The Challenges of Disrupting the System with Blockchain

This week we talk to the Parity's head of security Kirill Pimenov about the shortcomings and potential of blockchain, open-source software and DLT. Joe Petrowski (Research Analyst, Parity Technologies) speaks with Kirill Pimenov, head of security at Parity Technologies. The disruptive nature of blockchain has attracted many great minds from many backgrounds, and Kirill Pimenov's wealth of experience and knowledge clears up some of the hype and promises of blockchain regarding its relationship to power, raising capital, and freedom. Links: The Moral Character of Cryptographic Work - Phillip Rogaway Banana Split - Shamir Secret Sharing for people with friends Highlights: 01:40 - Mining a Bitcoin block in 2010 03:02 - The ethics of open source 04:15 - Kirill's introduction to programming 10:05 - Blockchain as the field where money meets engineering 13:25 - The Silicon Valley version of the American Dream 15:30 - Blockchain is the first non-military application which pays people enough 16:45 - "The thing you're supposed to decentralize is power" 23:06 - What underlying principle led to the internet to being this way? 27:01 - How can users have a say in the way systems work? 32:07 - If you optimize for profit, you get immoral, profit-maximizing machines 36:52 - Can a decentralized system be corrupted? 43:05 - DLT and blockchain is short-sighted right now 50:12 - We haven't figured out how to beat the current financial system yet 52:18 - We can never build a fair system without humans in the loop 57:10 - Who are your role models?Special Guest: Kirill Pimenov.