Podcast appearances and mentions of christian byza

In dieser Episode begrüßt Schorsch den Unternehmer Christian Byza, der seit über einem Jahrzehnt im Silicon Valley lebt und dort an der Schnittstelle von Bildung, Produktinnovation und Unternehmertum arbeitet. Christian ist Mitgründer von Learn.xyz, einer KI-basierten Lernplattform, die Lernen in Unternehmen revolutionieren möchte – kurz, mobil, gamifiziert und hochrelevant. Mit dabei (später auch): Anni, die aus familiären Gründen teilweise remote zuhört – und trotzdem zentrale Fragen zur Transformation im Mittelstand und Führungsmindset einbringt.

saas.unbound is a podcast for and about founders who are working on scaling inspiring products that people love, brought to you by https://saas.group/, a serial acquirer of B2B SaaS companies. In episode #12 of season 5, Anna Nadeina talks with Christian Byza, CEO & Co-Founder of Learn.xyz, mobile micro learning, powered by AI. --------------Episode's Chapters---------------- 00:42 The Role of AI in Learning 03:26 Christian's Background and Journey to Silicon Valley 10:12 Founding Learn DO XYZ: The Initial Idea 14:20 Pivoting from B2C to B2B 20:18 Marketing and Sales Strategies 26:15 The House of AI: A Unique Co-Working Space 29:35 Creative Event Planning 33:07 Challenges of Bootstrapping in San Francisco 36:19 Advantages of Building in San Francisco 40:22 Pivoting from B2C to B2B 48:09 Founder-Led Sales Strategies 50:13 Longevity and Personal Hacks Christian - https://www.linkedin.com/in/christianbyza/ Learn.xyz - https://www.learn.xyz/ Subscribe to our channel to be the first to see the interviews that we publish twice a week - https://www.youtube.com/@saas-group Stay up to date: Twitter: https://twitter.com/SaaS_group LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/14790796

On today's episode of The Goats of Growth, I'm joined by Christian Byza, CEO and Co-Founder of Learn.xyz, as he shares his journey from organizing conferences in high school to building an AI-powered B2B learning platform. Christian dives deep into the back story of Learn.xyx , pivoting from consumer to enterprise, and building effective go-to-market strategies. He also shares insights into personal branding, a growth hack you must hear, and how a positive mindset fuels his hustle. Tune in to hear insights on:

Was passiert, wenn ein Hamburg-geprägter OMR-Mitgründer seine Zelte in San Francisco aufschlägt und nebenbei „Haus des AI“ betreibt? In dieser Folge erzählt Christian Byza, warum er nach Stationen bei LinkedIn und Adobe schließlich Learn.xyz gründete – und wie er mit einer spielerischen „Duolingo for Corporate Knowledge“-Idee den Markt aufmischt.Wie schafft man es, im Silicon Valley mit einem kleinen Team zwischen Legende-Status und echtem Startup-Hustle den Überblick zu behalten? Warum vergleicht Christian sein Office lieber mit einer coolen Community-Location anstelle eines langweiligen Konferenzraums? Und was bedeutet „No Bad Days“ ganz konkret für sein unternehmerisches Denken? Ob KI-Trends, Early-Stage-Fundraising oder der Vergleich zwischen deutschem und US-Mindset – hier gibt's ehrliche Einblicke aus erster Hand.Wer schon immer wissen wollte, warum in San Francisco jeder fragt „How can I help?“ und weshalb 20 Millionen Dollar in einer Seed-Runde manchmal nicht genug sind, findet hier reichlich Inspiration. Ein Gespräch über Lern-Apps, Networking in der Bay Area und die Frage, wie man als Gründerin oder Gründer richtig loslegt – ohne sich von Bürokratie und Zweifeln ausbremsen zu lassen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Meet Christian Byza, CEO & Co-Founder of Learn.xyz, an innovative platform where generative AI meets education to create addictive learning experiences about any topic, in any language. In this exciting episode, Christian discusses his journey from co-founding OMR, one of the world's largest digital marketing events, to leading the charge at Learn.xyz. We delve deep into how Learn.xyz is transforming casual learning, making it more accessible, engaging, and customized for learners worldwide. Discover the challenges and triumphs of integrating AI into learning experiences, Christian's insights into the future of education, and how Learn.xyz is shaping up to be the "Duolingo and Wikipedia meet generative AI". If you're intrigued by the intersection of technology and education, this episode is a treasure trove of insights and inspirations. Join us as we uncover the story behind Learn.xyz and its mission to democratize learning for all. This show is supported by Match Relevant. A company that helps venture-backed Startups find the best people available in the market, who have the skills, experience, and desire to grow. With over a decade of experience in recruitment across multiple domains, they give people career options to choose from in their career journey. Learn more about Match Relevant at matchrelevant.com

In this episode of Week in Edtech, Ben and Alex discuss:1. AI + EDU Conference Replays held last October 26, 2023 are now live on the Edtech Insiders Youtube Channel.2. Stanford Accelerate Edtech Impact Summit3. Biden's AI Executive OrderFor AI in generalData PrivacyEducation4. Edtech Noon closes $41 million Series B - Wamda5. Interview with guest Christian Byza of Learn.xyz6. Funding Rounds/M&AsSlooh raises $5M Instructure acquires Parchment for $800MBibliu acquires Texas Book CompanyVector Solutions acquires PATHWAYos Rise In acquires Blockbeam

Insider #150: Seed-Boom - Verdane - Rocket Internet - Flash - Lucid - Capnamic - SumUp - Check24 - Terralayr - Speekly - Learn.xyz - Tiger Global +++ Zur Lage der Startup-Nation: Pre-Seed und Seed-Boom #ANALYSE +++ Verdane schielt auf Rocket-Internet-Investments #EXKLUSIV +++ Aus Flash Ventures wird mit Hilfe von Capnamic Lucid #EXKLUSIV +++ SumUp auf dem Weg zum Decacorn #EXKLUSIV +++ Check24: Ein verstecktes Decacorn #EXKLUSIV +++ Terralayr steht vor 20 Millionen-Investmentrunde - u.a. Creandum #EXKLUSIV +++ Neoteq investiert in Speekly #EXKLUSIV +++ Learn.xyz (OMR-Gründer Christian Byza) bekommt 3 Millionen #EXKLUSIV +++ Was man gerade über Tiger Global wissen sollte #EXKLUSIV Unser Sponsor Die heutige Ausgabe wird präsentiert von Instaffo. Wenn ihr in eurem Unternehmen offene Stellen im Tech, Sales oder Marketing Bereich endlich mit Top Talenten besetzen wollt, dann ist die Recruiting-Plattform Instaffo definitiv spannend für euch. Über 600 Unternehmen wie PayFit, RTL, Amazon oder Hello Fresh stellen darüber ein. Besonders an Instaffo ist, dass sie über die Plattform einen der besten und größten Talentpools in Deutschland mit monatlich über 5.000 Neuanmeldungen speziell im Tech, Marketing und Sales aufgebaut haben. Durch das Matching, den persönlichen Support und den Plattformchat ist Instaffo ideal für Start- oder Scale Ups, die zwar schnell Talente suchen, selbst aber wenig HR Ressourcen haben! Und jetzt kommt's: Instaffo ist so konfident, dass sie für euch die passenden Mitarbeitenden finden: Sie bieten für alle Insider-Hörer:innen an, die Plattform 6 Monate kostenlos zu testen. Sofern ihr in einer der größeren deutschen Städte sitzt, oder Remote-Optionen bietet. Alle Infos dazu findet ihr direkt unter instaffo.com/ds. Vor dem Mikro Alexander Hüsing, deutsche-startups.de - www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-huesing/ Sven Schmidt, Maschinensucher - www.linkedin.com/in/sven-schmidt-maschinensucher/ Hintergrund Der deutsche-startups.de-Podcast besteht aus den Formaten #Insider, #StartupRadar, #Interview und #Startup101. Mehr unter: www.deutsche-startups.de/tag/Podcast/ Anregungen bitte an podcast@deutsche-startups.de. Unseren anonymen Briefkasten findet ihr hier: www.deutsche-startups.de/stille-post/

Warum ist Krypto schlecht für die Umwelt? Wie benutzt man Discord? Und was genau ist das Web3? Um u.a. diese Fragen zu beantworten, hat Christian Byza mit Learn.xyz eine Plattform entwickelt, die individuelles Lernen auf Basis von KI-generierten Kursen ermöglicht. Dahinter steckt das Konzept des Micro Learning, nach dem Informationen für eine effektive Lernerfahrung in kleinen Wissenseinheiten aufbereitet werden. Sein Ziel ist es, so den Zugang zu Bildung zu erleichtern. Host Christoph Burseg spricht in Folge #203 eures Digitalisierungspodcasts von Vodafone Business mit Christian über die Beta-Version von Learn.xyz, seine Zeit im Silicon Valley und was er dort gelernt hat. Wie baut man schon früh ein starkes Netzwerk auf und warum ist es so essenziell? Und warum müssen Ideen auch mal scheitern, um Platz für Neues zu machen?

Cryptohunt it dead Welcome to the Cryptohunt Jam, where you learn – in just a minute or two a day – what is happening in crypto and other game-changing ideas. As always: In plain English. Cryptohunt is dead. There, we said it. We promised you some big news throughout the week and this is it. But here's the deal: Bad news, it is not. At all. Cryptohunt has evolved and we are excited to share our new name with you: Learn.xyz We will reveal more in the coming weeks, but you can already point your browser to it and try it out. But why the change? Well, most of you have told us that they like all the new content: AI, quantum computing, or how to use Discord. But as a small team, we have a hard time covering it all. Or we should say “had” - because we have a new team mate. Her name is LUMI. Lumi is not what you think. Lumi is an artificial intelligence, and dare we say, much smarter than us. Type anything into learn.xyz and Lumi will create the a fun learning course for you. Want to know why Bitcoin is doomed? Why bananas are bent? What the future of space travel is? Any topic, any language, Lumi got you. It's quite magical, so play around with it. And as far as this podcast is concerned, we are taking a break for the rest of the week to figure out what is the best format going forward. But if you think you'll miss this, email podcast@learn.xyz with two simple words: Miss you. This podcast was produced by Cryptohunt.it, the easiest place to learn all about Web3. Thank you all, thank you more than 55k listeners. I myself learned something new for every one of the 373 episodes until hear. Copywriting of all but 2 episodes was done by the phenomenal Arndt Voges, Social Media is done by Brett Holleman, design is done by Carmen Rincon, and my name is Christian Byza, Co-Founder of Cryptohunt and now learn.xyz and I was your host of this daily show. We ill be back. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/cryptohunt/message

How ERC-4337 will put an end to forgotten crypto keys Welcome to the Cryptohunt Jam, where you learn – in just a minute or two a day – what is happening in crypto and other game-changing ideas. As always: In plain English. A new, and as is typical, unpronounceable technology is in crypto town. It is called ERC-4337. But despite the awkward name, this one is paradoxically meant to improve your life a ton. The problem it tackles? That it is currently way too easy to lose your crypto forever. As things are today, every crypto wallet on all the major blockchains is protected by a secret key only you have. This key is so complicated that you can't possibly remember it - and not surprisingly this leads to many people losing it. Ever heard of those people who lost millions in Bitcoin? They didn't lose the money, they lost their keys. The result? The same. ERC-4337 puts an end to this by allowing other means of accessing wallets - for example by assigning people you trust as those who can trigger a recovery. Another option is to have multiple owners of a wallet, so there is always someone who has access. And as bad as that name is, this could be a major step towards making crypto go mainstream because handling those keys is such a bad experience with such potentially dire consequences. Might we just suggest a better name so the world will understand? How about “recoverable wallet”? As always, you'll be the judge! This podcast is produced by Cryptohunt.it, the easiest place to learn all about Web3. Copywriting is done by Arndt Voges, Social Media is done by Brett Holleman, design is done by Carmen Rincon, and my name is Christian Byza, Co-Founder of Cryptohunt and I am your host of this daily show. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/cryptohunt/message

