Human Protocol

Griff Green is a longtime Ethereum community organizer, co-founder of Giveth, and one of the key figures in the White Hat response to The DAO hack. This episode was recorded at EthCC[9] and explores his journey from chemical engineering to crypto, the early days of Ethereum, and the values that continue to drive his work today. We talk about what happens when ideals meet reality. Griff shares how ethical conflicts in his engineering career, heartbreak over the Seattle SuperSonics, and a growing distrust of existing systems pushed him toward anarchism, Bitcoin, Ethereum, and eventually community coordination at the center of one of crypto’s defining crises. Griff gives a firsthand account of The DAO hack, the White Hat group, and the strange intensity of becoming responsible for protecting a young ecosystem under pressure. But the deeper story is about trust, responsibility, and the belief that crypto can still help build economies around values that governments and spreadsheets fail to recognize. Let’s talk about responsibility, values, and building something better. Welcome to the show.

Austin Griffith is Head of Developer Growth at the Ethereum Foundation. This episode was recorded at EthCC[9] and Austin shares his journey from tinkering and building to becoming a key member of the Ethereum ecosystem. He discusses his projects like Burner Wallet, the impact of AI on blockchain development, and the importance of empathy and community in tech innovation. We talk about finding acceptance in the crypto space. Feelings of imposter syndrome, real stories of impact, and reflections on finding balance between personal life and work. Exploring the meaning of cypherpunk ideals and open source. And how he's thinking about a changing landscape for developers and the impact of AI on entrepreneurship.

Stani Kulechov is the founder and CEO of Aave Labs. This episode was recorded live onstage at EthCC and explores his challenges, motivations, and lessons learned along the way. Have you ever wondered about the human side of being responsible for a DeFi protocol which gathers billions in assets? We hear about what it takes to stay focused and on track amongst all the noise and distractions. How things change over the years from being a young programmer to becoming a father and navigating the complexities of an industry which doesn't take days off. Stani describes the early days of Aave as filled with sleepless nights and intense stress. Each protocol iteration demanded extensive focus and collaboration from the entire team, as they worked tirelessly to address every detail and edge case. This phase was not just about coding, it was about ensuring that the platform could handle real-world financial transactions securely. Let’s talk about the personal side of building big things. Welcome to the show.