Science & Technology

Robert Leshner and Jesse Walden: Deep Dive on Decentralization

Published

6 years ago

June 10, 2020

Jesse Walden, a former a16z investment partner and Mediachain cofounder, and Robert Leshner, founder and CEO of Compound, do a “Deep Dive on Decentralization.” Walden starts with a playbook for progressive decentralization — the process by which crypto project creators build a useful product, create a community around that product, and then gradually hand over control of the maturing network to the community. This process is in keeping with the cooperative model of crypto networks, which drives rapid, compounding innovation through better alignment of incentives and open participation. Leshner follows with a case study of his experiences at Compound, an automated money market for crypto assets in which lenders and borrowers can come together to transact without the involvement of third parties. Compound, one of the first crypto projects to move through the full progressive decentralization model, built a thriving community of third-party application developers, who have set up shop on top of Compound’s smart-contract protocol. The Compound team has gradually brought this community further into the protocol’s inner workings; in the final stages before handoff to the community, the founding team made changes transparently, with greater reliance on the community’s input, and created a sandbox for experimentation to test governance mechanisms. Decentralizing “allows the protocol to live forever,” Leshner says, which fosters innovation because developers can trust the protocol with their businesses and livelihood.

Andreessen Horowitz’s Crypto Startup School brought together 45 participants from around the U.S. and overseas in a seven-week course to learn how to build crypto companies. Andreessen Horowitz is partnering with TechCrunch to release the online version of the course over the next few weeks.

Find more Crypto Startup School videos plus additional reading and info:

Up Next

Tom Preston-Werner with Chris Dixon: Building Companies and Developer Communities

Don't Miss

Tina Ferguson: Managing Distributed Workforces

15 Comments

Cythz

June 10, 2020 at 8:01 pm

Loved it

Reply
Rahul Mathur

June 21, 2020 at 5:15 am

This was great ????thank you very much!

Reply
- Arian Finnegan
  
  June 17, 2021 at 4:07 pm
  
  dont know if anyone cares but if you’re stoned like me during the covid times you can stream all the latest movies and series on instaflixxer. Been binge watching with my girlfriend recently =)
  
  Reply
- Kyrie Dustin
  
  June 17, 2021 at 4:18 pm
  
  @Arian Finnegan definitely, been watching on instaflixxer for years myself =)
  
  Reply
- Brody Emmitt
  
  June 17, 2021 at 4:18 pm
  
  @Arian Finnegan yea, I’ve been watching on InstaFlixxer for since december myself =)
  
  Reply
- Malachi Nova
  
  June 17, 2021 at 4:18 pm
  
  @Arian Finnegan Yea, been watching on instaflixxer for years myself 😀
  
  Reply
Nandit Mehra

August 30, 2020 at 9:19 am

great video on building an awesome decentralized product

Reply
mathis P

October 24, 2020 at 8:48 am

mmm… He didn’t actually answer what is their business model… does anyone know ?

Reply
Happy D

January 22, 2021 at 7:19 am

Give us free Compund Robert

Reply
Monopoly

January 29, 2021 at 2:55 pm

Thanks

Reply
Abhi Goel

May 16, 2021 at 10:51 pm

thank you!

Reply
Wetware Records

August 24, 2021 at 11:32 pm

We really love this video! Very inspiring. Especially for our team that’s working on decentralized social media daily.

We’d love to send you our whitepaper

Reply
prasad mahadik

September 30, 2021 at 6:56 am

Great videos! Are there going to be more of these videos?

Reply
Leonardo D Giuseppe

December 2, 2021 at 2:03 am

mi mind blow at 25.
essa aula é um grande passo para a humanidade. Amado, gratidao por todos seus ensimentos.
this class is a big step for humanity. Beloved, gratitude for all your feelings.

Reply
Daniel Ospina

January 3, 2022 at 3:20 pm

Very old fashioned thinking. No wonder they are a web2 VC

Reply

CNET

Google Speaks on Quantum Hackers and the Threat to Crypto | What the Future

Google just warned that quantum computers could start breaking the complex encryption protecting cryptocurrencies much easier and sooner than expected. 0:00 Google’s Quantum Warning 0:13 Quantum Computers: A Faster Frontier 0:39 Assessing the Threat 0:58 The Move to Post-Quantum Cryptography 1:26 Understanding Post-Quantum Cryptography 2:10 The Power of Entanglement 2:43 Exploring Quantum Computing Add CNET…

Published

17 hours ago

April 5, 2026

CYBER TECH TV

Google just warned that quantum computers could start breaking the complex encryption protecting cryptocurrencies much easier and sooner than expected.

0:00 Google’s Quantum Warning
0:13 Quantum Computers: A Faster Frontier
0:39 Assessing the Threat
0:58 The Move to Post-Quantum Cryptography
1:26 Understanding Post-Quantum Cryptography
2:10 The Power of Entanglement
2:43 Exploring Quantum Computing

Add CNET as a trusted news source
Never miss a deal again! See CNET’s browser extension 👉
Check out CNET’s Amazon Storefront:
Subscribe to CNET on YouTube:
Follow us on TikTok:
Follow us on Instagram:
Follow us on Bluesky:
Like us on Facebook:
CNET’s AI Atlas:
Follow us on X:
Visit CNET.com:

#google #quantum #computing #hacker #crypto

CNET

I Was in AWE of This Techie Art Exhibit (Ministry of Awe)

Scott Stein takes you inside the Ministry of Awe, Philadelphia’s immersive six story art experience. Go on a journey with him as he explores how technology and art meet in this space. Hear from the founders of Spatial Pixel, who explain what inspires them to combine AI with this physical art experience. 0:00 Entering the…

Published

2 days ago

April 4, 2026

CYBER TECH TV

Scott Stein takes you inside the Ministry of Awe, Philadelphia’s immersive six story art experience. Go on a journey with him as he explores how technology and art meet in this space.
Hear from the founders of Spatial Pixel, who explain what inspires them to combine AI with this physical art experience.

0:00 Entering the Vault
0:13 The Concept
1:07 Programmable Space
1:41 Interacting with AI
3:12 The Future of Immersive Tech

#MinistryOfAwe #ImmersiveArt #PhiladelphiaEvents #SpatialAI #FutureOfTech #CNET #InteractiveArt #SpatialPixel #OldCityPhilly

Science & Technology

Why Taskrabbit’s Founder Prioritizes Diversity Early │ Build Mode Podcast

As a founder or any team builder, diversity is best built at the start. As Taskrabbit founder Leah Solivan learned, procrastination leads to weaker teams and a harder effort later. We dive into all of her expert tips for builders and founders in the latest episode of our podcast Build Mode right here:

Published

2 days ago

April 3, 2026

CYBER TECH TV

As a founder or any team builder, diversity is best built at the start. As Taskrabbit founder Leah Solivan learned, procrastination leads to weaker teams and a harder effort later.

We dive into all of her expert tips for builders and founders in the latest episode of our podcast Build Mode right here: