Recorded live at Medici SG 25 and released as a special episode, David and Sean sit down with Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum. Vitalik discusses the evolution of Ethereum’s ecosystem from experimental innovation to “low-risk DeFi”, and how commercialization is shaping its next phase. He also highlights projects like Uniswap, Polymarket, and decentralized social networks as milestones in Ethereum’s growth, and shares his perspective on Layer 2 rollups, institutional participation, and the network’s long-term economic sustainability.
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Key Points From This Episode:
[00:00:00] Teaser
[00:00:15] Show introduction
[00:01:02] Vitalik’s perspective on Ethereum’s growing commercialization
[00:02:07] Defining low-risk DeFi and its evolution
[00:03:43] The relationship between experimental and mature Ethereum apps
[00:06:33] Uniswap and other pivotal zero-to-one Ethereum innovations
[00:08:39] How to expand low-risk DeFi to 20 million more users
[00:10:07] Scaling Ethereum: stablecoins, UX, and Layer 1 upgrades
[00:11:28] Vitalik’s view on corporate Layer 2s and ecosystem synergy
[00:13:37] Ethereum’s fee structure and potential revenue increases
[00:16:14] Explaining ETH’s multi-role asset narrative
[00:17:21] Wall Street’s entrance into the Ethereum ecosystem
[00:18:33] Concerns around leverage, risk, and staking centralization
[00:20:26] Institutional influence on Ethereum governance
[00:21:36] Will ETH flip Bitcoin? Vitalik’s response
Links:
The Medici Network: https://www.medici.network/
Podcast Site: https://levelup.medici.network/
Interested in being a Guest? Connect with Elmira on X: https://x.com/elmira_yilham
Co-Hosts
David Grider, Finality Capital - https://x.com/David_Grid
Sean Farrell, Fundstrat Global Advisors - https://x.com/SeanMFarrell
Guests
Vitalik Buterin - https://x.com/vitalikbuterin
Production and editing by The Podcast Consultant - https://thepodcastconsultant.com/