Sam Kessler

Sam is CoinDesk's deputy managing editor for tech and protocols. His reporting is focused on decentralized technology, infrastructure and governance. Sam holds a computer science degree from Harvard University, where he led the Harvard Political Review. He has a background in the technology industry and owns some ETH and BTC. Sam was part of the team that won a 2023 Gerald Loeb Award for CoinDesk's coverage of Sam Bankman-Fried and the FTX collapse.

Sam Kessler

Latest from Sam Kessler


Tech

Arbitrum Ecosystem Unveils 'Onchain Labs' to Support Early-Stage Projects

The new program is designed to provide go-to-market support to "experimental and volatile" projects, according to Arbitrum's main developer.

The co-founders of Offchain Labs, the firm behind Arbitrum. (Offchain Labs)

Tech

Hello, Hoodi: Ethereum Welcomes a New Testnet

Ethereum's 'Pectra' upgrade will be tested on Hoodi following buggy attempts on other testnets, Holesky and Sepolia.

Vitalik Buterin, Ethereum co-founder (Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images)

Tech

Sam Altman's World Network and Razer Want to Defeat Gaming's Bot Problem

The teams are releasing “Razer ID verified by World ID,” which is a single sign-on mechanism that will verify real human gamers from bots.

Worldcoin co-founders Alex Blania and Sam Altman (Marc Olivier/Worldcoin)

Policy

Court Approves 3AC’s $1.53B Claim Against FTX, Setting Up Major Creditor Battle

A Delaware bankruptcy court allowed Three Arrows Capital to dramatically expand its claim against FTX, further complicating creditor payouts.

Three Arrows co-founder Su Zhu speaks at FTX's Crypto Bahamas event in 2022 (Tracy Wang/CoinDesk)

Tech

Ethereum Developers Launch New Testnet for Pectra Upgrade After Earlier Setbacks

Core developers hope the third attempt will clear the path for a major blockchain update by May.

Ether coin over price chart. (Art Rachen/Unsplash)

Policy

AML Bitcoin Creator Found Guilty In Pump-and-Dump Case Linked to 'Casino Jack'

A jury in California convicted Rowland Marcus Andrade of wire fraud and money laundering in connection with the sale of AML Bitcoin.

AML Bitcoin co-conspirator Jack Abramoff in 2011 (Lessig/Abramoff/Wikimedia Commons)

Tech

From Ethereum's Engine Room to Wall Street: Danny Ryan's New Mission

Ryan turned down an opportunity to help led the Ethereum Foundation and instead joined Etherealize, an organization focused on bringing Ethereum to Wall Street.

Danny Ryan at Devcon 2019 (Ethereum Foundation Livestream)

Tech

Japanese Tech Giants Sony and LINE Join Forces in Blockchain Deal

The integration will bring four gaming applications from Japan's largest social platform to Sony's blockchain network, Soneium.

Sony (CoinDesk Archives)

Tech

Ethereum Developers Postpone Pectra Upgrade Following Buggy Tests

After two buggy tests, Ethereum's developers have decided to spend a bit more time collecting data on the highly-anticipated Pectra upgrade.

Ethereum Abstract Crystal

Tech

Ethereum's Second Buggy 'Pectra' Test Could Lead to a Delayed Upgrade

Developers encountered issues during Ethereum's Sepolia test for the upcoming Pectra upgrade, raising concerns.

Vitalik Buterin (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)