Quantum computing is often dismissed as a distant sci-fi future, but Ethereum OG John Lilic and Oxford physicist Stefano Gogioso argue the timeline is shrinking fast with roadmaps converging around 2030. In this episode, they break down the "woeful" state of quantum readiness in crypto, explaining how Shor's algorithm could eventually shatter the elliptic curve cryptography protecting Bitcoin and Ethereum.

They also explore the terrifying concept of "harvest now, decrypt later," which implies that encrypted data and privacy coins like Monero may essentially be compromised already. Finally, they introduce "Quantum Money," a revolutionary form of digital cash developed by Stefano’s startup NeverLocal, which relies on the laws of physics rather than blockchain consensus to prevent double-spending.

Topics

• 00:00 Intro

• 03:00 John’s Quantum Awakening

• 08:00 Defining Quantum Computing

• 13:30 Logical Qubits Explained

• 18:15 Crypto’s "Woeful" Readiness

• 23:30 "Harvest Now" Threat

• 28:45 Monero’s Privacy Risk

• 33:15 What is Quantum Money?

• 40:00 Investment & Hedging

Links

• John Lilic on X: https://x.com/LilicJohn

• Stefano Gogioso on X: https://x.com/StefanoGogioso

• NeverLocal: https://neverlocal.com

• Quantum.info: https://quantum.info

• Gnosis: https://gnosis.io/

Sponsors:

Gnosis: Gnosis has been building core decentralized infrastructure for the Ethereum ecosystem since 2015. With the launch of Gnosis Pay last year, we introduced the world's first Decentralized Payment Network. Start leveraging its power today at http://gnosis.io

“DevConnect 2025 was about touching and feeling Ethereum IRL”Nathan Sexer, lead of the DevConnect 2025 and Events team at the Ethereum Foundation, gives a peek into the largest iteration of Devconnect ever, with 20,000 attendees, and why the team pivoted to a "World's Fair" format, creating tangible districts for DeFi and Privacy to let attendees truly "touch and feel" the ecosystem.

The conversation gets real about the friction of the physical world. He explained why Argentina’s crypto-native culture makes it the perfect host, how hyperinflation fueled bottom-up adoption, and even the venue-wide internet failure became an accidental "feature," breaking the on-screen silos and pushing genuine face-to-face connections.

A massive geopolitical win was how the team worked with the government to issue 1,000+ visas for attendees from over 130 nationalities to make this event in the true spirit of borderless crypto.

The Ethereum Foundation is heading to Mumbai in 2026! The goal for India is to unify a fragmented developer diaspora and bring regulatory attention to one of the world's most critical tech hubs.

Topics

• 00:00 Intro & Scale
• 04:15 World's Fair Concept
• 09:50 Why Argentina?
• 14:30 Operational Challenges
• 18:15 Internet Blackout
• 22:00 Booth Renaissance
• 28:30 Privacy Priority
• 33:00 Devcon Mumbai
• 37:40 Indian Developers

Links

• Devcon Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/EFDevcon
• Nathan Sexer on X: https://x.com/nethan_eth
• Ethereum Foundation: https://ethereum.org
• Gnosis: https://gnosis.io/

Sponsors: Gnosis: Gnosis has been building core decentralized infrastructure for the Ethereum ecosystem since 2015. With the launch of Gnosis Pay last year, we introduced the world's first Decentralized Payment Network. Start leveraging its power today at http://gnosis.io

At DevConnect 2025, Sebastian and Friederike speak with Peter Van Valkenburgh about the rapidly evolving battle for digital rights. Peter challenges the industry's comfort with transparency, arguing that "transparency will destroy neutrality." He uses the history of SWIFT to illustrate how a once-neutral messaging system was captured by geopolitical interests because it wasn't "technically blind" to the data it processed. He argues that for blockchains to survive as global settlement layers, they must be "actually blind" to transactions, making neutrality a technical reality rather than a policy choice.

The conversation turns to the aggressive legal tactics currently deployed against developers. Peter highlights the Pereira Bueno case, where prosecutors charged MEV searchers with wire fraud for being "dishonest validators" a concept Peter argues completely undermines the game-theoretic security of permissionless networks. He also breaks down the mixed bag of Tornado Cash litigation. While the sanctions against the protocol were successfully challenged and invalidated for Americans, the criminal conviction of developer Roman Storm for "unlicensed money transmission" sets a terrifying precedent for anyone publishing open-source code.

