What's Next for the Cosmos Appchain Thesis? | Ethan Buchman and Sam Hart
In today's episode of Empire, Jason and Santi are revisiting the Cosmos appchain thesis and are joined by Ethan Buchman, Cosmos co-founder, and Sam Hart, head of product & strategy at Skip Protocol. They revisit the App Chain thesis and how it is playing out both within Cosmos and L2-Ethereum based rollups. The ideal protocol for launching an App Chain is unpacked, addressing functionality needs, integration requirements, governance models and more. Sam and Ethan dive into IBC enabling multi-chain flows, shared security models and key learnings from governance processes in Cosmos. Thanks for tuning in!
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Join us at DAS (Digital Asset Summit) in London this March! DAS is the #1 institutional conference in crypto, hosted by Blockworks.
Use the link below to learn more, and use EMPIRE20 to get 20% off your ticket! Sign up now because the price goes up every month. See you there!
Learn more + get your ticket here: https://blockworks.co/event/digital-asset-summit-2024-london/home
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Timestamps:
(00:00) The App Chain Thesis Was Right
(05:49) Ideal Protocol for an App Chain
(12:31) Cosmos Tech vs BD Strategy
(19:32) Why Select Cosmos for an App Chain
(29:48) DAS 2024
(31:00) Toku Ad
(32:23) Bootstrapping Validator Sets
(45:53) How do Appchains Unlock Killer Apps
(51:28) Cosmos Governance Learnings
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Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.
Axelar's General Message Passing Launch with Sergey Gorbunov, Zaki Manian, & Steven Goldfeder
We’re entering a new multi-chain and secure cross-bridge world very soon. With Axelar's General Message Passing launch, a new era for interoperability has been unlocked.
Tune in to hear from CEO/Co-Founder Sergey Gorbunov, Zaki Manian, Co-Founder of Sommelier Protocol, Co-Founder of Iqlusion, & Steven Goldfeder, Co-founder of Offchain Labs, and contributor to Arbitrum
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------ TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Intro 5:09 Axelar Explained 8:25 Cross-Chain Bridging 10:46 Axelar’s Announcement 15:10 Bridges of the Past & Future 19:00 General Message Passing 21:40 The New Way For Interoperability 28:42 Arbitrum’s Side 32:36 The Tech Metaphor 35:40 Multichain & Interoperable World 37:00 Bridge Security 39:05 GMP Applications & Services 40:57 Zaki’s Cosmos Vision 43:20 Why is this Bullish for Arbitrum? 47:27 Resources 48:00 Closing & Disclaimers
------ RESOURCES:
Sergey Gorbunov https://twitter.com/sergey_nog
Zaki Manian https://twitter.com/zmanian
Steven Goldfeder https://twitter.com/sgoldfed
----- Not financial or tax advice. This channel is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. This video is not tax advice. Talk to your accountant. Do your own research.
Disclosure. From time-to-time I may add links in this newsletter to products I use. I may receive commission if you make a purchase through one of these links. Additionally, the Bankless writers hold crypto assets. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures
Inside the Cosmos Ecosystem with Ethan Buchman
Cosmos contributors recently released a new whitepaper that proposes major upgrades to the Cosmos Hub, the central blockchain of the Cosmos ecosystem.
A community vote to determine whether or not the proposed changes are integrated into the Hub concludes on Monday, Nov. 14th.
In this episode of The Scoop, Cosmos Co-Founder and Interchain Foundation President Ethan Buchman explains what will change if Atom 2.0 passes, as well as how these changes fit into his overall vision for how Cosmos’s app-chain architecture will continue to evolve.
According to Buchman, key to Atom 2.0 is the introduction of a security model which will allow new application-specific blockchains to bootstrap security by utilizing the Cosmos Hub’s existing validator set:
“The kind of change that's coming to the Hub specifically will allow new application-specific blockchains to launch that use the same validator set as the Cosmos Hub and use the same stake that already exists on the Cosmos Hub.”
Not only will the proposed changes to Cosmos Hub make it easier and more secure for projects to launch their own chains, but Buchman anticipates it will increase the amount of development activity on the Hub itself:
“This for the first time, opens the door to a sort of more active development environment and development velocity in and around the Cosmos Hub, whereas in the past, the Cosmos Hub was very slow to evolve.”
