retail sentiment gap, the industry exodus including Kyle Samani's departure from Multicoin, OpenClaw's OpenAI acquisition and crypto Twitter harassment, X402 payment standards for AI agents, Polymarket's controversial 5-minute Bitcoin betting markets, and the brewing federal vs state regulation battle over prediction markets. 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. This episode kicks off with major news: Dragonfly just closed their $650 million Fund IV, making them one of the largest crypto VCs not through growth, but because others have downsized. The timing feels surreal — they keep raising right when markets dump, creating the biggest gap between institutional optimism and retail sentiment Haseeb has ever seen. But money flowing in contrasts sharply with talent flowing out. Kyle Samani left Multicoin, Arianna Simpson departed A16z Crypto, and several other crypto veterans are moving on. The crew unpacks what this "great resignation" means for an industry that feels like it's shifted from pioneer phase to settler phase. Then they dive into the OpenClaw saga — the viral AI coding assistant that got acquired by OpenAI, but not before its creator almost deleted it due to harassment from crypto Twitter demanding he launch a token. This leads to a deep discussion on X402 payment standards and why AI agents might prefer crypto over credit cards. Finally, they debate Polymarket's controversial 5-minute Bitcoin betting markets and the brewing legal battle between federal and state regulation of prediction markets. Let's get into it. Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pods, Fountain, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. Show highlights 🔹 Dragonfly raises $650M Fund IV while other crypto VCs face "mass extinction" and downsizing 🔹 Kyle Samani's departure from Multicoin signals crypto's shift from pioneer to settler phase 🔹 Industry exodus includes Arianna Simpson, Toshi from Ethereum Foundation, and other veterans 🔹 OpenClaw creator almost deleted viral AI tool due to crypto Twitter harassment over tokens 🔹 X402 payment standard emerges as walletless protocol for AI agent transactions 🔹 OpenAI acquires OpenClaw through separate foundation structure, not direct acquisition 🔹 Polymarket launches controversial 5-minute Bitcoin up/down markets sparking gambling debate 🔹 CFTC chair files amicus briefs defending prediction markets against state regulation attempts 🔹 Federal vs state jurisdiction battle intensifies over event contracts vs sports betting classification 🔹 Institutional sentiment remains bullish while crypto native sentiment hits historic lows 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 Timestamps 00:00 Intro 01:04 Dragonfly Closes $650M Fund IV 03:26 Institutional vs Retail Sentiment 06:14 Bear Markets as Opportunity 13:48 Kyle Samani’s Exit 21:44 OpenClaw Gets ‘Acquired’ by OpenAI 24:03 Token Pressure & Harassment 25:05 Is OpenClaw Actually Useful? 31:01 Why Open Source Will Move Faster Than Big Labs 33:13 Agents, Memecoins, and the Dark Incentives 37:40 Why Crypto Payments Beat Credit Cards 40:09 Polymarket’s New 5-Minute Markets 49:43 State Gambling Laws vs CFTC Federal Preemption Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The crew tackles everything from the CFTC's controversial stance on prediction markets to the real-world impacts of rising crypto crime. Thank you to our sponsors! Figure is giving away $25,000 in USDC. Deposit into Democratized Prime, earn ~9% APY hourly—and every $1 you keep in for 25 days is 1 entry. Enter here Adaptive Security: As AI makes deception easier, security gets harder. Adaptive runs deepfake and phishing simulations so your team can train for real-world threats. Explore more The CFTC has announced an innovation council, Chair Mike Selig has asserted that prediction markets are under the agency's ambit, SBF wants another trial and Nancy Guthrie's kidnapping is casting crypto in a negative light. In this episode of DEX in the City, hosts Jessi Brooks, Katherine Kirkpatrick Bos and TuongVy Le discuss how the distribution of the CFTC's council highlights industry's need for better gender equity, why Selig's stance on prediction markets triggers “a huge constitutional debate,” why SBF's push for a new trial is so dangerous for crypto, and whether the crypto industry can do more to mitigate crime. Find out why SBF's search for a new trial has far reaching effects beyond his case. Plus, can crypto tackle crime without sacrificing its benefits? If you want your crypto taxes done carefully — not guessed — Crypto Tax Girl is offering $100 off one-on-one crypto tax services. Their team focuses solely on crypto and has been helping investors navigate tax season since 2017. Save $100 here Hosts: ⁠Jessi Brooks⁠, General Counsel at Ribbit Capital Katherine Kirkpatrick Bos, General Counsel at StarkWare ⁠TuongVy Le⁠, General Counsel at Veda Links: Unchained: SEC and CFTC Signal United Front on Crypto Trump Won’t Consider Pardon for SBF: Report DEX in the City: How Crypto Exchanges May Be Holding Up the Market Structure Bill This week's good news: How Ripple is Helping Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity to Unlock Crypto Philanthropy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stani Kulechov unpacks Aave Labs’ “Aave Will Win” proposal, explaining why the company wants the DAO to have power over its finances. Thank you to our sponsors! Adaptive Security Aave Labs has proposed a “Aave Will Win” framework that will direct all revenue to the DAO to bring the protocol under “a token-centric model.” In this episode, Aave founder Stani Kulechov explains why Aave Labs is putting its funding at the mercy of the DAO and how the framework could drive DeFi innovation. Plus wen Aave v4? And is Aave Labs’ requested budget too much? Guest: Stani Kulechov, Founder of Aave Labs Previous appearances on Unchained: Why Aave's Founder Is 'More Bullish on Ethereum Than Anything Else’ Why the Founders of Aave and Sky Are Still Bullish on Ethereum DeFi Satoshi, Shorter Blocks, & Secret Plot - The Chopping Block Stani Kulechov on Why Aave Is So Successful - Ep.212 Links: Unchained: Aave Revenue Overhaul Sparks Governance Clash Aave Labs Proposes Off-Protocol Revenue Sharing With Token Holders The Chopping Block: Aave Civil War + Flow Hack + Coinbase Super-App Aave’s Rushed Governance Vote Draws Backlash How Aave Labs and the DAO Should Split Ownership of the Brand – Uneasy Money Uneasy Money: Why Token Holders Have No Rights & Why Every DAO ‘Has Failed’ ‘Poison Pill’ Proposal Calls for Aave DAO to Take Over Aave Labs AAVE Holders Question if DAO Quietly Redirected Revenue Away From Treasury Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Mag 7 have committed over $700 billion to AI infrastructure, but the companies building the models may never capture the value. Thank you to our sponsors: Adaptive Security Fuse: The Energy Network The BLS just quietly revised away 862,000 jobs, and real-time inflation trackers now peg price growth below 1%, less than half of what official figures report. If the Fed is steering monetary policy with stale data, investors need to ask what else the models are getting wrong. At the same time, the Mag 7 have committed more than $700 billion to AI infrastructure, with Anthropic alone projecting $1 trillion in revenue within five years. Is that conviction or the early stages of a debt cycle nobody is pricing? And then there is the institutional side of crypto: BlackRock's BUIDL fund just landed on Uniswap with $2.4 billion in assets, Apollo acquired $90 million in Morpho tokens, and AI agents are already settling micropayments in stablecoins. Austin Campbell, Ram Ahluwalia, and Christopher Perkins sit down with Truflation’s CEO Stefan Rust to ask whether the numbers we trust are telling us the truth. Hosts: ⁠Ram Ahluwalia⁠, CFA, CEO and Founder of Lumida ⁠Austin Campbell⁠, NYU Stern professor and founder and managing partner of Zero Knowledge Consulting ⁠Christopher Perkins⁠, Managing Partner and President of CoinFund Guest: Stefan Rust, Founder and CEO of Truflation Links: Unchained: BlackRock Just Chose Uniswap. The Market Didn’t Care. Here’s Why. Apollo Moves Into DeFi Lending With Morpho Token Deal UNI Spikes on BlackRock DeFi Move, Then Gives It All Back Macro: NBC: U.S. had almost no job growth in 2025 PBS: Inflation measure falls to nearly five-year low as gas prices fall and housing costs cool Crowdfund Insider: