#168 – Silvio Micali: Cryptocurrency, Blockchain, Algorand, Bitcoin, and Ethereum

Silvio Micali is a computer scientist at MIT, Turing award winner, and founder of Algorand. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: – Athletic Greens: https://athleticgreens.com/lex and use code LEX to get 1 month of fish oil – The Information: https://theinformation.com/lex to get 75% off first month – Four Sigmatic: https://foursigmatic.com/lex and use code LexPod to get up to 60% off – BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/lex to get 10% off EPISODE LINKS: Silvio’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/silviomicali Algorand’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/Algorand Algorand’s Website: https://www.algorand.com/ PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/lexfridman YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/lexclips SUPPORT & CONNECT: – Check out the sponsors above, it’s the best way to support this podcast – Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman – Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexfridman – Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman – Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LexFridmanPage – Medium: https://medium.com/@lexfridman OUTLINE: Here’s the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time. (00:00) – Introduction (08:55) – Blockchain (11:52) – Cryptocurrency (14:42) – Money (18:56) – Scarcity (20:37) – Scalability, Security, and Decentralization (24:03) – Algorand (40:36) – Bitcoin (43:39) – Ethereum (45:10) – NFTs (48:34) – Decentralization of power (52:42) – Intelligent adaptation (55:25) – Leaders (58:31) – Freedom (1:01:31) – Privacy (1:04:15) – Bitcoin maximalism (1:08:01) – Satoshi Nakamoto (1:12:39) – One-way function (1:16:52) – Pseudorandomness (1:21:34) – Free will (1:23:39) – Will quantum computers break cryptography? (1:28:44) – Interactive proofs (1:35:38) – Mechanism design (1:43:04) – Favorite meal (1:46:18) – Book recommendations (1:53:15) – Advice for young people (1:55:48) – Fear of death (1:58:29) – Meaning of life