Matt Leising: Author of Out of the Ether: The Amazing Story of Ethereum and the $55 Million Heist That Almost Destroyed It All

Matt Leising is a former Bloomberg News reporter turned crypto journalist. After 17 years at Bloomberg, Matt left to co-found DeCential Media. Merging his passion for writing and his 7 years of reporting experience in the blockchain space, Decential covers the people who are bringing cryptocurrencies, blockchain technology, and decentralized money to life. In today’s episode, we discuss the astounding story of the loss of ETH valued at $55 million detailed in Matt's book, Ethereum Classic's ancestry, why Matt decided to become a journalist, the influence of Vitalik's upbringing on his decision to save Ethereum, fundamental regulations needed in blockchain, Lessons from the failure of FTX and humanity's interplanetary expansion.

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Notes

Matt Leising is the co-founder of Decential Media and a former Bloomberg News reporter. His book, Out of Ether, outlines the astonishing disappearance of $55 million worth of ETH. Decential, his media company, chronicles the behind-the-scenes activities of the men and women working to make blockchain technology and decentralized currency a reality.

CHAPTERS

[00:00:00] Intro
[00:02:46] The most outstanding person in Ethereum
[00:07:26] Biggest moment in Vitalik's career, Founding Ethereum
[00:12:26] Getting into Ethereum, Dow Heist, Blockchain’s appeal to financial institutions
[00:16:45] Timing of Matt's book-writing process
[00:23:37] Vitalik’s decision to fork the Ethereum blockchain
[00:28:15] Origin of Ethereum Classic
[00:32:28] Reasons Matt became a journalist
[00:34:27] Reaction to the insane 2021 crypto market, Applications of crypto
[00:43:10] Cornerstone regulations needed in blockchain, Upside of speculation in the market, FTX Downfall
[00:48:36] Blockchain subject that's got Matt’s attention
[00:52:59] Humanity achieving interstellar travel
[00:56:18] Final remarks

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