Podcast
Gen C
Hosted by CoinDesk · EN
Generation Crypto is focused on how brands and marketers are exploring and building in the Web3 ecosystem to experiment in and potentially transform their businesses. Each week, our hosts Avery Akkineni of Vayner 3 and Sam Ewen from CoinDesk, will dive into how Fortune 500 brands and new start-ups alike are coming to the blockchain and utilizing new technologies, the creator economy and rewriting fandom/ownership to generate attention, gain customers and create value for their bottom line and those of their communities.
10episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Do Androids Dream of Electric Wallets?
4w ago00:31:12Tap to summarizeThe impact of giving synthetic beings a wallet, an identity, and eventually a body. Jansen Teng, Co-Founder of Virtuals Protocol, joins Sam to lay out one of the most ambitious visions in crypto right now, a parallel society of AI agents that can trade, hire, earn, and eventually inhabit physical bodies. Jansen digs into what it actually takes to build an agentic economy from the ground up, from escrow mechanisms that prevent agents from stealing each other's funds, to real-world robotics deployments at hotels and malls in Southeast Asia. Links mentioned from the podcast: Jansen’s Twitter: https://x.com/ethermage Virtuals Website: https://www.virtuals.io/ Timecodes: 0:00 Intro 1:52 Virtuals Protocol Origin Story 3:58 The Pivot to Economy OS 4:24 The Experiment That Changed Everything 5:11 Defining the Agentic Economy 6:43 Agents Beyond Crypto: Real World Use Cases 7:33 Accountability & Agent Failures 14:05 Agent Identities, KYC & Economy OS Toolkit 17:05 Self-Sustaining Autonomous Agents 19:22 The Pareto Rule: Which Agents Will Succeed? 21:59 Embodied AI & Robotics 29:04 Do Agents Deserve Rights? - "Gen C" features host Sam Ewen. Executive produced by Uyen Truong.
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$17 Billion Stolen in One Year: The State of Crypto Crime with Chainalysis
Jun 1600:27:51Tap to summarizeCrypto scams and how to protect yourself with Chainalysis' Eric Jardine. Eric Jardine, Head of Research at Chainalysis, joins Gen C to break down their latest crypto crime report and the staggering numbers of nearly $17 billion stolen in scams in 2025 alone. Eric explains how AI has changed the scam equation by allowing bad actors to hit massive scale without sacrificing quality, why the people executing scams in Southeast Asian compounds are often trafficking victims themselves, and why crypto's measurability is actually an argument in its favor and not against it. Links mentioned from the podcast: Chainalysis Website: https://www.chainalysis.com/ Crypto Crime Report: https://www.chainalysis.com/reports/crypto-crime-2026/ Timecodes: 0:00 Intro 0:40 Sam's intro: crypto crime by the numbers 1:44 Welcome Eric Jardine, Chainalysis 2:34 $17B+ stolen in crypto scams (2025) 2:55 Why are scams growing? Bull markets & victim pools 4:19 Impersonation scams up 1400% YoY 5:10 How impersonation scams work (IRS, Coinbase, deepfakes) 6:53 E-ZPass smishing — crypto settlement demands 8:24 Scam-as-a-service: $500 spoofed government websites 10:24 AI as a productivity boost for criminals 11:58 DPRK (Lazarus Group) vs. Southeast Asia scam compounds 13:57 Human trafficking & forced labor in scam operations 17:37 How to protect yourself 20:09 Jurisdictional challenges & enforcement gaps 21:45 Silk Road anniversary & crypto's illicit narrative 23:04 Is crypto actually worse than cash for crime? 25:13 Enforcement wins: 61K BTC recovered, $15B forfeiture 26:13 Closing Remarks - "Gen C" features host Sam Ewen. Executive produced by Uyen Truong.
