In less than two weeks, Vitalik Buterin, the creator of Ethereum, and I will get on stage and do Unchained’s first live podcast recording! We’ll be discussing Ethereum 2.0, whether the smart contract platform is losing its lead, MolochDAO, and so much more.
It will be in New York City on the evening of March 20th at the Columbia University School of Journalism in the Joseph D. Jamail Lecture Hall on the third floor. We’ll have food, drinks and giveaways. There are a just a few seats left, so buy your tickets now!
Also, if you’re not in NYC, you can pre-submit a video of yourself asking Vitalik a question. I’ll select a few to play during the event. Just record a short video of yourself — one minute max — stating your first and last name, location and affiliation, if relevant, and asking your question. Email it to [email protected] with the subject line “video question.”
This week demonstrated that crypto hasn’t graduated from its Wild West phase yet. Coinbase’s acquisition of a company whose members had what many deemed an unethical past sparked a commotion. Further investigations into Quadriga’s wallets showed that they were cold, alright. And BlockFi’s 6% interest deposit accounts revealed that the crypto internet outrage isn’t slowing down any time sooon. Plus, we’ve got reports on blockchain developer activity, MakerDAO and we’re keeping an eye on how Facebook’s privacy announcement, in conjunction with its crypto stablecoin project, could impact the broader crypto space.
This Week’s Crypto News…
Coinbase Stumbles, Then Reverses Course
In case you missed it, Coinbase’s acquired a blockchain analytics company, Neutrino, whose employees’ backgrounds included founding a company, Hacking Team, named an “enemy of the internet” by Reporters Without Borders. After a massive outcry, exacerbated when an exec told Cheddar that its previous analytics partners were selling client data to outside sources, the company said it will “transition out” employees who previously worked at Hacking Team.
Quadriga Cold Wallets Found — Empty
And they’ve been empty since April 2018, according to auditor EY. Except for one that was being used to withdraw Bitcoin from exchanges and replenish the hot wallet. And the FBI is investigating, according to Fortune. Also, Taylor Monahan, CEO of MyCrypto, who was recently on Unconfirmed explaining her analysis of the movement of transactions on Quadriga’s addresses, tweeted some corrections.
Blockchains, Measured by Developer Activity
Electric Capital released a comprehensive look at tokens by developer activity on the core protocol and the “total code,” which includes wallets, websites, software developer kits, etc., against market cap. It becomes apparent pretty quickly which tokens are overpriced and which ones are ones to keep an eye out for.
BlockFi Draws Criticism for Its 6% Interest Rate
Speaking of liquid collateral, BlockFi first made waves for its seemingly unbelievable 6% interest deposit accounts — and then garnered disapproval for its fine print, which told users it had the right to re-hypothecate a user’s digital assets and that BlockFi was not a fiduciary. Some felt it exposed users to risks they may not understand.
MakerDAO Continues to Attract Attention
Both Placeholder and Blockchain Capital analyze MakerDAO, with the first (linked above) noting that the collateralization ratio in Maker CDPs is less highly coupled to the price of ETH. Spencer Bogart of Blockchain Capital raises good questions about whether MKR holders can actually keep the system from failing.
Ethereum Community Continues Hand-Wringing
The fallout after divisiveness drove Ethereum core developer Afri Schoedon out of the community continued with this post, sparking this Twitter discussion, and some finger-pointing. While a successful EthCC this week and the Electric Capital report show Ethereum’s dominance, clearly the community is anxious about the future.
