Bitcoin vs Crypto & Web3 with Ryan Selkis - WBD450

Location: New York
Date: Tuesday 6th December
Company: Messari
Role: Founder & CEO


Bitcoin’s architecture uses decentralisation to achieve
censorship-resistance and permissionless access to a
revolutionary monetary protocol. And despite thousands of
altcoins that claimed to be better or faster over the years,
Bitcoin reigns as the non-sovereign store of value in the digital
world.


However, what is not yet clear is if the wider world of ‘crypto’
can achieve similarly permissionless innovation outside of money,
or if they are instead ‘decentralised in name only’.


Can these protocols resist influence by powerful actors? What is
‘enough’ decentralisation? Will the fundraising-via-token model
survive the SEC? Will they adapt to increasing pressure? Is there
real innovation, or is it all just a house of cards of venture
capital and marketing? Many questions remain.


As Bitcoiners it is important to engage those with broader
outlooks, even if we have seemingly incompatible
ideologies.  The battle of ideas involves free, open, and
respectful discussion.


In this interview, I talk to the founder and CEO of the research
and data firm Messari, Ryan Selkis. We discuss Messari’s
industry-leading opus on the state of the ecosystem, Bitcoin and
gold, regulation, both sides of the Web3 debate and the
differentiation of Bitcoin and ‘crypto’.