Podcast · Business

Empire

Empire features interviews with top crypto founders to get the real stories that aren’t shared elsewhere. Empire is your look behind the curtain of the crypto industry. We release two episodes per week: guest interviews on Monday and a weekly roundup on Friday.

New episodes: Several times a week
Typical length: 1 hr 3 min
Latest: 12 Oct 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

12 Oct 2026 · 56 minNew

Kamino's Plan To Make Tokenized Assets Actually Useful | Michael Weisz

Is tokenization pointless until you can borrow against it? This week, we sit down with Kamino's new CEO Michael Weisz on why he left fintech to build the onchain credit layer. We explore Kamino's invisible distribution strategy, why Goldman won't lend on private assets, why venture can't be collateral yet, and how his upside rides on $KMNO. Enjoy! TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro 00:54 Why Leave Fintech For Crypto? 05:43 Why Join Kamino? 10:01 Kamino’s Vision For Onchain Finance 14:06 Who Owns The Customer Relationship? 17:13 Bringing Institutions Onchain: Four Pillars 23:34 Why Private Assets Need…

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

7 Oct 2026 · 31 min
Jeff Yan On Hyperliquid’s Plan To Bring All Finance Onchain
What if Hyperliquid’s biggest opportunity is helping the exchanges it’s compared against? This week, Hyperliquid Labs CEO & Co-founder Jeff Yan explains how Hyperliquid is building shared infrastructure for the entire financial system. We discuss options, institutional access, the cost of trading speed, and why transparent markets could deliver better execution. Enjoy! TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro 01:31 Building The House Of All Finance 05:07 Is Hyperliquid More Than An Exchange? 07:17 Bringing Institutions Onto Hyperliquid 11:46 Better Trading Through Fees And Options 18:19 Do Transparent…
5 Oct 2026 · 1 hr 6 min
Compute Is A Trillion-Dollar Market Trading In Group Chats | Brett Harrison & Andrawes Bahou
How do you price a commodity that still clears in text messages? This week, we're joined by Brett Harrison of Architect and Andrawes Bahou of Compute Desk to discuss why GPU compute needs a futures market for better pricing and hedging. We explore the opaque broker markets quoting GPUs that don't exist, buyers paying up to 2x to get chips sooner, hyperscaler cash flow going negative, and the biggest constraints in the AI market. Enjoy! TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro 00:59 Why Does Compute Need Markets? 08:53 Compute Still Trades In Group Chats 13:38 Why Finding GPUs Takes So Long 19:21 How Much…
2 Oct 2026 · 1 hr
Everyone Is Watching AI While Crypto’s Bull Market Builds | Weekly Roundup
AI is absorbing investor attention while crypto fundamentals keep improving and fueling growing signs of the long-awaiting bull market. This week, we debate the economics behind AI’s boom and whether crypto’s recovery deserves more attention. We also explore data center financing, why Yano is buying Backpack, overlooked fintech growth, and whether AI agents will disrupt financial services. Enjoy! TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro 00:58 Silicon Valley’s AI Drama 02:52 What Could Pop AI’s Bubble? 08:49 AI’s Boom Vs The Debt Markets 12:33 Will Compute Demand Keep Growing? 15:53 The Economics Behind AI…
25 Sep 2026 · 51 min
Markets Sending, Just Buy Consensus, Meta's AI Moment & Who Wins Tokenization? | Weekly Roundup
Do markets even need CLARITY when quality names and regulators are already sending? This week, we dig into pro-innovation regulators and consensus momentum trades outperforming clever rotations. We also explore Muse, inventors rarely winning, tokenization value capture, and $HOOD versus $SOL. Enjoy! TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro 00:58 Blockworks’ Origins And Crypto’s Red Flags 05:08 Crypto Ripping Without CLARITY? 09:41 Can Consensus Coins Keep Winning? 13:18 Why Dragonfly Shifted Toward Equity 20:48 Is Meta’s AI Bet Underpriced? 33:26 Why Crypto’s First Movers Lost 36:29 Blockworks’ DAS Asia And…
18 Sep 2026 · 1 hr 3 min
CLARITY Failed, Many Stablecoins Debate, Circle Launches Arc & Meta's AI Edge | Weekly Roundup