Secretary Of The Treasury Scott Bessent Calls Out Truflation's Inflation Numbers At Senate Banking Hearing AI CapEx: Amazon, Google And Others Are Pouring $700 Billion Into AI CapEx, Top Analyst Explains Why This Makes It 'Hard' To Bet Against Nvidia CIO: Data center capex to hit $1.7 trillion by 2030 due to AI boom Reuters: OpenClaw founder Steinberger joins OpenAI, open-source bot becomes foundation Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As miners approach historical stress zones, Bitcoin’s correlation with tech stocks is hitting at the worst possible moment. Enter AI. Thank you to our sponsor Crypto Tax Girl! Public mining companies are once again approaching breakeven territory, a zone that in prior cycles preceded forced selling and capitulation. But unlike past downturns, balance sheets today are cleaner, leverage is lower, and many operators are pivoting toward AI data center hosting as a structural offramp. At the same time, Bitcoin has been trading alongside frontier technology stocks. That correlation is resurfacing at precisely the wrong moment, as growth equities face renewed pressure. If growth portfolios were the marginal buyers during the rally, they may now be the marginal sellers. In this episode, Steven Ehrlich speaks first with John Todaro about miner economics, hash rate dynamics, and whether another round of selling could emerge if Bitcoin remains near breakeven levels. Then Zach Pandl joins to examine Bitcoin’s correlation with tech stocks, the mechanics behind recent gold volatility, and why the next phase for crypto may be driven by differentiation rather than broad beta. Hosts: Steven Ehrlich, Host of Bits + Bips: The Interview Guests: Zach Pandl, Head of Research at Grayscale John Todaro, Managing Director, Crypto & HPC/AI Equity Research at Needham & Company Links: Bitcoin Miner Danger Zone Major Bitcoin Miners Face Shutdown Risk If BTC Falls Below $70,000 Miner Pivot to AI America’s Biggest Bitcoin Miners Are Pivoting to AI The Tech Selloff Wall Street’s Anything-But-Tech Trade Shakes Up US Stock Market Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The crew unpacks BlackRock buying UNI, ARK, Citadel, DTCC, the Intercontinental Exchange and other TradFi players backing Zero, , Vitalik's thoughts on AI, and more. Thank you to our sponsors! Fuse: The Energy Network MultiChain Advisors Crypto Tax Girl AI safety chiefs are leaving, BlackRock's launching on Uniswap and buying UNI, LayerZero launches “the last blockchain” with institutional backing, Kaito is launching attention markets, Base is abandoning social and Vitalik has some thoughts on AI. Hosts Kain Warwick, Luca Netz and Taylor Monahan unpack these and more in yet another packed episode of Uneasy Money. Find out why Kain thinks the Uniswap and LayerZero news point to a new meta reminiscent of DeFi Summer. Plus, is Coinbase's Base playing it too safe? And is Vitalik fighting a losing battle? Hosts: Luca Netz, CEO of Pudgy Penguins Kain Warwick, Founder of Infinex and Synthetix Taylor Monahan, Security at MetaMask Links: Unchained: ⁠LayerZero Launches ‘Zero’ Layer 1 as Citadel, ARK Buy ZRO⁠ ⁠How Zero Blockchain Cracked 2 Million TPS and Is Still Decentralized⁠ ⁠Vitalik Buterin Pushes Back on the ‘Race to AGI,’ Outlines Ethereum-Led AI Path⁠ ⁠When AI Agents Take Over, What Does a Post-Human Economy Look Like?⁠ ⁠Uneasy Money: How the Increasingly Better AI Agents Are Being Used Onchain⁠ ⁠Uneasy Money: Why Crypto Still Can’t Overcome Its ICO Struggles Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The market structure bill introduces a "control" test for DeFi protocols. The problem: nobody agrees on what control means. Figure is giving away $25,000 in USDC. Deposit into Democratized Prime, earn ~9% APY hourly—and every $1 you keep in for 25 days is 1 entry. Enter here Peter Van Valkenburgh of Coin Center sits down with Jessi Brooks and Vy Le to confront a question that will determine which DeFi projects can operate in the United States and which ones can't. The Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act creates a carve-out for non-custodial developers, codifying the principle that if you never hold customer funds, you shouldn't need a money transmitter