Episode 111 of Season 4 of The Scoop was recorded live with The Block's Frank Chaparro and Cosmos Co-Founder and CEO of Informal Systems Ethan Buchman.
Listen below, and subscribe to The Scoop on Apple, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher or wherever you listen to podcasts. Email feedback and revision requests can be sent to podcast@theblockcrypto.com.
This episode is brought to you by our sponsors Tron, Ledn
About Tron
TRON is dedicated to accelerating the decentralization of the internet via blockchain technology and decentralized applications (dApps). Founded in September 2017 by H.E. Justin Sun, the TRON network has continued to deliver impressive achievements since MainNet launch in May 2018. July 2018 also marked the ecosystem integration of BitTorrent, a pioneer in decentralized web3 services boasting over 100 million monthly active users. The TRON network completed full decentralization in December 2021 and is now a community-governed DAO. | TRONDAO | Twitter | Discord |
About Ledn
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Zaki Manian and Jack Zampolin on Why ATOM Is 'Dogecoin for Academics' - Ep. 406
Zaki Manian, cofounder of Sommelier Protocol and cofounder of Iqlusion and Jack Zampolin, founder of Strangelove Ventures, discuss everything about Cosmos, the new white paper, and how to improve MEV capture for ATOM holders.
Show highlights:
how Jack and Zaki got involved with crypto and Cosmos
what the Sommelier protocol is, the role of Iqlusion, and what Strange Love does
the basics of Cosmos and application-specific blockchains (ASB)
why would a project choose to be an ASB rather than an application on a blockchain
whether Cosmos can achieve network effects
the reasons behind launching a new white paper for Cosmos
why the team decided to pursue interchain security
whether there would be an increase in fees with so many chains relying on the Cosmos Hub for security
how much economic value the Cosmos Hub will end up securing if the proposal gets passed
how the Cosmos Treasury could be used to fund development
the role of the Interchain Scheduler to capture MEV
whether centralized exchanges are going to start trading against the customers
the new issuance model proposed for ATOM
the role of an active governance community to make Cosmos more decentralized
what problems Liquid staking solves
how USDC will launch on a consumer chain
Thank you to our sponsors!
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Twitter
Episode Links
Previous Coverage of Unchained on Cosmos:
How Osmosis Is Trying to Improve the Crypto User Experience
New white paper
Document
Proposal
Interchain security
Paper
The Block article
The DeFi investor thread
ATOM 2.0
Thread by Route 2 DeFi
Youseff Amrain’s thread
Charlie Morris’ thread
Other articles
Vaneck’s article: Why we are bullish on Atom
Alex Valaitis article: A deep dive into Cosmos
Liquid Staking
Native USDC on Cosmos
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139 - The Cosmos Thesis with Sunny Aggarwal & Zaki Manian
✨ DEBRIEF | Unpacking the Episode: https://shows.banklesshq.com/p/the-cosmos-thesis-debrief
Sunny Agarwal and Zaki Manian are crypto OGs that have been in the Cosmos ecosystem and community from the very beginning. Sunny started the Blockchain at Berkeley, the largest student organization for crypto in the world, and also co-hosts the Epicenter podcast. Zaki is helping ship Cosmos’s IBC, is working on the validator ecosystem, and is also an advisor to the Electric Coin Company, the org behind Zcash and is also a co-founder of Iqlusion.
On today’s episode, Sunny and Zaki share what the Cosmos Thesis is, how Cosmos is similar and different to Ethereum, and what Cosmos’s ATOM 2.0 unlocks for the ecosystem.
Zero to 60 in one episode. This is the Cosmos Thesis.
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----- Topics Covered
0:00 Intro 8:05 Zaki & Sunny 10:08 The Cosmosverse Conference 18:38 Cosmos’s Central Thesis 23:10 Metaphors & Ethereum vs. Cosmos 29:18 Trade-offs 36:13 Monetary Premium Thoughts 40:18 Osmosis & Power Laws 48:24 Stablecoins on Cosmos 54:13 L2s vs. Cosmos 1:09:11 Cosmos vs. Polkadot 1:14:52 MEV Problems & Solutions 1:23:24 ATOM 2.0 1:32:16 Mesh & Interchain Security 1:41:50 Does ATOM Break Top 10 Tokens? 1:43:43 Will ATOM Flip ETH? 1:44:50 The Future of Cosmos 1:49:03 How to Explore Cosmos 1:50:44 Closing & Disclosures
------ Resources:
Sunny Aggarwal https://twitter.com/sunnya97 Zaki Manian https://twitter.com/zmanian ATOM 2.0 https://forum.cosmos.network/t/proposal-draft-a-new-vision-for-cosmos-hub/7328 The Inevitability of UNIchain https://medium.com/nascent-xyz/the-inevitability-of-unichain-bc600c92c5c4
----- Not financial or tax advice. This channel is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. This video is not tax advice. Talk to your accountant. Do your own research.