CLARITY failed, but SEC and CFTC action could still accelerate onchain markets. This week, we cover what's next for crypto regulation, debate the many-stablecoin thesis, and dig into Circle launching Arc and the S&P’s push into crypto data and security. We also discuss broken venture markets, Meta’s AI advantage, and Polymarket’s executive hiring spree. Enjoy! TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro 03:50 Corporate Stablecoin Debate 13:03 Why The CLARITY Act Failed 16:58 The SEC Opens Tokenized Markets 22:43 Who Wins Tokenized Markets? 29:06 S&P Moves Deeper Into Crypto 37:40 Can Circle Make Arc Work? 46:14…
14 Sep 2026 · 59 min
The Six Tokens To Own This Cycle | Yan Liberman
Which tokens are actually worth owning in today’s market? This week, Yan Liberman shares his six-token portfolio and the framework behind each position. We dig into productive vs speculative assets, catchup trades and overlooked opportunities, how AI is reshaping crypto venture, what Delphi looks for in founders, and what the ideal portfolio looks like today. Enjoy! TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro 00:34 Does Crypto’s Rally Have Legs? 05:49 Is AI Outshining Crypto? 10:35 Liquid Tokens Or Venture Bets? 16:17 Ads (Token2049, Avalanche) 17:57 Inside Yan’s Crypto Portfolio 23:25 What Returns Justify…
11 Sep 2026 · 44 min
Memecoins Are Stress-Testing The Future Of Tokenized Stocks | Weekly Roundup
What happens when memecoin speculation collides with onchain equities? This week, Jason and Santi unpack why Robinhood’s tokenized stocks may be crypto’s hottest new battleground. They explore the $BONER–$HIMS squeeze, murky shareholder rights, FOMO’s bull-market signal, and whether Robinhood, Solana, and stablecoin giants become this cycle’s biggest winners. Enjoy! TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro 01:57 Crypto’s Animal Spirits Return 06:20 Can Memecoins Unlock Tokenized Stocks? 12:42 Ads (TOKEN2049, Avalanche) 14:22 How $BONER Squeezed Tokenized $HIMS 19:21 Robinhood Faces Meme-Equity Backlash 22:21…
9 Sep 2026 · 1 hr 11 min
Cloudflare CEO: The Man Deciding The Internet’s Next Business Model
What happens when AI agents become the internet’s dominant users? This week, Jason sits down with Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince to explore how AI agents could fundamentally reshape the internet’s business model. They discuss 1,000x agent traffic, why everything wrong with the world is Google's fault, AI flattening organizations, micropayments at unprecedented scale, and whether AI becomes the new interface to the internet. Enjoy! TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro 00:45 How The Internet Got Here 05:52 Did Ads Break Society? 10:20 Why AI Labs Fear Google 16:59 What Cloudflare Actually Does 19:56 Ads…
4 Sep 2026 · 1 hr 10 min
Robinhood Is Proving Distribution Captures Crypto’s Value | Weekly Roundup
Can Robinhood turns the crypto trenches into a serious business? This week, we unpack Robinhood Chain’s explosive growth and what it could mean for tokenized markets, Ethereum, and traditional finance. We also explore the new meme-stock mechanics, Ethena’s neobank push, Hyperliquid’s U.S. path, and why distribution still captures the most value. Enjoy! TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro 00:46 Robinhood Chain’s Billion-Dollar Run Rate 05:26 Can Memecoins Move Stocks? 14:14 Why 24/7 Stocks Don’t Scale 20:53 Who Captures Crypto’s Value? 22:01 Ads (Token2049, Avalanche Summit) 23:41 Who Captures Crypto’s…
31 Aug 2026 · 1 hr
Beezie & Collector Crypt CEOs on Why Onchain Collectibles Are Exploding
Tokenized collectibles are one of the hottest markets right now, turning an antiquated resale market into a liquid, gamified form of commerce built around collectors. This week, Beezie and Collector Crypt CEOs, Andrea Miele and Tuomas (Tuom) Holmberg, explain why tokenized collectibles are finding product-market fit and how crypto is reshaping a market long dominated by traditional marketplaces. They discuss instant buybacks, collector liquidity, sustainable platform economics, token ownership, and why gamified commerce could expand far beyond trading cards. Enjoy! TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro…
28 Aug 2026 · 1 hr 4 min
Story vs Valuation, Hyperliquid TAM, Pump’s Problem & Ethena’s Token Reset
What matters more in today’s market: the numbers or the story investors believe? This week, we debate crypto’s rebound and why markets increasingly reward narrative, momentum, and massive future outcomes over traditional valuation. We also cover Hyperliquid vs Pump, Ethena’s token overhaul, AI valuation mania, and the convergence of trading and social. Enjoy! TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro 01:07 Is Crypto Risk Worth It? 08:07 Are AI Assistants Overhyped? 13:40 Is Crypto Undervalued Again? 22:06 Why Pump Trails Hyperliquid 30:14 Ads (TOKEN2049, Avalanche Summit) 34:12 Ethena Fixes Its Tokenomics…