What's up with all these .xyz domains? Welcome to the Cryptohunt Jam, where you learn – in just a minute or two a day – what is happening in crypto and other game-changing ideas. As always: In plain English. If you've been surfing the internet at all these days, you'll come across a new trend: Companies using .xyz as their domain endings. But what's up with that? Traditionally, you would expect a website to use a .com – after all, that's where the first wave of internet companies was born… hence the name dot-com-boom. And this one is no different. But dot-XYZ has turned into the new wave of dot-coms, ever since it was launched in 2014. It all started with crypto companies eyeing the new ending because they could still find easily memorable website names there. But what was once just for rebels, misfits, and innovators, has since turned so cool that it attracts the mainstream: Jack Dorsey's Block, which is the parent company of payments giant Square, uses it now, for example. Google parent Alphabet resides at ABC.xyz too. But, popularity among all sizes of businesses aside – what do people associate with .xyz, in a world where .com stands for established internet businesses? Many think of a new wave of innovating tech companies - the new kids on the block, ready to disrupt tomorrow, those building on new technologies like Web3 and artificial intelligence. And simply those companies who want to show they are not the establishment. It sure is hip to be square again. We are in exciting times, and it feels like a new wave of transformative technologies is coming our way. And keep an eye out for big news from us as well: Like we promised last week, we'll reveal a secret we've been working on for the last few months. And it is not to late to tell a friend about this podcast, so that they hear about this secret, too. Tanks so much for spreading the word for us! My name is Christian Byza, and I am the host of this daily show. This podcast is produced by Cryptohunt.it, the easiest place to learn all about Web3. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/cryptohunt/message

A brief update on FTX Welcome to the Cryptohunt Jam, where you learn – in just a minute or two a day – what is happening in crypto and other game-changing ideas. As always: In plain English. It's been pretty quiet around FTX and Sam Bankman-Fried, hasn't it? But don't let the silence fool you: The real work is just getting started behind the scenes. So let's catch you up on where things are because it's still quite a while until Bankman-Fried's trial starts on October 2nd this year. Right now, FTX lawyers are incredibly busy behind the scenes recovering as much money as they can. What separates a great bankruptcy team from a bad one is basically just one skill: How much money they are able to claw back to give to those that the bankrupt company owes. With FTX, they have their work cut out for them. You may remember that SBF was once called crypto's white knight because he bailed failing crypto companies out with billions in investments. One of the more interesting cases is that of Modulo capital, a tiny hedge fund that somehow got a $400 million investment from SBF. Now, you are probably asking yourself: If SBF invested that money long before he got into trouble, doesn't it belong to the hedge fund then, fair and square? Yes, in theory, but things are complicated. The fact that Modulo is negotiating the return of the money probably means that they suspect that Bankman-Fried got it illegally in the first place. And instead of ending up entangled in endless legal fights with all the people who got hurt by FTX, the Modulo team probably decided to give it back in return for a legal agreement that FTX's new bankruptcy management won't come after them. And if you think $400 million is a good chunk of money, hold your breath – word on the street is that the bankruptcy lawyers are trying to recover over $4bn, which is a crazy 10 times that. You can see, a lot is indeed going on behind the scenes. We'll keep you updated. I hear you back here next Monday. 5 times a week, like every week! This podcast is produced by Cryptohunt.it, the easiest place to learn all about Web3. Copywriting is done by Arndt Voges, Social Media is done by Brett Holleman, design is done by Carmen Rincon, and my name is Christian Byza, Co-Founder of Cryptohunt and I am your host of this daily show. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/cryptohunt/message

Could stablecoins allow the entire world to switch to the US Dollar? Welcome to the Cryptohunt Jam, where you learn – in just a minute or two a day – what is happening in crypto and other game-changing ideas. As always: In plain English. Say you are the president of a country that has struggled to keep its own currency stable. Your people are suffering from hyperinflation, businesses are dying, and naturally, you are not winning any popularity contests right now. But you also notice something: Many citizens have started using the US Dollar as an alternative currency on the street. They like it because its value is stable and they've started to accept it universally. The only problem: There are only so many dollar bills you can import – and certainly not enough of them to support your entire country. But this gives you a clever idea: What if you just made a stablecoin, such as Tether or USDC, the official currency of your country, you'd have all the benefits and none of the drawbacks, right? Well - let's look into that! Your first problem: You'd have to find a place that has that many stablecoins available for sale. There are only about $70bn Dollars worth of Tether, the largest stablecoin, in circulation for example. Sounds like a lot, but is not really if we are talking about an entire economy. The reason for that is quite simple: In order to buy them, you have to trade an equivalent amount of something else for them. But in theory that could be solved. You'll work closely with the Tether company, and over time convert your own volatile currency into Tether. But now you have a second problem on your hands, and this is a big one. For a quick second, think about where the stability of the US Dollar comes from: It comes from the US economy. But the US economy has a fixed size, and the more outside economies cling onto the US Dollar, the more these countries introduce their own economic instabilities - like the ones in your imaginary country - into the actual US Dollar. And that is a problem we can't overcome and is also why stablecoins will never be able to replace an entire country's currency. It's a nice idea but fails pretty quickly in practice. If you enjoy episodes like this one - why don't you refer a friend to it. It would mean the world to us. This podcast is produced by Cryptohunt.it, the easiest place to learn all about Web3. My name is Christian Byza, Co-Founder of Cryptohunt and your host of this daily show. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/cryptohunt/message

How AI will revolutionize the way you learn Welcome to the Cryptohunt Jam, where you learn – in just a minute or two a day – what is happening in crypto and other game-changing ideas. As always: In plain English. We all ask ourselves dozens of questions everyday: “How do I cook the best possible steak?”, “How do I score a free upgrade to a hotel suite?”, or maybe even “Why is this airplane actually flying?” Whatever it is, your first instinct is probably just to grab your phone and Google it. And then you realize that there are literally millions of articles on each topic and learning the details that matter is a crazy annoyance, even today in 2023. Well, thanks to AI, we are witnessing a fundamental change you will feel for decades: Artificial intelligence can now ingest the world's entire information, make connection between all those pages, and distill things the way you want them. Want a podcast about that steak? At your fingertips, instantly. A nice little fun Duolingo-style set of learning cards about why airplanes fly? You name it, AI can produce it once companies build great products around it. This is as big a change for the world as the invention of the internet. Think about it - first there was Yahoo, a single page with a few links. Then Google made billions of websites searchable, but you still have to deal with those individual pages. Now, suddenly everything gets served up on whatever silver platter you like. You can probably tell we are really hyped about this - and we better be, since we are all about learning. But there is more to it and we have something incredibly exciting cooking. But it'll remain a secret for a few more weeks… Until then, stay tuned here, as we'll drop hints left and right on this podcast. This podcast is produced by Cryptohunt.it, the easiest place to learn all about Web3. Copywriting is done by Arndt Voges, Social Media is done by Brett Holleman, design is done by Carmen Rincon, and my name is Christian Byza, Co-Founder of Cryptohunt and I am your host of this daily show. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/cryptohunt/message

Microsoft and Google are taking the gloves off Welcome to the Cryptohunt Jam, where you learn – in just a minute or two a day – what is happening in crypto and other game-changing ideas. As always: In plain English. Do you enjoy watching a good fight from the comfort of your living room? Then get ready, because old competitors Microsoft and Google have stepped into the Artificial Intelligence ring. Those two have fought each other plenty of times. Microsoft Office vs. Google Docs: We'd say Google won that by technical knockout, but it took years. Microsoft Phone vs. Android: Well, that's a clear one, making that a 2 to 0 for Google if you are counting. And the list goes on, and we can now add artificial intelligence to it. You've certainly heard about ChatGPT, the AI chatbot by a company called OpenAI. What you probably didn't know is that Microsoft struck a deal to eventually own 49% of that company. This was such a big threat that Google called an internal "code red". You can easily see why: ChatGPT can combine the knowledge of millions of websites into a single human-like answer to any question you may have. That experience beats Googling stuff by a mile. And not googling would be Google's death. So they didn't wait too long and just announced "Bard", their awkwardly named conversational AI competitor. We haven't seen it in action yet, but apparently, they've been working on it for years. And if anyone has scraped and indexed all the web pages in the universe, it's Google - a big advantage. And if you want to try the power of AI to learn new things, here's a little secret: We've been working on a prototype you can play around with. Go to cryptohunt.it/magic, type in what you want to learn about, and lean back. It's really a bit like magic. This podcast is produced by Cryptohunt.it, the easiest place to learn all about Web3. And if this was the first time that you listened to this podcast: Thanks for joining - hope you like it. Don't forget to subscribe so you do not miss tomorrows episode. My name is Christian Byza and I am your host of this daily show. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/cryptohunt/message

How exactly is artificial intelligence threatening my job? Welcome to the Cryptohunt Jam, where you learn – in just a minute or two a day – what is happening in crypto and other game-changing ideas. As always: In plain English. If you are tuning in just now and missed yesterday's episode, we suggest you listen to that first - because we explain what this new generation of AI is all about and why we should all be paying attention. But the big question - and yes, we left you hanging there a little - is: Is this tech gunning for my job? And the answer is: If you are a desk worker, then most likely. But hang in there, it's not as bad as it sounds. Let's remember what this AI does: It's like an assistant who can write, program, and generate art or photography. So if your job is to write the same thing over and over again, like sales emails, or even shooting catalog images for GAP, it'll replace you in no time. But that's also where things get quite exciting: This is an opportunity for those using this for what it is: A very smart and capable tool. Meaning, if you are in sales and jump on this train early, you'll crush it. If you are a writer, why NOT let it do the heavy lifting and then come in and refine with your one style? One thing is sure: The nature of work is about to change big time. So stay tuned for Monday's episode, where we introduce you to the job skill of the future: Prompt engineering, or how to talk to an AI. This podcast is produced by Cryptohunt.it, the easiest place to learn all about Web3. Copywriting is done by Arndt Voges, Social Media is done by Brett Holleman, design is done by Carmen Rincon, and my name is Christian Byza, Co-Founder of Cryptohunt and I am your host of this daily show. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/cryptohunt/message