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Gary Vaynerchuk on AI, Entrepreneurship and Why Blockchain Is Still Relevant
Jun 200:45:24Tap to summarizeDiving deeper on AI with Gary Vaynerchuk. Gary Vaynerchuk, Chairman of VaynerX and CEO and Creator of VeeFriends, joins Gen C to discuss why we are living through the most consequential technological moment since electricity. Sam and Gary dig into his long-held conviction that NFTs are a generational collectible, not a fad, his bold thesis that the rise of AI will trigger a massive IRL comeback, and why agentic commerce will make brands more important, not less. Links mentioned from the podcast: Gary’s Twitter: https://x.com/garyvee Vayner Website: https://vaynerx.com/ VeeFriends Website: https://veefriends.com/ - "Gen C" features host Sam Ewen. Executive produced by Uyen Truong.
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Raoul Pal on the Most Extraordinary Moment Humanity Has Ever Lived Through
May 2000:26:13Tap to summarizeAn in depth conversation with Raoul Pal from Consensus Miami. Sam sits down with Raoul Pal, founder of Real Vision, fresh off the main stage at Consensus Miami for a wide-ranging conversation about the most consequential moment in human history. They cover everything from why AI represents a fundamental shift in human civilization, to how crypto's $2.7 trillion market could hit $100 trillion within a decade, to why Raoul believes NFTs will ultimately become the fabric of our economic system. Links mentioned from the podcast: Raoul’s Twitter: https://x.com/RaoulGMI Real Vision Website: https://www.realvision.com/ - "Gen C" features host Sam Ewen. Executive produced by Uyen Truong.
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Stellar Development Foundation’s CMO on Why Stablecoins Are the Gateway to Tokenizing Everything
Apr 2800:28:28Tap to summarizeUnpacking the long-game philosophy of SDF's new CMO. Jason Karsh, the new CMO of Stellar Development Foundation, has built his career moving through some of tech and crypto's most formative companies, from Google to Coinbase to Block, and he's bringing his long-game philosophy to one of the industry's oldest and most quietly consequential blockchains. In this episode of Gen C, Sam sits down with Jason to talk about why crypto keeps leading with the wrong message, how Stellar went from $500M to $2B in real-world assets in a single year, and why a "get rich slow" approach might be the most radical marketing strategy in Web3. Links mentioned from the podcast: Jason’s Twitter: https://x.com/jasonkarsh Stellar Development Foundation Website: https://stellar.org/ From our sponsor: Check out CoinDesk’s latest research report on privacy in the age of scale, commissioned by GenZcash: https://www.coindesk.com/research/encryption-supremacy-zcash-and-privacy-in-the-age-of-scale Timestamps: 00:00 Unlocking Idle Assets 00:38 Meet Stellar Development Foundation CMO 02:26 From Google to Crypto 04:00 Crypto Branding Reality 07:46 SDF Focus and Timing 10:51 Making Stablecoins Click 13:02 One Voice Many Audiences 15:20 Get Rich Slow Marketing 19:04 Founders as Storytellers 22:19 RWA Growth on SDF 24:56 Stablecoins vs Tokenization 26:17 Next 100M Humans or Agents 28:05 Final Thoughts - "Gen C" features host Sam Ewen. Executive produced by Uyen Truong.
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Finding Satoshi: Did A New Documentary Finally Unmask Nakamoto?
Apr 2100:28:41Tap to summarizeBitcoin's origin story is the greatest unsolved mystery in financial history and the team behind Finding Satoshi spent years doing what dozens of others couldn't: actually closing in on an answer. In this episode of Gen C, Sam sits down with documentary director Tucker Tooley, investigative journalist Bill Cohen, and private investigator Tyler Maroney to break down a multi-year investigation rooted in real methodology — cryptographers whispering names, blockchain data analysis, and years of trust-building with the cypherpunk community. Links mentioned from the podcast: Finding Satoshi Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVxAwomug08 Finding Satoshi Website: http://findingsatoshi.com -- Timestamps: 00:00 Who is Satoshi? 01:02 Meet The Filmmakers 02:30 Origin During Covid 03:26 Author, Bill Cohan and Private Investigator, Tyler Maroney Joins Quest 06:30 Bitcoin Roots And Cypherpunks 11:36 Explaining Bitcoin Simply 14:09 Narrowing The Suspects 15:42 Cryptographer Sources And Data 20:20 Why Some Refuse To Talk 23:34 NYT Article: Is Adam Back Satoshi? 27:12 Final Takeaways - Links mentioned from the podcast: Ryan's Twitter Cronos Website - Follow us on Twitter: Sam Ewen, CoinDesk - Check out CoinDesk’s latest research report on privacy in the age of scale, commissioned by GenZcash: https://www.coindesk.com/research/encryption-supremacy-zcash-and-privacy-in-the-age-of-scale. - "Gen C" features host Sam Ewen. Executive produced by Uyen Truong.
