Empire

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!

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Follow Jason: https://x.com/JasonYanowitz

Follow Santi: https://x.com/santiagoroel

Follow Rob: https://x.com/HadickM

Follow Empire: https://x.com/theempirepod

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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 lets humans earn from automation. Explore the Machine Economy: https://peaq.xyz

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Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction

(02:33) State of The Market

(07:01) State of Crypto Venture

(21:57) peaq Ad

(22:43) The Prediction Market Wars

(38:07) Kraken Pursuing 15% Stake in Aave

(48:18) Fomo Raises $75M at $550M Valuation

(50:35) Content of The Week

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Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, Rob and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

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!

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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

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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 lets humans earn from automation. Explore the Machine Economy: https://peaq.xyz

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Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction

(03:43) What L2s Got Right vs Wrong

(12:46) peaq Ad

(13:42) Optimism’s Strategy in 2026

(32:36) What’s Optimism’s Moat?

(40:02) Who Needs To Build a Chain?

(51:20) The Current State of Ethereum

(59:39) Launching a Token

(01:03:10) What Defines Success in Crypto?

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Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, Rob and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

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!

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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 asset class, with yield tied to real-world workloads. It gives robots all they need to do business on any chain — and lets humans earn from automation. Explore the Machine Economy: https://peaq.xyz

--

Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction

(07:16) Anthropic's Fable Banned by US Government

(20:10) peaq Ad

(20:57) Open vs Closed Source Models

(26:42) Structuring A Portfolio Post 10/10

(40:07) Will Microstrategy Blow Up?

(59:12) Coinbase's Product Announcement

(1:05:40) Content of The Week

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Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, Rob and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

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!

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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 lets humans earn from automation. Explore the Machine Economy: https://peaq.xyz

--

Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction

(04:02) Running A Crypto Fund In 2026

(09:55) Do Four Year Cycles Exist?

(16:36) peaq Ad

(17:22) How To Find A Trade

(25:52) The Hyperliquid Thesis

(49:44) Is The Hyperliquid Trade Overcrowded?

(53:28) Opportunities In Crypto, Token Unlocks & The L1 Trade

(01:02:16) Zcash & Privacy

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Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, Rob and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

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: https://blockworks.com/insights/blockworks-acquires-messari

Follow Blockworks on X: https://x.com/Blockworks

Follow Messari on X: https://x.com/MessariCrypto

Follow Michael on X: https://x.com/MikeIppolito_

Follow Jason on X: https://x.com/JasonYanowitz