Podcast: Is Crypto an Investable Asset Class? | Roundup

Jason and Byron cover this week’s biggest stories and explore crypto’s outlook as an investable asset class

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On today’s episode of “Empire,” Jason is joined by Byron Gilliam – markets strategist and author of the Blockworks newsletter. Often called the Matt Levine of Web3, Byron brings his traditional finance experience to crypto with a mix of wisdom and wit.

Jason and Byron cover this week’s biggest stories and explore crypto’s outlook as an investable asset class. Episode highlights include:

  • Why Byron frames crypto as commodities, not equities
  • How private markets are losing their advantage
  • Why crypto may be amazing for users but a bad investment
  • How OpenSea’s insider trading news will affect other Web3 companies
  • What happened with Optimism’s airdrop
  • Can L2s find a sustainable revenue model
  • How BTC mining could fuel growth in renewable energy
  • Byron questions if MEV is crypto’s only use case
  • Why UST’s collapse was not crypto’s Lehman moment
  • and much more

Check out what they had to say in the video below.👇

About the show

“Empire” is a twice-a-week show where we share the real crypto stories that aren’t heard elsewhere. On Mondays, Jason and Santiago Santos interview crypto industry movers and shakers to talk about their struggles, bold moves and tough decisions. Finish off the week with Friday’s weekly roundup episode that covers the top news and narratives of the week.

For any NPR or Guy Raz fans out there, you can think of “Empire” as a “How I Built This” for the bitcoin and crypto industry.

Subscribe to “Empire” today on Apple or Spotify. Watch episodes on YouTube.


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