It’s time for a ‘flight to quality’ - Thrive founder Daniel Jacobs
The Block's Head of Growth, Tim Copeland, was joined by Thrive Founder Daniel Jacobs.
In this episode, Jacobs shares how Thrive uses a mix of expert and AI agent reviewers to validate contributions, making grant funding faster, fairer, and ensure they are supporting the creation of value. Jacobs also critiques the value-extraction mindset in crypto and advocates for a shift toward long-term value creation and ecosystem sustainability.
OUTLINE
00:00 – Introduction
01:03 – The Origin of Thrive
04:23 – Reviewer Incentives
05:35 – AI Agent Adoption
08:52 – Confirming AI Accuracy
12:36 – Comparisons to Kaito
13:58 – Growth Metrics
16:26 – Challenges in Crypto Grant Funding
20:50 – Extracting vs. Creating Value
25:07 – Are VCs good for the space?
28:37 – Moving into “Fundamental Season”
30:07 – Interesting projects
31:17 – Daniel’s Predictions for 2025
31:42 – Closing Thoughts
The Block Newsletters
The Block's newsletters bring you the latest news and analysis of the fast-moving crypto and DeFi markets. To subscribe, visit theblock.co/newsletters
Guest links:
Daniel Jacobs - https://x.com/thrivegiraffe
Thrive Protocol - https://x.com/thriveprotocol
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32:16
MetaMask co-founder Dan Finlay unpacks vision for reaching a 'much bigger audience'
The Block's Head of Growth, Tim Copeland, was joined by Metamask Co-Founder Dan Finlay.
In this episode, Copeland and Finlay discuss the evolution of the crypto industry, the intersection of blockchain and AI, and MetaMask's goal to build a wallet for a much broader audience outside of crypto natives.
OUTLINE
00:00 - Introduction
00:42 - Crypto’s evolution
02:57 - MetaMask's strategy
04:39 - Mainstream Use Cases
07:20 - MetaMask’s Grants Program
10:57 - Challenges in Building MetaMask
15:17 - Improving Multi-Chain UX
17:16 - The Pectra Upgrade
23:06 - MetaMask’s revenue streams
25:33 - From Memes to Fundamentals
27:58 - Experimenting with AI
32:19 - The Solana Meme Coin
37:04 - Native Support for Solana
40:09 - The Changing U.S. Regulatory Landscape
41:20 - The Elusive MetaMask Token
42:17 - Hopes for the Future
43:01 - Conclusion
The Block Newsletters
The Block's newsletters bring you the latest news and analysis of the fast-moving crypto and DeFi markets. To subscribe, visit theblock.co/newsletters
Guest links:
Dan Finlay - https://x.com/danfinlay
MetaMask - https://x.com/MetaMask
Are you hiring in crypto?
Use Campus to quickly find your best candidates with our challenging Crypto Assessment Test.
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43:33
Backed Finance Co-Founder Adam Levi on the rise of tokenized equities
The Block's Editor-in-Chief, Tim Copeland, was joined by Backed Finance Co-Founder Adam Levi.
In this episode, Copeland and Levi discuss the rise and future of tokenized equities, and how it could prove to be bigger than stablecoins.
OUTLINE
00:00 - Introduction
00:46 - Observations From Token2049
02:14 - Adam’s Experience in the Space
03:51 - Understanding the Business Model
08:28 - Another Crypto Collapse?
11:56 - Why Tokenized Equities Are Gaining Steam
15:58 - Regulatory Concerns and Global Access
18:46 - Adoption Barriers
20:10 - Unlocking DeFi With Real-World Assets
23:06 - Yield-Bearing Stablecoins
25:21 - Coming Next in Tokenized Equities
26:01 - Conclusion
The Block Newsletters
The Block's newsletters bring you the latest news and analysis of the fast-moving crypto and DeFi markets. To subscribe, visit theblock.co/newsletters
Guest links:
Adam Levi - https://x.com/leviadam1
Backed Finance - https://x.com/BackedFi
Are you hiring in crypto?
Use Campus to quickly find your best candidates with our challenging Crypto Assessment Test.
Faster hiring, stronger teams.
Sign up for a trial today: theblock.co/campus
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26:34
PayPal SVP Jose Fernandez da Ponte outlines the payment giant's crypto strategy
The Block's Editor-in-Chief, Tim Copeland, was joined by PayPal's SVP of Blockchain, Crypto and Digital Currencies, Jose Fernandez da Ponte.
In this episode, Copeland and da Ponte discuss PayPal’s vision and progress in crypto, including its stablecoin PYUSD, payment use cases, and how PayPal is looking to position itself as a major player in blockchain-based finance.
OUTLINE
00:00 - Introduction
03:03 - PayPal’s journey into crypto
06:31 - Top requested features: tokens and yield
11:21 - Navigating regulation
15:09 - The Popularity of crypto on PayPal
18:49 - Circle’s new cross-border payments network
19:56 - Measuring success with PYUSD
23:09 - Supporting other stablecoins
24:05 - Can PYUSD rival Tether or USDC?
27:35 - BlackRock and TradFi entering crypto
29:51 - Using stablecoins in real business payments
30:42 - How crypto will change financial services
34:16 - PayPal’s long-term crypto ambitions
37:12 - Closing thoughts
The Block Newsletters
The Block's newsletters bring you the latest news and analysis of the fast-moving crypto and DeFi markets. To subscribe, visit theblock.co/newsletters
Guest links:
Jose Fernandez da Ponte - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jose-fernandez-da-ponte-a46ba81/
PayPal - https://x.com/PayPal
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38:18
Chatting Optimism with OP Labs Co-founder Mark Tyneway
The Block's Editor-in-Chief, Tim Copeland, was joined by OP Labs Co-Founder and Systems Engineer Mark Tyneway.
In this episode, Copeland and Tyneway discuss the progress and current state of Optimism. Tyneway unpacked OP Labs' focus on user experience and interoperability, and how crypto's future could become more app-focused.
OUTLINE
00:00 - Introduction
00:48 - Optimism’s Growth and Ecosystem Highlights
05:04 - Crypto’s App-Focused Future
06:57 - Native Interoperability and Cross-Chain Messaging
16:10 - Adoption Through Apps
20:18 - Staying Focused on the Vision
25:23 - Crypto’s Growing Relevancy
27:51 - Value Accrual to ETH vs Layer 2s
33:12 - The Super Token
36:00 - ZK Proofs
39:24 - Biggest Challenges for Layer 2 Growth
40:43 - Optimism’s 2025 Vision
41:36 - Outro and Final Thanks
The Block Newsletters
The Block's newsletters bring you the latest news and analysis of the fast-moving crypto and DeFi markets. To subscribe, visit theblock.co/newsletters
Guest links:
Mark Tyneway - https://x.com/tyneslol
OP Labs - https://x.com/OPLabsPBC
Optimism - https://x.com/Optimism
Are you hiring in crypto?
Use Campus to quickly find your best candidates with our challenging Crypto Assessment Test.
Faster hiring, stronger teams.
Sign up for a trial today: theblock.co/campus
The Crypto Beat is a live streaming podcast focused on topical crypto news events. The podcast will feature multiple guests who are deep in the crypto industry sharing their views on the topic of the day. It will be available across X, Twitch and YouTube and made available afterwards on popular audio platforms.
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