Transcript Ep. 337: Why TBD’s Mike Brock Is Skeptical That Decentralized Applications Will Become Popular

Laura Shin:

Hi, all. In recent press interviews, or at book signings and speaking engagements, people have been asking what’s next for me, now that my book is out. Well, I’m happy that I’m finally able to announce what I’ll be working on. Today, Law & Crime, the leading live trial and true crime network, and I announced that we will be collaborating on an investigative podcast series that explores the case of Ilya Lichtenstein and Heather Morgan, the couple who have been accused of attempting to launder 4.5 billion dollars’ worth of Bitcoin.

The series will be a deep dive into the story to understand the married couple at the center of it, how they allegedly attempted to launder the Bitcoin stolen from Bitfinex, and then to look more closely at the clues that led to their arrest. I’m thrilled to be partnering with Law & Crime to tell this tale about stolen Bitcoin with the depth and level of detail it deserves. It will be a fascinating journey, not only into the lives of this couple that has already captivated the internet, but into how blockchain sleuthing enabled the government to track them down.

We have a press release out about it today, which you can read on Law & Crime. So, if you’re interested in learning more, check out the Unchained daily newsletter today and tomorrow, and/or my Twitter feed. Also, as usual, I have upcoming book events for my book tour. So, you can also find these at LauraShin.com, on the book page, which is LauraShin.com/book/#tour-dates. And I’m just going to give a quick rundown through all the events, so, if you live in any of these cities, you might want to come check them out, and a few of these are also virtual events.

Tuesday, April 5, if you’re going to be in Miami, I will be doing a reading and signing hosted by the city of Miami Beach and Future Perfect Ventures. It will be at Sky Yard, from 6 to 8 p.m. Jalak Jobanputra, CEO of Future Perfect Ventures, will be interviewing me. You need to RSVP by this Friday, April 1, to Diana Fontani at MiamiBeachFL.gov. And then, on Saturday, April 9, I will be interviewed at the Annapolis Book Festival at 11 a.m. On Tuesday, April 12, I will be at Startup Grind’s Global Event in Redwood City, which is focused this year on Web3. 

The time is TBD, and May 4, I will be in conversation with author Jimmy Soni at the PBS Seattle Crosscut Festival, which takes place from May 4 to 7, again, details TBD. Finally, last but not least, I will be at the Oslo Freedom Forum from May 23 to 25, again, details TBD. And now, on to the show.

Hi, everyone. Welcome to Unchained, your no-hype resource for all things crypto. I’m your host, Laura Shin, author of The Cryptopians. I started covering crypto six years ago, and as a senior editor at Forbes, was the first mainstream media reporter to cover cryptocurrency full-time. This is the April 5, 2022 episode of Unchained.

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Today’s guest is Mike Brock, general manager of TBD at Block, formerly known as Square. Welcome, Mike.

Mike Brock:

Thanks for having me. Super-happy to be here.

Laura Shin:

Let’s start with some basics. Obviously, Square/Block has undergone some big changes in the last year, but many of them are more just announced, as opposed to fully realized. So, can you give us the full context of what TBD is and why it is that Square decided to launch this new initiative?