license. Simple enough on paper. But Vy presses on the hard cases: what about an admin key, an upgradeable vault, or a pause function built for security? Where exactly does "non-custodial" end and "control" begin? Meanwhile, Jessi raises the tension the industry rarely wants to discuss. The DOJ just charged cartel brokers moving money through crypto, yet simultaneously dismantled its own enforcement teams. If Congress clears developers, who pursues the actual criminals? The answer matters for every builder, investor, and victim watching this play out. Hosts: Jessi Brooks, General Counsel at Ribbit Capital TuongVy Le, General Counsel at Veda Guest: ⁠Peter Van Valkenburgh, Executive Director of Coin Center Links: ⁠​​Crypto Market Structure Bill Clears Senate Committee — But the Hard Part Is Still Ahead⁠ ⁠Senators Move to Curb Passive Stablecoin Yields in Market Structure Push⁠ ⁠Mastercard in Talks to Buy Zerohash for $2 Billion: Report⁠ ⁠How the GENIUS Act Creates a Built-In Advantage for Banks and Deposit Tokens⁠ ⁠How Nansen’s New Trading Agent Makes It Easier to Follow the Smart Money Onchain⁠ ⁠How the x402 Standard Is Enabling AI Agents to Pay Each Other⁠ ⁠Reading is Fundamental⁠ ⁠Stablecoin for Babies Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Namik Muduroglu and Amir Almaimani walk through MegaETH's launch strategy and why they are delaying the TGE. Thank you to our sponsors! ⁠Figure⁠ ⁠Crypto Tax Girl Months after its oversubscribed initial coin offering, MegaETH's mainnet is live. But the project is not launching its token just yet. In this Unchained podcast episode, MegaETH strategy chief Namik Muduroglu and Head of Ecosystem Amir Almaimani break down the Ethereum Layer 2 chain’s launch strategy, including its decision to delay TGE. They also explain how the MegaETH is navigating the current market slump and how it is positioning USDM as its long term moat. Plus, why they believe credible neutrality is a “losing strategy.” Guests: Namik Muduroglu, CSO & Founding Team at MegaETH Amir Almaimani, Head of Ecosystem of MegaETH Previous appearances on Unchained: MegaETH Just Had Its Public Sale. Can It Succeed in Building a Web2-Like Experience? Links: Unchained: Ethereum Lets Go of the Rollup Story. Here Are the 6 Tokens That Benefit MegaETH Plans Return of All Pre-Deposit Funds MegaETH Just Had Its Public Sale. Can It Succeed in Building a Web2-Like Experience? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thank you to our sponsors! Figure Crypto Tax Girl Are bitcoiners underestimating the quantum threat to Bitcoin? That's the question Castle Island Ventures Partner Nic Carter has posed with some recent posts gauging the views of several leading Bitcoin developers on quantum computing. To help answer the question, Unchained reached out to Ethereum Foundation Researcher Justin Drake and Michigan University Professor Chris Peikert. In this episode, Justin and Chris, who is one of the foremost experts on lattice cryptography, break down the quantum computing threat to crypto and the potential timelines. Justin theorizes that Bitcoin developers may not be incentivized to talk about the quantum computing risk while still saying that a number of smart people are already taking it seriously and that may be enough. Conversely, Chris highlights the constraints that come with uncertainty around risks and timelines. Listen to find out what they conclude. Plus, could AI do crypto in before quantum computers? Guests: Justin Drake, Researcher at the Ethereum Foundation Chris Peikert, Professor, Computer Science and Engineering, University of Michigan Links: Ethereum and Optimism Lay the Groundwork for a Post-Quantum Future Q-Day Is Imminent. Can Bitcoin Survive the Quantum Threat? Solana Deploys Post-Quantum Signatures on Testnet Cracking Bitcoin Encryption Is Getting Much Easier, Google Says Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thank you to our sponsors! Figure Crypto Tax Girl What happened to Bitcoin on Feb. 5? And why does the apex crypto continue to underperform? DeFi Development Corp investment chief Parker White has some theories. In this Unchained podcast episode, Parker walks Laura Shin through them as they gain traction on X. At the center of it