E73: Brian Armstrong on Crypto in 2024, Politics, and Economic Freedom

"Upstream" with Erik Torenberg

Brian Armstrong, CEO of Coinbase, joins Erik Torenberg, Dan Romero, and Antonio Garcia Martinez on Moment of Zen in August 2024 to talk about the company's evolution and the broader crypto landscape. Armstrong discusses Coinbase's focus on product development, their efforts in Washington D.C., why he listens to Balaji Srinivasan, and strategies for increasing global crypto adoption.

Armstrong also touches on his venture into biotech with New Limit, the changing media landscape, and the future of economic freedom through decentralized technologies.

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LINKS:

Base: https://www.base.org/

Coinbase Developer Platform: https://cdp.coinbase.com/

New Limit: https://www.newlimit.com/

Farcaster: https://www.farcaster.xyz/

Stand With Crypto: https://standwithcrypto.org

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TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Intro

(01:28) Brian's Current Focus Areas at Coinbase

(03:10) Coinbase's Move Towards Decentralization

(05:09) Coinbase's Approach to Innovation

(10:36) Thoughts on Mass Market Crypto Adoption

(15:01) Sponsor: Babbel | Brave

(17:44) Crypto's Implications Beyond Payments

(23:54) Experiences with Crypto Regulation in DC

(29:14) Sponsor: Squad

(30:42) Coinbase's Marketing Strategy

(34:09) Measuring Economic Freedom and Crypto Adoption

(43:08) Origins of New Limit Biotech Company

(50:12) Challenges of Shifting from Crypto to Biotech

(52:58) Reflections on Dan Romero's Contributions to Coinbase

(55:18) Thoughts on Balaji Srinivasan

(56:34) Balaji's Insights on Media Landscape

(59:24) Wrap