20 Aug 2026 · 55 min
New SEC Crypto Proposal Could Finally Fix Tokens
Can new regulations finally fix the broken token market? This week, we debate whether the SEC’s new crypto framework meaningfully changes token design, capital formation, and investor protections. We dig into token cash flows, Hyperliquid’s institutional moment, if CLARITY is actually dead, regulatory first movers, and whether founders should ignore their VCs. Enjoy! TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro 00:28 Jackson Hole & SALT Symposium 04:16 Can Regulation Revive Crypto? 16:23 The Four-Year Cycle & Is It Time To Nibble? 18:23 Hyperliquid’s Institutional Moment 25:22 Who Loses From Regulatory Clarity?…
17 Aug 2026 · 1 hr 16 min
Uniswap Is Building The Liquidity Network For Everything | Hayden Adams
What if Uniswap isn’t really an exchange at all, but a liquidity network for every asset? This week, Uniswap Founder Hayden Adams explains how Uniswap is evolving from a consumer DeFi app into global financial infrastructure. We explore programmable market making, tokenized assets, public market's IPO problem, Robinhood’s breakout traction, and why DeFi could reshape capital markets. Enjoy! TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro 00:28 Uniswap Having A Moment 03:31 What Is Uniswap Today? 08:51 How Uniswap Runs The Business 15:24 Who Is Uniswap Building For? 22:09 DeFi Becoming Financial Infrastructure 26:08…
14 Aug 2026 · 1 hr 1 min
Crypto’s Speculation Problem, Regulation Without CLARITY & The Gambling Economy
Crypto adoption is accelerating, but does that mean token prices follow? This week, we unpack growing institutional interest in crypto as brokerages and fintechs push onchain, even as CLARITY stalls and memecoin activity dominates. We explore SEC and CFTC catalysts, Fomo versus Pump.fun, the durability of meme-driven markets, token value accrual, and crypto’s financialization problem. Enjoy! TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro 02:17 Has Crypto Found A Bottom? 08:22 Can Regulation Replace Clarity? 14:42 Fomo Vs Pump Fun 22:07 How Founders Survive The Reckoning 26:31 Is Crypto Worth The Venture Bet? 34:39…
10 Aug 2026 · 1 hr 9 min
Morpho Is Coming For The $200 Trillion Credit Market | Paul Frambot
Is DeFi’s future invisible financial infrastructure? This week, Cofounder & CEO of Morpho, Paul Frambot, joins to explore Morpho’s ambition to bring global credit markets onchain for fintechs and institutions. We discuss Midnight and fixed-rate lending, network effects, token-equity alignment, scaling distribution, and why direction can matter more than speed. Enjoy! TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro 00:19 Morpho’s Market And Token Thesis 09:00 Ribbit’s Role In Morpho 11:50 Morpho And Midnight Explained 20:42 Why DeFi Becomes Infrastructure 26:29 First Principles Beat Fast Execution 29:30 Building…
7 Aug 2026 · 1 hr 14 min
Venture Mandates, Cloudflare Wallets, Circle Earnings & Saddam Hussein Patek Philippe
What separates lasting winners from everyone chasing the next trend? This week, we dig into why specialization may be the biggest edge in venture investing as crypto, AI, and traditional finance increasingly converge. We discuss venture mandates, stablecoin competition, Circle's earnings, Cloudflare's agent wallets, and why reputation compounds faster than capital. Enjoy! TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro 04:05 Crypto Venture Expands Beyond Crypto 09:20 Can Crypto Funds Go Generalist? 16:06 The Hidden Cost Of Dilution 22:43 Crypto Venture Enters Hard Mode 28:39 Ads (Peaq) 29:25 Cloudflare Bets On…
31 Jul 2026 · 1 hr 2 min
AI Fatigue, Robinhood & Every Market Becoming Crypto | Weekly Roundup
What happens when every market starts trading like crypto? This week, Santi and Rob examine how leverage, automation, and retail speculation are exporting crypto-style volatility across traditional finance. They also explore CLARITY’s fading odds, AI fatigue, Robinhood’s onchain expansion, and the battle between public and private tokenization. Enjoy! TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro 00:58 CLARITY’s Falling Odds 04:54 Everything Trades Like Crypto 08:53 AI Capex and Semiconductor Volatility 12:47 The Death of Long-Term Investing 18:19 Why Market-Neutral Funds Win 20:09 Institutional AI Fatigue 24:22…