What is Dollar-Cost-Averaging? Welcome to the Cryptohunt Jam, where you learn – in just a minute or two a day – what is happening in crypto and other game-changing ideas. As always: In plain English. Today, let's talk about Dollar-Cost-Averaging, a popular passive investment strategy often used to build a crypto portfolio. Have you ever heard the saying 'buy low and sell high'? Well, the problem is that timing lows and highs is very hard - if it wasn't, we would have all bought Bitcoin in 2010. But Dollar-Cost-Averaging can help avoid buying at the worst time. Before we dig in here, just a word of caution: This is not investment advice. We are simply here to explain interesting concepts - what you do with those is at your own discretion. With that, let's get to learning: We've all seen egg prices make crazy swings in the last few weeks. Imagine you're at the grocery store and want to buy eggs. You are thinking: “Should I buy a ton of them now and hope prices don't go down? Or should I wait for a dip?” But instead of doing any of that, you decide to simply spread the purchases out in even amounts over time. One pack of eggs every week. That way, you protect yourself from accidentally buying a ton of eggs when their price is at the peak. And while it would have been best to buy them at their lowest, the thing is this: you just never really know when or if that comes around. Dollar Cost Averaging in investing is the same. Instead of trying to time the market and buying all of your investments at once, you spread out your purchases over time. By using Dollar Cost Averaging, you're taking a disciplined approach to investing and reducing the risk of buying in at a high point in the market. It can also help you avoid the emotionas of trying to time the market, which can be frustrating, because it's so hard to do. And that's why many crypto investors use Dollar-Cost-Averaging - they are trickling their money into the market over time, under the assumption that it will go up over a longer period of time, without having to bet on exact timing. Todays episode is sponsored by the Cask Protokol, and they are experts in Dollar-Cost-Averaging - or in short: DCAing. Cask is application that helps you to automate crypto transactions and keep those in your own wallet. If you want to learn more about DCAing or Cask - we will release a fresh new course on the topic tomorrow on Cryptohunt.it - just look out for the new course email. Or just check out www.Cask.Fi. This podcast is produced by Cryptohunt.it, the easiest place to learn all about Web3. Copywriting is done by Arndt Voges, Social Media is done by Brett Holleman, design is done by Carmen Rincon, and my name is Christian Byza, Co-Founder of Cryptohunt and I am your host of this daily show. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/cryptohunt/message

SBF wasn't lying for once, and FTX customers in the US may actually get their money back Welcome to the Cryptohunt Jam, where we spend a minute a day explaining what is happening in crypto and other game-changing ideas. As always: In plain English. Remember how Sam Bankman-Fried has taken it upon himself to put his version of the FTX story out there... by blogging long posts, full of financial data he suddenly found somewhere? Well, now he says that FTX isn't actually bankrupt. The US part of it to be precise - and according to his numbers, they even have enough money to pay everyone out and then some. And then shortly after SBF hit the publish button, FTX's new boss, John Ray, who oversees the exchange's bankruptcy says he's indeed looking into resuming the US business. If this all sounds confusing: It'll make more sense when you understand that FTX operated two, in theory at least, fully separate exchanges - one registered in the US, serving US customers, and one registered in the Bahamas, serving the rest of the world. This was set up to meet - or as some would argue exploit - regulations. If you were in the US, you could only use the US exchange, which was like a smaller sibling to the international one. So this could be good news for US customers… and SBF. Because if true, this plays right into his hands: His defense will argue that he didn't harm any US customers. We may never know, but doesn't the timing of that blog post look just a little bit too perfect? As always, you'll be the judge. And we'll see you next time, right here on the podcast. We at Cryptohunt produce this podcast 5 days a week - also consider signing up to the free Weekly Hunt, our Friday morning briefing newsletter where we cover the most important news of the week - an extension to our offerings to be the easiest place to learn all about Web3. Copywriting is done by Arndt Voges, Social Media is done by Brett Holleman, design is done by Carmen Rincon, and my name is Christian Byza, Co-Founder of Cryptohunt and I am your host of this daily show. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/cryptohunt/message

This new type of supercomputer will eventually break Bitcoin... and all kinds of other technology Welcome to the Cryptohunt Jam, where we spend a minute a day explaining what is happening in crypto and other game-changing ideas. As always: In plain English. If you are a big fan of Bitcoin, don't get mad at us – but we are here to tell you that supercomputers will eventually break it. But how is this possible, when nobody has broken Bitcoin so far? Well, it all comes down to an emerging type of supercomputer called the quantum computer. In theory, this computer can solve certain tasks several billion times faster than even the most expensive computer we have today. Bitcoin, and this is the problem, relies on cryptography to work. Say your name is Samantha, but you introduce yourself to others by randomly scrambling the letters, for example to Mansatah or Natahasm. Without telling people the exact order of the letters, it'll take them a while to figure it out, and they have to rearrange letters many times over until it clicks. That is, in an simplified way, how most cryptography works. That order of letters you kept a secret is also called the key. With that key, it's easy to decrypt something. Without that key, you can still figure it out by trying all possible combinations, but in practice this guessing-game takes way too long to make sense. And for Bitcoin, that cryptography is so strong that even all the computers in the world together would have to guess for a far longer time than our entire universe has existed. Which is - you know - just a little bit too long for our taste. But as crazy as that sounds, you've probably guessed it: A breakthrough in computing power would get us much closer to trying all the possible combinations in the Bitcoin cryptography in reasonable time. Even if it takes an entire year, it's worth waiting for. And that's exactly what quantum computers could eventually do. They are still experimental, not nearly powerful enough, and only work in a handful of expensive, secret labs, but the idea works in theory. A few more years, and things may look very different. And that's why people are both worried and excited - far beyond just Bitcoin and cryptography. If you want to learn more about this game-changing tech, sign up at cryptohunt.it and keep an eye on your email - because we are going to drop an entire course on the subject later this week – as always: easy to understand, just like this podcast - which is also produced by Cryptohunt.it. My name is Christian Byza, and I am the host of this daily show - see you tomorrow. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/cryptohunt/message

McDonalds is hungry for NFT attention It's Friday, Jan 13th - Welcome to the Cryptohunt Jam, where we spend a minute a day explaining the intersection of exciting new technologies and your world. As always: In plain English. Whether you love McDonalds or would never go to one of their restaurants, the power of the brand is undeniable. And like many, at the hype of the crypto boom, McDonalds jumped onto the NFT bandwagon and released their own collection of 10 digital collectibles. So, what were they thinking... and how has that worked out? You know by now that we are obsessed with the way brands are using Web3 to engage with their audiences - some are very smart and innovative, like Nike and Netflix for example, and others are simply trying to capitalize on a trend. But back to McDonalds. If you are a fan, (like me) you will immediately know what the McRib is - the famous sandwich that had rib meat on it instead of a traditional burger patty. The main complain about it: McDonalds didn't make it any longer. And so, when McDonalds announced the limited return of the McRib in late 2021, fans went completely wild. And unfortunately, we think, so did McDonald's marketing team. Anything that grabbed attention was on their whiteboard. Ultimately, they decided to do what seemingly everyone back then was doing: create an NFT. In this case, 10 MacRib NFTs actually, digital collectibles with the image of a sandwich rotating on your screen. Not exactly creative if you ask us. And McDonalds plan? Probably the most overused trick in the marketing-for-social-media-beginners handbook: Ask people to tweet about it in order to enter the raffle to win one of these NFTs. So how did the McDonalds campaign do? Hard to say if it got more people to try out the real McRib, but the Tweet was seen by over 2m people. But with 4.7m followers on McDonalds' Twitter account, that may not actually be that great of a result. And as far as those NFTs go? They seem to have a hard time changing hands as collectibles. No wonder, because owning them doesn't give you any benefits. Well, McDonalds, maybe next time you do something interesting, like taking a page out of Nike's playbook. How about a lifetime of free real McRibs for each lucky NFT holder? Because just hijacking a trend for attention isn't as interesting as creating an experience that connects fans with your brand in a meaningful way. And that was McDonalds - or how to not use NFTs to promote a product. And next week we'll pick this right up and talk about other interesting Web3 experiments from major brands. Stay tuned and enjoy the weekend! I am hungry now and know what I will have for lunch today. This podcast is produced by Cryptohunt.it, the easiest place to learn all about Web3. Copywriting is done by Arndt Voges, Social Media is done by Brett Holleman, design is done by Carmen Rincon, and my name is Christian Byza, Co-Founder of Cryptohunt and I am your host of this daily show. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/cryptohunt/message

Why banks fear crypto so much Ever wondered why banks never really talk about crypto publicly? Because they are afraid of it. Welcome to the Cryptohunt Jam, where we spend a minute a day explaining the intersection of exciting new technologies and your world. As always: In plain English. You know that we are big fans of the ideas behind blockchains and cryptocurrencies, and see huge technological potential. But we've also been vocal about using common sense to see through all the talk - because for the most part, crypto is still a solution in search of a problem. Except for one area, where it's becoming a clear thread to the existing system: And that is banking. Gatekeepers and intermediaries have existed as long as humans have traded: Want to cross this river? Pay the guy who owns the property in front of the shallow part. Buy fruit? Pay the merchant who has an exclusive deal with the farmer. Banks are no different. They funnel money from one place to another, and take a cut. A huge cut, in fact, if you look at Wall Street salaries. What makes banks special though, is that moving money is one of the easiest things on the planet. It just involves simple calculations and contracts. And nothing is better at executing those than computers. Which is to say: Theoretically, we don't actually need most of the bankers, and since computers don't want to drive Ferraris or drink champagne, they are also much cheaper to keep happy. Up until now, banks also controlled the money itself, which is why they are so powerful still. But that changed with crypto. It literally lets us program the bankers' jobs into computer code, and execute it without having to pay them their salaries. This is called a smart contract, and is already happening at scale. Of course, there are painful downsides - like a lack of regulation and oversight - but those could be solved if we all worked together. And that's why banks fear crypto more than anything. Because it's the more efficient way to get an already simple job done. And while they are doing everything to hold on to their power, eventually crypto will eliminate large amounts of their business. It will take a while: But you have a front row seat to see it all happen in real time. And before we let you go into the weekend - we ask for one little favor. If you like this podcast please tell your friends about it and leave a review. This will help us a lot. This podcast is produced by Cryptohunt.it, the easiest place to learn all about Web3. Copywriting is done by Arndt Voges, Social Media is done by Brett Holleman, design is done by Carmen Rincon, and my name is Christian Byza, Co-Founder of Cryptohunt and I am your host of this daily show. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/cryptohunt/message

A critical look at decentralization: Part 3 – Maybe not a good idea after all? Welcome to a new year and to the Cryptohunt Jam, where we continue to spend a minute a day explaining the intersection of exciting new technologies and your world. As always: In plain English. In the last two episodes, we've explored why some people have lost trust in our organizations and institutions and how some think decentralization is the key to solving that issue. And we took a deeper look at a rallying cry that's getting louder in Silicon Valley these days: To decentralize Twitter. But does that really make sense? Today, a critical look in the third and last part of our series. Imagine Twitter was run by its users in a true decentralized democracy. Its future determined by one majority vote at the time. But are we really solving a problem here? Instead of the opinion of a random billionaire owner, now its the group of most active users who make decisions, or don't if they are not interested. And when they do, they may not have the full picture, nor may they have a long term vision for the company. Hard and fast decisions need to be made sometimes - and maybe our sometimes-not-so-favorite space rocket billionaire is still better at that than a crowdsourced opinion. And now to the boring stuff: Renting offices, buying software licenses, and getting the plumber if the toiled is clogged: Will we all decide each thing together? Of course not, so a person will get appointed, maybe a manager for that person - and suddenly we are walking a line between centralized and decentralized again. You get our point: Just because something is the latest buzzword in tech, that idea may not actually make sense when applied. As long as there is no real functional benefit, such as owning your data and being able to move between social networks, its a solution in search of a problem. Ultimately, the markets will speak. If Musk screws up Twitter more, a competitor like Mastodon will rise and people will move. Even Google isn't untouchable. Decentralized or not. This was part 3 of our critical look at the idea of decentralization. As always - sometimes it makes sense, often not - you decide. And tomorrow, we'll continue this thought with an area that could truly see disruption by blockchains - the banking system. Stay tuned! This podcast is produced by Cryptohunt.it, the easiest place to learn all about Web3. Copywriting is done by Arndt Voges, Social Media is done by Brett Holleman, design is done by Carmen Rincon, and my name is Christian Byza, Co-Founder of Cryptohunt and I am your host of this daily show. Disclaimer: This podcast references our opinion and is for information purposes only. It is not intended to be investment advice. Do your own research and seek a duly licensed professional for investment advice. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/cryptohunt/message

