Unchained

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