On a constructive note, Peter introduces Coin Center's "John Hancock Project," which advocates for replacing the current, ineffective KYC/AML regime (which seizes less than 1% of illicit funds) with a system based on privacy-preserving attestations and self-sovereign risk scores. Finally, Peter shares surprising optimism regarding the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). He notes that under the influence of Commissioners Hester Peirce and Paul Atkins, the agency has shifted from an aggressive adversary to a potential ally, openly discussing the benefits of full asset tokenization and the constitutional necessity of financial privacy.

Topics

• 00:00 The Telegram vs. Signal security rant
• 05:15 The "Transparency Paradox": Why transparent Layer 1s cannot remain neutral in the long run

• 10:40 The SWIFT Analogy: How a neutral messaging layer became a politicized settlement enforcer

• 15:50 The Pereira Bueno Case: Why labeling MEV strategies as "wire fraud" threatens all validators
• 23:10 L2 Sequencing Risks: Centralization and the need for "dumb pipes"
• 28:30 The Failure of KYC: Why 99.8% of illicit funds are missed and the cost of mass surveillance
• 35:00 The "John Hancock Project": Using ZK-proofs and attestations to replace identity surveillance
• 42:15 Tornado Cash Update: Sanctions invalidated vs. the dangerous precedent of Roman Storm’s conviction
• 49:00 The SEC's 180: Hester Peirce, Paul Atkins, and the push for tokenized equities

Links mentioned in the episode:

• Gnosis: https://gnosis.io/
• Coin Center: https://www.coincenter.org
• Epicenter - All Episodes: https://epicenter.tv/
• Report: Tear Down This Walled Garden: https://www.coincenter.org/tear-down-this-walled-garden/
• Pereira Bueno Amicus Brief: https://www.coincenter.org/amicus-brief-mev-wire-fraud/
• Peter on X: https://x.com/valkenburgh
• Sebastian on X: https://x.com/seb3point0
• Friederike on X: https://x.com/tw_tter

Sponsors:Gnosis: Gnosis has been building core decentralized infrastructure for the Ethereum ecosystem since 2015. With the launch of Gnosis Pay last year, we introduced the world's first Decentralized Payment Network. Start leveraging its power today at http://gnosis.io

Captured live at Cosmoverse 2025, this episode brings host Sebastian in conversation with Michael (better known as Cryptocito, Cosmos investor via Cito Ventures) and Magnus (@0xMagmar, Co-CEO Cosmos Labs).

Against a backdrop of institutional gravitas, central banks mingling alongside Revolut executives, the conversation traces Cosmos' arc across five Cosmoverses, from Medellín's raw developer fervor to the polished, enterprise-oriented event unfolding here. It's a marker of the ecosystem's maturation, one that demands Cosmos "grow up" to weave itself into the fabric of global finance, governance, and economies beyond its insular origins.
Magnus lays out Cosmos Labs' forward path: Systematically acquiring and refining homegrown innovations, such as the EVM rebuild over six months into a core stack component and consolidating privacy primitives from projects like Secret Network and Penumbra into seamless, enterprise-grade tools.

These advancements, long championed by Cosmos builders, now stand ready for institutional adoption. On quantum threats, enterprises show little concern for now, but the panel underscores blockchains' unique vulnerabilities: Unlike centralized systems, they require broad coordination for upgrades, where Bitcoin's inertia pales against Cosmos' app-chain flexibility, allowing isolated chain overhauls without dragging down the broader network, a resilience Ethereum lacks.

Topics covered in this episode:

• 0:00 Introduction & Cosmoverse Vibe Check
• 2:30 Reflections on Five Cosmoverses
• 6:45 Ecosystem Maturation: Grassroots to Institutional Focus
• 11:20 Cosmos Labs' Roadmap: Unifying Privacy & EVM Innovations
• 16:50 Building Cohesive Stack Features for Enterprises
• 22:15 Privacy Tools: Secret Network, Penumbra, and Nym
• 27:40 Quantum Computing Threats & Blockchain Vulnerabilities
• 33:10 Coordination Challenges: Hard Forks vs. App-Chain Modularity
• 38:25 Sovereign Day Argentina: CBDC & Gov Sovereignty Summit
• 43:50 Leadership Adaptation & Community Inclusion
• 49:20 Future Vision: Cosmos as Global Finance Enabler
• 54:00 Closing Thoughts & Event Shoutouts
  