A critical look at decentralization: Part 2 – In defense of giving power to the people Welcome to a new year and to the Cryptohunt Jam, where we continue to spend a minute a day explaining the intersection of exciting new technologies and your world. As always: In plain English. Let's kick this year off asking the tough questions - and today is about the promise behind decentralization. If you are just jumping in, start with the previous episode - because this is a three part special. By now, we've established that some people have started to lose trust in our system – rightfully or not – and are proposing that the products and institutions they deem critical should become decentralized. So let's spend this episode in defense of that argument - and take a simple example that is top of mind: Twitter. The social media company has had its fair share of trouble after Elon Musk took over. Like what he did or not, the fact is that he has alienated users and advertisers alike. And he has crossed some lines, like temporarily banning journalists and not allowing people to link to other social media. “Out with the crazy billionaire”, some say, “and power to the users. Decentralize it all”! The idea sounds tempting and powerful: Users would collectively make decisions about the future of the company. They could vote on who to ban and what to build. True democracy in a sense, with no single person being able to upset everyone. This could go as far as Twitter making open how their feed works, and why you get recommended certain content. Proponents of decentralization argue: We can't trust Musk to keep Twitter great, so let's all take over and build it as a community. A social network as a social experiment. We think that is a wonderful idea. But if you think it through, it may not actually make a ton of practical sense. So - next episode is exactly about that: Why decentralization may not be a good idea after all. This podcast is produced by Cryptohunt.it, the easiest place to learn all about Web3. Copywriting is done by Arndt Voges, Social Media is done by Brett Holleman, design is done by Carmen Rincon, and my name is Christian Byza, Co-Founder of Cryptohunt and I am your host of this daily show. Disclaimer: This podcast references our opinion and is for information purposes only. It is not intended to be investment advice. Do your own research and seek a duly licensed professional for investment advice. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/cryptohunt/message

A critical look at decentralization: Part 1 – The erosion of trust Welcome to a new year and to the Cryptohunt Jam, where we continue to spend a minute a day explaining the intersection of exciting new technologies and your world. As always: In plain English. Whether you are familiar with crypto, or have been following the latest Twitter debacle: You'll surely have heard the calls for complete decentralization. But what do people actually mean by that? In the next three episodes of this podcast, we'll dive in deeper, a minute or two a day. Today, let's take a look at the history of decentralization, and how we ended up not trusting each other anymore. Think back a couple of decades - people worked normal jobs at the same company for their entire careers, saved money, and moved their families to the suburbs. Having a car was the coolest thing, and you could still smoke on airplanes. If you wanted to put money into your account, you'd go to your local bank. They knew you, and you knew them. Problems could be figured out between people. Now step forward to today, and many people see the world a little differently. Anonymous, outsourced call-centers that don't know you, mega corporations that will do anything for shareholder profit, and politicians that can only agree with each other when lobbyists buy them nice lunches. Sounds a little too grim maybe, and while you may not see it the same way, some people certainly do: In a world where they will not trust organizations and governments to do what seems right, those people look for alternative ways. Their solution? Often a call for “decentralization” - taking the power away from a single person, company, or government and giving it to the people. Think about Twitter for example, but controlled by the users and not just a flip-flopping Elon. Or money, printed by the people, not the government - rings a bell? Great - but does that actually make sense? Hear the arguments for and against decentralization in our next two episodes. Stay tuned for tomorrow. This podcast is produced by Cryptohunt.it, the easiest place to learn all about Web3. Copywriting is done by Arndt Voges, Social Media is done by Brett Holleman, design is done by Carmen Rincon, and my name is Christian Byza, Co-Founder of Cryptohunt and I am your host of this daily show. Disclaimer: This podcast references our opinion and is for information purposes only. It is not intended to be investment advice. Do your own research and seek a duly licensed professional for investment advice. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/cryptohunt/message

Did Trump just make millions off an NFT collection? Welcome to a new year and to the Cryptohunt Jam, where we continue to spend a minute a day explaining the intersection of exciting new technologies and your world. As always: In plain English. Former US-president Donald Trump just released his own NFT collection. It's a set of 45000 NFTs, digital images showing the man in all kinds of heroic costumes. Why 45000? Most likely a play on him being the 45th president. The collection works like most others: Trump makes money from people buying an original NFT from him. Some of those are considered more rare than others. This is because of so-called traits: Certain NFTs may feature the same clothing and background as others, while others may be more unique. The more rare an NFT, the more expensive, in theory at least. So - why did he do this? Almost certainly for the money. Financially, he's had a pretty rough time it turns out. According to recently released tax returns, the former president was most successful at inheriting money - not making it himself. But things turned a corner with his rising popularity after the election, with him being able to cash in on his personal brand. Now, he seems to capitalize on it a bunch more with those NFTs. Further proof? A single wallet address immediately minted 10,000 NFTs out of the collection. Probably no coincidence, but that address also snagged most of the rare collectibles. So who does it belong to? Well, hard to say definitively, but we'll let you take a super wild guess here. But you know what? The Obamas likely made triple-digit millions from selling books. Bill and Hillary Clinton made over $150m from public speaking gigs, and that's even before Hillary ran for President. So who are we to judge? The job is hard, let them have some fun too. Fact is, though, that the Trump NFTs have created a significant amount of volume on Polygon, the blockchain they are using. And arguably, many of these users might be new to blockchains. In our mind that is a win - regardless of politics. Wait, a win, regardless of politics? That's still a thing? Cheers to more of that in 2023. Happy New Year! This podcast is produced by Cryptohunt.it, the easiest place to learn all about Web3. Copywriting is done by Arndt Voges, Social Media is done by Brett Holleman, design is done by Carmen Rincon, and my name is Christian Byza, Co-Founder of Cryptohunt and I am your host of this daily show. Disclaimer: This podcast references our opinion and is for information purposes only. It is not intended to be investment advice. Do your own research and seek a duly licensed professional for investment advice. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/cryptohunt/message

This blockchain is crushing it behind the scenes Welcome to the Cryptohunt Jam, where we spend one minute a day explaining the intersection of exciting new technologies and your world. As always: In plain English. Have you been thinking lately: "All dreams of crypto ever becoming something other than just a playground for nerds are crushed"? Well, the team at Polygon, a blockchain you may have never heard about, seems to prove you wrong. Over and over again. In short, they are crushing it. Let's dig in! So, Polygon: It's a blockchain. There is a little more going on here behind the technical scenes of course, but it doesn't really matter for you and us. And it shouldn't - and that's exactly the point they are making recently. Why? Because their team has been crushing it to get real brands signed up to build crypto experiences for the masses. While you barely hear anything about Bitcoin or Ethereum anymore, it's been raining announcements from Polygon. Starbucks uses Polygon for their new rewards program. Nike is building an NFT marketplace with them. Warner Music is creating a Polygon-powered music store. Mastercard is building a crypto debit card using their tech. Even Trump's new NFT collection uses it. Apparently Polygon made it a priority to attract a specific kind of project, because the theme is always the same: Major brand builds a new mainstream product, but happens to use blockchain technologies powered by Polygon. Users don't need to know it's on the blockchain, and can just use it. We think this strategy is clever, and working well. We won't get to mass crypto adoption by building finance apps only 0.1% of the world want to use. But collectible sneakers and exclusive concert access? Yeah, bring it on. So that's an update on Polygon. And because we are as intrigued as you are, we'll take a very brief look at that Trump NFT collection we just touched upon… In the next episode. Hear you in the new year! This podcast is produced by Cryptohunt.it, the easiest place to learn all about Web3. Copywriting is done by Arndt Voges, Social Media is done by Brett Holleman, design is done by Carmen Rincon, and my name is Christian Byza, Co-Founder of Cryptohunt and I am your host of this daily show. Disclaimer: This podcast references our opinion and is for information purposes only. It is not intended to be investment advice. Do your own research and seek a duly licensed professional for investment advice. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/cryptohunt/message

Starbucks is going crypto… but why? Welcome to the Cryptohunt Jam, where we spend one minute a day explaining the intersection of exciting new technologies and your world. As always: In plain English. Grab a cup of coffee and relax... because today's episode will be right in your wheelhouse. And if you've just pulled out the Starbucks app to see if you have points to redeem while listening to this episode: What a coincidence! Because today is about Starbucks... going crypto. Hard to believe but true: The coffee shop giant is adopting blockchains to build the next version of their rewards program. If that comes as a shock to those who thought crypto wasn't mainstream yet - trust us, we feel the same. Why would they shake it up when things have been working just fine without the extra topper of cutting-edge tech? Let's dig in, because it might not be as crazy as it sounds. The whole thing is called Starbucks Odyssey and will launch sometime in 2023. On paper, it sounds like a rewards program on steroids: Sure, you can collect points. But you'll also get digital collectibles for your loyalty, and can access a members-only experience where you can play games and tackle challenges - whatever that actually means. And don't worry, Starbucks aficionado! The existing program isn't going away either. Ok - you probably have a couple of doubts: Why create this whole experience in the first place? They are a just a coffee shop, right? And why would any of this have to be on the blockchain if they already have a working rewards program? Well - Starbucks thinks of itself as your "Third Place", between home and work. Their words, not ours. In essence, they want you to think of Starbucks as a place you WANT to spend time at. And guess what? Buy coffee. And what do brand managers do to imprint their logo in your brain? They trick you into interacting with it more. An interactive, loyal-members-only experience is Starbucks' way to control your mind. But, by the way, they do tons of non-digital things to make you like them, like paying college tuition for their "partners" - which is their fancy word for employees. Ok, you say, got it. Brand marketers trying to make me love their brand. But why on the blockchain? Well - we can only speculate. But Starbucks has always been about attracting the young generations as they come and go. It started with syrups and sprinkles years ago. Now their bet is most likely that NFTs and crypto are the perfect cool new thing the new kids will like. So that's Starbucks' new blockchain loyalty program. And there is something interesting happening here behind the scenes that we'll cover next: It's powered by Polygon, a name you may have heard a ton lately. Stay tuned to hear why in the next episode. This podcast is produced by Cryptohunt.it, the easiest place to learn all about Web3. Copywriting is done by Arndt Voges, Social Media is done by Brett Holleman, design is done by Carmen Rincon, and my name is Christian Byza, Co-Founder of Cryptohunt and I am your host of this daily show. Disclaimer: This podcast references our opinion and is for information purposes only. It is not intended to be investment advice. Do your own research and seek a duly licensed professional for investment advice. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/cryptohunt/message

