The Big Brain Podcast
The Big Brain Podcast
The Block
The Big Brain Podcast features conversations with crypto's most influential thinkers, builders, and traders. Co-hosted by The Block CEO Larry Cermak and MegaETH CSO Namik Muduroglu, these interviews challenge ideas, dig into mental models, and push guests beyond the headlines. This show isn't about predicting the future of crypto—it’s about spotlighting the big brains shaping it.
Gauntlet CEO Tarun Chitra on Why Exchange ADL Mechanisms Need an Update
In episode 10 of The Big Brain Podcast, Larry and Namik are joined by Gauntlet founder and CEO Tarun Chitra. Tarun recounts how an unexpected ADL event on a tiny test position pushed him to research how exchanges handle insolvency when liquidations fail, especially after October 10th. He argues the common ranking approach concentrates losses unfairly and may overshoot during cascading events. The discussion also covers transparency, insurance funds, and why improving these systems matters if perp exchanges want to onboard new users. OUTLINE 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:00:54 - Tarun’s background 00:10:50 - Tarun's ADL paper 00:15:40 - ADL usage 00:26:25 - Transparency gap 00:31:44 - Critiques of Tarun's paper 00:36:32 - Impact of Tarun's paper 00:41:09 - Potential fixes 00:45:31 - Cult-like communities in crypto 00:52:42 - 10x verticals looking ahead 01:02:29 - Conclusion Guest links: Tarun Chitra - x.com/tarunchitra Gauntlet - x.com/gauntlet_xyz Show links: - Apple: apple.co/43F3vmq - Spotify: spoti.fi/44NT1lZ - Larry: x.com/lawmaster - Namik: x.com/NamikMuduroglu - The Block Podcasts: x.com/TheBlockPods --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe to The Block's Newsletters! 🚨 Breaking News 👨‍🔬 Expert Analysis 📈 Market Insights Subscribe now 👉 https://www.theblock.co/newsletters --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hiring in crypto? 🧠 Find top talent fast with Campus, powered by The Block!✅ Challenge candidates with our Crypto Assessment Test⚡ Hire faster, build stronger teams Start your free trial today 👉 https://theblock.co/campus
Dec 16, 2025
1 hr 3 min
Breaking down crypto's biggest ever liquidation event with Wintermute founder Evgeny Gaevoy
In this episode of the Big Brain Podcast, Larry and Namik are joined by Wintermute Founder and CEO Evgeny Gaevoy to discuss the recent historic crypto crash, explaining how extreme leverage, exchange failures, and forced ADL liquidations led to market chaos and liquidity breakdowns across the ecosystem. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 00:45 What Happened? 04:46 Understanding ADL 12:25 Transparency and Privacy on Hyperliquid  16:35 Circuit Breakers 19:16 Occam’s Razor 21:25 Assessing the Damage 25:24 Lessons learned 28:39 Looking Ahead 30:21 A Maturing Market 32:13 Dealing with Extreme Volatility  35:19 Impact on DeFi 37:28 Wintermute as the Crypto Villain 41:47 What else does Wintermute do? 44:11 Conclusion GUEST LINKS https://x.com/evgenygaevoy https://x.com/wintermute_t This episode of the Big Brain Podcast is brought to you by our sponsor, Canton Network. Are you hiring in crypto? Use Campus to quickly find your best candidates with our challenging Crypto Assessment Test.Faster hiring, stronger teams. Sign up for a trial today: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠theblock.co/campus⁠
Oct 14, 2025
44 min
Venture trends, regulatory wins, and consumer innovation: Tom Schmidt and Alok Vasudev on crypto's new era
In this episode of the Big Brain Podcast, Larry and Namik are joined by Dragonfly's Tom Schmidt Alok Vasudev of Standard Crypto. They dive into current trends in venture capital within the crypto space, touching on how market conditions have evolved since 2021, the role of treasury companies, and the evolving regulatory landscape. OUTLINE 00:00 Introduction 01:06 Alok's Background 04:45 Tom's Background 06:21 Cap Table Competition 07:53 Crypto 'Metas' 13:09 Copycat Crypto Projects 15:26 Brand Positioning 17:45 Web3 Moats 19:29 Crypto Treasury Companies 27:28 Regulatory Tailwinds 30:38 Consumer Adoption GUEST LINKS https://x.com/tomhschmidt https://x.com/AlokVasudev Are you hiring in crypto? Use Campus to quickly find your best candidates with our challenging Crypto Assessment Test.Faster hiring, stronger teams. Sign up for a trial today: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠theblock.co/campus⁠
Aug 25, 2025
41 min
DeFi Wizards: Rune Christensen and Guy Young on the past, present, and future of finance
In this episode, Guy Young & Rune Christensen discuss the evolution of DeFi, noting how it has become more grounded in reality and sustainable business models, moving away from the early hype and ideological claims. OUTLINE: 00:00 Introduction 01:23 DeFi Ain't What it Used To Be 08:27 Ethena's Success 13:01 Get $HYPE(D) 15:08 HL L1 16:38 'Ecosystem Protocols' 19:32 DeFi User Capture 21:42 DeFi Endgame 22:05 Hyper-rational Users Onchain 24:53 Compressing DeFi Rates 27:16 Stealing  from the Rich 28:43Onchain KYC 30:57 Forking DeFi 33:57 The Future of Finance 37:50 'MicroStrategy Playbook" for Alts 42:19 Bitcoin DeFi? 43:57 F.A.F.O. Onchain SHOW LINKS: - Apple: https://apple.co/43F3vmq - Spotify: https://spoti.fi/44NT1lZ - Larry: https://x.com/lawmaster - Namik: https://x.com/NamikMuduroglu - The Block Podcasts: https://x.com/TheBlockPods GUEST LINKS: - Rune: @RuneKek - Guy: @gdog97_ - Sky: https://sky.money/ - Ethena: https://ethena.fi/
Jun 11, 2025
49 min
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