Episode links:
- Michael (@Cryptocito) (https://x.com/Cryptocito )
- Magnus (@0xMagmar) (https://x.com/0xMagmar)
- Gnosis (https://gnosis.io/)
- Epicenter - All Episodes (https://epicenter.tv/)
- Cosmoverse 2025 (https://cosmoverse.org/)

Sponsors:
- Gnosis: Gnosis has been building core decentralized infrastructure for the Ethereum ecosystem since 2015. With the launch of Gnosis Pay last year, we introduced the world's first Decentralized Payment Network. Start leveraging its power today at http://gnosis.io

This episode is hosted by Sebastien Couture.

Show notes and listening options: https://epicenter.tv/

Brian Fabian Crain and Michael Egorov, Curve Finance founder, discuss Curve's origins: solving inefficient DAI/USDC swaps after MakerDAO borrows by creating a DeFi AMM for stablecoins and LSTs.

It hit 1M TVL with a bonding curve concentrating liquidity at 1:1, more effective for pegged assets than Uniswap. Features grew to include BTC wrappers, stETH pairs, and crvUSD (a CDP stablecoin with reversible liquidations & a peg-keeper).

Governance uses veCRV: Locking CRV grants voting power proportional to lock duration, a mechanism now refined in Yield Basis.

Yield Basis solves impermanent loss in volatile pools (e.g., BTC/crvUSD). Users deposit BTC; the protocol borrows crvUSD, pairs it at 2x leverage (50% debt/equity), and uses LP tokens as collateral. This gives 1:1 asset tracking, while fees accrue from auto-rebalancing arbitrage.

Simulations show 20%+ APY (may decline as BTC volatility drops) under a $50B TVL cap. It complements Curve by directing veCRV incentives to crvUSD pools, enhancing liquidity, fees, and DAO revenues. Key considerations: manual migrations, deterring forks, and dev support to scale.

Topics Discussed

• 00:00 Introduction to Curve Finance and YieldBases
• 02:24 Understanding Curve's Unique Mechanisms
• 07:58 The Concept of veTokenomics
• 15:27 Lessons Learned from Building Curve
• 22:20 Exploring YieldBasis and Its Innovations
• 29:47 Understanding Yield Basis and Collateralization
• 32:25 Navigating Market Volatility and Liquidation Events
• 35:32 Metrics and Performance Insights of Yield Basis
• 38:35 Scaling Yield Basis: Future Directions
• 40:33 Yield Expectations and Market Dynamics
• 43:12 Potential Growth and Liquidity Challenges
• 46:18 Expanding to Other Chains and Governance Tokens
• 49:35 The Symbiotic Relationship with Curve
• 54:31 Upcoming Milestones and Future Developments

Links Mentioned

• Michael Egorov on X
• Curve Finance
• Yield Basis
• Gnosis
• Epicenter - All Episodes

Sponsors

Gnosis: Building decentralized infrastructure since 2015. With Gnosis Pay, the first Decentralized Payment Network. Start leveraging its power at gnosis.io

This episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain.

Sci-fi titan Neal Stephenson, whose Snow Crash coined the term 'metaverse' and Cryptonomicon, which foreshadowed crypto in 1999, joins Friederike to discuss his "hard sci-fi" method: building immersive, consistent worlds, not prophecy. He's now co-founder of Lamina1, aiming to restore Web1's ethos and give creators IP sovereignty with direct micropayments, breaking free from Web2's "walled gardens."

Neal unpacks Web3's promise like "intent-casting" flipping ad models while citing its critical traps: abysmal UX, criminal stigma, and the "soul-crushing" risk of just upgrading incumbent systems.