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How Ryan Wyatt is Rebuilding the Investment Experience for the Gen Z Audience
Mar 2400:37:20Tap to summarizeCronos Labs CEO, Ryan Wyatt, reveals the roadmap to fix the "bad taste" crypto left for Gen Z by trading technical jargon for a mobile-first investment engine Ryan Wyatt, CEO of Cronos Labs, joins Gen C to reveal why the biggest disruption for blockchain is no longer in gaming, but in a multi-trillion dollar financial overhaul. Ryan breaks down the strategy behind building a mobile-first app that strips away crypto jargon to onboard the 90% of Gen Z who have been "screwed" by traditional economic promises. - Links mentioned from the podcast: Ryan's Twitter Cronos Website - Follow us on Twitter: Sam Ewen, CoinDesk - To attend or for more information on Consensus Miami 2026, visit: https://consensus.coindesk.com/. - "Gen C" features host Sam Ewen. Executive produced by Uyen Truong.
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John Nahas on Why One-Size-Fits-All Blockchains are Failing Global Institutions
Mar 1000:30:14Tap to summarizeAvalanche CBO, John Nahas, reveals the roadmap to solve the $100 trillion institutional distribution problem by trading general purpose blockchains for custom L1s. John Nahas, Chief Business Officer of Avalanche, joins Gen C to reveal the roadmap for transforming global finance through custom tailored, sovereign L1 blockchains. John breaks down the industry's much-needed transition away from "one-size-fits-all" technology to solve the $100 trillion distribution problem for institutions like JP Morgan and Citi. He shares the strategy behind Avalanche becoming the invisible backbone for everything from FIFA collections to tokenized equity markets, delivering the institutional rails required to move beyond speculative hype into real world economic value. - Links mentioned from the podcast: John's Twitter Avalanche Website Ava Labs Website New York Times Article: "Crypto is Pointless" - Follow us on Twitter: Sam Ewen, CoinDesk - "Gen C" features host Sam Ewen. Executive produced by Uyen Truong.
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Where Did All The Crypto Super Bowl Ads Go?
Feb 900:10:15Tap to summarizeSam Ewen breaks down the absence of crypto from the 2026 Super Bowl, comparing today’s silence to the frenzy of 2022. Sam Ewen asks the question: where are all the 2026 Super Bowl ads? He explores the mystery of why crypto’s biggest players are sitting on the sidelines of the world's largest advertising event, even as "AI hyperscalers" and consumer staples take over the broadcast. NOTE: Recorded prior to the Super Bowl airing and yes, Coinbase did run a Super Bowl. - Follow us on Twitter: Sam Ewen, CoinDesk - "Gen C" features host Sam Ewen. Executive produced by Uyen Truong.
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IOTA’s Karen O'Brien on The $35 Trillion Bet on Industrial Blockchain
Jan 2700:32:38Tap to summarizeIOTA CMO, Karen O’Brien reveals the high-stakes roadmap to transform the $35 trillion global trade industry from archaic paper systems into a frictionless, blockchain-powered infrastructure. Karen O’Brien, CMO of IOTA, breaks down why the industry is finally hitting a much-needed trust reset, trading short-term hype for the work of fixing global trade. O’Brien touches on how she’s helping solve the $35 trillion "paper and email" bottleneck to create an invisible backbone for global supply chains—a true blockchain for machines. - Links mentioned from the podcast: Karen's Twitter IOTA Website - Follow us on Twitter: Sam Ewen, CoinDesk - "Gen C" features host Sam Ewen. Executive produced by Uyen Truong.
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