Who is Do Kwon and where is he? Welcome to the Cryptohunt Jam, where we spend one minute a day explaining crypto… and now also some other cutting edge news. As always: In plain English. Avid listeners of this podacast will notice: We really like to keep you up-to-date on things and often follow up on a previous feature. Today is no different, because we are looking into the whereabouts of Do Kwon. If the name means nothing to you: You are not alone. What you will remember though is the collapse of TerraUSD, the not-so-stable stablecoin that wiped out at least $62bn dollars. Do Kwon is the founder of Terra. If you haven't listened to those episodes, they are quite popular - go back all the way to 167, we promise it's worth it. But back to Do Kwon: He was born in South Korea, and later got his computer science degree from the prestigious Stanford University. After short stints at Microsoft and Apple, he went on to found Terra Labs in 2018. They launched TerraUSD in 2020. Fast forward to now: Terra Labs has been under investigation by numerous government agencies, from anything like false advertising to investment fraud. And many individuals felt the same and started suing Do Kwon - who disappeared quickly. To this day, he remains unfindable, despite claiming that he is not on the run. Dubai, Serbia, new locations pop up all the time. By now, he is wanted in his home of South Korea, and even Interpol has a red notice out on him. We'll see how it plays out - but eventually he'll be found and will have to answer to the authorities. But it might be a while, because he's sitting on tens of millions of dollars in crypto. As always, we'll keep you in the loop. This podcast is produced by Cryptohunt.it, the easiest place to learn all about Web3. Copywriting is done by Arndt Voges, Social Media is done by Brett Holleman, design is done by Carmen Rincon, and my name is Christian Byza, Co-Founder of Cryptohunt and I am your host of this daily show. Disclaimer: This podcast references our opinion and is for information purposes only. It is not intended to be investment advice. Do your own research and seek a duly licensed professional for investment advice. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/cryptohunt/message

Is this new Chat AI trying to kill you? The dangers of ChatGPT Welcome to the Cryptohunt Jam, where we spend one minute a day explaining crypto… and now also some other cutting edge news. As always: In plain English. Last episode, we looked at ChatGPT, a mindblowing new, AI-powered chatbot that answers any text input with incredible responses: The bot seems to know basically anything, can respond just like a human, and isn't shy to have an opinion if you ask for it. Scary right? Well, let's take a look at the potential dangers of such a powerful AI, one we've never seen before. The first, of course, is a new form of plagiarism. Students, for example, will surely discover how easy it is to create really decent essays without doing the work. And while that is true, it'll be short-lived: New tools are already popping up everywhere, using AI to detect if something was created by AI... strange new world, isn't it? What's more worrysome though: ChatGPT can only use the knowledge is has previously pulled out of the web. And if we all were to use it for everything we write, we'd never create a single new idea and just rehash the old ones. That would be a very sad thing. Another danger is one we already know well-enough: People write all kinds of stuff on the internet, and not all of it is true. Even today, most people trust what they read on Google blindly. Now we have an AI, that states things with absolute conviction, not knowing they are wrong, because it too, takes things for granted. And lastly, the big question. Will it take over, conquer the world, determined to kill all humans? How would we even know? Well, we decided to go bad cop and just interrogate the thing: "Will you destroy us?" "No, I am just a computer program designed to assist with answering questions", it claims. But it took the know-it-all AI an unusually long time to to send an answer to this one… Ooough! But we'll let you be the judge as always. And one more plug for our free course about ChatGPT on Cryptohunt. We ask it to write poems, have a conversation beetween Jimmy Henrix and Mozard and a lot of other really interesting things as well. Check it out yourself before I reveal too much here. But one thing is for certain, ChatGPT writes amazing poetry. This podcast is produced by Cryptohunt.it, the easiest place to learn all about Web3. Copywriting is done by Arndt Voges, Social Media is done by Brett Holleman, design is done by Carmen Rincon, and my name is Christian Byza, Co-Founder of Cryptohunt and I am your host of this daily show. Disclaimer: This podcast references our opinion and is for information purposes only. It is not intended to be investment advice. Do your own research and seek a duly licensed professional for investment advice. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/cryptohunt/message

What is behind the AI chatbot that everyone is talking about? Welcome to the Cryptohunt Jam, where we spend one minute a day explaining crypto… and now also some other cutting edge news. As always: In plain English. Today, a topic that is - refreshingly if you ask us - less related to crypto, but still one of those cutting edge technologies you should know about: A new, intelligent chat bot called ChatGPT. You may have seen people post conversations on LinkedIn and Twitter they had with ChatGPT: And for the most part they are incredible to read. This bot, based on an artificial intelligence created by a company called OpenAI, responds to prompts better than many of us could. What OpenAI did is quite astonishing: Their computer programs read billions of internet pages, categorized their content, and built algorithms that understood what they are about. The outcome is a simple text chat that accepts any input - such as "Create a cover letter for an egineering job" or "tell me why the sky is blue". Whatever you ask it, it has a well-written response. You can even tell it to change its tone of voice, the length, whatever - its like talking to someone who is really good at writing and knows everything. And this scares people, rightfully so: Teachers fear that students will use it to write their essays for them. Content writers fear that they'll be out of a job soon. Or even worse, will this AI take over and become Skynet soon? Well - we have some thoughts on that. Stay tuned until next episode for those. Until then, trust noone, they could be an evil bot. Just kidding! Until next episode! Ah, and we also just released our first non crypto related course on ChatGPT on Cryptohunt.it. So if you want some inspirations on what to ask - just take it. It definitely blew my mind. This podcast is produced by Cryptohunt.it, the easiest place to learn all about Web3. Copywriting is done by Arndt Voges, Social Media is done by Brett Holleman, design is done by Carmen Rincon, and my name is Christian Byza, Co-Founder of Cryptohunt and I am your host of this daily show. Disclaimer: This podcast references our opinion and is for information purposes only. It is not intended to be investment advice. Do your own research and seek a duly licensed professional for investment advice. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/cryptohunt/message

Paypal collaborates with Metamask: Why this is a big deal Welcome to the Cryptohunt Jam, where we spend one minute a day explaining crypto… and now also some other cutting edge news. As always: In plain English. Crypto just went a little bit more mainstream with another interesting announcement by Paypal: They have created a deep integration with a popular crypto wallet called Metamask. Let's unpack this, and talk about why that is an important milestone. Crypto kindof exists in its own universe. It's hard to get into, hard to use, and there are not many things you can really DO withit, other than speculate on price swings. The first problem, getting into crypto, is something insiders call the "onramp" problem. You need to use real world money to buy crypto to play around with it in the first place. Several places obviously exist, like exchanges such as Coinbase, but they are not something lots of people are familiar with or comfortable. Enter Paypal - the company has already been allowing people to use their regular Paypal app to buy crypto. But thus far, it lacked a good way to use it somewhere other than for payments. And this is where Metamask, the most popular crypto wallet in the world, saw an opportunity. Together, the two companies built an integration that allows people to use Paypal to buy crypto inside the Metamask app. To understand just why that is so important, you need to understand how people use Web3. In this alternative world, log ins happen with your wallet - such as Metamask. Having your log in and your crypto funds in one place makes things so much easier. And if this all excites you and you are in the process of opening up your Paypal app right now, hold on, at least for just a quick moment: Crypto is still dangerous and hard to use, so take a deep breath before you dive in. But don't worry - we got you covered. I recommend to get certified in Crypto over the holidays or between the years - when you maybe have a bit more time at hand. We created a great course on cryptohunt.it to get started the safe way and you even get a personalized NFT in the end of it. And with that - for the ones that spend the next few days with friends and family - happy holidays. And no worries, we will already be back on Moday! This podcast is produced by Cryptohunt.it, the easiest place to learn all about Web3. Copywriting is done by Arndt Voges, Social Media is done by Brett Holleman, design is done by Carmen Rincon, and my name is Christian Byza, Co-Founder of Cryptohunt and I am your host of this daily show. Disclaimer: This podcast references our opinion and is for information purposes only. It is not intended to be investment advice. Do your own research and seek a duly licensed professional for investment advice. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/cryptohunt/message

Could Twitter have been the killer app to make blockchains go mainstream? Welcome to the Cryptohunt Jam, where we spend one minute a day explaining crypto… and now also some other cutting edge news. As always: In plain English. Jack Dorsey, Twitter's famous founder and multiple-times CEO, hasn't been sitting quietly on the sidelines of the company's struggle under Elon's new ownership. In fact, he's layed out a vision for what he hopes social media would become... and it would have been great news for blockchain enthusiasts. Let's dig in. Dorsey argues that no company or government should have control over social media. According to his ideas, it should be owned and controlled by the people using it, and those people should determine how it looks like. This is the way he sees true freedom of speech happening. And instead of building strong content moderation teams inside of Twitter, he says, he should have focused on giving strong tools to the community to do that job and truly democratize decision making. Sounds famililar? It is, because that is the idea behind blockchains, such as Bitcoin. Dorsey is, in fact, a huge Bitcoin fan and has started funding projects that use blockchain technology or similar ideas to power the next Twitter. Find it interesting that the Twitter Dorsey describes has absolutely nothing to do with the one that Musk is creating? So do many others - and we'll see what happens. But it could be good news for blockchain fans, as a blockchain Twitter would finally serve as a real killer use case. And next time - another popular app embraces crypto even more: Paypal. Hear you then and here. This podcast is produced by Cryptohunt.it, the easiest place to learn all about Web3. Copywriting is done by Arndt Voges, Social Media is done by Brett Holleman, design is done by Carmen Rincon, and my name is Christian Byza, Co-Founder of Cryptohunt and I am your host of this daily show. Disclaimer: This podcast references our opinion and is for information purposes only. It is not intended to be investment advice. Do your own research and seek a duly licensed professional for investment advice. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/cryptohunt/message

What is Mastodon… and will it kill Twitter? Welcome to the Cryptohunt Jam, where we spend one minute a day explaining crypto… and now also some other cutting edge news. As always: In plain English. There's been a lot going on over at Twitter in the last few weeks - Musk took over and users as well as advertisers have not been happy. Musk, you have to understand, said he acquired Twitter to protect free speech. But his actions seemed to contradict that - within days of each other, he blocked popular journalists' accounts and then forbid anyone to link out to other social media services. That was the last straw for many users, including such popular people as tech investor Paul Graham, who's been singing Elon's praises until then. The rallying cry to move to a Twitter alternative has been getting very loud. That alternative? It's called "Mastodon", and it's principles are inspired by blockchains. And, maybe not surprising to you... it kindof looks and feels just like a clunkier version of Twitter. What's different though, is how it works under the hood. Mastodon is actually not operated by a single company, like Twitter, but is essentially just a computer program anyone can run on their own computer. In doing so, they spin up their own Mastodon space using their own internet connection and users can freely roam between those spaces. The Mastodon everyone is talking about is actually one of those spaces, and you can find it at Mastodon.social. This operating principle is called decentralization, and has the same goals as Bitcoin and co: To let the community operate the service, so that the community is in control. Nobody can just ban users or change rules - unless the majority decides. Kindof cool right? We think so, and 2 million monthly active users seem to agree. Still a far cry from Twitter's 450 million, but who knows? Things have just started to happen. And tomorrow, we'll talk about what Twitter could have been - according to the dreams of its founder, Jack Dorsey. This podcast is produced by Cryptohunt.it, the easiest place to learn all about Web3. Copywriting is done by Arndt Voges, Social Media is done by Brett Holleman, design is done by Carmen Rincon, and my name is Christian Byza, Co-Founder of Cryptohunt and I am your host of this daily show. Disclaimer: This podcast references our opinion and is for information purposes only. It is not intended to be investment advice. Do your own research and seek a duly licensed professional for investment advice. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/cryptohunt/message