Spotlighting Lamina 1's game "Artifact," he argues Web3's true success will be measured when the technology becomes invisible and safe, proving its value by restoring sovereignty to its users and creators, rather than through speculative hype.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• (00:00) Introduction to Decentralization and Blockchain
• (01:20) The Role of Storytelling in Technology Prediction
• (03:48) The Balance of Optimism and Pessimism in Fiction
• (06:27) Web3: Promises and Pitfalls
• (08:36) The Evolution of the Web: From Decentralization to Centralization
• (13:37) Metrics for a Decentralized Web
• (15:55) Lamina One: A New Vision for the Metaverse
• (23:44) Creating a Financial Layer for the Creator Economy
• (25:08) Legal Implications of Smart Contracts
• (27:38) The Strength of Smart Contracts
• (31:04) Decentralization vs. Centralization in the Creator Economy
• (36:21) The Decline of Centralized Platforms
• (41:23) Financialization and the Creative Economy
• (45:47) The Future of Web3 and User Experience
• (51:17) Potential Failure Modes of Web3

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Neal Stephenson, Co-founder Lamina1: https://x.com/nealstephenson
• Lamina 1: https://lamina1.com/home

Sponsors:

• Gnosis: Gnosis has been building core decentralized infrastructure for the Ethereum ecosystem since 2015. With the launch of Gnosis Pay last year, we introduced the world's first Decentralized Payment Network. Start leveraging its power today at gnosis.io

This episode is hosted by Friederike Ernst.

As blockchain tech gets co-opted by legacy players for efficiency gains, has the revolution lost its edge? Crypto philosopher Paul Dylan-Ennis and Jito's Head of Governance, Dr. Nick Almond, join Friederike to probe this shift from 2017's visionary DAOs to today's Telegram-negotiated votes and whale capture.

Rooted in philosophy and complex systems, they unpack mind-hacking risks via data micro-targeting, the polycentric bulwarks (full nodes, prediction markets) shielding against cultural flips, and why epistemic tools could fortify crypto against real-world censorship.

Their call: Reclaim the ethos through event evangelism and normie outreach for grassroots empowerment.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• 0:00 - Introduction
• 1:32 - Nick's journey: Physics to DAOs
• 3:59 - Paul's path: Philosophy to crypto counterculture
• 5:54 - Crypto's shift from niche to incumbent tool
• 7:37 - Governance as crypto's "soul"
• 10:54 - Early DAOs vs. today's backroom reality
• 11:45 - Diluted ideas & human workarounds
• 1:03:44 - Elevating better leaders & social consensus tools
• 1:05:05 - Hacking minds: Post-ideological vs. cypherpunk
• 1:07:21 - Polycentric defenses & full node bedrock
• 1:10:50 - Advice: Evangelize at events & outreach to normies

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Dr. Nick Almond, Head of Governance at Jito
• Paul Dylan-Ennis, Crypto Philosopher

Sponsors: - Gnosis: Gnosis builds decentralized infrastructure for the Ethereum ecosystem since 2015. This year marks the launch of Gnosis Pay— the world's first Decentralized Payment Network. Get started today at gnosis.io

This episode is hosted by Friederike Ernst.

Brave has spent a decade building a privacy-first browser that empowers users with tools like ad-blocking and fingerprinting protection, now serving 100 million monthly active users.

Security engineer Kyle Den Hartog joins Friederike to unpack the centralization traps in digital identity from email's spam-driven dominance to one-size-fits-all DeFi lending rates and how Brave counters them with BAT's user-rewarding ad model, zero-knowledge personalization, and wallets that act as privacy guardians.

Kyle warns of on-chain transparency's risks to consumer behavior, advocates for intent-based "vendor relationship management" advertising, and draws historical lessons on censorship's chilling effects amid rising regulations like EU chat controls.

He shares Brave's vision for seamless private payments and user-controlled algorithms to reclaim the open web from Big Tech monopolies.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Introduction
• Kyle's background in security and identity
• Why identity and privacy matter
• The history and centralization of digital identity
• Email as a cautionary tale for decentralization
• Brave's privacy-first vision and 100M users
• BAT: Rewarding users for attention
• Challenges and evolutions in Brave's ad model
• Zero-knowledge for intent-based ads
• Brave Wallet: Privacy by default
• On-chain privacy pitfalls and wallet solutions
• Browser wallets vs. built-in security
• Censorship, regulations, and history's lessons
• Fixing social media algorithms
• Brave's 5-year vision

Links mentioned in the episode:

Kyle Den Hartog, Security Engineer at Brave: https://x.com/PryvitKyle

Brave Browser: https://brave.com/

Sponsors:

• Gnosis: Gnosis builds decentralized infrastructure for the Ethereum ecosystem, since 2015. This year marks the launch of Gnosis Pay— the world's first Decentralized Payment Network. Get started today at ⁠⁠gnosis.io ⁠⁠

This episode is hosted by Friederike Ernst.