Jesse Powell and Kevin Zhou on How FTX and Alameda Lost $10 Billion - Ep. 423
Kevin Zhou, cofounder of Galois Capital, and Jesse Powell, cofounder of Kraken, talk about why FTX collapsed, the warning signs, and whether it’s a catalyst for self-custodial adoption.
Show highlights:
the root causes of the FTX collapse, according to Jesse and Kevin
whether there were warning signs of all the risks that were to come
the importance of learning from mistakes, even for new people in the space
Kevin's response to the stuck funds in FTX
the debate about utilitarianism and SBF's effective altruism
whether the philosophy behind founders matters
Kevin's and Jesse's theories of how FTX and Alameda lost billions of dollars
how Alameda and FTX's books were commingled
whether people will start using self-custodial wallets
whether the fall of FTX vindicates BTC maximalism
whether regulation has been beneficial or harmful for American customers
the role of venture capital firms and their "mixed incentives"
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Crypto.com
Chainalysis
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Kevin:
Twitter
Previous Unchained episodes:
How Traders Are Thinking About the Merge — and a Potential ETHPoW Chain
Why Kevin Zhou Believes Ethereum Will Have 3 Forks After the Merge.
The Chopping Block: Kevin Zhou on Why He Knew Terra Would Crash
Jesse:
Twitter
Previous Unchained episodes:
Jesse Powell, CEO of Kraken, on Drawing a Line With Regulators
Episode Links
Previous coverage on Unchained of FTX:
Did the Bahamian Government Direct SBF and Gary Wang to Hack FTX? – Ep. 422
The Chopping Block: Why Lenders Didn’t Liquidate Alameda When It Was Underwater
Erik Voorhees and Cobie on Why FTX Loaned Out Customers’ Assets
The Chopping Block: FTX: The Biggest Collapse in the History of Crypto?
Sam Bankman-Fried on How to Prevent the Next Terra and 3AC
FTX Collapse:
First declaration document
Unchained: FTX Bankruptcy Overseer Says Company’s Collapse Is Worst He’s Ever Seen
Unchained: Bahamas Regulator Directed SBF to Transfer FTX Assets to Government Wallet
SBF tweet: FTX files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection
Vox interview with SBF: Sam Bankman-Fried tries to explain himself
NYT: How Sam Bankman-Fried’s Crypto Empire Collapsed
Bloomberg: Crypto Hedge Fund Galois Confirms $40 Million Exposure to FTX
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How We Rebuild with Jesse Powell of Kraken Exchange
In order to rebuild we must first learn or relearn (for some of us) the painful lessons of crypto’s past. It’s going to take more than beating the, “not your keys, not your crypto” drum.
Jesse Powell, Co-Founder of Kraken Exchange joins us to demonstrate how we can come together as a community to rebuild the open and inspiring crypto industry of our dreams.
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----- Topics Covered
0:00 Intro 4:38 Jesse’s Crypto Background 7:34 Relearning Painful Lessons 11:48 How Did We Get Here? 20:09 Things We Have Control Over 31:21 Striking the Right Balance 36:35 Proof of Reserves 43:55 Rebuilding 48:39 Zooming Out 50:35 Closing & Disclaimers
------ Resources:
Jesse Powell https://twitter.com/jespow
Proof of Reserves https://www.kraken.com/proof-of-reserves
----- 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
Kraken CEO Jesse Powell responds to NYT hit piece and breaks down the state of crypto + Alexander Olesen CEO of Babylon Micro-Farms | E1487
Today, we recap the Warriors' finals win (2:50) with some potential takeaways for founders (14:00). Next, Jason speaks with Jesse Powell: founder, and CEO of crypto exchange Kraken, and they discuss the state of crypto and the recent hit piece the NYT published on him (48:06). For this week's OK Boomer segment, Producer Rachel sits down with Alexander Olesen, co-founder, and CEO of Babylon Micro-Farms (2:07:41).
(0:00) Jason and Molly tee up today’s show!
(2:50) Warriors win! Recapping the Warriors’ finals run
(12:47) ActiveCampaign - Get 10% off your ActiveCampaign subscription today at https://activecampaign.com/promo/twist
(14:00) Downmarket: what can you do? Lessons founders can learn from the Warriors’ leadership
(22:37) Lemon.io - Get 15% off your first 4 weeks of developer time at https://Lemon.io/twist
(23:55) Work harder, work smarter
(30:25) Microsoft for Startups Hub - Apply in 5 minutes, no funding required, sign up at http://aka.ms/thisweekinstartups
(31:41) Toss to Jason’s interview with Jesse Powell, founder, and CEO of Kraken
(48:06) Jesse Powell speaks with Jason about his NYT hit piece, crypto, and company culture
(2:02:04) Recapping Jesse Powell + Toss to OK Boomer with Alexander Olesen, CEO, and Co-Founder of Babylon Micro-Farms
(2:07:41) OKB: Producer Rachel speaks with Alexander Olesen
(2:26:00) Outro
Jesse Powell, CEO of Kraken, on Drawing a Line With Regulators - Ep.61
Jesse Powell, CEO of crypto asset exchange Kraken, explains why he publicly rejected then-Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's request for information from crypto exchanges, why he felt it was a publicity stunt and why Kraken, which stopped serving New York customers after New York's Bitlicense was introduced, doesn't see the market as a top priority. He also talks about why Kraken decided to stop operations in Japan after further regulations were imposed and discusses Kraken's $1 million donation to Coin Center (and its $1 million match). Plus, he gets into why he named the exchange after a Norse sea monster, the dangers of the exchange's margin trading product, and what steps he recommends everyone in crypto take to keep their tokens safe.
Jesse Powell: https://twitter.com/jespow
Kraken: https://www.kraken.com/
Past Unchained episode with Brock Pierce who also had a pre-Bitcoin career involving video game currency (Jesse and Brock were competitors): http://unchainedpodcast.co/this-vc-is-sure-venture-capital-is-about-to-be-disrupted
Kraken's position on regulation (discussion of New York AG request and Japan + guidance for regulators): https://blog.kraken.com/post/1561/krakens-position-on-regulation/
Kraken donation to Coin Center: https://blog.kraken.com/post/1591/kraken-donates-1m-to-coin-center-with-an-additional-1m-matching-during-may/
Kraken down for 40 hours: http://fortune.com/2018/01/12/bitcoin-price-ripple-kraken-down/
Past Unchained episode on taxation of crypto: http://unchainedpodcast.co/the-tax-rules-that-have-crypto-users-aghast
Kraken blog post on phone numbers being hijacked: https://blog.kraken.com/post/219/security-advisory-mobile-phones/
My article on the same topic: https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2016/12/20/hackers-have-stolen-millions-of-dollars-in-bitcoin-using-only-phone-numbers/#1d79923338ba
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