What is the "Clawback process" and could it add to Binance's troubles? Welcome to the Cryptohunt Jam, where we spend one minute a day explaining crypto. In plain English. Today, in yet another episode about the shaky ecosystem of cryptocurrency exchanges and related companies, we take a look at the process of "clawback" and what impact it could have on Binance. When a company files for bankruptcy, the goal is to hand the business over to independent leadership so that they can make sure that the money the company owes is paid back. But a bankrupt company is rarely in trouble because it still has lots of money in the bank - and so, in practice, the bankruptcy administrators' main job is to figure out what's left, and pay down the debts according to a priority list. They are essentially just trying to pay back as much as they can. That's where the clawback comes in. It's a legal way to demand money back from those that a bankrupt company may have recently paid. Makes sense if you think about it: Say you just bankrupted a company: You could just wire yourself or those companies you like money right before declaring bankruptcy, instead of doing the right thing. And that's where Binance comes in: You may remember that it was FTX's first investor. Eventually they got out because FTX turned into a major competitor - and Binance got paid partially in FTX's now-collapsed FTT cryptocurrency. Now there is talk that $2.1 billion dollars of that may be demanded back. Listeners of the previous episode will realize: That's even more of a hole in Binance's accounts than they may already have. So yes - there is more trouble on the horizon for Binance! We'll keep you updated as things develop. But in the spirit of the holidays, we'll spend this week talking about some cool blockchain apps that are doing their job better than their old-school counterparts... First up: Mastodon, a Twitter killer. This podcast is produced by Cryptohunt.it, the easiest place to learn crypto. Copywriting is done by Arndt Voges, Social Media is done by Brett Holleman, design is done by Carmen Rincon, and my name is Christian Byza, Co-Founder of Cryptohunt and I am your host of this daily show. Disclaimer: This podcast references our opinion and is for information purposes only. It is not intended to be investment advice. Do your own research and seek a duly licensed professional for investment advice. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/cryptohunt/message

Is Binance the next FTX? What's worse - lying or simply not mentioning important facts? Welcome to the Cryptohunt Jam, where we spend one minute a day explaining crypto. In plain English - so that you can form your own opinions to be safer out there in the wild crypto space. Last time we talked about the dangers of having your money parked in a crypto exchange like FTX or Binance: You don't know what the heck they are really doing with your money, and when enough people rush to withdraw, it might turn out that they may have stolen or gambled away some of it. That's what happened to FTX - but is Binance, the world's largest exchange - next? Trouble has been on the horizon for Binance: Data shows that customer withdrawals are at a record high. It makes sense: In the wake of FTX, people are realizing that they just can't trust these companies absent of real proof that they actually still have the money. So - the big question is, does Binance still have all the customers' funds, or did they play with those like FTX did? Well, it's unclear - and in our book unclear is just not good enough. Binance is using an accounting firm called Mazars to show that they have the appropriate reserves. If the name sounds vaguely familiar - it's the same firm that represented Donald Trump's businesses and had to admit that they can't stand behind decades worth of audits because they never asked the tough questions. Mazars is saying something similar for Binance: That they only did the audit, but can't verify the accuracy of the sources. To which we can only say: What's the damn point then? And even worse: At least to date, the audit only looks at Binance's Bitcoin holdings, but that's far from all that customers have trusted the exchange with. How much more is there? Well, we don't know. And to make matters downright insulting to you and us, they are using a complicated cryptographic method called Merkle Tree to show those reserves exist - "show" in quotation marks. And as if this is all not enogh - they also took their audit of Binance offline and announced that they would not work with any crypto company for now. Good thing we downloaded the report before - message us if you want a copy. You know we don't mice words around here. Do we trust Binance at this point? You can bet your bootie we don't, at least right now. If you have nothing to hide, it's as simple as this: Show us the money. Which they won't. Let's just hope for the best. And because all this is, honestly, quite discouraging, we'll turn our attention to some real-world use cases of crypto that are actually a net positive. Because the technology holds so many promises, so let's not let the news of greed and betrayal drown out our optimism! This podcast is produced by Cryptohunt.it, the easiest place to learn crypto. Copywriting is done by Arndt Voges, Social Media is done by Brett Holleman, design is done by Carmen Rincon, and my name is Christian Byza, Co-Founder of Cryptohunt and I am your host of this daily show. Disclaimer: This podcast references our opinion and is for information purposes only. It is not intended to be investment advice. Do your own research and seek a duly licensed professional for investment advice. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/cryptohunt/message

What is a bank run, actually? And is that really what killed FTX? Welcome to the Cryptohunt Jam, where we spend one minute a day explaining crypto. In plain English - and this is another special to explain what happened at FTX and if we can avoid it. In the aftermath of FTX, many people have compared what happened to FTX to what they call a "bank run". So, what is a “bank run”, and is that actually what happened? Stay tuned, the answer may surprise you. Imagine you are inviting people over to your house to watch the world cup finale together. Argentina vs. France - of course it ends up being packed in your living room. You've decided to serve snacks and put out a big bowl of chips. But the match is such a nail biter that your friends are going through all of them before the first team even scores. You have enough to feed everyone, but the rest are in your basement behind some stuff. You go downstairs, dig around, and eventually, a good 25 minutes later, you are able to fill up the bowl. Not ideal, but it all worked out in the end. That's what happens in a bank run as well. People, often in situations where they worry that their money may not be safe, rush to withdraw it from their bank. Meanwhile the bank, which didn't expect this to happen, has parked a part of the money somewhere else - some in investments, some simply in savings accounts they can't access in that very moment. The problem: For a short time, the bank is out of actual money it can hand out and needs a while to catch up by converting those parked funds back. Also - not ideal, but the money was still there. But is this really what happened to FTX? No. It is true that, once the news of problems at FTX emerged, people rushed to withdraw their funds. The problem was that FTX hadn't simply parked it somewhere else like a bank would. Instead, Sam Bankman-Fried and his gang took it without customer's permission and gambled it away, betting billions while crypto was crashing. It's as if you went to the basement to get those bags of chips and discover that the rats got in and ate them all. And there we have the big difference between banks and crypto companies like FTX: Banks are regulated and have strict rules and oversight, especially since 2008 when they caused the banking crash and lawmakers put safeguards in place. In all fairness it should be said that banks can gamble, too. But only a little and not secretly. This means: Right now, your crypto just isn't safe with crypto exchanges, especially those overseas. Who knows what they are up to. And with that in mind, we'll take a closer look at the largest one of them: Binance, because trouble may be on the horizon there too. See you next time to investigate: Is Binance the next FTX? This podcast is produced by Cryptohunt.it, the easiest place to learn crypto. Copywriting is done by Arndt Voges, Social Media is done by Brett Holleman, design is done by Carmen Rincon, and my name is Christian Byza, Co-Founder of Cryptohunt and I am your host of this daily show. Disclaimer: This podcast references our opinion and is for information purposes only. It is not intended to be investment advice. Do your own research and seek a duly licensed professional for investment advice. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/cryptohunt/message

Should I use crypto to send money internationally? Welcome to the Cryptohunt Jam, where we spend one minute a day explaining crypto. In plain English - so that you can form your own opinions to be safer out there in the wild crypto space. Ever sent money to friends and family in another country? Then you'll have suffered from the sky-high fees that banks and transfer companies charge. Crypto is often said to be the answer you're looking for – make international payments in minutes, with fees that usually much lower than traditional methods. It's supposed to be a magic wand for your money! But, as with any magic trick, not all is perfect. There are drawbacks to using crypto for international transactions. For one, it can be highly volatile, which makes it risky to send. Additionally, the legal and regulatory landscape for cryptocurrency is still evolving, so it can be difficult for you to know if you are braking a law simply by sending your cousin some Bitcoin. Still, the benefits of using cryptocurrency for international transactions are significant. Not only can it save you money on fees, but it can also enable faster and more secure payments that can't be stopped at random by banks or governments. And as the technology and infrastructure around crypto continue to improve, these benefits are only likely to increase. So, as always, be sure to do your research and carefully weigh the pros and cons. And who knows, maybe you'll be able to wave your magic wand and make all your international payment woes disappear! And tomorrow back to another topic of international debate: An update on FTX, because Sam Bankman-Fried will testify in front of the US Congress today. This podcast is produced by Cryptohunt.it, the easiest place to learn crypto. Copywriting is done by Arndt Voges, Social Media is done by Brett Holleman, design is done by Carmen Rincon, and my name is Christian Byza, Co-Founder of Cryptohunt and I am your host of this daily show. Disclaimer: This podcast references our opinion and is for information purposes only. It is not intended to be investment advice. Do your own research and seek a duly licensed professional for investment advice. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/cryptohunt/message

What does SBF's arrest mean for crypto? Welcome to the Cryptohunt Jam, where we spend one minute a day explaining crypto. In plain English - and this is another special on FTX. So: Sam Bankman-Fried got arrested in the Bahamas. The US government is trying to extradite him. Yet again, he's on the cover of every news outlet in the world - it's not looking great for him. But forget SBF for a second… what does all this mean for crypto in general - and is there a silver lining? Well, first the bad news, depending on where you stand: More money will likely flow out of crypto markets, because their reputation has suffered immensely... and not unfairly if you ask us. Everyone should have realized by now: Crypto is still a very volatile investment and the risks don't stop there: SBF will surely not be the last fraudster we'll have to talk about. All the great projects out there will be overshadowed by the negative headlines for a while. And when the government presents its case, we suspect many news documents will be made public that reveal all the other companies that are on shaky ground - because they got a loan from FTX or because FTX lent them money. That'll make even more dominoes fall. But deep breath… hard to believe, there is a silver lining here. Ever wondered why SBF is in the Bahamas, and prior to that in Hong Kong in the first place? That's because in the US, there are no clear regulations around crypto businesses. And that's actually preventing businesses from starting there. Sounds paradoxical? Well - think of it this way: You could start a crypto exchange today, and do everything right because no rules exist, but tomorrow's laws could make everything you do in good faith illegal. Keen observers will notice that Sam wasn't charged with securities fraud - because then the US government would have to take a side and categorize crypto as securities, meaning existing laws can apply. But they have avoided that for the longest time now, and you can bet that SBF's lawyers will not miss out on a single chance to get the SEC to take a side in court. The result, hopefullly? We might be able to avoid the next FTX by creating companies that operate under laws and have real oversight. Here's to that! We'll keep you in the loop as things are happening every hour right now. This podcast is produced by Cryptohunt.it, the easiest place to learn crypto. Copywriting is done by Arndt Voges, Social Media is done by Brett Holleman, design is done by Carmen Rincon, and my name is Christian Byza, Co-Founder of Cryptohunt and I am your host of this daily show. Disclaimer: This podcast references our opinion and is for information purposes only. It is not intended to be investment advice. Do your own research and seek a duly licensed professional for investment advice. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/cryptohunt/message