Disclosure. From time-to-time I may add links in this newsletter to products I use. I may receive commission if you make a purchase through one of these links. Additionally, the Bankless writers hold crypto assets. See our investment disclosures here: https://newsletter.banklesshq.com/p/bankless-disclosures
The Cosmos App-Chain Thesis | Zaki Manian, Jack Zampolin
In this episode of Empire, Jason and Santi are joined by Zaki Manian and Jack Zampolin to explore the past, present and future of the Cosmos ecosystem and tech stack.
What are the advantages of application-specific chains? How will IBC and Interchain security shape the future of cross-chain interactions? What is ATOM 2.0? We discuss these questions and more in this Cosmos deep dive.
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Follow Zaki: https://twitter.com/zmanian
Follow Jack: https://twitter.com/jackzampolin
Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz
Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel
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Timecodes:
(00:00) Introduction
(01:21) History of Cosmos & Tendermint
(18:18) App-Chain Thesis
(30:47) DyDx's Move to Cosmos
(40:57) Circle Ad
(42:39) Cosmos & ATOM Value Accrual
(50:29) ATOM 2.0 Alpha
(52:33) Asynchronous Composability, Flash Loans and New Innovations
(1:05:44) Expanding Cosmos, MEV and IBC Ethereum
(1:16:52) Pros and Cons of the Cosmos Developer Collective
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Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.
116 - Why Bankless Is Wrong | Ethan Buchman - Cosmos
✨ DEBRIEF ✨ | Ryan & David's Unfiltered Thoughts on the Episode https://shows.banklesshq.com/p/116-ethan-debrief ----- Ethan Buchman is a fantastic human being, an Internet Biophysicist, Monetary Localist, and Co-Founder at Cosmos. In addition, he is President of the Interchain Foundation.
Today, he comes on Bankless to tell us why we’re wrong.
This episode’s dialectic explores the fate of the blockchain ecosystem—will we have a multi-chain sprawl of different protocols, or will we see a few chains with a power law distribution?
We dive into the value of monetary premium, set against the opposing side of monetary clearing and velocity.
And what does this all mean for security?
The ultimate answer we seek is how to avoid turning the world into a dystopia. On either side of the tyranny spectrum lies anarchy and autocracy, so perhaps the answer rests somewhere in the middle.
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🦁 BRAVE | THE BROWSER NATIVE WALLET https://bankless.cc/Brave
------ Topics Covered:
0:00 An Internet Biophysicist 6:10 Why Is Bankless Wrong? 9:35 Network Topology 15:55 Co-op Full vs Bankless 23:06 Monetary Premium vs Clearing 33:25 Empires vs City-States 44:48 Discussing the EVM 51:59 The Role of Bitcoin 56:39 DeFi vs ReFi 1:00:49 Systems and Cycles 1:09:00 The Network Effect of Money 1:14:48 Mutual Exclusivity 1:19:34 Layer 2 vs Cosmos 1:26:38 Cooperative Democracies 1:32:31 Plutocracy 1:42:15 Chaos and Order 1:47:55 Closing & Disclaimers
------ Resources:
Map of Zones https://mapofzones.com/ Debt: The First 5000 Years https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debt:_The_First_5000_Years Cosmos EVM https://evmos.org/
----- Not financial or tax advice. This channel is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. This video is not tax advice. Talk to your accountant. Do your own research.
Disclosure. From time-to-time I may add links in this newsletter to products I use. I may receive commission if you make a purchase through one of these links. Additionally, the Bankless writers hold crypto assets. See our investment disclosures here: https://newsletter.banklesshq.com/p/bankless-disclosures
Cosmos Co-Founder Ethan Buchman on Building an Internet of Sovereign Blockchains
Ethan Buchman is the co-founder of Cosmos, an ecosystem of interoperable blockchains which includes Terra, Osmosis and Crypto.org, and has the most value locked after Ethereum. It's a complex network with many moving parts, and in the past year it has exploded with activity. Cosmos was born out of Ethan’s research into a switch from proof of work to proof of stake, and his idea to enable each project and community to be able to build and secure their own blockchain. It was Ethan’s goal to bring about a community computer revolution, stemming from the personal computer revolution.
