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


Consensus Magazine

The State of Staking: 5 Takeaways a Year After Ethereum's Merge

Ethereum’s switch to proof-of-stake fixed some problems, like environmental damage linked to PoW mining. But it raised new issues, including worries about centralization, MEV and censorship, say Margaux Nijkerk and Sam Kessler.

Ethereum (ethereum.org)

Policy

Vivek Ramaswamy Is Drafting a 'Crypto Policy Framework'

The Republican candidate is second only to Donald Trump in some polls.

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and Messari's Ryan Selkis (Danny Nelson/CoinDesk)

Tech

'We Can't Build Something Like This on Ethereum,' Says DYdX Founder as Mainnet Nears

In an exclusive interview, Antonio Juliano, founder of dYdX (and a former Coinbase software engineer), discusses his project's move to build a new layer-1 blockchain using Cosmos technology.

dYdX founder Antonio Juliano (dYdX)

Tech

Coinbase Earned $1M Amid Hack, but Hasn't Reimbursed Victims

Coinbase received 570 ETH, the second-largest payout tied to MEV in Ethereum’s history, to process transactions related to the Curve exploit.

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong (Coinbase)

Tech

The Protocol: The CFTC Is Cracking Down on Crypto

The move marks a contrast to its previously 'lenient' image compared to the SEC.

(Héctor J. Rivas/ Unsplash)

Tech

Hello Holesky, Ethereum’s Newest Testnet

The new network comes after years of growth for Ethereum’s developer community and will replace the Goerli testnet.

Ethereum (Unsplash)

Policy

Ex-FTX Executive Ryan Salame Could Forfeit $1.5B as Part of Guilty Plea

Salame admitted to being a "straw donor” to secretly funnel millions of dollars to Republican political candidates while Bankman-Fried donated to Democrats.

Ryan Salame leaving a New York courthouse on Sept. 7, 2023. (Sam Kessler/CoinDesk)

Tech

‘Sequencers’ Are Blockchain’s Air Traffic Control. Here’s Why They’re Misunderstood

Leading rollup operators are criticized for using "centralized sequencers" to package transactions and pass them down to Ethereum, but the real risks may lie elsewhere.

Air traffic controller (Beckett P/Unsplash, modified by CoinDesk)

Tech

‘Ethereum Supreme Court’ Mooted by Blockchain Executive as Alternative to ‘Code Is Law’

A proposal from Matter Labs co-founder Alex Gluchowski would see a “hierarchical system of on-chain courts” arbitrate on-chain disputes.

U.S. Supreme Court (Al Drago/Getty Images)

Policy

Sam Bankman-Fried's Complaints About Discovery Are 'Misleading,' DOJ Says

Prosecutors push back on the ex-FTX CEO’s claims that they’re dumping too many documents on him, responding that the evidence had been at his fingertips for months.

Sam Bankman-Fried outside a courthouse in July 2023. (Nikhilesh De/CoinDesk)