Is Ethereum staying true to its ideals?
Ameen Soleimani—founder of SpankChain, summoner of MolochDAO, contributor to Tornado Cash, and now leading 0xbow—has spent years building tools that test the boundaries of decentralization and financial privacy. In this episode, he joins Amanda to explore Ethereum’s shifting values: what’s been preserved, what’s been sacrificed, and what’s at stake as the network grows.
They discuss the political and ethical tensions behind privacy tools like Tornado Cash and how Ameen’s latest project, 0xbow, is rethinking privacy for a post-sanctions world. With Privacy Pools, users can prove their funds aren’t linked to illicit activity—offering a new path forward for compliant anonymity onchain.
As regulators step in and institutional actors gain influence, this episode asks: Can Ethereum remain neutral? Can it scale without centralizing? And can privacy survive in the spotlight?
A direct, unsentimental look at the future of Ethereum—and the values worth fighting for.
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Ethereum's Direction and Ideological Shifts
05:06 Intellectual Honesty in Blockchain Evaluation
11:17 Privacy Tools and the Ethics of Hacking
18:01 Privacy in Financial Transactions and Tools
22:18 Institutional Influence on Blockchain Development
25:10 Balancing Ideals and Reality in Ethereum
28:07 The Role of Neutrality in Geopolitical Contracts
30:36 Decentralization: Ethereum vs. Other Blockchains
35:42 Cultural Capture: The Influence of Ideology
44:00 Paths Forward for Ethereum's Culture and Leadership
RESOURCES:
Ameen on X: https://x.com/ameensol
0xbow: https://0xbow.io/
Subscribe to Endgame: https://www.youtube.com/@endgamepodcast
Amanda on X: https://x.com/amandacassatt
Serotonin on X: https://x.com/serotonin
Endgame on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6iSvbKOJWoEPiAoGmiulkd
Endgame on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/endgame-with-amanda-cassatt/id1801809440