Ryan Berckmans // Ethereum Deep Dive, Earning Yield From Staking, Exploring DeFi + Alternatives

Creator Lab - interviews with entrepreneurs and startup founders

Ryan Berckmans is an ex-Amazon + fintech startup engineer. He's been involved with the Ethereum community for many years + invests in the crypto space.

He recently published a bullish thesis for investing in ETH at: ethereumcashflow.com

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/u3IGTSBzwOk

Let us know what you think on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bzaidi https://twitter.com/RyanBerckmans

In this conversation you'll learn about:

• blockchains, bitcoin + ethereum
• difference between ethereum + ether (ETH)
• ETH 2.0 + the transition from proof of work to proof of stake
• how to earn 6-20% yield from ETH "staking"
• applications of DeFi, peer-to-peer lending, smart contracts + NFTs
• alternatives like Solana + what could still go wrong
• side chains (Polygon) + layer 2 rollups (Arbetrum)

Timestamps:

• 0:00:00 - Snippet
• 0:01:18 - Intro To Ryan + What We’ll Cover
• 0:05:57 - Explaining Blockchain, Bitcoin + Ethereum
• 0:08:25 - Decentralization
• 0:13:57 - Difference Between Bitcoin Blockchain, Currency + Example Transaction
• 0:19:55 - Game Of Monopoly Example
• 0:21:50 - Ethereum Is Like The App Store + Uniswap Example
• 0:26:52 - What’s Being Built On Ethereum? ENS domains, Defi + NFTs
• 0:30:02 - Smart Contracts
• 0:31:24 - Decentralized Lending Through Code vs Banks
• 0:32:37 - “An App That Can’t Lie”
• 0:34:39 - Individuals Earning Yield Like The Banks
• 0:36:17 - Eco Is Like A Decentralized Venmo
• 0:37:26 - Ethereum Cash Flow Thesis
• 0:39:04 - Transition From Confidence To Cashflow Based Investment
• 0:42:06 - Replacing Basic Lawyer Tasks With Smart Contracts?
• 0:43:15 - Complimentary To Bitcoin
• 0:45:01 - ETH 2.0
• 0:47:03 - Consuming Less Energy + Impact On Environment
• 0:48:00 - Proof Of Work vs Proof Of Stake
• 0:51:10 - Solving For Scarcity
• 0:52:41 - EIP 1559 - Destroying ETH Tokens + How Fees Work
• 0:58:01 - How To Earn Yield By Staking ETH
• 0:58:50 - 3 Rewards As A Validator
• 1:03:34 - Staking Through Lido Without 32 ETH Minimum
• 1:05:11 - What % Yield Can You Expect From ETH? Why Will It Change?
• 1:09:56 - Currently 8 Day Wait To Be A Validator
• 1:12:29 - Why Yield Will Go Up + Down
• 1:14:16 - Summary Of ETH Bull Case
• 1:15:09 - What Could Go Wrong? Bear Case For ETH
• 1:17:25 - Why Can’t We Do This All On Bitcoin Instead?
• 1:22:29 - Network Effects + Head Start
• 1:23:15 - Promise Of Solana As An Alternative?
• 1:29:16 - Other Alternatives: DOT, Cardano, Binance Smart Chain
• 1:30:24 - Polygon/Matic + Side Chains
• 1:32:57 - Scaling Solutions + Rollups
• 1:34:48 - How Ryan Is Investing
• 1:39:41 - Do Your Own Research + Understand Risks And Downside
• 1:41:40 - Advanced Levels Of Yield Farming

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