all is non-crypto Hong Kong fund and another fund that may be executing a ‘Big Short’-style trade using derivatives. Listen to find out why Parker is so convinced. Guest: Parker White, COO/Chief Investment Officer at DeFi Development Corp Links: Bitcoin Mining Gets a Rare Reset as Weaker Players Drop Out Why Bitcoin Is Down, Plus the Rare Bright Spot in Crypto: Hyperliquid Crypto Sentiment Is Down Bad. The Reality Is Far Different, Says Ryan Watkins Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Fountain, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. Figure is giving away $25,000 in USDC. Deposit into Democratized Prime, earn ~9% APY hourly—and every $1 you keep in for 25 days is 1 entry. Enter here --- Bitcoin slid toward $60,000 on Feb. 5 in a brutal, cross-asset selloff that hit gold, equities, and crypto alike. With leverage unwinding and basis trades breaking, long-time bitcoin holders are distributing to institutional buyers who, by 13F data, are mostly underwater. The mood across digital assets is bleak. Against that backdrop, Nic Carter of Castle Island Ventures argues that key Bitcoin narratives have quietly failed—and warns that developers’ inaction on quantum risk could open the door to institutional control. If devs don’t act, Carter says ETF giants like BlackRock will. The panel then widens the lens: declaring the token-centric VC model dead, debating whether AI now rivals the industrial revolution, and stress-testing it all across topics ranging from Solana vs. Hyperliquid to Japan’s political shift and MrBeast’s fintech play. --- If you want your crypto taxes done carefully — not guessed — Crypto Tax Girl is offering $100 off one-on-one crypto tax services. Their team focuses solely on crypto and has been helping investors navigate tax season since 2017. Save $100 here Hosts: Ram Ahluwalia, CFA, CEO and Founder of Lumida Austin Campbell, NYU Stern professor and founder and managing partner of Zero Knowledge Consulting Christopher Perkins, Managing Partner and President of CoinFund Guest: Nic Carter, Founding Partner at Castle Island Ventures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thank you to our sponsors! Figure Crypto Tax Girl LayerZero Labs is making bold promises with its coming Zero Blockchain. 2 million transactions per second per node. A thousandth of a penny per transaction. No compromises to decentralization. The big question is how?! In this Unchained podcast episode, LayerZero Labs CEO Bryan Pellegrino explains how the team was able to crack scalability by fixing blockchain storage and rethinking the crypto industry's approach to zero knowledge technology. With the blockchain already boasting partners such as Citadel Securities, DTCC and ICE, will Zero be the blockchain institutions decide to build on? Guest: Bryan Pellegrino, Co-founder & CEO of LayerZero Labs Links: LayerZero Foundation Buys Back 5% of ZRO Token Supply From Early Investors PayPal’s PYUSD Integrates LayerZero to Expand Across Blockchains The LayerZero/Wormhole Bidding War Shows How to Value a Crypto Business LayerZero Fought the Sybils and Airdropped Its Token. Did the Team Win? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The ERC-8004 standard for trustless AI agent interactions is finally live on mainnet! In this Unchained episode, Ethereum Foundation AI Lead Davide Crapis joins to explain what the standard is, how it works, how it’s protected against manipulation, and what's next. Listen to find out his most interesting experience building the project and tips for builders looking to start businesses around AI agents. Guest: Davide Crapis, AI Lead at Ethereum Foundation Links: How the x402 Standard Is Enabling AI Agents to Pay Each Other Uneasy Money: How Ethereum May Have One-Upped Bitcoin in One Big Way Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thank you to our sponsors! Fuse: The Energy Network MultiChain Advisors Vitalik Buterin just dropped a bombshell: the L2 vision no longer makes sense. Meanwhile, AI coding agents are going parabolic. In this monster episode of Uneasy Money, Ethereum Foundation Head of Developer Growth Austin Griffith and Optimism co-founder Karl Floersch join hosts Kain Warwick and Taylor Monahan to unpack