What is “Proof of Time” (PoT)? Welcome to the Cryptohunt Jam, where we spend one minute a day explaining crypto. In plain English - so that you can form your own opinions to be safer out there in the wild crypto space. Today, we're introducing you to the concept of "proof-of-time", or PoT in short. Proof-of-time is a way to prove that a certain amount of time has passed, kind of like how you can prove that you're old enough to ride a roller coaster by showing your ID. It is used in some blockchains as a way to prevent cheating. Here's how it works: Imagine you and someone random are playing a game of chess, and you want to make sure that neither of you cheats. To do this, you could use proof-of-time. To begin, each of you would show how many hours of chess you have each played at your respective local chess clubs leading up to now. The more time played, the better - because at the club, cheating will be detected quickly and your clock reset if you are found out. In essence, in proof-of-time, you prove your trustworthiness by creating a reputation for yourself. When computers crunch numbers to see who sent whom how much crypto, they need to be able to trust each other. Otherwise someone could just make up money they never had. Proof-of-time helps create that trust without producing unnecessary extra work. Proof-of-time is still not used in many blockchains, as intriguing as the concept may be. It's main competitor is proof of stake, where a financial penalty gets imposed instead - and that is so popular that even Ethereum switched to it. Will it ever take off? Only time will tell... see what we did there? This podcast is produced by Cryptohunt.it, the easiest place to learn crypto. Copywriting is done by Arndt Voges, Social Media is done by Brett Holleman, design is done by Carmen Rincon, and my name is Christian Byza, Co-Founder of Cryptohunt and I am your host of this daily show. Disclaimer: This podcast references our opinion and is for information purposes only. It is not intended to be investment advice. Do your own research and seek a duly licensed professional for investment advice. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/cryptohunt/message

Sam Bankman-Fried was just arrested - Welcome to a special bonus extra Episode We usually just do one episode per day of the Cryptohunt Jam, where we spend one minute a day explaining crypto. In plain English. But today is different - we need to cover the most recent events right now. Remember our recent podcast about Sam Bankman-Fried, and how we already assumed that his interviews were not the last thing we'd hear of him? Well, suddenly it all happened very quickly: Monday morning, the cuffs clicked on his wrists and he was arrested in the Bahamas. The warrant for his arrest is coming from the US government though, and they filed for extradition back home as well. That means it's all or nothing for SBF, as he is often called. But what exactly is he accused of? The legal papers, released yesterday, are full of scathing allegations. He is indicted on eight different charges, but they basically all say the same: He lied wherever he could. Using falsified information, he schemed over $2bn Dollars from investors, stole customer funds he said he would never touch, and oversaw insider trading of his second firm Alameda research on FTX. He is even accused of braking election laws by funneling his money to politicians in a way that it evades legal donation maximums. And if you thought, like most of us, that SBF went down the deep end when crypto collapsed late last year in an effort to save FTX or Alameda research - well, you'd be wrong it seems. The US government's charges are going all the way back to 2019. Shocking? We'll let you be the judge. And tomorrow, we'll talk about what this all means for crypto in general... with an interesting take you'll hear here first. Until then - stay safe! This podcast is produced by Cryptohunt.it, the easiest place to learn crypto. Copywriting is done by Arndt Voges, Social Media is done by Brett Holleman, design is done by Carmen Rincon, and my name is Christian Byza, Co-Founder of Cryptohunt and I am your host of this daily show. Disclaimer: This podcast references our opinion and is for information purposes only. It is not intended to be investment advice. Do your own research and seek a duly licensed professional for investment advice. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/cryptohunt/message

Just how big if the “FTX Domino Effect”? Welcome to the Cryptohunt Jam, where we spend one minute a day explaining crypto. In plain English - so that you can form your own opinions to be safer out there in the wild crypto space. A few episodes back, we introduced the idea of the “FTX Domino Effect”. It describes the nuclear fallout from the FTX collapse: Companies that were financially entangled with FTX are falling one by one, like domino stones. But just how big is the FTX Domino Effect, actually? Soon, we may find out, at least as far as publicly traded companies and the United States go. Here's why. Over the weekend, the SEC, short for “Securities and Exchange Commission”, sent out a note to all of the companies it oversees. The agency's job it is to ensure that these stay in compliance with laws and regulations to remain transparent about their business to investors. And the SEC takes their job very seriously - in this case demanding all companies to publish if and what exposure they had to FTX's downfall. To understand just how important that is, you have to understand how most of the companies that fell like dominoes in the wake of FTX, actually mishandled the situation. Just like FTX itself, they didn't tell anyone about their troubles, hoping that they would secretly be able to turn things around without you ever noticing. But a turnaround rarely happens as the examples of BlockFi and Genesis show: They either disabled customer withdrawals or went bankrupt. The real problem here is that they give customers no choice to withdraw before it is too late. By the time things are too bad to turn around, your money is gone. They want to hold on to your money: It's selfish, and in most cases likely criminal. And that's why the SEC is becoming proactive, reminding at least the companies it oversees to play by the rules and of the consequences they face if they don't. We think it's the right move, but only affects a subset of companies in the United States. The only way to protect yourself is to go through the hassle of managing your own wallets - we have a course on that at www.cryptohunt.it and a weeklong special starting with episode 295 on this podcast. I see you tomorrow, stay safe out there! This podcast is produced by Cryptohunt.it, the easiest place to learn crypto. Copywriting is done by Arndt Voges, Social Media is done by Brett Holleman, design is done by Carmen Rincon, and my name is Christian Byza, Co-Founder of Cryptohunt and I am your host of this daily show. Disclaimer: This podcast references our opinion and is for information purposes only. It is not intended to be investment advice. Do your own research and seek a duly licensed professional for investment advice. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/cryptohunt/message

An Update on Ukraine and Crypto Welcome to the Cryptohunt Jam, where we spend one minute a day explaining crypto. In plain English. When the war against Ukraine broke out, we shared stories about crypto enabling donations to help the country's citizens. Today, 9 month and almost 200 episodes later, an update. Back then, in March, individuals were rushing donations to help the Ukrainian government raise money for humanitarian aid and defense. Crypto was and remains the best option, as international money transfers are slow, costly, and can get stuck. And the government has since stepped up their game further and operates a variety of official wallets to accept different crypto currencies. The sum of everything donated? An estimated $120 to $150 million USD Dollars. But with the Ukrainian economy under attack as part of the war, citizens have also moved to using crypto in their every day lives. Ukraine is, according to a payments company's report, the number 2 country in the world in crypto transactions, following only the much larger United States. Monthly transactions have risen from 1 to 1.5m since we touched on the topic last time. But the free movement of money means it can go to either side. Russian militia groups have been very successful in raising crypto - through Telegram of all places. Massive campaigns to target users on the messaging platform have put over $4m dollars into their wallets - at least that we know of. The silver lining, if there is any in this unfortunate situation, is that blockchains create transparency. You can trace back every transaction, and sum up what has been sent where. We'll keep an eye on this topic, and you in the loop - until then, think about the people in Ukraine who are heading into a harsh winter with critical infrastructure like water and power grids largely inoperative. “Donating crypto to Ukraine” remains a popular search on Google, and if you plan on doing so, there is an article on Time.com that we fact-checked so you know your money is going to the right place. Soon, we'll all wish each other Happy Holidays – but don't forget there are people out there who are struggling right now. This podcast is produced by Cryptohunt.it, the easiest place to learn crypto. Copywriting is done by Arndt Voges, Social Media is done by Brett Holleman, design is done by Carmen Rincon, and my name is Christian Byza, Co-Founder of Cryptohunt and I am your host of this daily show. Disclaimer: This podcast references our opinion and is for information purposes only. It is not intended to be investment advice. Do your own research and seek a duly licensed professional for investment advice. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/cryptohunt/message

What if you got paid for surfing the web? An explanation of BAT (Basic Attention Token) Welcome to the Cryptohunt Jam, where we spend one minute a day explaining crypto. In plain English. Today, we'll present you with an intriguing new way to look at the internet: What if YOU got paid for surfing the web? Sounds ridiculous, doesn't it? In a world where big tech companies not only steal your data, but also make money selling it to advertisers, you never see a single cent. In fact, they do all that to sell YOU something. Yet there is browser that promises the opposite: Brave. It looks and feels just like Chrome or Safari, but with a twist: At its core, it wants to protect your privacy by aggressively blocking trackers and advertisements. And there is a big twist: You can get paid in Brave's "Basic Attention Token", short BAT, when you accept ads. You are literally getting paid for your attention, hence the name. It's the dream of Web3 proponents: Turn the business models of big tech on their heads. But is it going to work in the long run? We think there is a good chance. Ad blockers, VPNs, and consumer laws are already aggressively clamping down on ads, giving big tech less access to your data whether they want it or not. And when you look at Brave's business model, it is really not so different from Google: Brave sells their advertisers access to your screen instead of just being the browser in between. The difference? You control the show and get in on the action. This podcast is produced by Cryptohunt.it, the easiest place to learn crypto. Copywriting is done by Arndt Voges, Social Media is done by Brett Holleman, design is done by Carmen Rincon, and my name is Christian Byza, Co-Founder of Cryptohunt and I am your host of this daily show. Disclaimer: This podcast references our opinion and is for information purposes only. It is not intended to be investment advice. Do your own research and seek a duly licensed professional for investment advice. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/cryptohunt/message

Why are brands like Nike getting into Web3? Welcome to the Cryptohunt Jam, where we spend one minute a day explaining crypto. In plain English. In yesterday's episode, we took a deeper look at Nike's upcoming digital collectibles marketplace called .Swoosh. But we left you hanging a bit: Because it's still not clear why traditional brands would get into NFTs and Web3. You might think: It's all about the money. And sure, there is some money to be made, but Nike is also doubling down in times that crypto markets are crashing. Plus, in the grand scheme of things, the NFT revenue is still very small compared to their massive business. So what's the real reason? They want to have a better relationship with you. Yes, seriously, you - and of course all the other consumers who like their products. The old way of doing that was to follow you around the web with ads, and send you tons of emails, because admittedly that's really all a brand could do. But privacy concerns have spawned software and laws that are reducing the effectiveness of advertising. And do you really read all the email in your promotional folder? Looking for alternatives, some companies have discovered that Web3 may come to the rescue. An NFT is sort of a VIP pass: Not only do you own a product, but it might also give you access to as many experiences as you can dream up: Maybe a sneaker-owner-exclusive chat with your favorite sports star. Or early access to a limited edition collection. Or it opens the doors to a fan-only online community. There are tons of really smart marketers at the companies you already love who understand that including you in a community will keep you a fan of theirs for a long time. And that's exactly why they are all so interested in Web3. Executives around the world are probably looking at Nike at this very moment, ready to follow them into the world of NFTs. So keep an eye on things: Crypto speculation may be a thing of the past, but the experiences it'll allow companies to craft will be the future. And here's something else to consider: Brands have money to spend, and that's a spark that may ignite the fire. This podcast is produced by Cryptohunt.it, the easiest place to learn crypto. Copywriting is done by Arndt Voges, Social Media is done by Brett Holleman, design is done by Carmen Rincon, and my name is Christian Byza, Co-Founder of Cryptohunt and I am your host of this daily show. Disclaimer: This podcast references our opinion and is for information purposes only. It is not intended to be investment advice. Do your own research and seek a duly licensed professional for investment advice. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/cryptohunt/message

