Move vs. EVM, Silvergate Bank's Story, and More!

This week on Unchained: Interviews with Olaf Carlson-Wee and Rushi Manche, and Mike Lempres, former chairman of Silvergate. Plus, new episodes of Bits + Bips and TCB.

February 08, 2025

Olaf of Polychain Capital and Rushi of Movement Labs discuss how Move, a programming language purpose-built for blockchains, changes the game.

The success of any blockchain isn’t just about scalability, security, or decentralization—it’s about attracting developers. The easier it is to build, the more innovation happens. Or at least, that’s the thesis of Movement Labs co-founder Rushi Manche and Olaf Carlson-Wee, CEO of Polychain Capital.

In this episode of Unchained, Rushi explains why Move, originally developed by Meta, is a fundamentally better programming language for crypto than the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM). He breaks down how Move’s unique approach to security and asset management improves developer experience and why the Movement Network is bringing Move to Ethereum as a layer 2 solution.

Olaf shares his thoughts on how alternative programming environments like Move could challenge the dominance of the EVM, why Ethereum is at a critical moment, and how AI-powered financial agents could change how investments work.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pods, Fountain, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Did regulators intentionally shut down Silvergate Bank to cut off crypto from the financial system? Silvergate’s former chairman says it was no accident.

Silvergate Bank was once crypto’s most important banking partner, handling billions in deposits from the biggest players in the industry. Then, FTX collapsed—and everything changed.

In this episode of Unchained, Mike Lempres, former chairman of Silvergate, talks about how Silvergate grew into a banking giant for crypto, why Washington suddenly turned against them—even after they survived the FTX crisis, and whether Operation Choke Point 2.0 was real.

Plus, did short sellers and politicians work together to tank Silvergate’s stock? And what does the future look like for banks that want to serve crypto?

This is part of the inside story of one of the biggest banking collapses in crypto history.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pods, Fountain, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Are tariffs actually bullish for Bitcoin? Or is Trump’s economic strategy just another way to pump his own bags?

Trump’s new wave of tariffs has reignited the debate: Are they good for the economy or a disaster waiting to happen? Some say tariffs will crush trade, boost inflation, and slow growth—but others argue they could weaken the dollar and send bitcoin soaring.

On this episode of Bits + Bips, Jeff Park of Bitwise, along with James Seyffart, Alex Kruger and Noelle Acheson, battle it out over the real impact of Trump’s tariffs, whether they could spark a new Plaza Accord 2.0, and why ETH took a harder hit than BTC in the latest selloff.

Plus, is Trump’s economic strategy really about making America great again—or just about keeping his own real estate empire afloat? Jeff makes a bold claim outlining Trump’s #1 goal—one that his personal wealth depends on.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pods, Fountain, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Bitcoin vs. Everything: LA Vape Cabal, Altcoin Bleed, and the Future of Crypto Policy – The Chopping Block

Welcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Tarun Chitra, and Robert Leshner chop it up about the latest in crypto. In this episode, we dissect the chaos triggered by Trump’s trade war, which sent Ethereum and alts into freefall while Bitcoin held strong. Why are alts struggling, and is this just a flight to quality—or something deeper? We also dive into the LA Vape Cabal phenomenon and its bizarre influence on memecoin culture, debate whether the SEC’s new leadership is truly a game-changer for crypto, and analyze Binance’s latest scandal. Plus, is the memecoin cycle really over, or is this just another phase in crypto’s endless casino?

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pods, Fountain, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.

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