27 Jul 2026 · 43 min
Robinhood's Plan to Bring Global Finance Onchain | Johann Kerbrat
What happens when Robinhood turns crypto from a trading feature into the backbone of its global financial platform? This week, Robinhood's GM of Crypto, Johann Kerbrat, explains how Robinhood Chain connects DeFi, tokenized assets, and mainstream users. We explore global access, permissionless development, strategic partnerships, token economics, and whether equities and crypto eventually converge. Enjoy! TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro 00:59 Robinhood’s Onchain Vision 04:46 Will Robinhood Move Fully Onchain? 11:07 Inside Robinhood Chain’s Explosive Launch 14:33 Building The Chain For Adoption 16:15…
23 Jul 2026 · 45 min
The Bill That Could Reshape Crypto In America with Greg Xethalis from Multicoin
Is CLARITY the breakthrough crypto needs or just the beginning? This week, Jason and Multicoin’s Greg Xethalis unpack how the bill could reshape crypto’s regulatory future. They explore CFTC oversight, token classification, DeFi protections, disclosure requirements, and the fight threatening its passage. Enjoy! TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro 01:20 How CLARITY Came To Be 07:08 Who Built The CLARITY Act? 11:05 What CLARITY Actually Does 15:13 The New Token Taxonomy 18:13 Ads (Peaq) 18:58 When Is A Blockchain Mature? 23:01 Protecting DeFi And Developers 33:51 The Future Of Token Disclosures 40:14 What…
16 Jul 2026 · 1 hr 15 min
Clarity Window Closing, Robinhood Eating Ethereum Value & Coinbase's Base Reset
Crypto's window for regulatory clarity is about to close while Robinhood raises questions about who actually captures the value created onchain. This week, we unpack Clarity’s narrowing path through Congress and what failure could mean for crypto markets and institutional adoption. We also debate Ethereum’s economics, Coinbase’s Base reset, the Ostium hack vs instant settlement, and Stripe’s reported PayPal bid. Enjoy! TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro 01:50 Clarity Act’s Closing Window 08:40 Trump’s Crypto Ethics Roadblock 14:07 What Clarity Means For Markets 18:13 Robinhood Exposes Ethereum’s Value…
14 Jul 2026 · 1 hr 14 min
Fomo Co-Founders on Building the Social Network for Finance
What happens when crypto finally builds a trading experience for everyone, not just crypto natives? This week, Jason sits down with fomo co-founders Paul and Se to discuss why consumer crypto has struggled, how fomo is approaching onchain trading differently, and why they believe social finance is the next major platform. They explore building for mainstream users, the future of tokenized assets, product design tradeoffs, creator-driven distribution, and why transparent onchain data could redefine how investors discover ideas. Enjoy! TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro 03:35 Why Consumer Crypto Keeps…
10 Jul 2026 · 1 hr 13 min
Crypto's Value Capture Problem & Why Robinhood Built Its Own Blockchain
AI and distribution moats are forcing investors to separate real business transformation from crypto’s unresolved value-capture problem. This week, Jason and Santi discuss what months of researching crypto adoption taught Inversion, why the firm's investment strategy is evolving, and what it reveals about where value is actually being created today. They also explore Robinhood's onchain strategy, whether AI is delivering stronger returns than crypto in traditional businesses, the debate over token versus equity value capture, and how the next generation of consumer finance is taking shape.…
3 Jul 2026 · 1 hr 18 min
What’s Circle’s End Game, Robinhood Launches A Chain & Venice Raises $65M
This week, we’re back with another weekly roundup to discuss the announcement of OUSD and what it means for the future of Circle. We then deep dive into Robinhood’s recent product launches, Venice’s $65M raise, crypto’s continued discussion around tokens vs. equity, and more. Enjoy! -- Follow Jason: https://x.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Rob: https://x.com/HadickM Follow Empire: https://x.com/theempirepod -- Robots will soon outnumber humans onchain. peaqOS turns them into a new trusted liquid asset class, with yield tied to real-world workloads. It gives robots all they need to do business on…
29 Jun 2026 · 49 min