What is .Swoosh by Nike? Welcome to the Cryptohunt Jam, where we spend one minute a day explaining crypto. In plain English. Why is Nike, the popular brand, even a topic on this podcast? Well - you may not have heard, but Nike has actually created a very popular NFT collection. And now they are doubling down to build their own store in collobration with blockchain company Polygon. Sounds strange? It's actually quite logical. Let's dig in together! You will know Nike mostly as a sports apparel brand. But for decades, their products have also created devoted fans, especially of their sneakers. And it's not just to wear them - collectors think of them as a rare piece of art, many just buy them to put them on the shelves, unopened. And like other collectibles, many of these sneakers have gone through the roof in price, creating a whole industry around them. In that context, you'll see why Nike got into NFTs. Because those are simply digital collectibles, it wasn't a stretch for Nike to release digital sneakers. The first release, called “Cryptokicks”, took the NFT space by storm and brought new people into the world of crypto. Think this couldn't have been THAT successful though? Well, collectors have already traded those digital sneakers back and forth for a total of $1.3 billion dollars. Holy kicks! Ok, you say, and we know you are thinking: Why release just one run of NFT sneakers if people love them? So did Nike: .Swoosh is going to be an NFT marketplace where Nike will drop many more collections over the years, including virtual shirts and more sneakers. Their partner to get this off the ground is Polygon, which is a blockchain that allows fast and cheap transactions. When you want to reach the mass market as a brand, that is really important. And if all that didn't sound like a lot of news coming from an apparel company, hold your breath: Owning one of the digital collectibles will also give you access to exclusive communities and access to real-world collectibles and events. So you see: where traditional brands intersect with Web3, things can get interesting. In tomorrow's episode, we'll dive deep into their minds: What do Nike and co get out of it? This podcast is produced by Cryptohunt.it, the easiest place to learn crypto. Copywriting is done by Arndt Voges, Social Media is done by Brett Holleman, design is done by Carmen Rincon, and my name is Christian Byza, Co-Founder of Cryptohunt and I am your host of this daily show. Disclaimer: This podcast references our opinion and is for information purposes only. It is not intended to be investment advice. Do your own research and seek a duly licensed professional for investment advice. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/cryptohunt/message

Why are blockchains used for IDs? Welcome to the Cryptohunt Jam, where we spend one minute a day explaining crypto. In plain English. If you haven't heard of IDs on the blockchain, that's because it's still a relatively new use case. South Korea is already paving the way here. First, they equipped their military with blockchain-powered ID cards, and then a large university followed step. If you used them, you wouldn't know anything is different. You tap your card or scan a code on your phone, and that identifies you - maybe to access a building, to drive a military vehicle, to borrow books, or to take an exam. So what exactly is the point then if it all seems the same? Well, remember that a blockchain is essentially nothing other than a large digital file cabinet. But instead of being operated by one computer or one person, it is decentralized - meaning many computers have a copy of it and they all work together to store and retrieve data. This makes it much more resilient to attacks. And that's a big deal in the military, where that kind of redundancy is important. But blockchains also allow for privacy - a university test center doesn't have to know a students birthday and address to let them take a test. It will be interesting to see how these things develop: But as you can see, there are real reasons we would prefer blockchains to more traditional technologies. Of course that is not always the case - and we are here to help you figure out what's useful, and what is just smoke and mirrors, just like we'll do in the next episode where we'll ask ourselves why Nike is launching an NFT store. This podcast is produced by Cryptohunt.it, the easiest place to learn crypto. Copywriting is done by Arndt Voges, Social Media is done by Brett Holleman, design is done by Carmen Rincon, and my name is Christian Byza, Co-Founder of Cryptohunt and I am your host of this daily show. Disclaimer: This podcast references our opinion and is for information purposes only. It is not intended to be investment advice. Do your own research and seek a duly licensed professional for investment advice. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/cryptohunt/message

What is Proof of Reserves (PoR)? Welcome to the Cryptohunt Jam, where we spend one minute a day explaining crypto. In plain English. Have you heard about the latest wrinkle in the stable coin space? Our old nemesis, the Tether stable coin, has reportedly been up to no good, yet again: Instead of keeping one real dollar on hand for each Tether they issue, apparently at least every 10th Tether is back by unstable crypto loans. And as is usual for Tether, they told nobody about it. Sounds like a bad idea, especially in times of tokens collapsing left and right? Well, it doesn't have to be this way: “Proof of Reserves” to the rescue: This process creates an independent audit proding proof that a company's money reserves are what they claim them to be. Essentially, Proof of Reserves creates transparency so you know where your money is invested. And if you think: “Hey, why wouldn't anyone want such a report, especially for something that calls itself a stablecoin?” - then you'd obviously be right. But it is not mandatory because there are no government rules yet in most of the world. But think of it this way: You don't have to wait for governments to step in. If a financial institution holds your money, but doesn't have such a report, you can already ask yourself why. Most likely, they have something to hide. Laws or none - it would be a reason to be skeptical. We've called out Tether multiple times in this podcast and hope they change their approach - but it looks like they are only doubling down on intransparency. But now you know what to look for and make up your own opinion. This podcast is produced by Cryptohunt.it, the easiest place to learn crypto. Copywriting is done by Arndt Voges, Social Media is done by Brett Holleman, design is done by Carmen Rincon, and my name is Christian Byza, Co-Founder of Cryptohunt and I am your host of this daily show. Disclaimer: This podcast references our opinion and is for information purposes only. It is not intended to be investment advice. Do your own research and seek a duly licensed professional for investment advice. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/cryptohunt/message

Why is Sam Bankman-Fried still giving interviews? Welcome to the Cryptohunt Jam, where we spend one minute a day explaining crypto. In plain English. For today's episode, we'll stick with our topic from yesterday: FTX and the curious stories that are unfolding. You, just like us, have not been able to read the news without stumbling into Sam Bankman-Fried every single day. So, you'll remember, but just to recap: SBF, as he is widely known, was the CEO of now-collapsed crypto firms FTX and Alamada Research. At this point, it is widely understood that SBF tried to cover massive speculative trading losses from bad investments by stealing customer deposits from his exchange business. Sounds bad to you? Your gut got that right, and very likely it is a serious crime. Yet, SBF keps tweeting, texting with journalists who have his personal number, and even just gave a live video interview to the New York Times that was seen by millions. Shouldn't he best stay quiet and let his lawyers handle things? That's what you'd think, but it all starts making sense if you understand the interesting history of SBF and how he crafted a public image to manipulate decisions and get an in with the highest circles. After FTX's collapse, stories came to light that'll make you scratch your head. Allegedly, he grew his hair out to create a deliberately disheveled look to give himself the appearance of a crypto wunderkind. He would sleep in his office, on a bean bag, in front of a conference room and have potential investors walk past him on their way in, just to slowly rise and show up in the meeting impressing them with a coherent pitch. All of that seem to have been tactics to build a brand around himself to manipulate people's opinions. And that's likely what is going on now as well. In fact, in the NYT interview, he comes across as charming, relatable, taking responsibility, and trying to right a wrong. But remember, this is still the same guy who stole your money – to plug a hole HE created by taking insane financial risks. So, mark our words - this is going to get interesting. We are sure this is just the beginning of an interesting PR strategy. Keep an eye on future SBF appearances: And remember this episode, because it'll help you make your own informed judgement. This podcast is produced by Cryptohunt.it, the easiest place to learn crypto. Copywriting is done by Arndt Voges, Social Media is done by Brett Holleman, design is done by Carmen Rincon, and my name is Christian Byza, Co-Founder of Cryptohunt and I am your host of this daily show. Disclaimer: This podcast references our opinion and is for information purposes only. It is not intended to be investment advice. Do your own research and seek a duly licensed professional for investment advice. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/cryptohunt/message

BlockFi and the “FTX Domino Effect” Welcome to the Cryptohunt Jam, where we spend one minute a day explaining crypto. In plain English. You heard the term here first: The “FTX Domino Effect”. It's time we coined the term, because one by one, crypto companies affiliated with the now collapsed exchange FTX are falling. This week's victim: BlockFi, a crypto trading and lending firm. At the core, BlockFi didn't do anything too different from your average bank: You could put your crypto in their savings account, and they'd pay you interest on it. But it helps to understand how that worked: Like a bank, they would take your money and invest it somewhere else. That strategy works well, but only if those investments pay off. Which they never do forever, and BlockFi took risks that were much higher than a normal bank. So BlockFi was hit hard. First, it got into trouble by having invested in Luna, the stable token that famously crashed over night. And then, as crypto winter unfolded, FTX and Sam Bankman-Fried bailed them out. But instead of giving them actual money, they gave BlockFi their FTT token... which, as we all know by now, recently collapsed when FTX went down. In the end, BlockFi ended up owning everyone money, with no way to pay it back, and had to file for bankruptcy. The saddest part for sure: That consumer probably thought that their money was safe. Now you see why we call it the FTX Domino Effect. We sincerely hope you are not affected by the latest domino falling, and maybe this podcast is giving you a reason to evaluate all the places you have your money parked. There will be more dominos to fall. This podcast is produced by Cryptohunt.it, the easiest place to learn crypto. Copywriting is done by Arndt Voges, Social Media is done by Brett Holleman, design is done by Carmen Rincon, and my name is Christian Byza, Co-Founder of Cryptohunt and I am your host of this daily show. Disclaimer: This podcast references our opinion and is for information purposes only. It is not intended to be investment advice. Do your own research and seek a duly licensed professional for investment advice. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/cryptohunt/message

Who is Changpeng Zhao (CZ)? Welcome to the Cryptohunt Jam, where we spend one minute a day explaining crypto. In plain English. Changpeng Zhao, in crypto circles also known as CZ, has been making the news lately. He is the founder and CEO of Binance, the world's largest crypto exchange. But there is much more to him and you should definitely know about him! CZ was born in China, but his parents - both academics - got in trouble with the government for voicing their opinions. Quickly, the family emigrated to Canada, where CZ went to school and university. He became a computer scientist and started working on stock exchanges for Bloomberg. Eventually though, he found his way back into China, and started working in the crypto space. He got so fascinated by it in fact, that in 2015, he sold his apartment in Shanghai and put everything into Bitcoin. Way back then, he already showed his knack for timing trends well. Not much later, in 2017, CZ founded Binance, which quickly became a household name in crypto trading. What did he seemingly do better than anyone else? Work with or around regulations, which allowed him to expand quickly. He also understood the power of building up others around him - and so he launched the Binance Coin, which became its own blockchain quickly. Thousands of projects build on it today. At the same time he started Binance, he also rose to Twitter fame and has since become one of the most prolific crypto evangelist out there, never shy to criticize what he doesn't agree with. Fast forward to a few weeks ago, and he did exactly that, but with extreme consequences: When he called out the house of cards that FTX and sister company Alameda Research had built. He even put in an offer to save FTX, but quickly withdrew it realizing the troubles ran really deep. Compared to Sam Bankman-Fried, FTX's larger-than-life, now former CEO, Changpeng Zhao was always the quieter, less in-your-face voice of crypto… and in the end that prevailed. And although crypto isn't doing too hot in the markets right now, his share still puts him among the richest people in the world. Not a bad move, selling his apartment for Bitcoin, don't you think? And now you know who CZ is, because he will certainly make waves again. This podcast is produced by Cryptohunt.it, the easiest place to learn crypto. Copywriting is done by Arndt Voges, Social Media is done by Brett Holleman, design is done by Carmen Rincon, and my name is Christian Byza, Co-Founder of Cryptohunt and I am your host of this daily show. Disclaimer: This podcast references our opinion and is for information purposes only. It is not intended to be investment advice. Do your own research and seek a duly licensed professional for investment advice. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/cryptohunt/message