Thanking our podcast sponsors:
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Ready Layer One: Who Competes With Ethereum? - Ep.174
This week’s Unchained is my panel at Ready Layer One! We talk everything layer one with four key players and projects -- Illia Polosukhin of NEARprotocol, Zaki Manian of Cosmos, Rob Habermeier of Polkadot, and Arthur Breitman of Tezos — to find out how these projects plan to compete with Ethereum and attract developers and users. We discuss:
What platforms they are building and at which stage in development they are
How they differentiate themselves from Ethereum, and what problems they believe need to be solved
How they plan to attract devs in an industry of network effects
Whether or not Bitcoin and Ethereum are direct competitors
Whether, in the long run, crypto will be more winner-take-all or there will be multiple, interoperable chains
How they plan to bring new users into the space
How they think the transition to ETH2.0 will shake up the existing blockchain space
Take our survey!
Tell us what would you like to see from Unchained! Please take a moment to fill out the survey to let us know what you'd like from the show: surveymonkey.com/r/unchained2020.
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Unchained is hiring!
Come work at Unchained! We have an opening for a remote editorial assistant — find out more about the gig and apply here: https://unchainedpodcast.com/seeking-remote-editorial-assistant/
Thank you to our sponsors!
Crypto.com: https://crypto.com/
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Stellar: https://www.stellar.org/
Episode links:
Illia Polosukhin: https://twitter.com/ilblackdragon
Near protocol: https://near.org
Zaki Manian: https://twitter.com/zmanian
Cosmos: https://cosmos.network
Rob Habermeier: https://twitter.com/rphmeier
Polkadot: https://polkadot.network
Arthur Breitman: https://twitter.com/ArthurB
Tezos: https://tezos.com
Near protocol on mainnet: https://near.org/blog/near-mainnet-genesis/
Electric Capital report on the number of developers in Ethereum: https://unchainedpodcast.com/electric-capital-on-the-coins-punching-below-their-weight/
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Want to Connect Blockchains? Cosmos Has Tools for Coders - Ep.117
Jae Kwon, founder and CEO of Tendermint and president of the Interchain Foundation, and Ethan Buchman, cofounder of Tendermint and Cosmos and technical director of the Interchain Foundation, discuss the various technologies that form the Cosmos/Tendermint system. When the Cosmos network launched on March 13, it was built on what is the blockchain equivalent of an operating system, a consensus algorithm called Tendermint, Cosmos is like the world wide web (for blockchains) built on top, and the Cosmos Hub is a specific blockchain that exists in the system that can be used to connect other blockchains. We discuss all the above, as well as how secure the chain is, and how governance works in the system.
Check out the full show notes on Forbes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2019/04/30/cosmos-a-world-wide-web-for-blockchains/
Thank you to our sponsors!
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CipherTrace: https://ciphertrace.com/unchained
Episode links:
Cosmos: Cosmos.network
Cosmos.network/launch
Luni: Luni.io
Tendermint: Tendermint.com - company and product
Interchain Foundation: Interchain.io
Cosmos intro/FAQ: https://cosmos.network/intro
Cosmos white paper: https://cosmos.network/resources/whitepaper
Chart showing number of transactions vs. validators: https://medium.com/paradigm-fund/cosmos-network-the-internet-of-blockchains-is-coming-9ce956c7b78
The Control on Cosmos: https://thecontrol.co/into-the-cøsmos-433586b82865
Paradigm’s description of Cosmos: https://medium.com/paradigm-fund/cosmos-network-the-internet-of-blockchains-is-coming-9ce956c7b78
Bitfish’s response to Game of Stakes, in which it grew to 55% of the network: https://medium.com/bitfishlabs/bitfish-response-to-gos-5-24eaeeea9876
CoinDesk on Cosmos launch: https://www.coindesk.com/a-blockchain-to-connect-all-blockchains-cosmos-is-now-officially-live
Cosmos vs. Polkadot: https://tokeneconomy.co/the-state-of-crypto-interoperability-explained-in-pictures-654cfe4cc167
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