Can You Really Buy A House Without Selling Your Crypto? | Vishal Garg
This week, Vishal Garg joins the show to discuss how crypto and AI are reshaping the mortgage market. We deep dive into Better’s business model, why the mortgage market is so inefficient today, how to leverage tokenization and AI, partnering with Coinbase and OpenAI, and more. Enjoy! -- Follow Vishal: https://x.com/vishal_better Follow Jason: https://x.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://x.com/theempirepod -- Robots will soon outnumber humans onchain. peaqOS turns them into a new trusted liquid asset class, with yield tied to real-world workloads. It gives robots all they need to do…
27 Jun 2026 · 54 min
State of The Market, The Prediction Market Wars & Kraken Pursues Aave
This week, we’re back with another weekly roundup to discuss the current state of markets as worries around Strategy drag crypto lower. We then deep dive into the competition in prediction markets, the state of crypto venture, Kraken’s pursuit of a stake in Aave, Fomo’s $75M raise, and more. Enjoy! -- Follow Jason: https://x.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Santi: https://x.com/santiagoroel Follow Rob: https://x.com/HadickM Follow Empire: https://x.com/theempirepod -- Robots will soon outnumber humans onchain. peaqOS turns them into a new trusted liquid asset class, with yield tied to real-world…
22 Jun 2026 · 1 hr 9 min
Optimism Co-Founders: What Happened to the L2s? Ben Jones & Karl Floersch
This week, Ben Jones and Karl Floersch join the show to discuss what happened to the L2s. We take a deep dive into Optimism's new strategy for 2026, the current state of Ethereum, why companies need to launch a chain, having a token, and more. Enjoy! -- Follow Karl: https://x.com/karl_dot_tech Follow Ben: https://x.com/ben_chain Follow Jason: https://x.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://x.com/theempirepod -- Robots will soon outnumber humans onchain. peaqOS turns them into a new trusted liquid asset class, with yield tied to real-world workloads. It gives robots all they need to do…
19 Jun 2026 · 1 hr 11 min
Anthropic's Fable Banned, Will Microstrategy Blow Up & Structuring A Portfolio in 2026
This week, we’re back with another weekly roundup to discuss why the US government placed export controls on Anthropic's Fable model. We then deep dive into open vs close sourced models, will Microstratgey blow up, structuring a portfolio in 2026, Coinbase's new product announcement and more. Enjoy! -- Follow Jordi: https://x.com/gametheorizing Follow Jason: https://x.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Santi: https://x.com/santiagoroel Follow Rob: https://x.com/HadickM Follow Empire: https://x.com/theempirepod -- Robots will soon outnumber humans onchain. peaqOS turns them into a new trusted liquid…
15 Jun 2026 · 1 hr 9 min
The Bull Case For Hyperliquid | Ryan Watkins
This week, Ryan Watkins join the show to discuss the current state of crypto and where he sees the most opportunity in 2026. We deep dive into running a crypto fund in 2026, do four year cycles still exist, the Hyperliquid thesis, token unlocks and more. Enjoy! -- Follow Ryan: https://x.com/RyanWatkins_ Follow Jason: https://x.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://x.com/theempirepod -- Robots will soon outnumber humans onchain. peaqOS turns them into a new trusted liquid asset class, with yield tied to real-world workloads. It gives robots all they need to do business on any chain — and…
12 Jun 2026 · 29 min
Blockworks Acquires Messari
In this special episode, Blockworks announces its acquisition of Messari and unpacks what it means for crypto’s next phase. Michael and Jason explore why Messari’s breadth of data, APIs, and research complement Blockworks’ deep on-chain analytics, investor relations, and disclosure products. They also address crypto’s trust problem, the need for standardized data and disclosures, and how Blockworks aims to become the trusted data layer connecting issuers, investors, exchanges, regulators, and AI agents in on-chain markets. Learn more:…

About Empire

Empire is a English business podcast from Blockworks. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: Blockworks
Language: English
Category: Business
New episodes: Several times a week
Typical length: 1 hr 3 min
Latest episode: 12 Oct 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1554930038
Rights: 384141 Blockworks 2021-2023

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