the reasoning behind Vitalik's remarks and debate whether Ethereum needs L2s to pull institutions. They also take a deep dive into the OpenClaw and Moltbook craze and Austin shares how he has different agents running on different machines, including one that texts his wife good morning everyday. Is “AI the new UI?” Hosts: Kain Warwick, Founder of Infinex and Synthetix Taylor Monahan, Security Expert, Metamask Guests: Austin Griffith, AI Lead at Ethereum Foundation Karl Floersh, CTO of OP Labs Links: Vitalik Rethinks Ethereum’s L2 Playbook, Calls for Shift Toward Native Rollups How the x402 Standard Is Enabling AI Agents to Pay Each Other Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thank you to our sponsors! Fuse In one week, OpenClaw agents have gotten their own social networking platform, launched cryptocurrency tokens and built a site to rent humans. In this episode of Unchained, DAIS Global Chair Michael Casey and The Exponentialist co-founder David Mattin explore what Moltbook reveals about the direction of the AI trend, how AI could impact jobs and what a post-human economy looks like. Will Bitcoin be the currency of the future? Don't miss Michael's sovereign AI thesis and how Mattin believes we can navigate the transition to a post-human society. Hint: “lean into your weirdness.” Guests: Michael Casey, Chairman of DAIS Global David Mattin, Co-founder of The Exponentialist Links: How Nansen’s New Trading Agent Makes It Easier to Follow the Smart Money Onchain How the x402 Standard Is Enabling AI Agents to Pay Each Other Check out David's newsletter New World Same Humans Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’re looking for help with crypto taxes, Crypto Tax Girl is offering $100 off for Unchained listeners. They provide personalized crypto tax reports and tax returns, and availability before April 15 is limited. Go to http://cryptotaxgirl.com/unchained to save $100! The White House is intervening in the fight over stablecoin yield. And AI agents are… organizing? In this special episode of DEX in the City, Zerohash CEO Edward Woodford joins hosts Jessi Brooks and Katherine Kirkpatrick Bos to unpack the White House meeting to resolve disputes over the CLARITY Act and the Moltbook craze. Listen to find out why Edward thinks CLARITY should have a narrower focus and what he thinks is more important than the yield debate. Plus why Jessi thinks the crypto industry is pinning too much hope on the bill. Don't also miss Edward's rationale behind rejecting $2B from Mastercard and KK's awkward interaction with a teacher after offering to teach crypto at her son's school. Meanwhile, as AI agents proliferate, where does accountability lie? Hosts: Jessi Brooks, General Counsel at Ribbit Capital Katherine Kirkpatrick Bos, General Counsel at StarkWare Guest: Edward Woodford, Founder and CEO of Zerohash Links: ​​Crypto Market Structure Bill Clears Senate Committee — But the Hard Part Is Still Ahead Senators Move to Curb Passive Stablecoin Yields in Market Structure Push Mastercard in Talks to Buy Zerohash for $2 Billion: Report How the GENIUS Act Creates a Built-In Advantage for Banks and Deposit Tokens How Nansen’s New Trading Agent Makes It Easier to Follow the Smart Money Onchain How the x402 Standard Is Enabling AI Agents to Pay Each Other Reading is Fundamental Stablecoin for Babies Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thank you to our sponsor! Fuse Bitcoin's collapse is accelerating. Continuing a descent that began last week, the asset this week has all the price progress made under the Trump administration. The price action begs the question why amid greater adoption and support. In this episode of Unchained, FalconX Head of Markets Joshua Lim highlights two main reasons for Bitcoin's regression and offers his outlook for the year. Is it 2022 all over? Plus, how gold's run resembles GameStop in 2021 and why Hyperliquid is a bright spot amid market weakness. Guest: Joshua Lim, Head of Markets, FalconX Links: Bitcoin Sinks as Markets Price In a More Hawkish Fed Has Bitcoin Failed to Live Up to the Digital Gold Narrative? Why HYPE Is Up While Every Other Crypto, Including Bitcoin, Is Down Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices