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From Centralization to Intent Revolution: Infura's Shift, Blockchain's 'Intents' Era, and OKX's L2 Triumph!
An exploration into emerging decentralized networks, the subtle revolution in blockchain utilization, and a comprehensive overview of the latest advancements in Layer 2 developments.
ABOUT
This episode is sponsored by Consensus 2024.
Follow the show here for more.
In this installment of "The Protocol," hosts Brad Keoun, the founding editor of The Protocol Newsletter, and tech journalists Sam Kessler and Margaux Nijkerk, explore the following stories:
Infura's baby step toward decentralization.
Infura, from the Ethereum developer Consensys, is so dominant it's been cast as a single point of failure. Now it's creating a "decentralized infrastructure network" to help protect against outages – with a "federated" group of partners.
What are ‘Intents’?
Intent-centric programs are quietly transforming how we use blockchains, but they bring risks as well as benefits.
PROTOCOL VILLAGE SEGMENT
- OKX Apes into L2 race PLUS a wrap of L2 developments including:
- Kinto
- Redstone
- Polygon's Ryan Wyatt joining Optimism Foundation in a growth role. "We're going to need a lot of L2s," he told CoinDesk TV.
- Plasma blockchain designs, all the rage after they were first invented in 2017, could come back in vogue after Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin wrote in a blog post-Tuesday that the category "opens the door to very large scalability gains."
EPISODE LINKS |
Ethereum Platform Infura's Step Toward Decentralization Includes Microsoft, Tencent
'Intents' Are Blockchain's Big New Buzzword. What are They, And What Are the Risks?
Cryptocurrency Exchange OKX Coming Out With Layer 2 ‘X1’ Built on Polygon Technology
Blockchain Startup Kinto Plans 'First KYC'd' Ethereum Layer-2 Network After Raising $5M
Blockchain Developer Lattice Unveils 'Alternative Data Availability' Network for Optimism
Ex-Polygon Veteran Wyatt Joins Optimism Foundation Unit in Growth Role
Plasma: Scalable Autonomous Smart Contracts
Sign Up for THE PROTOCOL NEWSLETTER
From Our Sponsor:
CONSENSUS 2024 by Coindesk
Secure your $109 Developer Pass today and join us in Austin May 29-31 to explore the epicenter of blockchain innovation at Consensus. This is where the top blockchains show off their latest advancements, share their detailed roadmaps, dive deep with technical workshops and forecast the next wave of innovation. Don’t wait! These passes are limited. Learn more and register: https://consensus.coindesk.com/register/developer/
The Protocol has been produced and edited by senior producer Michele Musso and our executive producer is Jared Schwartz. Our theme song is “Take Me Back” by Strength To Last.
HOSTS
Margaux Nijkerk reports on the Ethereum protocol and L2s. A graduate of Johns Hopkins and Emory universities, she has a masters in International Affairs & Economics. She holds BTC and ETH above CoinDesk's disclosure threshold of $1,000.

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.

Bradley Keoun is CoinDesk's managing editor of tech & protocols, where he oversees a team of reporters covering blockchain technology, and previously ran the global crypto markets team. A two-time Loeb Awards finalist, he previously was chief global finance and economic correspondent for TheStreet and before that worked as an editor and reporter for Bloomberg News in New York and Mexico City, reporting on Wall Street, emerging markets and the energy industry. He started out as a police-beat reporter for the Gainesville Sun in Florida and later worked as a general-assignment reporter for the Chicago Tribune. Originally from Fort Wayne, Indiana, he double-majored in electrical engineering and classical studies as an undergraduate at Duke University and later obtained a master's in journalism from the University of Florida. He is currently based in Austin, Texas, and in his spare time plays guitar, sings in a choir and hikes in the Texas Hill Country. He owns less than $1,000 each of several cryptocurrencies.

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